February 19,
UETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal CLronicle
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE
Published Weekly by Jewish Chronicle Publishing Cr , Inc.
JACOB H. SCHAKNE
JACOB MARGOLIS
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Entered es Second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post-
effice et Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Sabbath Readings of the Law
Pentateuchal portion—Exodus 27.20-30.10.
Prophetical portion—Ezekiel 43.10-27.
FEBRUARY 19. 1943
•
ADAR 14, 5703
Brotherhood Week
Brotherhood Week will be observed
Feb. 19 to 28, all over America. During
this week Jews, Catholics and Protestants
will meet together. Rabbis, priests and
ministers will exchange pulpits; men and
women of the three creeds will learn
about each other and from all this will
come understanding. And at no time in
our long, troubled history is there greater
need for understanding.
We shall learn that Jew and Gentile
have an abiding faith that the day will
come when man will be an end and not
a means. We shall learn that the individ-
ual has dignity and integrity and is not
merely an instrument to be used to fur-
ther the aims of those fanatics who be-
lieve that man was made for the state.
We shall learn that our similarities are
far more numerous than our dissimilari-
ties; and that brotherhood of mankind is
becoming more and more of a reality as
we become more cooperative and inter-
dependent.
Nuremberg Laws in Africa
Word comes from Tripoli that 10 per
cent of confiscated Jewish property is to
be returned to the former owners. This
is an illuminating and significant bit of
news. It helps us to understand why the
repeal of the Nuremberg laws in North
Africa is not such a simple matter. To
most of us the Nuremberg laws deal only
with the business of yellow badges. "racial
defilement," segregation and deportation.
We forget that Aryanization and con-
fiscation of the property of the Jews
was perhaps the real reason why these
brutal and mendacious laws were passed.
The Nazis had promised the business
classes in Germany that they would be
the beneficiaries of the new regime. This
promise, coupled with the greed and
rapacity of the Nazi functionaries made
the Aryanization of Jewish property a
logical necessity. These expropriators and
robbers found that it was a simple way
to enrich themselves, and yet have the
color of legality. It worked so well in
Germany that when other equally greedy
functionaries and business men of the
Third Reich occupied foreign lands, the
Nuremberg laws were applied with equal
effectiveness. It must be borne in mind
that greed and rapacity are not Nazi
monopolies. There are many Frenchmen
who were happy to utilize the Nuremberg
edicts.
Not the least greedy of these were the
Vichyites who had been in North Africa
and those who came there after the fall of
France and all of these would be the first
to take advantage of Aryanization decrees.
These men had long practice in exploita-
tion of native populations, and such an
opportunity for expropriation fitted in per-
fectly with their plans.
The occupation of North Africa by the
United Nations army was a catastrophe
to them. They had taken over the busi-
nesses of the Jews and they will surrender
them only under the greatest pressures.
These corrupt Vichyites are giving up
the illegally confiscated property grudg-
ingly. A certain amount of time is re-
quired to find out what property has been
illegally Aryanized, and during that time
the injustices will have to be endured.
We are certainly in favor of prodding
the French and United Nations repre-
sentatives to take action to end the un-
speakable Nuremberg laws. We believe
that General Giraud would be happy to
have the noiseome business ended.
Britain Must Act
The protests of the world seem to be
making some impression on the satellite
states of the Nazis, if recent reports from
Bulgaria and Rumania are correct.
According to most recent advices, Bul-
garia has agreed to allow 4,000 children
and 500 adults to leave for countries to
be designated by Britain, and Rumania
has agreed to the transfer of 70,000 Jews
to Allied refuges. True, this is but a drop
in the bucket, but it is a beginning that
may well end in the mitigation of the
acute refugee problem that has baffled
men of good will since the day the in-
credible Nazis started their campaign of
uprooting of whole populations.
What does this presage? Are the Nazis
using their satellites to find out what are
the reactions of the anti-Axis world, or
are the satellite states convinced that the
Nazis cannot win the war and are conse-
quently trying to make some amends so
that the promised punishment may be less
harsh?
There are even unconfirmed reports
that Mussolini has ordered his Fascists
to treat the Jews of Italy more mercifully.
All of this adds up to something, but
until the Nazis themselves change the
odious Nuremberg laws, we shall still be
unpersuaded that the fear of defeat has
gripped them.
Even though we have no precise and
definite knowledge of the Nazi attitude,
yet it is reasonable to conclude that this
vicious breed would not permit its inferior
partners to do anything to make the lot
of Jews easier unless the fear of reprisals
was genuine.
From present indications there will be
many more refugees who will seek to
escape from the Nazi gehennas. Palestine
offers security and escape to these vic-
tims. Britain must do everything within
its power to facilitate their removal to
the Holy Land if it hopes to command
the continued respect and regard of de-
cent men everywhere.
George Washington
1941
PLAIN TALK
by
•
AL SEGAL
"Ersatz"
T
SERVICE of the Seven Arts
Feature Syndicate recently re-
HE WORLD WIDE NEWS inferior, the Nazi progress to
ward being self-contained was
simplified. Jewish blood having
been made inferior, it was a
ported as follows: "Moscow—
logical step to decree that Jew-
The Nazis, with the great drain ish doctors and lawyers might
on their manpower, have come no longer practice their profes-
to believe that a little Jewish sions, and thus increase the prac-
blood may not be so contaminat- tice of Nazi doctors and lawyers
ing. At least, that is the con- whose veins contained that mas-
clusion one may draw from sonic ter blood. Jewish bankers could
documents discovered by the Rus : be liquidated and their holdings
sions from a captured staff Nazi
applied to the Nazi treasury;
headquarters. These documents Jewish electrical manufacturers
reveal that since last April, it
could be expropriated and their
has been all right as far as the
added to the fattening
Nazis are concerned for Ger- properties
of Goering who had become chief
mans who were "only quarter
of the electrical industry. Doktor
Jews or half Jews to serve in Schweinefuss had affected a syn-
the Nazi army". Those with only thesis of biology and national
25 per cent Jewish blood were
not to be discriminated against, economy.
With the same facile skill the
the text of the decrees order,
and could even become officers. Nazi biologists applied themselves
But those who were 50 per cent to the approaching blood short-
Jews might fight and die for Der age. Indeed, it was the same
Schweinefuss who found the way.
Fuehrer only as privates."
The professor's reasoning was
In this connection I have an
that if by one thesis he could de-
apocryphal story. This is to say, grade Jewish blood, he could, by
it is something that somehow another thesis, make some Jew-
comes to me without any docu-
ish blood all right again.
mentation. It is, as they say, one
In his second thesis he discov-
of those things.
ered that a quarter measure of
Anyway, it was right after last
Jewish blood was practically as
winter's Russian offensive in good as Nazi blood and that a
which the Nazis came so close half measure was almost as good
to disaster. Besides the Nazis —worthy, indeed, to be spilled
who were killed outright there for the Fuehrer. His discovery
were the many who were frozen was gratefully communicated to
to death.
the high command and to all staff
The Fuehrer was thinking of headquarters, to the gauleiters
the summer campaign toward in all the districts. Everywhere
Stalingrad and that the blood of is search was on for quarter
the master race might soon be measure and half measure Jews,
running short like gasoline. So and so it fell that they came
much of it had been spilled that around to Kurt Oppenheimer ...
the intuitive Fuehrer could fore- "Oppenheimer," they said, "you're
see a time when there would be almost a Nazi."
an absolute shortage of Nazi
I I I
blood to spill.
URT OPPENHEIMER was
He had known what to do about
other shortages. Ersatz! There
half Jewish. Early in the Hit-
was barley for coffee, paper for ler period he had been made to
overcoats. As for oil, synthetic suffer the obloquy that was for
stuff would have to do until the people whose blood was half
Nazis reached the Caucausus oil Jewish. He had been a traveling
field—and that was only a matter salesman handling ladies' hosiery,
of summer months. Yes, by the but the revelations of the
end of the summer he would have Schweinefuss thesis disqualified
the Caucausus and its fabulous him from handling this line or
wealth.
any other line, for that matter.
But how to get more blood to
In the ensuing years Kurt Op-
spill? The blood resources of the penheimer lived on the breadline.
satellites were already well nigh He had to suffer a spell in a con-
exhausted and the hot Italian centration camp. Kurt wondered
blood had been getting cold. why he didn't die but as a pa-
Plainly it was a problem of ob- triotic German lie hoped to live
taining ersatz blood to spill.
to see Germany restored to a
The leading Nazi biologists place among the civilized na-
were consulted. They could be tions sometime.
depended upon. The way, back
When, in the crisis of the Nazi
in 1933, they had so definitely blood supply, Kurt's half-portion
reduced Jewish blood to inferior of Jewish blood was found all
quality ! The renowned Professor right, after all, he was called
Schweinefuss had written his the- to the German army. He was al-
sis which said Jewish blood wasn't lowed to die for the Fuehrer who
as good as Nazi, and that had for 10 years had allowed him
settled the matter.
scarcely to live. Kurt fell at
I I I
Stalingrad. His blood trickled in
a rivulet on a Stalingrad street.
ROFESSOR Schweinefuss' work
Now everybody who has read
had been a great help to the any poetry knows it, and so to
Nazi economy. After he had
caused Jewish blood to become
See SEGAL—Page 13
Americans everywhere will celebrate
the birthday of George Washington on
Feb. 22. The words of the Father of His
Country will be pondered by many on
this anniversary, for he cautioned his
countrymen to avoid entangling alliances
with the lands across the Atlantic.
We have heeded his words and have
made no alliances, entangling or other-
wise, and yet in the last quarter-century
we have twice been drawn into that caul-
dron of hates and jealousies called Europe.
Would George Washington be an iso-
lationist if he were living today? The
isolationists who dogmatically insist that
his statement permits of no modification
despite revolutionary changes in condi-
tions and circumstances say yes, but by so
doing they in effect say that George
Washington was unrealistic and unintelli-
gent. We cannot agree with such an esti-
mate of the man. The Washington we
know from his severest critics and biogra-
phers was a realistic and intelligent man
who had endured the hard experience of
a war and learned at first hand the devi-
ous ways of diplomats and politicians. He
loved his America and wanted it to follow
the road of peace, and he knew that
entangling alliances with European pow-
ers would inevitably lead to conflicts
which would retard our growth and devel-
opment.
Thus he reasoned at the close of the
eighteenth century, but in the fifth
decade of the twentieth century he prob-
ably would have reasoned as do those
who would bring about a just and endur-
ing peace, that if a just and enduring
peace is to be attained we must ally our-
selves with those Europeans who would
reorganize Europe so that the danger of
war would be reduced to a minimum.
Our non-participation in the affairs of
Europe has not kept us out of war. Per-
haps our participation in their affairs
after the war will lead to happier results.
We believe that George Washington
would favor participation, despite his ad-
juration to us not to enter into any en-
tangling alliances.
K
P
"We shall no longer witness with pity alone