DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
4
and The Legal Chronicle
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
Is Darlan a Quisling?
and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE
Admiral Jean Francois Darlan has
made a forthright statement as to his
political intentions. Simultaneously he has
ordered that those Frenchmen who aided
the United Nations in the North African
invasion be freed; and he has made it
clear that the Nuremberg laws will not
be operative in those territories over
which he has authority. The fleets at Da-
kar and Alexandria are put at the dis-
posal of the United Nations.
Many will say that he has done this
because he was compelled to do so; or,
being an opportunist, he found it to his
advantage.
We hold no brief for Darlan, but in
all fairness to the man it must be re-
corded that he was put under great pres-
sure by the Nazis, and there was a time
when a Nazi victory, after the fall of
France, looked like a mathematical cer-
tainty. If he were a Quisling and an op-
portunist he would have gone to the Nazis
and offered his services, as have Laval and
Quisling, Pavelich, and as Doriot would
be happy to do if but given the chance.
A Quisling is one who seeks those who
will employ him in treason. This Darlan
never did. If he seemed amenable and
complaisant at times, it was because he
wanted to help France and its people and
prisoners of war.
We must never forget that his author-
ity is recognized by Frenchmen in the
African colonial possessions. Would the
French colonials in Africa; would Gen-
eral Giraud, recognize his authority if
he were a Quisling? We think not. De-
spite opinions, the fact remains that the
French are cooperating and collaborating,
and such help is of the utmost importance
at this time.
The French will settle their political
problems when peace comes, and in all
probability Admiral Jean Francois Darlan
will not be excluded from their counsels
and deliberations.
Published Weekly by Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
JACOB H. SCHAKNE
JACOB MARGOLIS
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Entered as Second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post-
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Sabbath Readings of the Law
Pentateuchal portion—Genesis 47.28-50.26.
Prophetical portion—I Kings 2.1-12.
DECEMBER 25, 1942
TEBET 17, 5701
Americanizing Europe
Thomas Mann was one of the speakers
at a recent dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel in New York honoring 28 Nobel
Prize winners.
In his message to the gathering, among
other things Thomas Mann said:
"We cannot doubt that America will make
full weight felt in favor of peace, which
may well be called in advance the Peace of
Washington, that will not be only another
exhausted intermission between two catas-
trophies, but that will grant lasting protection
to the peoples of the world for their work
and their enjoyment of life, and that will
guarantee lasting freedom from fear and
want.
"I am not afraid to state openly that the
Americanization of the world, i n a certain
fundamental moral sense, would be a piece
of good fortune for mankind; for the moral
confusion and anarchy in which our present
afflictions have their root is curable only
through the clear and spiritually sound prin-
ciples and the moral code of conduct upon
which the Union was originally established
by the founding fathers.
its
It is an auspicious sign when an artist,
social thinker and humanitarian of the
stature of Thomas Mann would have the
world and Europe Americanized. In the
very recent past, cultured Europeans were
horrified by the idea of the industrial
Americanization of Europe, let alone the
moral Americanization of that war torn
continent.
Those of us who believe that political
and economic Americanization are ex-
portable products, far superior to the do-
mestic wares of Europe are happy to have
the support of the Manns.
We know that out of those diverse ra-
cial, national, cultural, religious elements
that go to make up the world, we in the
United States were able to fuse them
without depriving anybody of freedom
and equality in the process. We know,
too, that we have worked out a plan
whereby the States surrendered part of
their sovereignty and the central govern-
ment part of its sovereignty, without any
clashing, discord and disorder resulting
therefrom.
The states of Europe could well accept
this American pattern and put it into im-
mediate use. They would solve many of
their acute political problems by imi-
tating us.
In the economic field they could imitate
us even more slavishly, for Americani-
zation has meant the greatest rationaliza-
tion of industry that has resulted in the
greatest per capita production of goods
and services ever achieved by man.
Certainly we have not attained perfec-
tion, morally, politically or industrially,
but we have traveled so far along the
road of .political and industrial democracy
that the nations of Europe and the rest
. of the world would do well to follow in
our footsteps, until such time as they
have developed and perfected something
better.
We have not hesitated to imitate and
import European and Asiatic music, liter-
ature and art, so why should they be hesi-
tant about imitating and importing from
us political and economic ideas, two fields
in which we have shown superior skill
and understanding.
We Must Protest
A speaker on Radio Berlin informed
the civilized world that the hue and cry
raised against Nazi brutality in its Jewish
extermination program was for the pur-
pose of enabling Jews to do a better
Christmas business in London and New
York.
One is simply flabbergasted. How can
one answer such callousness, such de-
pravity? Is it possible that human beings
can become so indifferent to the decent
opinion of mankind that they can answer
charges of murdering millions of fellow-
men with an insult and a sneer? And yet
that is exactly what these Aryan super-
men have done. They do not deny the
charges; they offer no explanations or
defenses.
Such an answer proves to the hilt that
Nazism is a cult of degeneracy and bes-
tiality. Only an Attila, a Tamerlane, a
Ghengis Khan, an Ivan the Terrible, a
Nero, could have been so brutally insult-
ing. We may have thought that those mon-
sters were buried too deeply to be disin-
terred after centuries of education and
indoctrination in the humanities; but in
this we were unhappily mistaken. Those
monsters are still just under the surface
and but two decades of Nazi indoctrina-
tion and exposure have unearthed and
fleshed them for the whole world to see.
Must we in the face of this obscenity
give up the struggle for a better world?
Must we stop our protests? Certainly not.
The struggle must be carried on more
determinedly and vigorously, albeit more
intelligently because we know who is the
adversary and to what lengths he will go.
It cannot be too often repeated that
men must have more freedom and equal-
ity in political and economic matters; men
must have access to the world's raw ma-
terials; they must be permitted to trade
and travel freely ; they must have work
opportunities and there must be a fair
and equitable distribution of income. This
is the long time job. It will take patience,
energy, vision and good will to achieve
all this, but in the meantime we must pro-
test; we must let the sadists know that
just punishment will be meted out to
them for their numberless crimes.
December 25, ;42
PLAIN TALK
•
by AL SLGAL
Ellen and Santa Claus
at this season, I wrote a piece
Q
in this column about Santa Claus
UITE a number of years ago, Jewish children have nothing to
do with.
I shouldn't like to see Ellen
in relation to Jewish children. I brought up in the narrow gro ove
frowned on Santa Claus calling of the idea of exclusive Jewish
on Jewish children. Jewish chil- perfection. The hateful religious
dren, I said, should rather enter- prejudices that cut through the
tain Elijah the prophet who comes social body spring from notions
around on the Passover. Why of exclusive perfection. Catholic
should Jewish children make shab- perfection; Protestant perfection;
bos of Santa Claus when they Jewish perfection. The one who
have their own Elijah whom we doesn't share your paticular es.
have rationalized as the messen- sence of perfection may look like
ger of good will, kindness, peace somebody less than you, some-
and all righteousness.
body to be despised, perhaps, be-
I wrote this in a time before cause he hasn't been as favored
Ellen was born. Ellen is the one as you.
who is my granddaughter. Now,
It would please me if Ellen
almost three years old, she is be- grew up on the idea that just
coming more and more aware of to be tolerant isn't enough; to
the world about her.
look with appreciation and rev-
She turns to the funny page erential understanding at the
and asks who L'il Abner is, and things of your neighbor's religion
I get awfully involved explaining is much finer; to know his re-
Dick Tracy to her. Then she ligion almost as well as you do
points to a heavily-bearded old your own to respect him the more
gentleman in a department store because, by knowing his religion,
advertisement and asks: "Who's you discover some loveliness that
abides in his heart.
that?"
I hope that by the time we
Santa
"That," I reply, "is
get around to Ellen's Jewish edu-
Claus."
"Why?" she asks. (Ellen has cation, the religious educators
a way of asking why when she will themselves have come to this
wants more explicit information.) idea. If religious education has
"Santa Claus," I explain, "is a anything to do with teaching the
good old man. He likes good concept of brotherhood, it must
children. He comes down the say to its pupils: "Yes, we have
chimney with a big bag of toys a very good religion, but other
on his back. If you are a good people have very good religions,
girl he will give you some nice too. You know, all the religions
toys. You hang up your stocking have the same idea: That people
and he comes down and fills it should try to walk with God in
with candy and other nice all their ways, that they should
be just and kind, that they should
things."
be humble. That's the whole
"Lollypops?" Ellen asks.
thing. Every religion has its own
"Yes, lots of lollypops."
beautiful ways of saying this.
"Chewing gum?"
1 1 I
"Yes, chewing gum, too."
I 1 I
HIS, I hope, is the teaching
Ellen will get. Yet she will
HE wants to hang her stock-
ing up right away. I suddenly not be less Jewish for respecting
become aware that this is all and appreciating other religions.
out of line with my publicly- She should be the more Jewish
written ideas on Santa Claus. in the sense that by this teaching
That piece I wrote about him she discovers the brotherhood.
that time! Here I sit propagandiz-
She will learn the lovely things
ing Santa Claus for Ellen's faith! by which the ideals of her religion
Ellen believes in him implicitly are expressed. She will know
after one lesson. She looks all ex- Chanukah as well as Santa Claus.
pectant already toward the fire If she is properly taught she
place down which Santa Claus will understand the Chanukah
will come. I find myself in no po- lamp as the everlasting light of
sition at all to quarrel with El- which there is always a gleam
len's faith. I gave her this faith left over, even in the most im-
and it would embarrass me to try mense darkness of the world.
to take it away from her.
She will know these Chanukah
Nor would I quarrel with her lights as the reserve of light that
if she had come to Santa Claus is not in Jews alone but in the
through some other than my in- hearts of all mankind striving to-
troduction. I have some ideas ward mountain top in the
about Ellen's religious education darkness.
and in a way Santa Claus has to
When she gets old enough she
do with these ideas. I should will sit at our Seder. I shall
like to see her learning rever- make quite an ado for her bene-
entially to respect what is good fit, over the arrival of Elijah and
and beautiful in other people's the brimming cup that waits for
religions.
him on the table. (I don't think
Of course, Santa Claus is no our Haggadah—Orthodox or Re-
official religious saint but tradi- form—makes enough of him.)
tional Jewish concepts have set
aside as one whom pious little
See SEGAL—Page 4
T
DeleqatIon of leading American Rabbis se ho called upon St•(
tary of State Hull to presvnt to blur a mein:Ira:1Juni requesting tin
further implementation "ot the letter and spirit of the Ralf"'
On
► eclaration." From left to right; Rabbi James G. Heiler, of
Itatthi•
cinnati, President of the Central Conference of American
and chairman of the National Administrative Council of the Zionio
Organization of America; Rabbi B L LevInthal, of Philadelpiii.;
Dean of the Orthodox Rabbinate of America; Rabbi Joseph A
Looksteln, of New York, President n1 the Rabbinical Council el
1rnerIca; and Rabbi Louis l,1. Levitsky, of Newark, N. J., President
the Rabbinical Assembly of America.