September 26. 1941
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE is.; :be Less: Chronicle
!I,
DEFENSE
(Continued from Page 1)
dross Can Jews thernmelven fight
back—or mast they rely on Chris-
tian knights defending their
honor in this tournament? What
are the organizations which re-
ceive funds and publicity thinking
and doing about just that basic
question?
To this observer there is ap-
parent only confusion, mutual
recrimination and honest inten-
tions. Examine the organizations.
In alphabetical order there is,
first, the American, Jewish Com-
mittee. It is supposed to have
money with which to run, but
even its allegedly well-to-do spon-
sors still think that self-defense
( is the place for c-conornies. In
certain directions, the American
Jewish Committee has imagina-
tion and creative energy. But its
administrators are bogged down,
on the ore hand, by publicity
counsellors who don't realize that
a people must be inspired to act
and not merely frightened, and,
on the other, by a dynasty which
is more afraid of the raised
voices of the Jewish masses than
of the sinister whispering of
Lindbergh.
Congress: An Idea
The American Jewish Congress
is more an idea than an institu-
tion. Always throttled by lack of
money, it must allow the gesture
to suffice for the deed. Because
it is in New York, it suffers
from the traditional incapacity
to visualize the country as a
whole. What it does have is the
elemental power of the Jewish
people to protect its dignity with
its own strength.
The Bnai Brith is perhaps the
most uniquely American Jewish
organization in this country. It
is not blinded by cliches and is
integrated in all the mediocrity
and self-respect of the people. If
there is one single organization
in America around which a be-
leaguered people could build its
defenses this is it. Its merit is
not enhanced by some of the an-
tics of the Anti-Defarhation
League, which seems more con-
cerned with terrorizing Jews
with anonymous anti - Semitic
screeds than with slashing back
in open warfare against these
calumniators.
The Jewish Labor 'Committee
often seems an tired as the work-
ers on whose behalf it purports
to speak. Because for too long its
ocabulary was of economic values,
it is still in the stage of lisping
Jewish values. Sometimes it
seems more concerned with pre-
serving the shibboleths of 1890
Polish Socialism than with the
necessities of 1941 American Ju-
daism. But that it has the capac-
ity for power is patent.
All four organizations harbor
leadership that is basically sound ;
but with several exceptions they
are more afraid of being charged
with divided loyalties than of be-
ing destroyed for lack of united
solidarity.
Suggestions are cheap, especi-
ally from people who have no
responsibility to execute them.
With due apologies, this reporter
offers a skeleton outline of some
of the ideas which he believes to
be gestating in the minds of
many Jews, including the leaders
of the four organizations in-
volved. Unless some concerted ac-
tion is taken—along these lines
or any lines—there is the danger
of both ineffective poultices and
mounting hysterias. The Jews of
America must face the fact that
right here in America war has
been declared against them—not
by tattered guerillas but by fully
trained soldiers and generals.
A Positive Program
First, the four organizations
must call off their childish feud.
This reporter believes that most
American Jews debit some of the
leaders of the American Jewish
Committee for most of the blun-
ders of Marie Antoinette politi-
cal evaluations. As quickly as
possible their representatives
must create a general stuff to
consider these problems of war.
Perhaps the General Jewish Coun-
cil can lose the curse of its im-
potence in this crisis.
'There should be appointed to
this general staff not the tradi-
tional occupiers of office but men
especially equipped. The fact that
man. can run a bank or a
chain store or a junk shop is no
proof that .he can deal with mass
psychology. The general staff
°tight to be free of men who
are only mouthpieces of other
men. It could well include, in ad-
dition to men like George Meda-
Ile, Stephen S. Wise, Henry
Monsky and David Dubinsky, to
name only a representative few,
newspaper editors, courageous
rabbis, competent publicity nags
outstanding professional m e
Money is not the prime need of
this organization. It 'is ideas. But
if money is needed. it is the
responsibility of all American
Jews, not least those men whose
resources make them a magneue
pole for diatribes against the
whole Jewish community.
Second, certain basic sugges-
tions, which many American
Jews have been considering.
should be tested. These include:
(a) An affirmative instead of
a negative approach to anti-
Semitism should be taken. Every
editorial that appears. every
.speech that is uttered, every at-
tack that is made should 'tie coun-
tered by Jews with the realiza-
tion that they are Americans
whose self-respect demands their
self-defense.
(b) A direct appeal should be
made to the newspapers of this
country to stop serving as the
sounding-boards of imported hate.
In the same way that newspapers
refuse to publish obscenity they
should stop handling foul libels
which are carried daily over the
cables by the various news agen-
cies from Nazi-dominated Europe.
What good is it to ring America
with battleships when the enemy
pierces our defenses with a tele-
graph wire? If this be suppres-
sion of "news" it has no lesser
validity than withholding stories
that might give the enemy knowl-
edge of vital defense secrets.
(c) A movement should be
begun in every state of the Union
to make defamation of a race or
a people subject to the same
penalties---even greater penalties
—as libel of an individual.
(d) An effort should be made
to suggest to the various non-
sectarian "good - will" agencies
that they co-ordinate their efforts
for more effective results. Their
competitiveness dissipates their
strength even as in the Jewish
field.
(e) Active campaigns should
and
EDUCATION
((Continued from Ptage 1)
s Es:scat:on Month.
of
tne month of T±sri. but we
continue our work through the
year."
Maurice H. Zackheim, chair-
man of the Board of Education.
:stressed the importance of mak-
ing thl.s. observance not only a
month project which begins and
ends with the month of Tishri.
but a continuous, web 'formulated
and carefully executed project.
A special committee headed by
Rabbi Adier was appointed this
year by the president. Louis
Robinson, to work along these
lines in an uninterrupted mas-
ner throughout the year.
A synagogue committee was
appointed consisting of Rabbi M.
J. Wohlgelernter, Solomon Kas-
dan. Max Barahai and Raboi
Leizer Levin, to make contacts
wi,n synagogues and arrange for
education talks during holiday
services.
Yhili p Slomovitz. Joseph Hag-
gai, I. Zemel, Morris Plafkin.
Morris Lachover an I Michael
Michiin are in charge of pub-
licity.
Inc question of reaching var-
be initiated against every state
and federal legislator who is so
faithless to his Constitutional
oath or responsibilities as to vio-
late the Bill of Rights by cham-
pioning or condoning race hatred.
Such suggestions could be mul-
tiplied at length.
Are they different from what
timorous Jewish organizations are
doing at the present time? Only
to the extent that they are based
on this formula: We are Ameri-
cans.- Our security. our honor is
threatened. We must unite our
efforts and, in the American
spirit, publicly and militantly,
preserve this America.
ion= organizations and landsinan-
shaften at their regular meetings
and acquainting them with the
work of the Hebrew Schools was
discussed, and Abraham J. Lach-
over was appointed to head this
committee.
During the previous years a
sub-project of the general ob-
servance was to visit Jewish
homes and make personal con-
tacts with parents. Harry Cohen,
former president of the Hebrew
Schools, said that this form of
contact is most effective and
should be continued. Meyer Ma-
this, who headed this committee
last sear, was again appointed to
continue the same experiment.
His committee consists of Nor-
man Ruttenberg, Annette Isaacs,
Abraham Twersky. Abraham Was-
sen. Mr. Landy, Norman Levitt,
Mrs. Samuel Lehrman, Dr. and
Mrs. Morris Teles, Abraham
Panush, Abraham Schachter and
Joel Cashdan.
The senior alumni, directed by
Irwin Soref, and the junior
alumni, whose spokesmen at this
meeting were - Joe Epel and Frie-
da Smolinsky. undertook to ar-
range for radio talks and skits,
and to bring to the radio pub-
lic the message of the Hebrew
schools. Herman D. Boraks, head
of the Kvuczah Ivrith, and Me:-
dames A. DeRoven and A. Pan-
ush of the Ladies' Auxiliary of
toe Kvutzah, pledged their co-
operation in the work of Edu-
cation Month.
In former years the closing
of the Education Month was in
the form of a dinner. Last year,
instead of a dinner, a "Beth
Am," a panel discussion, was
substituted. While that panel dis-
cussion attracted a large audi-
ence and was carried out in a
dignified manner, the people
gathered nevertheless felt that
a festive affair like a dinner
cannot be substituted by any-
thing else. Rudolph Zuieback
felt that an evening of Jewish
music with an appropriate talk
on Jewish education would be a
fitting termination. It was recom-
mended that the matter be again
studied. A committee, headed by
Harry Cohen, Rudolph Zwieback,
Robes Marwil and Mrs. Naih an
kt(hs e ., was appointed to ex-
possibility of termina-
ting Education Month with a
dinner.
Mr. Crohn discussed the im-
portance and effectiveness of th e
special issue published by The
Detroit Jewish Chronicle and
dedicated. to the United Hebrew
Schools. He expressed the hope
that this practice will be (:an-
eet
rtof
t nT u h e i (i s a i s n he
heretofore.
unique in
that the poet, Abraham Rsgel-
son, was the guest of the eve-
ning, and the chairman invited
him to speak. He delivered a
profound talk on the task in
America for the revival of the
Hebrew language.
This Education Month observ-
ance is nationwide. It is spot s
soled jointly by the Natienal
Council for Jewish Education
and the American Associ:i
for Jewish Education.
General Marshall
On Jewish Program
WASHINGTON. (IPS) —Gen-
eral George C. Marshal. Chief
of Staff of the United States
Army, will join Dr. David de
Sola Pool on the annual Yom
Kippur broadcast of the Colum-
bia network on Sunday, Sept. 2S,
from 1:30 to 2 p. m. Eastern
Standard Time. The • General,
speaking from this city, will de-
liver New Year greetings to the
men of Jewish faith in the United
States Army.
15 new ones too
7Ibn
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