A merkair 9ewishr Periodical Cotter
M a y 8, 1942
CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO
5
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and the Legal Chronicle
P LAIN TALK
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Al, aGAL
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"I Answer A Lady"
lt,:,r Mr. Segal: Our Sisterhood next week is
discu—ing a problem: In what way do Jews
frail ort of the Ideal of their religion and by
whal means can they find fulfillment? I should
have a few idea:: on the subject—P. E.
like
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'1'111, is a big order, yet it's about time it
vase' taken up especially by our spiritual leaders
many Of whom seem currently more concerned
with riding in a "Jewish Army," or they play
at hying experts on international affairs and
their sermons sound like a Raymond Gram
Swilig or a Kaltenborn.
It looks like spiritual bankruptcy in Israel
with the spiritual receivers making such a mess
of the job that if it were goods instead of mys-
tical values that they were administering they
wo uld have been dismissed by the court long
a go.
Of course, there is spiritual bankruptcy in
the rest of the world, too, and it's a wonder
whether the shattered assets over can be brought
together again.
But it doesn't answer anything to say well, the
neighbors are behaving like heels and why should
pore be expected of me? I'll just keep on being
a heel.
The peoples of the Book, as we are called,
should be expected to stand on a loftier plane
of spiritual being than the people of a Holly-
wood magazine. We are called sons of prophets
but our poor ghostly forefathers must distress-
fully wonder at their brood at times. (Yet as
generous fathers they probably sigh, well, chil-
dren are all alike, being just poor clay.)
We are called a chosen people, an ascription
that I never have liked. It sounds too much like
the Nazi pretensions of superiority. But if we
are to accept the idea of being chosen, we should
interpret it only in the sense that we who stood
at Sinai and received the ethical ideals called
the Law are under special obligation to follow
them.
(Goodness me, here I'm getting sermonistic
and haven't any ordination at all.)
It's really a very sorry slough we're in and
sometimes a Jew may well wonder what the h--I
we keep on living for anyway? Just to get
slapped? That isn't worth while at all. Just
to say in business? Well, someone else could
just as ably handle the goods. Just to keep on
fighting Jew-baiters? It is scarcely a good life
wrestling with rats.
What then? Should Jewish life commit sui-
cide? No! That isn't necessary. Jewish life al-
ready is quite moribund. Generally, it seems
to be living only by its physical pain.
In the sense that Jewish life is supposed to
exalt those who have it, there isn't much Jew-
ish life. That which is called Jewish life is no
more than a painful existence, a struggle for
aimless survival.
What does it mean to have Jewish life? I
don't think it has to do with ritual formk with
the troubled absorptions of Orthodox rabbis who
are so meticulous that only foodstuffs which they
have approved gets into the Jewish stomach. I
don't believe that the scat of Jewish life is in
the stomach anymore than it is on the shelf of
the store on which the goods waits to be sold.
Nor, in my opinion, is Jewish life something
political--a longing for lost territory, an aspira-
tion to sit in the family of nations and argue
with Churchill, pride of marching in a special
uniform under the shield of David.
Nor, in my opinion, is Jewish life in Jewish
country clubs on whose glacial heights members
delight in the sadistic pleasure of pushing other
climbers down; nor is it at the rummy table, or in
bridge or mah jong. (Though I, myself, am fond
especially of the kind called "500" rummy and
challenge anybody at all to match my skill.)
I should say that Jewish life is a matter of
personal moral and spiritual grace. It is a Jew
who stands high on the lofty elevation of the
ideals of his Testament and his prophets. His
head almost touches the stars.
He is not obsessed by the idea of being one
of a crowd of special people, but thinks of him-
self as an individual who must seek the good
life for himself and, having found it, contribute
its vitality as a good gift to the common fund
of life which is called the brotherhood.
(Isn't it a fault of ours that we have stressed
too much our status as a people and neglected
too much the individual and his duties. The
rabbis are concerned much with the Jewish peo-
ple but little with the Jewish person. We see the
forest but not the trees, and how about those
trees that are stunted and need cultivation and
those trees that are suffering from decay and
require a tree surgeon?)
Jewish life is a Jew who says: "I am a man
of whose character and conduct much more seems
to be expected than from other people. Perhaps
it's all right that more is expected of me. After
all, you may say it was I who stood at Sinai
when the Commandments were given and it was
I who received them.
"Yes, a loftier way of personal life is of
right expected of me and I shall show them. I
shall walk on the heights righteously and humbly
with my Lord, as the prophet said. I shall try to
be a man exalted by the Law he has received.
I, myself, can't elevate mankind but I can walk
on the high place and in time other men will
come along, the multitudes of them, seeking the
good life, and then we shall have brotherhood.
Going in this way, I shall have something to sur-
vive for as a Jew.
What we need is a Jewish revival—a hot
crusade by our rabbis for a Judaism that is
personal, that has to do with the man I so often
call Mr. Zilch and the way of his individual life.
It's quite all right to restore Palestine and make
it grow olive trees and oranges but it's more
important to restore the spiritual being of the
Jew—that Mr. Zilch—whose life has become an
arid, fruitless desert.
Children Will Aid In
Allied Jewish Drive
Odessa 30th Jubilee at
Fort Wayne Hotel May 10
Stein's Clover Lodge
At Omena, Mich,
Under the chairmanship of Ber-
na•d Isaacs of the United Hebrew
Schools, and Miss Anna Oxen-
handler of Temple Israel, the
School Project Committee of the
Allied Jewish Campaign, which
includes Rabbi A. M. Hershman,
Congregation Shaarey Zedek; A.
.1. Lachover, United Hebrew
Schools; Dr. Hugo Mandelbaum,
Yeshivath Beth Yehudah; R.
Meyerowitz, Fa•band School, and
iss Rosalind Schubot, Temple
Beth El, is actively at work.
Directors of all the religious
schools have received campaign
material for distribution to their
ti achers and through them to the
children of the schools. The pro-
gram of the school project in-
tles compositions written by
•H children in the schools, pos-
s,essays and various types of
fizzes for the purpose of in-
.Hing in the minds of the
the purposes of the Allied
\vish Campaign before an effort
made to solicit - contributions.
l'nder the plan, each child will
come a participant, not only
1 the compilation of material on
campaign, but also in contri-
Aion to it.
The Odessa Progressive Aid
Society, which participates in all
community welfare and charity
work here and abroad. will cele-
brate its 30th anniversary on
May 10, at the Fort Wayne
At Stein's you have 22 acres
of picturesque land beautifully
located with over one-half mile
shore frontage on Grand Tra-
verse Bay. Lawns, gardens,
woods, hills, fruit orchards—all
to make your stay a relaxing and
invigorating one. All outside
rooms and warm hospitality. The
best in foods prepared by Mrs.
Stein, a veteran in this business
with over 20 years experience.
.
Eli Levin Auxiliary 230
To Hold Card Party May 19
Lt. Eli Levin Ladies Auxiliary
No. 230, Jewish War Veterans
of the U. S. are sponsoring it
card party on Tuesday evening,
May 19, at 8:00 p. m. at the
Jericho Temple, 2705 Joy Road.
The proceeds of this affair is
to be used for the welfare of
our boys in the armed forces,
also for hospitalization work.
This is open to the public, and
we would ask your co-operation
to help us make this aflair a suc-
cess. Door prizes and refresh-
ments.
Beth El Sisterhood
Elects Officers and
Directors for Year
Mothers Day Meeting May
9 and Annual Gatherings at
Statler on May 11
The Sisterhood of Temple
Beth El announces the election
of the following officers and
board of directors for the year
1942-43: President, Mrs. Henry
Meyers; first vice-president, Mrs.
John C. Hopp; second vice-presi-
dent, Mrs.- Irving L. Hirschman;
recording secretary, Miss lien-
rietta Asher; financial secretary,
Mrs. Irving I. Bittker; corres-
ponding secretary, Mrs. Milton
Marx; treasurer, Mrs. Harry B.
Lichterman; custodian, Mrs. Ger-
ald Spero.
Serving on the Board will be
the following: Mesdames Melvin
II. Baer, Sam Baum, Lewis B.
Daniels, Benjamin Fink, Louis
Goldenberg, Samuel Hartman,
Theodore R. Kelter, Jerome S.
Mannheim, Morton J. Newlan-
der, Morris Rand, Nate S. Sha-
pero, Harold H. Smiley,
E. Silverstein, Max Unger, Al-
bert Weisman.
Members of the Sisterhood
are asked to remember these two
important events: the Mother's
day service Saturday, May 9, at
11 a. In. in the main auditorium
of the Temple; and the annual
Sisterhood meeting to be held
Monday, May 11, at the Statler
Hotel at 1:30 p. m. An afternoon
of games and a dessert lunch-
eon will be features of the an-
nual meeting. Tickets are 50
cents and may be obtained at
the Temple office.
Children's Amusements
HERMAN KANTER
Hotel. The celebration will start
promptly at 3 p. m.
Ruth Rotenberg will open the
program by singing The Star
Spangled Banner, and Ilatikvah.
Chane Agranoff, teacher of the
Sholem Aleichem folk schools,
will render classic folk songs, and
will be accompanied by Dena
Zemel. Landsmanshaften, radio
and press guests will honor the
event. Bob Hall will be master
of ceremonies.
The colorful chapters of the
Odessa history will be reviewed.
Six out of seven founders will
be present: Max Hayman, J.
Bernbaum, Mrs. J. Rossman, Louis
Cohen, John Hayman and Hyman
Croaws of Mt. Clement.
Dinner will be served at 6
p. rn. A favorite orchestra will
furnish the music. Herman Kan-
ter is chairman of the jubilee
committee; Alex Belkin, president
of the Odessa Progressive Aid
Society.
Stein's built a fully equipped
children's playground with a
competent counselor where your
children can play in safety.
A large dance hall exclusively
for Stein's guests.
Guests who travel by bus or
train will be met at station. Call
Tyler 5-7738.
B. & P. Women's Aux.
To Hold Mother's and
Daughter's Banquet
The third annual mother and
daughter banquet given by the
Louis Marshall Business and Pro-
fessional Women's Auxiliary will
be held Wednesday, May 13, at
the Jewish Community Center,
Woodward and Holbrook, at 6
p. m. Entertainment will be fur-
nished by the Russian Dancing
Group under the direction of
Mrs. Lillian Federoff and Rus-
sian Mandolin Orchestra, direct-
ed by Peter Evaniuk. Reserva-
tions can be made by calling
Eve Hirsh, Townsend 5-9567.
A Mothers, Daughters and
Sons tea will be given by the
Sisterhood of the Congregation
Shaarey Zedek on Sunday, May
10, at 2:30 o'clock in the social
hall of the Shaarey Zedek. An
attractive feature of the after-
noon will be the presentation
of the "Children of the Theater
of the Air."
Mrs. Robert Loewenberg and
Mrs. Morris Krause are chairmen
for the afternoon and will he
assisted by the board of direc-
tors.
The annual election of officers
for the sisterhood will be held
on Monday, May 25, in the form
of a strawberry social.
LASALLE
Window
Shade Ca
WINDOW SHADES
MADE TO ORDER
Cleaned and Repaired
LINOLEUM
Inlaid and Battleship
Rugs and Furniture
VENETIAN BLINDS
Drapery Hardware
Orl Our Prices and Save
Free Estimates Furnimhed
8625 LINWOOD
CALL TYLER 5-1230
Sleepy Hollow Beach Cottages
FOR YOUR SUMMER VACATION
Located on U. S. 31 — One
Mile North
of South Haven,
Michigan
THE SLEEPY HOLLOW
COTTAGES are located on
the shore of Lake Michi-
gan, on a 30 acre park and
1000 feet of Private Bath-
ing Beach. These cottages
are newly built—sizes range
from one, two, three, four
to five rooms with sleeping
porches. All are of the lat-
est
modern construction
with private baths, showers,
electric kitchens, stainless
steel sinks, automatic hot
water heaters. Completely furnished in luxurious style, with the finest
Simmons inner-spring bedroom appointments. There's every household
necessity including kitchen utensils, linens and dishes. Beautiful 113-hole
Golf Course and Riding Academy near by.
The Chidren Will find a Haven in a Nicely Equipped Playground
Our autos will make direct connection with the Pere Marquette R. R.
at Bangor, Michigan, to bring you to Sleepy Hollow. Scheduled runs
into South Haven daily without charge to our patrons.
Daily, Weekly and Season Rates. Write
EDWARD GRAY
7601 Chappel Avenue, Chicago
Phone South Haven 860
Or, Sleepy Hollow Beach, South Haven, Mich.
FOR A QUARTER CENTURY
—DETROIT'S FINEST FOOD
The utmost care is exercised in planning our
menus to insure sufficient variety to please the
most exacting taste.
Bathing at Stein's
Stein's Lodge faces Grand
Traverse Bay so you can bathe
at any time you wish in the
crystal clear refreshing water of
Lake Michigan. Smooth, hard
sandy bottom sloping gradually,
with no holes or dips, makes it
ideal for complete safety of
children.
Shaarey Zedek Sisterhood
Mothers' Tea on May 10
VISIT OUR
COCKTAIL LOUNGE
Your favorite drink mixed by experts
HARRY BOESKY
12TH
and HAZELWOOD
PHONE TRINITY 2-9366
EXPERIENCE
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APPROVED F.H.A. MORTGAGES
We invite your mortgage business.
It will receive our careful considera-
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General Discount Corporation
1605 Barium Tower