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DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal

There Are No Atheists in the Skies, in Fox and
Shell Holes or on the Storm-Swept Ocean

By RABBI MOSES M. FISCHER

"If I ascend up into the
Heaven, Thou art there; if I re-
pose in the netherworld, Thou
art there; if I take the wings of
dawn and dwell in the uttermost
end of the ocean, even there Thy
hand upholds me, Thy Tight em-
braces me."
Little could the sweet singer
in Israel anticipate even in the
highest flight of his poetical fan-
cies, that one day, in a far re-
mote future, in a then unexplored
continent, his sacred message of
the inescapable, all-permeating
presence of God in the whole
universe—will be corroborated
and attested by the heroic war-
riors of liberty and human
tights, who shall—unconsciously
—take hold of his great message,
frame it in a new setting, trans-
late it into the prosaic language
of the day, and broadcast it
from their respective battle-
spheres in the air, ground and
ocean—not merely as an abstract
concept or emotional effusion,
but as a factual, living, throb-
bing truth and experience,
evinced and evidenced by them,
whenever in the solitudes and
silences of the vast expanses or
in the thunders, crashes and
deafening reverberations of the
blazing, blood-drenched battle-
fields, their souls have reached
out and cried out for Him!
The epigramatic axiom which
our martial forces have chosen
to sum up and to express, their
awareness of the Divine presence
all places and times, and His
nearness to His human children
in all their crucial plights and
needs, is the following:
"There are no athetists in the
skies, in fox and hell-holes, or,

on the storm-swept ocean!"
"There are no atheists in the
skies!" In the December issue
of the Readers Digest, one of
its editors, Frederick Saunders,
reports of having interviewed a
number of bombardiers and pi-
lots in regard to their reaction
and attitude toward the Scrip-
tures of religion. The answer he
received from the airmen was:
"There are no atheists in the
skies!" Engaged in deadly com-
bat with their ruthless foes in
high altitudes above the clouds,
far from any support and pro-
tection which the solid earth may
have afforded them, exposed to
the furious assaults of enemy
squadrons, blasted by volleys of
fire from the ground, threatened
to be enveloped in blazing flames
by the smallest inaccuracies of
their own machinery—the airmen
have learned to rely and depend
upon a Supreme Being, upon a
power greater and mightier than
themselves. "God becomes per-
sonal and a friend to them!"
Saunders reports that he never
witnessed such a devout reverent
religious service as the one he
was privileged to participate in
at a Sunday gathering of the air
crew. "No!" said the pilots, "in
the skies there are no atheists."
"If I ascend up into the Heaven,
Thou art there!"
"If I repose in the nether-
world—behold, Thou art there."
It is from the netherworld of the
primeordal jungles, from the hell
and fox holes, which by the ruth-
less necessities of the war be-
came the dwellings, the "homes"
and outposts of our fighting men,
it is from there that the axiom
—which, since then, has become

January 28, 1944

Chronicle

Organizations Participating Jewish War Vets Receive Treasury Award
In Downtown Canteen

For Selling $25,000,000 in War Bonds

The following organizations
gave a full day serving in the NEW YORK. — For selling
canteen of the Downtown USO, more than $25,000,000 of war
each serving a total of 1,200 bonds during the Third War Loan
sandwiches: Sisterhood of Shaa- Drive, more than twice its quota
rey Zedek, Park . Loan Associa- of $12,000,000, the Jewish War
tion; Jericho Lodge No. 490, Veterans of the United States
I. 0. 0. F.; Bnai Brith Louis were presented with the Treas-
Marshall Ladies' Auxiliary, and ury Department's Citation of
Women's Auxiliary, Jewish Home Award.
for Aged. The Women's Divi-
Signed by Henry Morgenthau,
sion of the American Jewish Con- Jr., Secretary of the Treasury,
gress gave a full day's service.
the citation was awarded to the
The following organizations Jewish War Veterans for "di , -
supplied food packages to Fort tinguished services rendered in
Brady, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.: behalf of the War Savings Pro-
Bnai Brith Pisgah Lodge; Men's grant".
Club of Temple Beth El; Con-
Commendation for the Jewish
gregation Gemiluth Chassodim; War Veterans was voiced in a
American Haven Club, and Zeda- letter to National Commander
kah Club; Bnai Brith Pisgah; Archie H. Greenberg from \%il-
Bnai Brith Pisgah Auxiliary; ham C. FitzGibbon, chief of the
Jewish National Workers Mli- National Fraternal Section of the
ance of America ; Men's Club of U. S. Treasury. Mr. FitzGibbon
Temple Beth El; Zedakah Club, declared that the sale of more
and Young Israel of Detroit. than $25,000,000 in war bond
The following organizations
supplied food packages to Bat-
tle Creek, Mich. (Fort Custer) : Beth El High School to
Ruzhiner Progressive Verein;
Progrobishtchec Ladies' Society. Hold Second Frolic
Also the Hebrew Ladies' Aid sent
The High School of Temple
food packages to the Great Lakes
Club, and in December the He- Beth El, under the sponsorship
brew Ladies' Aid and HVVC of the High School Council, will
Club sent packages to this club. present its second fun frolic on
Sunday afternoon, Feb. 6. There
USO Honor Fund
A contribution to this fund will be dancing, entertainment
was sent by Milton A. Bresler, and refreshments in the men's
club room. This affair is open to
in memory of Mores Marks.
For further information re- members of the High School De-
garding all these services and partment and their friends.
Members of the social commit-
contributions, please call Mrs.
tee are Carol Alexander, Howard
Fineman, Madison 8400.
Freeman, Betty Feiler, Marilyn
Gladstone, Howard Prince and
To Honor Morris Schaver Sue Robinson, Richard Gach, Ger-
On His 50th Birthday
ald Goldberg.
A reception honoring Morris
Schaver on the occasion of his
50th birthday will be held in the
ballroom of the Lee Plaza, Grand
Blvd. and Lawton, on Saturday
evening, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p. m. No
cards.

part and parcel of the wisdom
of the day—has first penetrated
into the world that in fox and
hell holes there are no atheists!
Living in beast-made caves,
scorched by the burning tropical
sun, fighting not alone their sav-
age, cunning and sadistic ene-
mies, but exposed also to swarms
of disease-breeding insects and
buzzards, eating their bread with
tears and sighs, far from every
contact with culture and civili-
zation. sustained and upheld by
duty alone—
he valleys of
the peaks of
finally arrive
and learn to
y! Faith is the
it abides with
,light. They re-
ex-
st
.nd language of
ray, they talk,
with God. They
•keeping their be-
Jod becomes per-
tend to them." How
ist said, "If I de-
nethe•world, Thou

in the uttermost
ocean—there Thy
A me." Hark, listen
the famous ace
rt. I, twice already
grieved as dead—
to the land of the
a message of im-
Alow men. He tells
his rescue and de-
. a watery grave.
the air, he and his
;:mselves in a frail,
drifting astray in
ly traveled ocean
mall craft is at the
raging elements.
',Mows and waves
sly at their raft,
toss it and the
into the depths.
•uming hunger, thirst,
delirious fever are
their destruction.
in its most terrible
• sages, Rickenback-
3ible, orders prayer
„T cry to the Lord,
tnswers them! Fish
he ocean to feed
2scends from the
•ch their thirst and
parching lips. The
guides their fragile
oyageable waters.
mnd his mates are
hank the Lord for
r His wonders to
'f man."
of Rickenbacker's
ihere are no athe-
rafts on st orm-
oceans." "If I
uttermost end of
.0/en there God's hand
.1is right embraces me."

securities during the period from
September 16 through October
13 was "indeed an outstanding
record for which the Jewish War
Veterans can well be proud."
In acknowledging receipt of
the Treasury Department's Cita-1
tion of Award, Commander
Greenberg pledged that "in the
Fourth War Loan Drive now un-
der way the Jewish War Veter-
ans will bend every effort not
only to achieve its quota, but
also to endeavor to go far be-
yond it as an indication to those
who are making sacrifices in the
armed services that we on the
home front are with them all
the time."

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too

"LEST WE FORGET."
Who gave his life for De-
mocracy. We pay tribute
to this gallant soldier and
American: Who has fal-
len in its defense—who
died so that it may live.

HONOR HIS MEM-
ORY BY SAYING YES!
7'0 UNCLE SAM'S
PLEA TO BUY WAR
BONDS.

1 WI BOUM EXTRA WAN BONDS

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LIEUT. ROY F. GREEN

AVIATOR—ARMY

"Slade the Supreme Sacrifice" at
Corozal, Cuba.

4

WAR LOAN

In loving memory of my son, 1 sponsor this adver-

tisement as a message to the community.

MAX GREENBERG

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