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5

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle

March 1, 1940

P urely Commentary

Our Friends Urge Recognition of Jesus

It is important that we recognize a significant
ct. W henever a Christian urges us to recog-
fa
nize anti accept Jesus—without necessarily ask-
ing embrace Christianity—he is as a rule
in g ri, T0 1 0 f ours. He is sincere. He feels that
a f was a prophet in Israel and that Jews ought
J esus
nize him as such. There are numerous
• on record of outstanding philo-Semites
to
in stances not understand why we did not in-
could
who
elude Jesus among the great Jewish teachers
and rabbis.
O ne of the most interesting examples of such
friendship is contained in a letter this Com-
mentator has received a few days ago from an
outstanding friend, the former Governor Chase
S. Osborn of Michigan. Writing from his winter
home in Poulan, Worth County, Ga., the former
Gover`nor reveals his knowledge of Jewish his-
t and the Scriptures. Although his letter is
ory
r ant enough for complete
lengthy, it is important
usage and the Commentator therefore presents
it herewith:
consider t hat you are the only C111144
volt most 119
not have
questions tlutt are Intricate, com-

of 174.01 , 11' %1

plicated, ague, and disenchanting.
Haves, the same as individuals and nations, need to
stud, thcnlselveN, as %veil as others, when t hey are
in gnu s sit tuitions.
acre going to cure t he difficulties of the Jews,
If I
If here could
Alrul I ask them to find themselves.
he a rediscovery of t lie Hebrews and till their history
and the great part they hate played In the world,
there a onld lie no trouble at all.
The Jews as a race are God-taught and tiod-t !link-
ing, The Old Testament, hick I think all of you
subscribe to as belonging to the Israelites, 14 a master
document. The New Testament is the result of the life
of the most splendid mid immeasurable man In his
greatness that ever lived on earth. lie was tt Jew. I
refer to Jesus of Nazareth.
In Illy opinion, It would he 0 big advance toward
better things If the Jews of the work( recognized 111111.
what the earth needs is exactly the principles which
Ile ad% mated to g-ulde the Jews and the people of
the world.
Just think of the rabbinical K•11041124. They were t he
first t hat history describes and they were the greatest.
There has never been ivisdom sunstiodng that of lllll
It was like that of the Jew SO10111011, who Ka
his 111 , 14 rul long and motivat Ions directly from Heaven.
even
like Ague better than Gantaliel. Ile 11111)" hat e
I
taught many Ganutliels at various times, because he
was earlier ? HIN teaching of HMO and Feat is superior
to a n ything I know this side of Heaven and is IN part
of the realm of Immortalit y. let me quote just this
much of it, which is sufficient for the happy conduct
of the earth and all Its peoples:
"Remov e fur from me vanity and lies. lave me
neit her poverty nor riches. Feed me with food con-
venient for Inc.'
All that Jesus Christ knew of mundane things he got
from tht• Jews. Ills life Itself Is due to Mary and
JOM•II 111 a Divine manner. They were Jews.
It appears that the Jews have forgotten t hemseives,
and a Ito t hey were, and what t hey may be again.
It 14 also undoubtedly true that an Immanit y, aside
from the Jews, have forgotten what we owe to then].
It does no good for I lie Jews, or any individual, or
any nation to appeal to God in their distress, and yet
keep on refusing to recognize and change the things
within themselves that are the fundamental causes of
their suffering.
Great Britain 1111t4 us motto: "Dieu et neon droit"—
which means "God and MI' right." At t he present time
it interprets ' b oon de a lt" as the right to a quarter
of the surface of the earl h. If English statesmen could
and II oniii see that this motto needs changing, and
%mad make it "Dieu et le &oil" ("God and '111E
right", Or "God and Justice", or "God and the Rights
of All 31ankind")—t he Ivar clouds now darkening the
world w (add vanish.
THE INSTINCT OF SELF-PRESERVATION, CAR-
RIED TO EXTRFIAIES OF ACQUISITIVENESS, AUTO-
MATICALLY BRING SELF-DESTRUCTION. 'nutt Is
a rule of nature, which is God. Nations and Individuals
and MATS 1010 break it are the out horn of their own

WI*14.

If the Jews will examine themselves, before God,
and will pntyerfully try to cease to be a chiefest ac-
quIsiliv e class, as a dominating t ntit, and live among
and of the peoples of the earth more, and do what-
ever is necessary to all met nether theta to repel, t heir
problems will be solved as frost disappears in the

1.1111. 4 Warmth.

what I and asking you to consider and advising
you to do cannot lie brought about In tt moment.
I am it riling you simply to show my deep interest
in the Jew problem. Von are always being treated
unjust b. what you must discover to yourselves Is
Just why that is, and w hat invites the unjust treat-
ment acconled your people.
I could go on almost without end in calling atten-
tion to the nobility of Jews upon the curt 11 in modern
times Iii addition to t hose of the Old find New Testa-
ment.
Out we not come to understand that all peoples on
the forth have similar Interests?—that there is no
✓oyall y except that of kindness and no distinction be-
yond that of being Just.
There WWI a time when t he Jews ruled the earth
nitli complete success so that the peoples were as
halm, au humans can be. May they not do IWO again
by the right procedure? It Is not too much to hope
Dud they can also increase the capacity of the human
being for joy and contentment.
The t19141111. law which provided for a division of
Prom tiy every fifty years wan the first Socialism and
indeed the first Communism, and It worked until the
law Bas flaunted.
W..,dd it not help the Jewish problem and all the
if t hey would frankly admit that the world Is
Jealous of t hem and afraid of them because they are
more able in material directions than others? They
acquire fortunes by a brilliance of taking rather thus
a Ita 1,1 of giving.
I am not sure of my . statement as
tm this but I suggest it
its a thing to be considered.
tIddl
h
■ enough, after they get riches they (10 not find
apckess Ira their possessions, as no one does. They
can return to t heir days of complete peace by em-
I r Tl.,,,
re , ; and being guided by the teachings of their
re
101 forebears.
It is not too much to hope
t ha't they
s Fiea
(If can become more and more not only the
brothers.Jews
but
the keepers of all t heir
h

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

marked—and marred—by horror. Whatever may
have been recognized as great in his teachings
was accepted as mediocre since it was repetition
of what the prophets and teachers in Israel had
set down as ethical code before him. The dis-
ciples of Jesus, also Jews, did not create a new
code. On the contrary, they even added fuel to
the fires of hatred by their spread of the cru-
cifixion story which is discredited by the greatest
modern Biblical scholars.
There is another point which our Christian
friends must remember. Since the time of Jesus
there were many great Jewish scholars and rab-
bis. But they, too, have not earned a place in our
Scriptures alongside the prophets. They have
become historically recognized figures, but only
a few, like RASHI (Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki) whose
900th birthday is now being celebrated through-
out the world, and the Gaon of Vilna, both
great commentators, have earned positions of
priority in Jewish life and in our history. The
rest are grouped among the great scholars of
whom there is an abundance in Jewry. Why
expect that Jesus be elevated above RASHI and
the Vilna Gaon, or on a par with Isaiah and
Jeremiah? Surely, true brotherhood can afford
to recognize that "there is no royalty except
that of kindness," without insisting upon our
recognition of Jesus other than that he lived,
that he was a factor in our lives, that his life
story and his teachings should be viewed in
higher courses of study.

•
Jealousy as a Cause of Jew-Hatred

ADDRESS BY DR. BERG
MONDAY AFTERNOON

Dr. Louis Berg, psychiatrist,
Monday, March 11, at 1:30
author and teacher, will discuss
"Why We Misbehave Like Human p. m., at Temple Beth El, Wood-
Beings" at the meeting of the ward at Gladstone, the Sisterhood
Detroit Section, National Council of Temple Beth El will hold its
monthly meeting and annual fash-
ion show.
The most splendid array of
styles, representing the finest
shops and stores in Detroit, will
be presented. With lovely music,
stunning clothes on beautiful mo-
dels, page girls to introduce each
participant, this show promises to
be the most outstanding ever in-
troduced to the sisterhood. Tea
will be served following the en-
tertainment.
The attention of members of
the Sisterhood of Temple Beth
El is called to the fact that all
of the sewing groups, those which
sew Thursdays and those which
sew Tuesdays, are in need of
help. The following are the things
members can do to help:
1. Buy the merchandise which
they display at the monthly meet-
ings.
2. Come to the bandage room
Thurdays.
3. Young married women can
DR. LOUIS BERG
join the sociable Tuesday group.

Mr. Osborn makes much of the point that
jealousy is responsible for hatred of the Jews.
We believe that our good friend is wrong. It
is true that very often this is a cause for hatred
and that it had inspired prejudice. But there are
other vital reasons for anti-Semitism. In the
first place, there is the reason advanced by Max
Nordau who believed that xenophobia—dislike of
the unlike—is responsible for hatred of the Jew.
We are everywhere branded as aliens, and we
suffer for being different. Then there is the
homelessness of the Jewish masses throughout the
world. It is unfortunate that mankind, despite
the teachings of Jesus and Moses, prefers might
to right. Jewry's weapon is right and justice;
the weapon of the nations persecuting us is the
power of the sword.
But it is not true to fact to say that Jews
are rich, that they fail to find happiness in their
possessions because "they acquire fortunes by
a brilliance of taking rather than a habit of
giving," that we fail to be guided by the teach-
ings of our forbears. Such charges are generally
true of all selfish peoples, Christians and Jews,
but as a matter of record this is not applicable
to Jews as a group. The fact is that only the
minority of Jews is rich. The poverty of Jewish
masses throughout the world today is stagger-
ingly appalling. But where Jews are more secure
and materially more fortunate, as .in this coun-
try, they are liberal in giving and noble in their
charity. We could mention hundreds of Jews (the
Strausses, Fels, the Schiffs, Rosenwald, the Roth-
schilds, the Montefiores, etc., etc.) who have ac-
quired world fame with their generosity. But the
goodness of these men pales into insignificance
when a study is made of the sacrifices made by
the poor masses of our people during fund-raising
campaigns for worthy causes. Jewish liability will
stand comparison with the efforts of any other
group. We are thinking. at this moment, of the
response in Detroit, which has a population of
about 300,000 Christian Poles, to the Polish
relief drive, as compared with the answer that
Detroit Jewry gives when called upon to come
to the rescue of its suffering brethren. Right
now it is a more than five to one balance in our
favor.
Then there is the question of Jewish adherence
to historic principles as embodied in the laws
of the Jubilee Year. Mr. Osborn has the best
answer in the fact that Jews are in the front
ranks of liberal movements; that Jews were
the founders of Christianity; that the creators
of Socialism have been Jews. Our passion for
justice—political, social and economic—is the
best proof of our adherence to the Biblical code.
We discuss these questions at length because
we desire to be understood by friends like Chase
S. Osborn. We want them to know the truth.
How else is the cause of justice and truth to be
• served?

mniam

u.T.S12...: 1 1:Inteulous story (If the
Jews it not n
. a noble truth. Perhaps the time is
ir
ahead ashe
n
n ev erybody trill help t he Jews, and the
Jew.
he'll everybody, and t here vvill be no such
!shal t lit ism
as CX11.461
•
, t
'sites.

a).

It ,s a gracious letter. But a few things need
to be clarified. In the first place, it is necessary
to explain the dilemma of the Jesus problem
as it affects the Jews. There are some matters
which can not be studied in elementary schools
buthich are studied in higher classes. The
Christ story is part of curricula in Jewish theo-
logical schools and in advanced classes in con-
gregai mnal schools. But it is not to be expected
that sus will he accepted as one of the proph-
ets, el as one of the great sages of our people.
merely for the reason that the name Jesus
ha
s "as b‘ mt a signal for persecutions and for blood-
shed, but due to a significant fact which stands
i Jewish history. Jesus as a rabbi or a
out
teach in
( r in Israel was one of many in his class.
What 11- taught was repetition of what had been
set dm\ n as law by predecessors who, are recog-
nized r. having been far superior to him in
scholar hip and saintliness. Jesus as saint has
become a Christian fact and not a Jewish reality.
Whatever
was important to Jews inconnection
with hi
s name, throughout the centurie, was

Temple Sisterhood
To Meet March 11

of Jewish Women, on Monday
afternoon, March -1, at Temple
Beth El.
A dessert-luncheon at 1:15
o'clock will open the program.
Mrs. Harry Markle, chairman of
the Council's Peace Committee,
will report on the Washington
Conference on the Cause and
Cure for War, to which she was
a delegate.
Dr. Berg's lecture will deal
with normal behavior from the
psychiatrist's view point. In addi-
tion to his teaching duties at
Columbia and New York Univer-
sity, Dr. Berg serves as District
Medical Supervisor fo the De-
partment of Health in New York
City. After graduating from Co-
lumbia and Jefferson Medical Col-
lege, he studied at the Universi-
ties of Berlin and Vienna. Twice
a lecturer at the Detorit Town
Hall Series, he is also the writer
of the syndicated newspaper col-
umn, "Something on Your Mind."
Presidents of the member-or-
ganizations of the Detroit Fed-
eration of Women's Clubs will be
honor guests at this meeting.

•

A Compliment—But No Credit

Henry Broker, who edits a column "Friday
Table Talk" in the Canadian Jewish Chronicle,
compliments your Commentator by culling fre-
quently from this column. But seldom does he
give credit for his source. Many thanks for all
the compliments, Henry. You are at liberty to
take all you want from us — with or without
credit. Under the skin there is a compliment in
what you do. But what pleases us especially is
that after you quote us without credit other
weeklies quote you — and do give you credit.
That's the way it works among journalists. May
it never be worse.

Former heavyweight champion,
Max Baer, despite his advanced
age (he was 31 last week), hopes
to knock out Joe Louis before the
year is over.

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Prominent Dance Team to
Appear at Leap Year
Affair at Center

LASALLE

Romero and Rene, well known
professional dance team, will be
guest performers at the House
League Leap Year Dance,
planned for Wednesday, • March
6, at 8:30 p. m,, at the Jewish
Community Center, Woodward
and Holbrook. They return by
popular request, having been en-
thusiastically received by those
attending youth night during ded-
ication week.
Music will be played by an 18-
piece orchestra, supplied by the
Michigan Music Project of the
Works Progress Administration.
Admission for members will be
10 cents, and 25 cents for non-
members.

Window Shade Co.

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•

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THE JEWISH CALENDAR

1605 BARLUM TOWER

5700-1940

Sunday, March 24
Purim
Tuesday, April 9
Rosh Chodesh Nissan
Tuesday, April 23-30
Passover
Thursday, May 9
Rosh Chodesh lyar
Saturday, May 26
Lag B'Omer
Friday, June 7
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
Wednesday, June 12.13
Shevouth
Tuesday, July 23
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
Monday, August 5
Rosh Chodesh Ab
Wednesday, September 4
Rosh Chodesh Ellul
5701-1940
Thursday, October 3
Rosh Hashonah
Saturday, October 12
Yom Kippur
All holidays begin at sundown of the preceding
secular day

KADIMAH HEBREW SCHOOLS

ONE OF THE MOST MODERN IN THE STATE

NEW PUPILS NOW BEING ENROLLED
at 11812 Linwood Ave., corner Tuxedo, upstairs
SIMON RICHARDSON, Principal
Private Lessons Can Be Arranged

Transportation furnished for children who live at a
distance from the school.
For information call HOgarth 1889

