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DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle

Detroit Jewish Chronicle

and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE

Published Weekly by Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.

JACOB H. SCHAKNE
JACOB MARGOLIS

Pres.-Gen. Mgr.
Editor

General Offices and Publication Bldg., 525 Woodward Ave.
Telephone: CAdillac 1040 Cable Address: Chronicle
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To insure publication, all correspondence and news matter
rust reach this office by Tuesday evening of each week.
When mailing notices, kindly use one side of paper only.

The Detroit Jewish Chronicle invites correspondence on sub-
jects of interest to the Jewish people, bid. disclaims respon-
sibility for an endorsement of views expressed by its writers.

Entered as Second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post-
office at Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879.

Sabbath Readings of the Law

Pentateuchal portion—Genesis 32.4-36.43.
Prophetical portion—Hosea 12.13-14.10.

NOVEMBER 27. 1942

KISLEV 18, 5703

Food Is Ammunition

Governor Herbert H. Lehman will leave
the Governor's office on Dec. 3 to begin
work as Director of Foreign Relief and
Rehabilitation, to which office he was
appointed by the President on Nov. 21.
Governor Lehman is a happy and ex-
cellent choice as relief and reconstruction
director, for there are few men in the
country who are better equipped for the
job and better acquainted with the needs
of the sufferers of Axis brutality.
The creation of the job synchronizes
with the entry of American troops into
North Africa and the occupation of Al-
geria and Morocco. Before this date the
Director of Relief and Rehabilitation
would have had no function to perform,
but now that we are responsible for the
health, welfare, feeding, clothing and
housing of these people, the Director
should be a very busy man.
We create an office of Foreign Relief
and Rehabilitation for the peoples of
occupied countries. The Axis have cre-
ated offices of robbery and despoliation
in all the countries they have occupied.
We shall send food, clothing, medicines,
to the peoples of Algiers and Morocco
and when all of Tunisia is occupied the
peoples of that country will be the recip-
ients of help to the extent of the ability of
our ships and maritime personnel to
bring it.
The propaganda ministers in Berlin,
Rome and Tokyo will keep the news of
food, clothing and necessities shipments
to the occupied countries as much a secret
as they keep news of Axis defeats from
their war-weary, morale-cracking popu-
lations.
Despite all the efforts of the propa-
ganda ministers, the news will leak out.
The hungry Germans and Italians will
learn that the peoples of North Africa are
being fed and clothed and not despoiled
and robbed by the Director of Relief and
Rehabilitation. The repercussions, that
will in all probability follow, will be deep
and wide. The fears from which the Axis
peoples suffer should be more effectively
dispelled by relief and rehabilitation than
by the oft-repeated promises that they
will not be starved and enslaved, as they
have been assured by Joseph Goebbels
and his gang, would be their fate if they
should lose the war.
The comic spirit must be shaking with
laughter. A Jew will feed, clothe and
heal the German people of whom many
will be Nazis. This is as it should be ; for
have not the Prophets admonished Israel
to return good for evil, and kindness for
cruelty.

A Myth Killer

The day of "East is East and West is
West and never the twain shall meet";
the white man's burden ; the inscrutable
and mysterious Asiatic, is happily passing.
These fables and fancies may have
served imperialistic purposes in the past,

but the hard realities imposed by war
have dissipated all these myths.
East and West have met, and the in-
crutable and mysterious Asiatic is no
more inscrutable and mysterious than the
European or the American; and the white
man does not have to carry the burden
any longer.
This was all brought out clearly, dis-
tinctly and forcibly in the illuminating
message sent by Generalissimo Chiang
Kai-Chek and read by Liu Chieh of the
Chinese Embassy at the Herald Tribune
Forum.
Had a radio listener tuned in on the
program while it was in progress he could
have believed without any strain on his
credulity that the message to which he
was listening was from either Secretary
of State Sumner Welles, Sir Stafford
Cripps, Anthony Eden or Vice President
Henry Wallace. It had the quality and
substance of messages they are wont to
deliver. Generalissimo Chang Kai-Shek
made it clear that Asiatic imperialism is
just as distasteful and abhorrent as was
European and American imperialism, and
the leadership principle of the Axis had
no place in the world scheme as envisaged
by him and the Chinese people. Among
other things he said:

"The Chinese were not so blind that they

believed the new international order would

usher in the millennium. China does not want

to emerge from the war as the leader of
Asia.

"Having herself been a victim of exploita-
tion. China has infinite sympathy for the sub-

merged nations of Asia, and toward them
China feels she has only responsibilities—not

rights. We repudiate the idea of leadership

of Asia because the 'Fuehrer principle' has

been synonymous with domination and ex-

ploitation, precisely as the 'East Asia co-

prosperity' sphere' has stood for a

race of
mythical supermen lording over groveling
subject races.

"China has no desire to replace Western

imperialism in Asia with an oriental imperial-

ism in Asia. with an oriental imperialism or
isolationism of its own or of any one else.

We hold that we must advance from the

narrow idea of exclusive alliances and re-

gional blocs which, in the end, make for

bigger and better wars, to effective organi-

zation of world unity."

It is not accidental that China has no
imperialist aims and that she repudiates
the leadership principle. China does not
need anybody's territory, she has enough
of her own. She wants only to develop her
resources so that her people may enjoy a
higher standard of living.
China above all wants peace, equality
and freedom for her teeming millions.
The galling yoke of imperialism and
extraterritorialty will not again be placed
on the Chinese people as long as the
pres e nt temper prevails.
Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek has ren-
dered a great and valuable service by
dispelling these absurd and stupid fan-
cies and myths that have so long char-
acterized European and American think-
ing about the Chinese.

Significant Activity on Behalf
of Sabbath

The community has noticed of late sig-
nificant activity in the direction of Sab-
bath observance on the part of food mer-
chants in Jewish neighborhoods. Signifi-
cant, too, is the recent announcement
that the local Yiddish theater will from
now on be closed on Friday evening. This
awareness has been brought about mainly
through the efforts of the Women's
League for Sabbath Observance, organ-
ized about a year ago with the prime
motive of bringing the message of the
traditional sanctity in Jewish life of the
Sabbath.
Through a greater observance of the
traditional day of rest on the part of the
Jewish women of our community, the
Jewish food merchant would be released
from the slavery of working seven days
each week and the Jewish woman and
mother would derive great spiritual bene-
fit from it.
The movement is most commendable.

November 21 ,

,

42

PLAIN TALK

by AL SLGAL

I

1 hanks"

Segal considered enough to clothe his -, ung,,,
r d
what there was to be thank- frame against the bitter wii.d!.
ful for at this season. The fair and what more need a man r e
abundance he had enjoyed most quire in an hour when the •artl
of his life had been quite re- shakes in a great upheaval am
institutions topple and other met
duced.
It was only the other day that perish?
he was made aware that even
I can assure you that Mr. Se-
his automobile could no longer gal wasn't obnoxiousl y pious in
take hint withersoever he wanted this thankfulness. He is a fellow
to go. Until gas rationing, Mr. who has a distaste for pietistic
Segal practically had had the expression. lie was only thinking,
world, you might say; he needed what the hell, it might be worse
but to press the starter and away and, thank goodness, it isn't. It
he went to remote places. Now might be worse, as in Czechoslo-
his sovereignty over space was vakia, in Poland, in Yugoslavia,
about to be reduced to the limits in Greece, and, by the Eternal,
we shall not let it get worse.
of four gallons.
Yes, Mr. Segal had had an Praise the Lord and pass the
abundant life to be thankful for ammunition.
Americans had been reduced in
on other Thanksgivings of his
years. On those days meat and the things of their stomachs and
bread were things in such super- in other things of creature com-
fluity that he took them for fort, but they had been enlarged,
granted as he took for granted too, Mr. Segal thought thank-
the air he breathed; sugar was fully.
He had observed that in these
like the sands of the seashore.
I (lo not mean to say that Mr. past months America had come
Segal had been truly grateful to mean something more than a
for these things. I guess true first-rate boarding house. In this
thankfulness can derive only tragic year people had learned
from a former condition of not to know it as an institution that
having had enough. As he looked had to do with certain ideals.
Liberty, democracy, justice, hon-
backward, Mr. Segal could see or,
all that.
that he had had too much of a
Democracy was no longer a
good thing most of his life.
!'hough a man of modest means, catch-phrase for election time
he had never lacked any of the speeches. It had taken on reality
essential elements of living com- as a way of life and of getting
along with people. It had to do
fortably.
True, he had uttered prayers with Halloran who must be re-
of thanks on the formal occa- spected in his practice of the
sions but these never were heart- Catholic faith, with Levy whose
felt utterances such as may come being a Jew must be no cause
from a gentleman in Poland, for discrimination against him,
when, at last, he gets enough to with Negroes whose complexion
be no reason for denying
eat again. It was not like the must
his rights as a man.
thankfulness that gentlemen in
1 1 I
Norway, in Greece and in Yugo-
slavia will feel and speak when,
OT THAT respect for the
after these evil times, they look
religious faiths, races and
at abundance again.
complexions of all, men already
At this Thanksgiving season, was in practice. Goodness no! Mr.
as he considered the things of Segal was grateful just for the
which he had been deprived, Mr. glimmering of respect and jus-
Segal felt that he had never tice that he thought , he could
really been as grateful as he detect. Yes, he thought, out of
should have been. Indeed, though this new understatnding of de-
in the course of his long life he moc•acy some light may 1w dawn-
had seen many a Thanksgiving ing.
Day, this was actually the first
(He is always looking for
one on which he savored the ex- gleams of dawn and occasionally
quisite taste of gratitude. In the detects lights which may be mi-
presence of reduced fare he could rages but he hopes not.)
feel grateful for the abundance
Ile was grateful, too, for the
of the past. I myself thought this vision of brotherhood that his
was all to the good of Mr. Segal's poor old eyes thought they dis-
spiritual education.
cerned in the darkness. He had
I f 1
been hearing people say that
HORTLY his income was going after this war there certainly
to be reduced, too. How pleas- must be a community of the na-
ant were the years when the fruit tions for the sake of lasting
of his earning was practically all peace and that we mustn't run
his in full, to spend as suited his out as we did the last time.
vagrant fancy, or to save as his Otherwise, what was all the
more miserly tendencies dic- shooting about? What were men
tated. But soon the 5 per cent dying for if it was going to be
would be taken from his wages the old mad dog kennel all over
even before the pay-check came again. He had heard many saying
to him, and what they would this and Mr. Segal liked to think
of
take from in addition on March it was the authentic voice
brotherhood
speaking.
15 was something on which Mr.
The hearts of people did seem
Segal didn't dare to let his mind
enlarged by this even while the
dwell long.
Yet, as he thought of what to gas in their tanks was much less
be thankful for, he could bow his and their incomes were about
taxes
head gratefully to think that, to be greatly reduced by
the
after all, there will still be some- and they couldn't have all
thing left over for him when sugar they wanted and didn't
they are through taxing hint. know how much longer their
There will be enough for the tires would hold out.
rent and enough to eat and
See SEGAL—Page 9

'V OUR Mr.

N

S

N\

C) The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai

ONE YEAR AFTER PEARL HARBOR

B'rith.