A merium 'mesh Periodical Carter CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO October I, 1943 DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal ;2. WORDS AND MUSIC is it )11 )•0 to to of i t, is n- y, h. ig ,r- ate dluonicie 1 5 ROSH HASHONAH MESSAGE By DANIEL L. SCHORR By RABBI ISAAC STOLLMAN THE RECORD CONTROVERSY Frankly, I have avoided com- Another year of war has passed. In an accelerated while my brother has perished? What as a Jew is ms ment on the long-standing musi- tempo of living and dying, man has been brought closer primary duty today? What efforts are expected of me clans' ban on new recordings, g n to the realities of life and death. Living in a time of which is now happily ended, be- hurried todays and uncertain tomorrows, man has come in this turning point in the world's destiny?" As the cause the issue seemed so coin- ',heated and had so much to be to bethink himself a little. Wartime living has made blackbird in the Ark of Noah, we must ask ourselves if said on the several existing sides, everyone ' of us increasingly conscious of the importance we have brought our sacrifice in a world where so many that I found it difficult to take of the individual and of purposeness and meaning in of us have brought and are bringing sacrifices. It is at any sharply-defined point of view. For that matter, I still find it life at a time when the individual has become increas- this time of the year when man stands before God the hard to support one or the other ingly expendable. We are all aware that man has be- hard .... subservient to society and must give an account :Itidge and when m man group completely; yet this im- of an bethinks himself of life's — purl:11)86 portant situation is worth talking ut what he is doing in the cause of world freedom. No and progress, life's meaning and failures, that man must about. one can dare be a bystander in the world's struggle for hearken to that small still shofar within him that beckons For many years the musicians survival. him to his duty. have been fighting a desperate rear-guard action against tech- There is a remarkable conversation recorded in nological unemployment. Many There is much for us to do in the task of saving will remember how a few years the • Midrash which illustrates this point. The ancient the remnants of our people in the reaches of Europe, in ago they picketed movie houses rabbis tell us that in the last days of the Deluge when Turkey, in Persia, in Shanghai and in Siberia. We must in protest against "canned music" —an issue on which they found the waters had begun to recede, Noah sent out of the Ark unite in our stand to save Zionism at a time when Eretz it difficult to win public support. the lowly blackbird to see if it would return to the Ark, Israel means so much to a homeless people. Here in Records and transcriptions gave thus demonstrating that there was as yet no dry place. America we must carry one the work of perpetuating the American Federation of Mu his a - our tradition by giving our children a proper Jewish, cisians another tremendous head- - The Orev, the blackbird, a little perplexed by y P ache because it made it possible pointment, asked of Noah, "Why do you send me of all Torah-true education. This year hangs heavy with des- for io stationsf pense the beast and fowl?" And Noah answered, "It is that tiny. Jewry, not Judaism, is at the crossroads. Ours is wit h the services o mu to sicia disns by they have some usefulness and purpose in the world the responsibility and the duty. Let not history incriminate playing records and transcri p- either as sustenance for man or are fit for sacrifice to us for having shirked our duties and missing our appor- tions.' When James C. Petrillo, presi- God, while you, blackbird, have no purpose. You, lowly tunities. Let not our dead have died in vain. Let each dent of the AFM, clamped down creature though you are, must, too, help in preparing of us live up to the greatness of the times. Many of our his ban on new records, the ac- for this new world that faces us." brothers have already .died for Kiddush Hashem, Sanc- tion was directed not so much against the recording companies, tification of the name of God. How call we refuse to This little story carries a remarkable challenge for . live for Kiddush Hashem? as the radio stations and in juke- box ow ner wh wer e us g e us today. Living as we are today in a flood of fire and - result of the musicians' work blood, our duties become so much clearer and our without paying for it, although responsibilities so much more urgent. In this deluge they themselves sold it for profit. which we hope will Best Wishes for a Joyous Holiday 11 yet soon subside, leaving a scarred In principle the musicians are right, and this is a fact which but repentant world which we must build anew, each one tends to become obscured be- of us must find purpose and meaning in his existence. cause of Petrillo's violent and The Jew today living in the security and freedom of 500 W. CONGRESS frequently crude espousal of that America must ask himself — CHERRY 8269 , "Why have I been sparea principle, plus the successful ef- - --- fort of his opponents to make the — issue one of Petrillo "dictator- ship". However, the question becomes more complex when one considers that to force radio stations to pay for the right to broadcast records would not harm the big ones, (large network stations make comparatively little use of rec- ords, anyway) but would endan- ger the marginal little stations which exist largely with the aid 1 . of records. To complicate the question further, it is not really in the interest of the musicians 0 as a group to see such stations die because they promote interest in music and attract people to live concerts, where their ad- mission prices help to support musicians. Nevertheless, it must be stated that the absence of performance royalties for commercial use of records represents a lag of so- cial and legal development behind techndlogical development. The contract which the AFM has signed with Decca providing for royalties per record sold (but not for performances of the records) is only an ameliorative measure. The most constructive proposal is that which has been advanced by Sir Thomas Beecham on the basis of experience in Britain, namely that the copyright laws be extended to give musicians protection for their recorded per- formances and that musicians `thereby be enabled to charge royalties for commercial use of these records, over radio stations and in jukeboxes. On such a ba- sis, spread so widely, the royalty could be regulated according to the size of the audience in each ADMINISTRATOR 0. P. A. case, which would prevent unduly penalizing small stations.. Un- fortunately, Congressmen have been worked up into a state of mild hysteria on the subject of Petrillo and any such proposal The Jewish New Year 5704 is ushered in during the mightiest and most vital conflict that has ever seems to have little chance of been waged in the world. For never has there ever been so much at stake. In greeting my fellow citizens attention. TURNER TYPE FOUNDERS CO. PRENTISS M. BROWN'S ROSH HASHONAH GREETINGS TO THE JEWS OF THE NATION 1943 5704 PRENTISS M. BROWN A New Era with the Destruction of' Tyrants We Turn To Our Torah We turn to our Torah For succor and strength; Pray for life's blessings And its span of length. We turn to our Torah When in want and need ; Now, dear God, we implore peace, Let no more die or bleed. We return to our Torah With repentance anew ; We plead, that in every land, You will rescue the Jew. We turn to our Torah To help our children's fate; Give us peace with victory To replace bloodshed and hate. Patriots turned to our Torah To inscribe our Liberty Bell; Ilay it ring out again That all-yet-will-be-well. —Miriam G. Slohin. of Michigan and the nation, I share with all free men the conviction that tyranny will be destroyed and that new life and new hope will soon dawn for oppressed and terrified humanity. Of course, blood, sweat, toil and tears are in store for the defenders of liberty against the monster of paganism. But I am confident that out of this tragedy will yet come a rebirth of freedom for mankind. With calmness let us stand behind our beloved President Roosevelt and fight the good fight for liberty and freedom. In this critical hour, let us give the best that is in us to preserve the light of democracy and the lofty ideals of the American way of life. If we all do our share, the forces of evil that seek to enslave the energies and spirit of man by violence and terror will be destroyed and eliminated from the earth. It is my earnest wish this sacred occasion that- the coming year may b e one of health and strength, better face the on problem s of life in these critical times, for ourselves , our country and all mankindthat we may Sincerely yours, Administrator Office Of Price Administration