A merkam yewish Periodical CeNter
CLIPTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI
a%
011110
Detroit Jewish chronicle
ey
ol-
1r-
to
er
is
or
p-
er
Y.
ne-
cal
the
rk.
at
een
and
the
of
lilt
ns:
of
em-
rish
res-
of
and
vish
can
rd
fiber
ion-
ica;
nth,
for
"is-
reek
f a
men
ing
Ad-
27,
the
0
held
rom-
oard
the
at-
met
nuel
orris
0
and The Legal Chronicle
SECTION TWO
10e Single Copy: $3.00 Per
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1943
VOL. 45. NO. 52
Year
PEARL HARBOR ANNIVERSARY AND CHANUKAH
(Page from the Diary of a Jewish Soldier)
By DAVID ZAGIER
inclined to reserve further judg-
ments. The nature of some of these
foreign privates is unfathomable.
CHANUKAH LIGHTS . . . .
FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
••
K. P. in Camp Chaffee is a
vacation with pay. Work begins
at six and ends s c aet seven, 13 hours
of
oul rs
normal k
19
of hard labor. And they call you
in alphabetical order instead of
catching you like a stray dog in
company area. The K. P. pusher
Anniversary of Pearl Harbor, its variations in caliber, eleva-
does not repeat "on the double"
but the U. S. Army in wartime tion, range of effectiveness and
every four and a half seconds,
is a deadly serious institution, power of repercussion. The corn-
like a delirious parrot, but pitches
neither taking out thousand-year parison may be flogged a touch
in, so he could get off early and
mortgages on history, nor given to further, in that both in artillery
write memorandums to his bride
observing occasions. A little touch and in snoring, none of the above
in Delancey Street. His name is
of grimness in the faces, perhaps, is necessarily dependent on the
Winterman, bless him. But it is
a suspicion of extra punch in the noise or size of the piece. We
still K. P.
counting of cadence, maybe, and have big fellows who snore so
At four o'clock, I was just sett-
a brief reference in the chapel softly, you could hardly hear them
ling down to my second sack of
sermon, but no more. Altogether, five beds away, and we have little
spuds, a messenger called me to
the hallmark of the work here, men who keep the noncoms awake
the orderly room. Headquarters—
even in the Fourteenth Armored nights in their private rooms.
I suspect the PRO—wanted to
Division up the hill, is not vicious Some loud snorers have less pene-
know whether I'd represent the en-
hate but a peculiar brand of tration, while some low-pitched
listed men at tonight's bond rally
American detachedness. They seem whining ones get to the very mar-
in Fort Smith and make a radio
to be preparing to kill Germans row. In the case of Private Kurt
speech. I said yes, but I am on
K. P. They said, yest they knew,
not in an intense but in an effi- K., he is the owner of a style
cient sort of way. The mass pro- that has ravaging effects because
but they could get me off. And I
duction trait. of its irregular meter, the ele-
said, all right.
The guy from Albany, New ment of psychological surprise, so
The name of the station to
which I was transferred directly
York, does not like one solitary to say. Number 1945 calls him
from K. P. was K.F.P.
thing about this army. He griped Big Bertha, meaning that he is
* * •
before the buck-toothed blonde tremendous and sporadic. My luck
Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath, director of the Union of American
even
at the USO party tonight. He was landed me between Diego, a tiny Hebrew Congregations, kindles the Lights of Freedom in the festival
My fear that
hat the fellows would
being celebrated in the synagogues. The Menorah Candel- visit puhment on me because of
sloppy, shifty, with the profile of fat Mexican who snores like a currently
a saloon anarchist of forty years prehistoric mammoth, and a • brum designed by Reuben Leaf, a distinguished Jewish artist of this spot of apple-polishing was
ago, and his words came in a lazy, Prague refugee who doubles for New York, embodies the Palestinian grapevine motif, surmounted unjustified. They fed me on ice
turgid stream. The chow, he said, the ram's horn in his slumbers by "the little cruse of oil that burned for seven days". The Shield cream and wined me on cokes to
was rotten; the shoes (lid not fit and whose name is Werther of the Maccabees bears the inscription Who is like unto thee, Lord, celebrate my return from Fort
among the mighty".
Smith, until I could take no more.
and that's why he did not shine
Defense measures against Wer-
But while I was gorging myself
them; and he did not want to live
denizen
is
Tani,
the
Maltese,
but
on the fare of P. X., I missed
longer.
It
took
a
long
while
the\
were
easy
to
come
by,
for
seat,
fully
dressed
from
fatigue
any
before I realized that that was his he is a good friend of mine and cap to leggings, and snoring freely. he keeps himself enthroned for chapel and the gift packages,
peculiar way of courting, like generally meek. Whenever it gets The boys say that he had been the purpose of reading him hym- which Chaplain Seligson distribut-
some animal whose name I for- really bad, I wake him. While he doing it for three nights now, nal and telling his beads. I used ed the same evening on behalf of
get, by smell. When she finally is awake, I fall asleep. With just to give us a chance to get to condemn his misplaced pious- the Chanukah committee of the
ness, but in view of the lesson I Kansas City Jewish women of
gave him the cold shoulder, the Diego it was more problematic. some sleep.
Schopenhauerian trooper turned Diego is showing Latin temper, al-
Another semi-permanent latrine learned in the case of Diego, I am the USO.
My Jewish buddies fl aunte d .
his attack against the USO vie- though he has a rotund, angelic
face and smiles most of the day,
their "Chanukah money" before
tuals. I saw him stuff his pockets and I don't care to cross him.
me. Men like Louis Holz, who wins
full of chocolate layer cake and
or loses ten dollars in blackjack
was convinced that he was not Trusting to the angel that must be
with equal amusement, or like
going to commit suicide, after all. somewhere in him, I reverted to
Farbman, the Galacian oil man,
We have them of this kind, too, stratagem. I made is a point
every morning to report to Diego
who still carries on a big busi-
but not many.
that the snorers are causing the
ness through his lawyers in Hous-
*
•
tortures
of
the
soul—not
he,
Diego,
ton, showed off the gifts of tooth-
Snoring may have caused more
mind you, but the snorers, in plu-
paste and candy like excited chil-
cases of AWOL than the prospect
ral. My cunning bore fruit, but
By SOLOMON KERSTEIN
dren. Even our athiest went to
of an eight-day problem or the
instead Of being sweet, it was em-
chapel on this occasion. Few of
irresistable charms of girl friends.
On the threshold of the New E. Bloch, son of the founder, us, foreigners, get anything from
barrassing.
Had I been assured of a solitary
Year, 5704, with our hearts and transferred the business to New
Early today, I had occasion to souls filled with hope and prayer York City in 1901. He was known home, because few of us have
cell in the guardhouse, I might
homes, but we like to receive pack-
rise
for
a
four
o'clock
detail
and
have gone over the hill myself,
for victory and peace through the as "the dean of Jewish publish- ages no less than the boy from
for barracks number 1945 has far found Diego's bunk empty. Down- United Nations, it is notable to
Kalamazoo or Willow Springs.
See CULTURE—Page 4
more than its fair share of snores. stairs, in the latrine, poor Jaime record for American Israel a sig-
like field artillery, snoring has Diego was sound asleep on the nificant chapter relative to Jewish
cultural life in America. This
Rosh H ashonah brought to a close
ninety years of the oldest Jew-
ish publishing . firm in this coun-
try, known the world over as the
Bloch Publishing Company. The
mere mention of its name reminds
one of the days of pioneering in
the dissemination of Jewish books.
Its name stands for the cham-
pionship of Jewish culture in
America. In the realm of Anglo-
Jewish literature "Bloch" tells the
story of a sacred mission under-
taken nine decades ago by two
men to make Jewish books in all
languages available to the "Peo-
ple of the Book" as well as to
Upon This Occasion We Take This
others.
In 1854, in the city of Cincin-
nati, Edward Bloch and Rabbi
Opportunity to Extend Our Best
Isaac M. Wise, brothers-in-law,
founded the printing and publish-
Wishes to the Entire Jewish
ing firm called Bloch & Co. It
began by publishing the early
Community for a Joyous
Jewish periodicals in this coun-
try, among them the "American
Israelite," "Die Deborah," the
Holiday I
"Chicago Israelite," and the "Re-
form Advocate."
In the early 60's the Bloch firm
undertook the publication of
prayer books, Bibles, and Hebrew-
English textbooks for religious
schools. Notable was the "Min-
hag America" prepared by Isaac
M. \Vise for Reform congrega-
tions and in later years litur-
igical works as the "Sabbath, Fes-
tival and Holyday Book" for con-
servative use and the "Standard
1528
Prayer Book" and "Standard
Machzor" for Orthodox use, first
American editions based on the
CLOTH COATS • DRESSES
FURS •
translations of Adler and Singer
of London. Then came publication
SUITS • MILLINERY • ACCESSORIES
of the famous Leese' . Bible, first
English version in this country.
WOODWARD AT GRATIOT
• CORSETS
These were the early stages of
the Bloch Publishing Co. The firm
expanded when the late Charles
Editor's Note: David Zagier was for many years foreign correspond•
ent for British, South African and Australian newspapers.
He's now a member of the U. S. Army. This article is a page
from a diary which he had kept since his entry into the army.
It reflects the life of the various national sirains in the armed
forces, all of them fighting for a common cause—the defeat
of Hitler and global democracy.
Ninety Years of Jewish
Culture in America
Chanukah
Greetings
Greetings
To our many friends
and customers on the
occasion of
Chanukah
che
KERN'
ROLLINS Co.
(Woodward ave.