January 7, 1944

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle

Detroit Jewish Chronicle

and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE

rublished Weekly by Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.

JACOB H. SCHAKNE
JACOB MARGOLIS
CHARLES TAUB

Pres.-Gen. Mar.
Editor
Advertising Mgr.

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Telephone: CAdillac 1040 Cable Address: Chronicle
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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—Gen. 47:28-50:26.
Prophetical portion—I Kings 2:1-12.

JANUARY 7, 1944

TEBETH 11, 5704

Rabbi Joshua Sperka

to achieve unity would not stop the activi-
ties of those organizations that are vitally
concerned about the fate of European
Jewry. Among these organizations is the
Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish
People of Europe, and even though it
may overemphasize its importance, yet
it cannot be denied that this organization
has been active and has aroused America
through its advertisements and propa-
ganda.

We think it is irrelevant to point out
that the Emergency Committee is one of a
series of "fronts". What difference does
make? Are they or are they not doing
any good? That is the crux of the whole
matter.

We believe that if a genuine effort
were made to achieve unity that it could
still be realized, and if realized there
would be no Emergency Committee or
similar bodies that would assume to speak
for American Jewry.

This incident proves that unity is needed
and badly needed.

Congregation Bnai David is this week
celebrating the 10th anniversary of the
A Wonderful Tale!
ministry of Rabbi Joshua Sperka as its
spiritual leader. Since the coming of Rabbi
When we read reports such as the one
Sperka to Bnai David the synagogue has allegedly broadcast from Berlin on the
enjoyed unprecedented growth and today
stands in the forefront of religious insti- recent threat of a railroad strike in the
United States, we wonder how much
tutions in our community.
credence should be given reports based
The Jewish community of Detroit and
Michigan has benefited by his devoted upon eye-witness accounts of neutral cor-
services as well as his own synagogue. respondents and others much less quali-
Miring the decade Rabbi Sperka served fied.
as the president of the Jewish National
The report picked up by the Columbia
Fund Council and the Detroit Chapter of
the American Jewish Congress. He has Broadcasting System follows:
been identified actively with every worthy
"The United States is gradually be-
Jewish effort in our community. His work
ing transformed by Roosevelt from
as Jewish chaplain of the State Prisons
a capitalistic democracy to a mili-
has drawn much favorable attention and
tary concentration camp. Roosevelt's
commendation. He brings to his work a
latest despotic action is the abolition
warm understanding personality ; a deep
of private railway companies in the
devotion to fundamental Jewish values;
United States. A Reuter message from
a scholarship combining the traditional
Washington says that two American
Jewish learning together with a broad
generals have taken over the control
secular education. His book "Eternal
of practically a quarter of a million
Life" and his radio preaching at the invi-
miles of railway.
tation of radio station WWJ elicited much
"In order to forestall the impend-
favorable comment.
ing general strike of the railway
The community greets Rabbi Sperka on
workers, who refused to work any
this anniversary and wishes God grant
longer under the present appalling
him many years of service to Judaism and
conditions of pay and treatment,
to the Jewish people.
Roosevelt is reported to have taken
over the American railways and to
have placed them under State con-
trol.
Unity Is Needed

It is deplorable that the Interim Com-
mittee of the American Jewish Conference
felt impelled to issue its statement criti-
cizing the activities of the Emergency
Committee to Save the Jewish People of
Europe.

If the Emergency Committee sought to
create the impression that it was the only
body capable of achieving action and re-
sults, it is regrettable.

Whether the activities of the Emer-
gency Committee has caused discord, re-
sulting frequently in a disservice to the
cause they have assumed to represent, we
do not know.

"The United States Secretary of
War, Stimson, put General Somervell
in charge of the railways. Somervell
will be assisted by Major General
Gross, a Jew, who is in charge of the
Army Transport Department, This
Jew will be the supervisor of the
administration of railway services in
the United States."

Never does the Goebbels propaganda
machine fail to trot out that whipping
boy, the Jew. Were it not for Berlin Vs'2
would not know that Major General Gros ,
is a Jew. In fact, we do not know that
he is a JeA but the fact that his name
is Gross is sufficient evidence for those
mendacious Nazi liars to make the defi-
nite charge that "this Jew will be the
supervisor of the administration of rail-
way services in the United States".

It is a fact that the American Jewish
Conference was chosen by a large section
of American Jewry and it was hoped at
the time that it was organized that it
would speak for all of American Jewry,
and prevent just such things as the need
for criticizing any group or organization
We often wonder whether these broad-
for its activities.
casts are intended for the German masses
It should be remembered that there is or only for Nazi party members. Surely
no body that speaks with legal authority Joseph Goebbels cannot hope to arouse
for American Jewry. At best, its authority the disspirited, hopeless, bombed and
is moral, and moral authority can be
exercised only when an individual or freezing German people by such absurd
group has the overwhelming approval and and stupid fabrications.
support of those for whom they speak.
He may hope to arouse those who are
The American Jewish Conference raised guilty of atrocities and now know that if
high hopes that this moral authority
would be conferred upon it, but unfor- they are defeated that they may face the
tunately such is not the case. It did not firing squads, as did their compatriots in
achieve the unity that was so earnestly Kharkov recently.
hoped for. There are many vocal dissi-
Whatever the purpose and reason may
dents and there are still many more who
be,
this kind of propaganda shows to
refuse to accept the Conference as the
what extremes the Nazis will go to bolster
spokesman for American Jewry.
It was to be expected that the failure the sagging morale of a hopeless people.

Plain Talk... by Al Segal

•

ERVIN TO RANKIN

I

THINK you should read thtt
open letter that Charles W. Er-
vin of 494 Bronxville Rd., Bhonx-
ville, N. Y., sent to Congressman
John E. Rankin of Mississippi.
(He is the Rankin who from time
to time distinguishes himself in
Congress by demagogic utter-
ance.)
Mr. Ervin sent me a copy of
his letter to Mr. Rankin. I give
it to you not because it has to do
with Jews but because it is a
stirring outgiving by a fine Amer-
ican. One may keep on believing
devoutly that it can't happen
here, despite the Rankins, as long
as there are courageous voices
like Mr. Ervin's to speak for the
American tradition.
Mr. Ervin is a publicist and at
man whose liberal mind is deep-
rotted in the American begin-
nings from which his inheritance
springs. A man far along in years,
he has come to look with amused
tolerance at the clownish ways
of members of the human race.
In his long life-time he has seen
the clowns get slapped down
eventually. Mr. Ervin reads much
and writes and sits and patiently
waits.
Recently, though, Mr. Ervin
blew up. He had just been read-
ing a speech in Congress by Mr.
Rankin who spoke in opposition
to the bill to give full voting
rights, under Federal auspices.
to Otis soldiers and sailors over-
seas. Citizens had written him
asking him to vote for this bill.
Sonic of the letters were signed
by names of foreign sound, many
of them Jewish names. Mr. Ran-
kin made a point of reading
these names and giving them spe-
cial emphasis by spelling them
out.
Mr. Ervin's philosophical pa-
tience came to a crisis. Mr. Er-
vin's wrath flamed furiously. All
the souls of his American ances-
tors rose up in him. Ervin wrote
to Rankin:
I
I
4inN DEC. 7 you arose in the
%-.1 Congress of the United
States in this the 20th Century
and poured out a tirade of abuse
worthy of someone who had just
emerged from a cave in the pre-
historic age of human develop-
ment. . .
"It just happens that the an-
cestor of this writer came to this
country in the early days of its
birth as a nation; came here from
Europe where all our ancestors
came from. Came here to get a
larger measure of freedom than
was possible to achieve on the
land of their birth.
"Some of my ancestors, Scotch
Irish, landed in North Carolina
abiding there, while others of
them went into what is now East
Tennesese which was then part
of North Carolina. Another por-
tion went up the Delaware Rivet,
settling in Philadelphia. They

I

were all foreigners, even if they
didn't spell their names in the
same way you spelt out the
names of other descendants from
foreigners on the floor of the
Congress a few days ago , . .
"No, my name is not Reisman,
or Liebowitz, or Lowenstein or
Siegel or the other names that
you were not content with merely
naming, but spelt out . . . Most
of the names you mentioned hap-
pened to be borne by Jews of
ti- e same race from which the
Carpenter of Nazareth, Jesus
Christ, came.
"You put yourself in the com-
pany of Hitler and Goebbels who
for years have been doing just
what you did when you used the
Congress of the United States as
a channel through which to pour
out your filthy abuse. You may
rest assured that your tirade has
already been passed on to Hitler
and Goebbels . . .
"It is difficult to find words
fit to denounce your vicious as-
sault. It cannot be possible that
you did not know what you were
doing. These persons had done
nothing to cause your abuse ex-
cept to write you in favor of pro-
viding legislation which would
give full voting rights to our sol-
diers, sailors and airmen in the
service of their country.

iiT T CAN not e be possible that
that you did not know that
those in the armed services are
there irrespective of the race
from which they sprang, irre-
spective of their religious or po-
litical beliefs, irrespective of
anything but the fact that they
were inducted into the service to
crush the very Hitlers and Goeb-
1, els and the other Axis thugs
whose sentiments you, a Con-
gressman of the United States.
have shown you share . . .
"As one who happens to be a
Gentile, just as some of my fel-
low-citizens happen to be Jews,
I want to assure those of Jewish
birth that the majority of us
have profound contemRt for you.
Rankin, and your Hitler-Goebbels
standards.
"If your views were to prevail,
this country would become Cie
same sort of shambles for those
unfortunate enough to belong to
minority groups, as now exist in
Axis countries. I do not believe
that they will prevail. I have
enough faith in my countrymen
to believe that men of your type
will eventually be relegated to
private life.
"1 know that you have the ad-
vantage now of being sent to
Congress by a minority. i am
fully aware that the majority
never cast a ballot for you. This
minority in your district, how-
ever, may sonic day be able to
go to the ballot box and express

See SEGAL—Page 9

YOUR TAX, AND BOND-DOLLAR

HOW THE GOVERNMENT SPENDS IT
(First Half of 1943)

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