A merica apish PerioNcal Cotter.
CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and the Legal Chronicle
April 11, 1941
P urely Commentary •
Liberation versus Escape
Our files yield a clipping carrying a report
of a Passover sermon delivered by Dr. Stephen
S. Wise on April 28, 1929. Speaking to his
Free Synagogue congregation, Rabbi Wise then
said:
"There is an absence of liberty in those
Jews wh o rejoice in the homelessness of the
Jewish people, who reject the Jewish way of
life and who have no part in the Jewish con-
sciousness.
"Much if not all of the un-Jewishness of
our life is rooted in the acquiescence of the
Jew in that homelessnes s of spirit which did
not hurt him as long as it was unavoidable,
which hurts him woefully now, now that he
is free to become a creative participant in
the unbuilding of a Jewish life in the Jewish
land, whether he dwells in Palestine or in
the lands of dispersion."
Rabbi Wise then defined "escape" as being
"merely from outward circumstances," while
"liberation" he described as being "from a kind
of thrall or bondage that lies within ourselves."
Then, referring to the liberation from Egypt,
he spoke of the Jews of that time:
"In a literal sense the Jews escaped, but
they had not liberated themselves, because
thy hankered for the fleshpots of Egypt and
because they reared an idol from a molten
calf. Afterward, when God in his wrath
smote their souls rather than their bodies,
they were on the way to liberation. Libera-
tion only began when the Jews said, All
that the Lord has said that will we do.'
"Today it has come to pass that Israel
is called upon to rebuild a land and a life,
and if Israel refuses, it is because of the
failure of many Jews to understand the
difference between escape from bondage,
which may lead anywhere, and liberation,
which leads to and is freedom."
t
Much water has gone over the dam during
the intervening 12 years. But the rebuke of
Dr. Wise to the Jews who accept a state of
homelessness and reject true liberation is more
timely than ever. The truth of his assertions
is evidenced in the revival of anti-Zionist senti-
ments, in the refusal of Jews to participate in
the great reconstruction efforts in Palestine, in
the "escapist" views which harm the cause of
self-emancipation.
There has been justification for the ques-
tion whether Jews welcome liberation in a home-
land. There are too many who continue to suffer
from nostalgic pangs not for freedom and inde-
pendence but for the fleshpots of Egypt. These
people represent the antithesis of justice and
freedom. It is against them, more than against
the taskmasters, that the spirit of Passover cries
out in this hour.
•
The Right of Free Speech
Our attention is called to a most significant
sentence in the "Essay on Liberty" by John
Stuart Mill (1806-1873), which reads as follows:
"If all mankind minus one were of one
opinion, and only one person were of the
contrary opinion, mankind would be no more
justified in silencing that one person, than
he, if he had the power, would be justified in
silencing mankind."
We share it with our readers as being one of
the most significant statements ever uttered on
the question of the right of free speech. Its
truth is more apparent today than at any ether
time in history.
This leads us to another important statement,
made by President Wilson on May 10, 1919,
in an address at the Institute of France in
Paris. PM, the fighting liberal New York daily
newspaper, quoted it recently at the suggestion
of Attorney-General Robert H. Jackson. Presi-
dent Wilson's statement follows:
"I have always been among those who be-
lieved that the greatest freedom of speech
wa s the greatest safety, because if a man is
a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage
him to advertise the fact by speaking. It
cannot be so easily discovered if you allow
him to remain silent and look wise, but if
you let him speak, the secret is out and the
world knows that he is a fool."
It works both ways, of course. The fool talks
himself into a ridiculous position, and the de-
fender of just rights retains the privilege of
battling for an ideal. That's democracy at its
best.
The Passover season is an ideal time to i'evive
the significance of these declarations. Such senti-
ments help strengthen the bulwarks for democ-
racy and freedom.
•
•
5
SOCIAL WORKERS
By Philip Slomovitz ARE UNIONIZED
none has until now published a work of this
kind in Yiddish.
Another innovation involves the author him-
self. Mr. Weinberg is well known for his effi-
cient Detroit journalistic activities. Few know,
however, that he has written many articles for
the national dailies. He has kept his own per-
sonality in the background, and his important
articles on social, political and economic issues,
involving the Jewish community, have appeared
under numerous pseudonyms, best known of which
are G. Brenweis, S. Winogursky and S. Rize-
sohn. This is the first time, however, that he
has written anything under his own name, and
the work is a credit to his efforts. It is typical
of his anxiety to be accurate and to be objec-
tive.
The Federation and Mr. Weinberg have our
congratulations on the appearance of this splen-
did work. It is a good introduction to a library
involving local affairs, and it will prove its
worth for the future historian who will be in
need of background material when writing about
the Jews of this city and their institutions.
•
A Phantom Takes a Walk
Remember the words of the old song—"Did
you ever see a dream walking?"
The miracle has happened: a dream has not
only walked, but it protests that it is not a
phantom.
For three years, the myth called General Jew-
ish Council has done some walking. It accom-
plished some herculean tasks. In spite of all
ridicule and protests, it insisted upon retaining
"status"—on letterhead, on doors of offices more
luxuriant than ours, in a few bombastic pub-
licity statements.
But the American Jewish Congress, having
done a lot of kicking and protesting—a task in
which it is well trained—finally decided to step
out of the picture and to notify the public that
the phantom is dead.
Lo and behold, however, the phantom con-
tinues to carry on! The names refuse to disap-
pear from the letterheads and from the panes
on office doors. The American Jewish Commit-
tee, Bnai Brith and Jewish Labor Committee
insist on carrying on.
It is easy to understand why the first two
of the adamant trio should stick together—
having joined for a mutual fund-raising cam-
paign. (Bnai Brith's delegates to the General
Jewish Council were at least frank in their views
when they voted with the Congress delegates
to declare the Council liquidated). But why the
Jewish Labor Committee, should humble itself
to remain in the Council, although it is treated
only as a necessary evil by the other two groups
who decided to step out on an independent pro-
gram of defense action, is a matter that will
not be easy to explain.
But if a phantom can walk, anything is pos-
sible. If a so-called General Jewish Council,
having fooled the public for three years, can
still insist upon retaining identity, then anything
is possible. If three members of this mythical
body can have the audacity, after three years
of pompous bluffing, to state, when the Ameri-
can Jewish Congress dares to call a spade a
spade, "that Council is not only continuing but
intends to enlarge its scope" (this is a quotation
from the telegram we received from the three
Jewish organizations who defy the action of
the Jewish Congress), then there is justification
for branding such action an outrageous insult
to the intelligence of American Jewry.
And so, the General Jewish Council intends
"to enlarge its scope!" Hold your sides, ladies
and gentlemen, lest your sides split laughing!
The phantom speaks of "scope!" The mythical
Council continues to walk! All laws of gravity
are defied! Shades of Houdini ! The age of
miracles is not ended!
Notable Days on Jewish Calendar
With the appearance of "Jewish Social Ser-
vices of Detroit: A History of Its Welfare Agen-
cies and Activities," written by Samuel D. Wein-
berg, editor of the Detroit page of the Jewish
Daily Forward, and published by the Jewish
Welfare Federation of Detroit, new traditions
are being established.
Most significant of all is the fact that the
Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit is the
first organization of its kind in the country
to publish a book in Yiddish describing the vari-
ous community agencies. Other Federations are
also releasing articles for the Yiddish press, but
Passover
-
-
-
-
April 12 — 19
Rosh Chodesh Iyar - - - Sunday and Monday,
April 27 & 28
Lag b'Omer - - - - Thursday, May 15
Rosh Chodesh Sivan - - Tuesday, May 17
Shevuos - - - Sunday and Monday, June 1 & 2
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz - Wednesday and Thurs-
day, June 25 & 26
Fast of Tammuz - - - - Sunday, July 13
Rosh Chodesh Ab - - - - Friday, July 25
Tisha b'Ab - - - - Sunday, Aug. 3
Rosh Chodesh Ellul - - - - Saturday and Sunday,
Aug. 23 & 24.
5701
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For Those Who Lack Conviction
Samuel D. Weinberg—Historian
TYLER
5-8400
Signing of the first formal
agreement in the United States
between a family welfare society
and a labor union has just been
announced by the Social Service
Employees' Pnion of Greater New
York. This contract, entered into
by the Jewish Social Service As-
sociation after six months of
negotiations, affects 90 workers.
Minimum and maximum annual
salaries are specified as $1,650
and $3,300 for professional
workers; $1,080 and $1,740 for
for clerical employees; $720
and $840 for office boys. Salary
increases "where the work per-
formed warrants it" were cited
as part of the JSSA's policy, and
increases were granted to various
employees while the negotiations
were in progress. These rises
were in three brackets—$200 a
year for supervisors; $180 for
case workers; and $60 for cleri-
cal help.
A selection from Israel Zangwill's views on
Zionism is worth quoting at this time. It is:
It is a powerful statement on Zionism. The
only fault one can find with it is that he limits
"lack of conviction" to the rich. The trouble
is that there are plenty of poor who also lack
conviction. To provide courageous determina-
tion for the acquisition of liberty and emancipa-
tion among all classes is the greatest need of all
liberating movements like Zionism.
Call
First Contract in U. S.
Goes to Jewish Wel-
fare Agency
•
"The gospel of Herzl is not only for the
poor Jews who lack bread, but for the rich
Jews who lack a conviction; nay, to the
world-at-large— a world relapsing into bar-
barism and dominated by mechanism—it re-
stores the light and warmth of idealism.
Never since Imperial Rome fell in its rotten-
ness has there bee n an hour in which the
world needed so much the inspiring spectacle
of a movement, incorrupt and instinct with
the noblest humanity. And it is fitting that
from Zio n this light should go forth."
Passover Greetings!
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