Fr iday, September 15, 1944
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICi.E end The Legal Chronicle
II
FOXHOLE TSHUVAH
The Judaism of Jewish GI Joe
periences of the Jewish chaplain friendships and fellowship, based Benny from the Bronx could
overseas is the work of the Chris- on the sharing of common dan- do what he did. During the big
tian chaplain in taking care of gers. It would be a miracle if push, his leg was blown off by a
the Jewish needs in his outfit. It "fox-hole buddies" weren't weld- shell, and he called to a few
is inspiring to find in every regi- ed together by their experiences. of his lansleit in the company:
ment and battalion a Southern In a clearing-station the other "I know what the score is, boyas
Baptist from Texas or a Catholic day, a medical officer beckoned . . . I know I won't make it . .
trom Brooklyn, organize and ar- me to speak to a wounded Jew- promise me you'll take care of
range for a Minyan, cajole and ish boy, who was suffering from yourselves . " And to the ser-
persuade the Motor Pool to get nervous prostration. The young- geant: "Watch out for mine
transportation for travel that ster sobbed out his story to me. boyas, sarge . . ." That story
sometimes amounts to 100 miles The wound in his leg didn't both- was related to me by one of my
for the round trip. You would er him: "I just saw my buddy congregants, as we stood in the
be delighted, incidentally, at the die right in front of my eyes. lobby of the Rome Synagogue,
ease with which the word "Min- Gus wasn't Jewish, rabbi, but I talking of the price we had paid
yan" falls from the lips of chap- loved him like a brother."
to get there. His voice rung with
lains and their assistants. One
And young Jews are discover- pride, but his eyes were brimful
of the latter, a Chinese boy ing hidden wells of courage and
of tears. Some day the two of
named Tom, used the word with
the facile grace of a Mosivtah matchless bravery in their fel- us would like to visit Benny's
alumnus. Commanding officers, low-Jewish soldier. Some of them family in the Bronx, to pay
prodded on by these truly Chris- had cynically disbelieved that
tian chaplains, have gone out of easy - going and wise - cracking
See TSHUVAH—Page 16
their way to help the Jewish
men. Officers back home have a
7.•
lot to learn from their overseas
brethren in this respect.
One of the best kept secrets
of the war, from a Jewish point
of view, is the remarkable work
of assistance rendered by the
Medical and Dental Corps. The
number of lay-chaplains among
them are too legion to mention.
Some of the regular and con-
tinuous services conducted by a
doctor or a dentist, with sermons
borrowed from the JWB, attract
a larger Minyan than you'll find
at home. I can mention three
of these medicos, who in addition
to their Jewish leadership, have
been cited for bravery and gal-
lantry: Capt. Arthur Shainhouse
of New York (the Silver Star);
Maj. Samuel Perlman of Chicago
(citation for bravery at Salerno);
Capt. Morris Goldsmith of Brook-
lyn (Bronze Star). In many
cases, the Jewish doctor who has
assumed spiritual leadership in
his regiment, has discovered a
new enthusiasm for his heritage
in the process of stimulating oth-
ers to come home to Judaism.
Speaking of home, I could
write pages about the Jewish
boy and his family. Most of the
men overseas are unmarried, and
home to them means mother and
father. The Jewish mother has
a unique position in their hearts,
a fact which some of us chap-
lains have learned somewhat rue-
1515 WOODWARD AVE. and Branches
fully. When we ask a boy for his
family address, in order to in-
form parents of his presence at
services, he sometimes gives only
his mother's name. A few weeks
later, our mail-box is scorched by
a letter from an irate father,
Le Shono Tovo Tikosevu—A Happy New Year!
who justifiably laments: "Nu,
what's the matter with me?
Don't I count too?"
In the short space of a few
months I have received hundreds
GENERAL -i'ictICKING
of letters from grateful parents,
By
the Hour, Day or Contract,
some philosophical, some poetic,
all of them sincere outpourings
1 to 7 / 1 2 TON STAKE TRUCKS
of gratitude. The chaplains over-
SEMI-TRAILERS
seas have all received hospitable
invitations from homes in 40-
We Service and Install
odd states to visit them after
the war. The theme of the let-
655 E. LAFAYETTE
RAndolph 4196
ters is uniformly this, to quote
from one of them: "It thrills me
to know that men like you are
helping my boy and every moth- 1r--
er's son to receive spiritual guid-
ance and strength in their hour
Best Wishes For A Happy and Prosperous New Year!
of need."
The Jewish soldier here was
profoundly disturbed by letters
and newspapers from home which
focused attention on the rise of
prejudice in our land. I have
seen a Jewish officer in a state
of melancholy, after reading
"Under Cover." With better per-
spective, many of us feel that
the problem has not become more
350 East Jefferson
acute, but our awareness of it
has. The forces of democracy
have become more articulate, ti
and more likely to bring out into
the open the insidious forces
we have too long tolerated. Rec-
ognition of a disease, while dis-
turbing to the patient, is in the
11524 DEXTER
TOwnsend 6-9252
long run the most helpful solu-
tion to his ills.
We expected, of course, to find
WISHES ALL ITS CUSTOMERS AND FRIENDS
new evidences of inter-faith
A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
Editor's Note—This warm and moving message from Somewhere
in Italy by Chaplain Morris Kertzer, who is on leave as director
of the Bnai Brith Hillel Foundation at the University of Iowa,
was especially written for the Anglo-Jewish press as a Rosh
Hashonah letter.
■ You ask me what overseas ex-
periences have done to the Jew-
ish G.I. Per I can tell you
a little about it.
Of course you've heard that
exposure to danger has brought
about a spiritual revival—a re-
turn to religion. "Foxhole Tsh-
uvah" has been the subject of
m any dissertations and dramatic
productions, but those who look
upon the broader meaning of re-
ligion would agree with our
prophets who considered faith
based on fear as less than ade-
quate.
The Jewish soldier has to some
extent followed the universal
trend: Witness the use of the
miniature Mezuzah as a charm
and an amulet. But overseas
there is a healthy sign that the
Jewish soldier is more likely to
ask for a JWB prayer-book or
a Bible. At Fort Dix, on the
other hand, the Mezuzos were
most popular with the Jewish in-
ductees.
The spiritual growth of the
overseas G.I. has tended towards
a greater interest in the Jewish
people than in the Jewish faith
as such. On the Anzio beach-
head I never ceased wondering
at the upsurge of Zionism among
a large group of men, most of
whom had no Zionist background,
no Zionist propaganda on the
beach-head; nothing in their en-
vironment to stimulate them di-
rectly to think in terms of Pal-
estine. Some discussions were
conducted , under the noses of
our "Long-Tom" guns, all of
them within enemy shell-fire
range, and many of them on the
eve of a 'big push,' yet invar-
iably the first question in the
discussion was. "Rabbi, tell us
what the future of Palestine will
be." It would not be an over-
statement to say that the Jewish-
consciousness of the men has
tremendously heightened in the
midst of war and its travail.
One of the most gratifying ex-
Rosh Hashonah
Greetings
GREETINGS FOR A
HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, VICTORIOUS
AND PEACEFUL
NEW YEAR
and
Best Wishes for a
New Year of Health
Happiness and Prosperity
•
The WILSHIRE
Apartment Hotel
Collingwood at Third
Grinnell Bros.
I
May We All Be Inscribed for a Happy, Healthy,
Victorious and Peaceful New Year
•
PEARLMAN CARTAGE CO.
Michigan Scrap Iron
& Metal Co.
1551
TOwnsend 8.2830
CANIFF—G.T.R.R. Siding
Le Shono Tovo Tikosevii—A Happy New Year!
Hiram Marks Electrical Co.
Electric Appliances — Repairing
Electric Heating Units
•
CA. 5553
427 RANDOLPH
McCONNELL - KERR CO.
Happy New Year
Our Wish is Your
Happiness and Prosperity.
NATE'S DELICATESSEN
DUNK DONUT CO.
149 W.
•
Six Mile
—7
•
Isadore E. Atler
Proprietors
I e Shono Tovo Tikosevu
Happy
'Joseph Mosten
•
New Year
Le Short° Tovo Tikosevu
May This Year
Bring Prosperity
and Good Feeling.
MARTIN L. JACOBS
18904 Birchcrest Dr.
ROMAN
CLEANSER
■
—Whitens
Clothes
Safelyl
ROSH HASHONAH GREETINGS TO YOU ALL
LASKY CARPET CO.
660
W. McNICHOLS RD.
UNiversity 1-7800