A merica
Period cal &ter
July 4, 1941
CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and the Legal Chronicle
Purely Commentary •
Is "Forgiving" Always Advisable?
"Forgiving" and "forgetting" insults has been
the subject of serious debate for some time.
Rabbis and laymen have argued over it. Israel
Zangwill once bitterly remarked that Christians
preach the quality of mercy and the turning of
the other cheek when smitten on one, and upon
leaving their churches condone massacres of
Jews; while Jews, who are charged with preach-
ing in the name of "a God vengeance," invariably
do turn the other cheek after being smitten.
An example of a forgiving spirit was shown
in a New York court recently when Michael
Kluger, after being attacked by four Christian
Front hooligans, told the judge: "This is the
greatest country in the world. Why should we
fight each other?' The four scoundrels were
freed. But one of them, James Marone, can not
understand the quality of mercy. Several days
after his release he saw Kluger again and shout-
ed: "Here's that Jew again. I'm going to kill
him this time." Marone was held on a charge of
disorderly conduct which was dismissed.
The question must be asked: is it always ad-
visable to show mercy to hooligans? Somehow,
forgiveness does not work always. It would not
work with Adolf (Bloodthirsty Guttersnipe) Hit-
ler on the international front. It is doubful
whether it would work with a McWilliams or a
Pelley or a Kuhn.
In New York, there was another example of
intolerance last week. The head dietitian of the
Brooklyn Hospital, Miss Marion Chesterman, was
dismissed for writing Miss Ruth Sandler, a dieti-
tian seeking employment: "If you are not Jewish
I will interview you." Miss Sandler protested,
had her letter published, submitted her complaint
to the efficient committee on discrimination of
the American Jewish Congress, and justice was
meted out.
It is not always a question of forgiveness. It
is more often a necessity of teaching culprits a
lesson in human decency. Punish one, and others
will take notice of it; let the guilty ones go
with a nod expressing pity,. and habitual bigots
will gain courage.
From the point of view of achieving results,
Miss Ruth Sandler's aggressive stand in defense
of her rights as an American Jewess was by far
wiser than the forgiving attitude of Michael
Kluger.
•
Nazis Disown Rudolph Hess
The Rudolph Hess mystery is yet to be solved.
The two major guesses are that Hess escaped
from an impending purge; or that he went to
England to negotiate "peace" on the basis of a
British-German attack on Russia.
The former contention gains validity through
the rumor being spread in Germany that Hess'
mother was a Jewess and that he was related
to Moses Hess, the famous Socialist-Zionist,
precursor of Theodore Herzl, who wrote "Rome
and Jerusalem" 33 years before the appearance
of Herzl's "Judenstaat".
Resort to such methods to discredit one of the
leaders of the Nazi party can be interpreted in
only one way: that all is not well with Hitlerism.
It also leads us back to an old axiom: whom the
gods would destroy, they first make mad.
•
William E. Dodd, Jr., and Palestine
Beware of the man who becomes authority
on everything!
The name DODD has become famous in cur-
rent American history. William E. Dodd, Sr.,
was an heroic figure in his day, as Ambassador
in Germany. His diaries, recently published, are
among the most important revelations of the
events that led to the present world conflict.
His children, having resided in Germany for sev-
eral years, learned events from their father and
are certainly well informed on Nazism.
But when the son of this illustious father as-
sumes to discuss everything with an air of au-
thority, he presents a pitiful appearance.
In the June 28 issue of U. S. Week, a weekly
"established to foster and forward the Jeffer-
sonian democratic ideals of William E. Dodd and
supported by the William E. Dodd Foundation,"
William E. Dodd, Jr., discusses Palestine and
repeats a number of ideas which should long
ago have been discarded by liberals. Certainly,
the views expressed by the younger Dodd do
not lend credit to the illustrious name of his
father, of blessed memory.
Dodd uses old facts. He speaks of 375,000
Jews in Palestine. That was back in 1935. He
talks about Zionists who have gone to a country
"already occupied by people with legimate claims
to the land." He did not see fit to examine the
historical facts, to learn for himself that as a
result of Jewish efforts the Arab population not
only had its standards raised but doubled in
population during the 20 years of Jewish activi-
ties for national redemption. He uses information
which had been distributed among Arabs, in an
attempt to alienate their loyalty to England
and heir friendship for Jews, not only by Ger-
mans and Italians but also by a group of Com-
munist agitators.
His entire article is inconsistent with a single
important statement he makes correctly: "Jews
already in Palesine have begun to work out their
relations with their Arab neighbors along lines
of cooperation." This certainly does not fit in
logically with a sentence immediately preceding
it that "further migration (of Jews) would stir
endless strife among the Arabs."
It is difficult to understand our "liberal
friends." They know that Jews are pushed to
the wall throughout the world. They admit that
Jews need a home. They ought to know, by this
time, as a result of the sad experience of the
intergovernmental commissions on refugees, that
Palestine alone is prepared to welcome large
5
Bnai Brith Make
Moonlight Plans
By Philip Slomovitz
numbers of Jews. But they nevertheless encour-
age the anti-Zionist rabid Arab viewpoint. Instead
of encouraging Arab-Jewish friendship, they en-
courage the spread of rumors about impending
troubles.
Which again raises the questions: What is the
purpose of U. S. Week? And—why must the
younger Dodd aspire to be authority on every-
thing, including Jewish National Home about
whit hhe knows very little!
•
The Nazi-Soviet Conflict
Great danger exists that those who have been
moved by hatred for Communism and who have
always felt that the red specter is more danger-
ous than the Nazi threat to the world may strive
to force an about face among the democracies
in favor of Germany, for the sake of beating
Russia.
There are many fallacies in the thinking of
those who hate Russia, and a most effective an-
swer to those who raise the religious issue with
regard to the Soviets is given by Sir Norman
Angell, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize prior
to the advent of Hitlerism, in an article in the
Nation. Sir Norman, now a consistent advcate
of an united front of the free peoples against
the Hitler menace, points out that
"Russia, we are told, is not a Christian
state. Neither is China. Neither is India.
Most of the world is non-Christian. The con-
quest of Russia by Germany would not make
Russia more Christian. It would only make it
more dangerous.
"To show that the West is prepared to give
Russia the same rights of protection against
external violence, the same rights to life
as a nation and a state, which Western na-
tions demand, will be to increase the chances
that ultimately it will, with others, take its
part in common resistance to war. The alter-
native—some form of appeasement which
would throw the Soviets to the Nazi wolves
—would in the end condemn us all to a like
fate."
This is the mildest form in which Sir Norman
could possibly advance his plea against a blind
attitude towards Russia. What the entire world
must learn to recognize is that the chief offender
of justice is Adolf Hitler, and that until he is
destroyed it will be impossible for the free peo-
ples of the world to come to terms, with each
other.
It is amusing to note the ease with which our
newspapers have fallen for the Nazi bluff emanat-
ing from Berlin that all of Europe had combined
to fight Communism and to destroy Soviet Rus-
sia. And the newspapers published it exactly
like that—without informing the average reader
that the governments mentioned as having de-
clared war on Russia are no longer independent
states but are dominated by the Nazi Quislings
who have been planted to rule over enslaved
populations. (When will the newspapers begin
to educate their readers to know the truth rather
than to be partners in forcing pills provided by
foreign propagandists upon them?)
The hope of those who desire to see peace
restored on a decent basis, and of all those who
hope to see the utter destruction of the Nazi
menace, is that Russia will offer proper resist-
ance to the Hitler hordes to help in the ultimate
defeat of Germany. When that day comes, it is
to be hoped that the former prejudices will be
removed, that religion will not be proscribed in
Russia, that Hebrew and Zionism will again be
given a chance to flourish there, and that Russia
will be a partner in aiding in the establishment
of a Jewish National Home in Palestine. It is
not beyond reason to believe that this is pos-
sible and that it may come to pass.
•
DAVE DIAMOND
Dave Diamond and his well
known orchestra will furnish the
music for the Gth annual moon-
light of the Detroit Bnai Brith
on Sunday evening, July 13.
In addition to dancing on the
boat, a special floor show has
been arranged. Dave Diamond
will act as the master of cere-
monies.
The boat will leave from the
foot of Woodward at 8:30 p.
and will travel on Lake St. Clair.
Ben H. Rhodes is general
chairman of the moonlight, with
Louis Schostak is honorary chair-
man.
Participating in the prepara-
tion for the moonlight are the
Pisgah, Louis Marshall and The-
odore Herzl Lodges and the
Women's Auxiliary and Business
and Professional Group.
AZA and junior auxiliaries
will aid in the sale of tickets.
Information on the moonlight
may be obtained by calling Bnai
Brith headquarters, Ch. 3372.
If you are addressing an offi-
cial communication to our friend
Pierre van Paassen be sure to
prefix his name with the title
"Dr." . . . The honorary degree
of Doctor of Humane Letters
has been conferred upon him by
t h e University of Dubuque,
Iowa.
Installation Supper of Mich.
igan Home Protective
Association on Sunday
This Sunday evening, the new
officers of the Michigan Home
Protective Association will be
installed at a special social eve-
ning which will be featured by
entertainment and a supper.
There will be a musical program.
The event will be held at the
Arbeiter Ring Center, Linwood
and Burlingame.
The new officers are: Presi-
dent, J. Kozda; vice president, A.
Grushky; recording secretary,
M. Arotzky; financial secretary,
Mrs. Nathan Pritz; hospitalers,
women's, Mrs. L. Ashkenazi,
men's, I. Miller; treasurer, II.
Lubin; trustees, J. Krass, B.
Leet, J. Winslow.
♦l
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THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME . • •
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But we all like to
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HARRY BOESKY
12th and Hazelwood
Phone Trinity 2-9366
CADILLAC
OLDSMOBILE
The Autobiography of Cyrus Adler
Dr. Cyrus Adler's autobiography, just published
by the Jewish publication Society of America,
will undoubtedly be the subject of considerable
discussion for some time to come.
The title of this autobiography, "I Have Con-
sidered the Days", taken from a sentence in
Psalms (77.6) is quite appropriate for the story
of the life of one of the most picturesque char-
acters in American Jewry. An able scholar and
leader, Dr. Adler's own story of his experience
as a key man in Jewish affairs sheds much light
on what has happened to our people in the past
half century.
But this autobiography will be subjected to
much critical scrutiny because of the prejudices
it reveals.
Imagine, for instance, a discussion of American
Jewish activities during the past 40 years with-
out mentioning even once the name of D:.
Stephen S. Wise!
Former Justice Louis D. Brandeis is referred
to ONCE!
The most interesting chapter in the book,
that dealing with "War Duties", does injustice
to the efforts of Jews to secure recognition of
national rights in Palestine and minority rights
outside of Palestine. It dismisses with shocking
abruptness the selection of Henry Morgenthau,
Sr., as a head of a delegation to go to Poland
to investigate the horrible post-war pogroms.
It does not mention any of the delegates who
represented the American Jewish Congress at the
Versailles Peace Conference and one would
imagine, from the late Dr. Adler's story, that
the only things that mattered in Paris, at the
time the Peace Treaty was signed, was the pres-
ence there of Louis Marshall and Dr. Adler.
We all have our prejudices, and Dr. Adler
was entitled to his. But when an outstanding
leader completely ignores known historical facts,
in the shaping of which he had an important
share, when writing his autobiography, he did
himself an injustice and personally helped, in
his lifetime, to relegate his reminiscences to a
position of secondary value.
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