Friday, January 26, 1945
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Page Four
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE
Published Weekly by
Jewish
Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc., 525 Woodward Ave., Detroit 26, Mich., Tel. CAdillac 1040
SUBSCRIPTION: $3.00 PER YEAR, SINGLE COPIES, 10c; FOREIGN, $5.00 PER YEAR
Entered as Second - class
matter March 3,
1916, at the
Postoffice at Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March
3, 1819
JACOB MARGOLIS, Editor
JACOB H. SCHAKNE, Pres.-Gen. Mgr.
CHARLES TAUB, Advertising Mgr.
Detroit 26, Michigan
FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1945 (SHEBAT 12, 5705)
Emotional Influence of the
Jewish Problem
Counsel who represented Eliauh Cha-
kim and Ephriam Ben-Zuri, sentenced to
hang for the slaying of Lord Moyne and
his chauffeur, asked for clemency for
their clients on the ground of "the emo-
tional influence of the Jewish problem."
This is a sound and not a captious plea.
Who can say, in all fairness, that these
two Palestinians were not under the emo-
tional influence of the Jewish problem?
And aren't we all? And are not many
Christian men and women under that
emotional influence of the Jewish prob-
lem?
We do not approve of the terrorist
methods employed by the youths. How-
ever, we can try to understand the influ-
ences, motives and desperation of those
who commit such crimes.
The defendants had, in all probability,
never met Lord Moyne, and assuredly
had no dealings with him. To them Lord
Moyne was a symbol. He, no doubt, rep-
resented to them the cause of their frus-
trations, disappointments and unhappi-
ness. They must have reasoned that
were it not for the British, tens of thou-
sands of refugee Jews would be coming
to Palestine; and were it not for the
British, the Commonwealth would be a
reality and not something that may be
realized in the future.
They could not declare war upon the
British Empire, so they decided to express
themselves in a way which they thought
would focus world attention on the Jew-
ish problem.
In recent years we have had two cases
of political assassination that were caused
by emotional influence of the Jewish
problem.
Schwartzbard Case
The case of Solomon Schwartzbard,
who killed General Petlura in Paris,
aroused the whole civilized world. It
will be recalled that Petlura was respons-
ible for the massacre of more than 90,-
000 Jews in the Ukraine. Schwartzbard
brooded over this tragedy until he de-
cided that he would have to avenge his
people by slaying Petlura.
After a sensational trial, Schwartzbard
was found not guilty. The plea of emo-
tional influence of the Jewish problem
was evidently considered valid by the
French jury that acquitted Schwartzbard.
We do not for a moment mean to com-
pare the British and Lord Moyne with a
Petlura. We want only to point out that
the plea of emotional influence of the
Jewish problem cannot be dismissed as
the facile defense of a clever lawyer.
Vol. 47, No. 4
A Dream Nearly Realized
The final drive for funds to finance a
Jewish Hospital in Detroit is at hand. A
project that was begun 45 years ago
when Detroit was a sleepy, pleasant, tree-
shaded town not as big as Toledo is now,
is nearing .realization. At the beginning
of the century Detroit's Jewish popula-
tion was about 10,000 and yet, even then,
the Jewish community was dreaming of
a Jewish Hospital.
The dream came near realization once
or twice. A site was chosen and plans
were drawn, but conditions were awry.
There was the first World War which in-
terrupted plans. There were differences
of opinion as to the necessity, as to the
site. There were economic problems.
But the biggest obstacle to overcome
was the fact that the Jewish population
was in a state of constant flux. The cen-
ter of Jewish population kept on changing
every few years. There was the Hastings
Jewish district which later shifted north
of Forest. Then came the development
of the Oakland area. After the First
World War the Jewish population began
to move to the Twelfth Street area ; then
to Linwood, Dexter and the Northwest
section, around Six and Seven Mile Roads.
It was this constant moving which made
choice of sites so difficult. Thus, on the
site which had been designated for a
Jewish Hospital, there is now a laundry.
The depression was the capstone and
put a stop for years to the hospital plans.
But there was . always a devoted group
which never lost sight of the goal.
The projected $2,000,000 institution
will serve not only tilt Jewish commun-
ity but the entire city.
Jewish Arbor Day
Chamisho Osor B'shvat, the 15th day
of Shvat, takes place this year on Mon-
day, Jan. 29. Chamisho Osor B'shvat is
Jewish Arbor Day. In Palestine this fes-
tival is being observed by planting trees.
Children and grown-ups go out into the
fields to plant trees.
Here in America the festival is cele-
brated by partaking of Palestinian fruits
such as dates, figs, raisins and especially
carob fruit. But, instead of actually
planting trees, the Jewish children of
America contribute their money to the
Jewish National Fund, which has for its
aim the acquisition of land in Palestine
and its reforestation.
As the Fourth Term Begins
As our beloved President embarks on
his fourth term, the destiny not only of
Greenspan Case
this country but of the whole world is
The other case, which as far as we hanging in the balance. It is his master
know never was brought to trial, was hands which will help shape the futur
the case of the slaying of Vom Rahm, a The peoples of the earth, especially tha
German lower official in the German ordinary men, the little men, the common
Embassy in Paris, by the youthful Green- folk, look to President Roosevelt as their
span. Young Greenspan had never met champion.
the young German official and had no
Perhaps never in our history has a
personal dealings with him.
President earned so worldwide a repu-
Vom Rahm was a symbol of Hitlerism. tation as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The
That Hitlerism that has tortured, robbed closest comparison is our First World War
and murdered his kinsmen in Germany. President, the great Woodrow Wilson.
We can only speculate what a French The ordinary people of the earth claimed
jury would have done in the Greenspan him as-their own, gave him their allegi-
case, inasmuch as he was never brought ance, placed upon him their hopes and
to trial and was probably executed by aspirations.
the Nazis when they overran France in
However, where Wilson failed, is where
1940.
Roosevelt shines. President Wilson was
Again we repeat that we do not mean a professional type, cool, aloof, above the
to compare Hitler and Vom - Rahm with common herd. His great failing was that
the British and Lord Moyne, but merely he was not a politician, was not a mixer.
want to point out that the only defense President Roosevelt, on the other hand, in
that could have been offered in this case the best term of the word is a politician.
was the plea of emotional influence of
Webster defines "politician" as "one
the Jewish problem.
versed or experienced in the science of
The slaying of Lord Moyne was an government" or "skilful or ingenious in
inexcusable, tragic, futile act. Unfortun- statecraft." Roosevelt knows how to get
ately the conviction of Eliauh Chakim and along with people, how to combine di-
Ephriam Ben-Zuri will not end the emo-
(Continued on Page 6)
tional influence of the Jewish problem.
WOULD YOU SHELTER THEM?.
• ••STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL • • •
by Phineas J. Biron
THINGS TO WATCH:
The
War Production
Board
must feel rather uneasy about
the war contracts that are being
handled by the Western Shade
Cloth Company of Chicago . .
One of its engineers is none
other than Joe McWilliams, the
notorious Bundist and profession-
al anti-Semite . . . President Re-
genery of the company is one of
the leaders of the American
First Committee and rather likes
Joe McWilliams . . . The report
about Joe's employment on war
contracts isn't new—but it is
news that this pro-Nazi propa-
gandist is enjoying the protec-
tion of important Midwestern
political figures.
"If there has been a jump in
the number of anti-Semitic out-
breaks among some young peo-
ple in our countr y lately, this is
not just a cas e of 'juvenile de-
linquency' . . This is a tip-off
that Hitler's secret weapon is
being put to' work" . . . This
quote is from a statement by
Frank Sinatra in "Counterat-
tack" of Jan. 15 . . . Last week
columnist Victor Riesel of the
New York Post made an "as-
tounding discovery" . . . "It can
be disclosed for the first time,"
wrote Riesel, "that this group
(Christian Front leaders) dis-
tributed anti-Semitic literature
during the Presidential campaign
to discredit Sidney Hillman" .. .
Now, really, Mr. Riesel—did you
spend the election campaign
period on Mars, or are you just
naturally and incurably naive?
We saw no newspaper reports
on this: That while the Jewish
community of Englewood, N. J.,
attended high holy day service ,-
last year a well-organized band
of youngsters punctured all the
tires of the cars parked near the
synagogue . . . A story you and
your neighbors shouldn't miss is
the tale of Morris Epstein, the
Jewish boy who moved into a
non-Jewish neighborhood, appear-
ing in "The Challenger," just
out . . . The Challenger is khe
new aati-Fascist comic book pub-
lished by Interfaith Publications.
Inc.
YOU SHOULD KNOW:
The Red Army'lhich entered
Warsaw held mem wild services
for the heroes of he battle of
the Warsaw Ghetto on _the very
first day of the Soviet occupa-
tion of the city . . . Meyer \V.
Weisgal, fresh from Palestine, is
creating a sensation as a speak-
er . . . His talks on his impres•
skins of wartime Eretz Israel are
in demand all over the country
. . . Among the first national
groups to cancel convention plans
in order to conserve transporta-
tion facilities are the Jewish
War Veterans, whose conclave
had been scheduled for Feb. 2
. . . Walter Winchell dedicates
this slogan to the policemen
guilty of rough-stuff Christian
Front tactics: "A Democracy is
a place where the cops are
afraid to break the law.
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE:
Add to your list of entertain-
ers who bring cheer to our boys
overseas the name of Sam Le-
0 1 N 5 FIDENTIAL
See STRICTLY
—Page
I
Calendar of Jewish Dates
5705-1945
February 11
Rosh Chodesh Atta•._
*Fast of Esther
February 26
Purim
February 27
February 28
Shushan Purim
March 15
Rosh Chodesh Nissan
March 29
Passover, first day
March 30
Passover, second day
April 4
Passover, seventh day
April 5
Passover, eighth day
April 14
Rosh Chodesh Iyar
LagB'Omer ....................................... ................................ May 1
May 13
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
May 18
Shevuoth, first day
May it
Shevuoth, second day
June 12
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
June 11
Fast of Tammuz
July 11
Rosh Chodesh Ab
July 19
Tisha B'Ab
August 10
Rosh Chodesh Ellul
5706-1945
L
Rosh Hashonah, first day
Rosh Hashonah, second day..
*Also observed previous day.
September 8
September 9