Friday, December 21, 1945
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Page Four
ar
LAIN TALK
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
By AL SEGAL
and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE
Published Weekly by Jewish Chronicle eublishing Co., Inc., 525 Woodward Ave., Detroit 26, Mich., Tel. CAdillac 1040
There is a story going around: The statesmen of the famous
Empire of Meshugah had come to a vital decision of foreign policy;
SUBSCRIPTION: $3.00 PER YEAR, SINGLE COPIES, 10c: FOREIGN, $5.00 PER YEAR
Meshugah must expand!
The country was already rich in territory and the Meshugahn
intered as Second•class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post office at Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879
statesmen would have had enough to do to look after the welfare
Publisher, CY AARON
Managing Editor, NATHAN J. KAUFMAN of their own people in their natural boundaries. There was plenty
Editor-in-Chief, LOUIS W. ENFIELD
at poverty and winter was coming on and many of the inhabitants
Detroit 26, Michigan FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1945 (TEVETH 17, 5706) Vol. 47, No. 51 would not have enough clothing, fuel or food rich though the Mesh-
ugah empire was in natural resources.
The statesmen said that everything would eventually be all right
example of democracy in action. Whoever for their people if they could only have a certain piece of darkest
had a grievance got it off his chest. Who- Africa and there was a strip in Patagonia that would be useful. They
needed, too, a section of the area around the North Pole and there
ever had some program to back backed it. was
a portion in the Anarctic that was desirable for the safety and
The Yuletide season is approaching and
of the Meshugahners.
At the dinner, the various speakers set ccmfort
some of our Jews are buying Christmas
"That accomplished, our people will have fulfilled their destiny,"
forth
their
dreams
for
the
future
of
the
trees to put in their windows.
they said. (Like all aggressive statesmen before them they launched
Council, near and distant. They explained upon their aggression in the name of the people, though the peop‘e
"We Jews celebrate Christmas, too, in to the listening delegates what they hoped were
happy enough to be let alone And to work and to bring their
our own American way," they will say to the Council would eventually mean to the children up right. They didn't want the North Pole or the Sout:1
their Gentile and sometimes to their Jew- Jewish community, local, national and in- Pole or South America or Africa.)
The statesmen had even wider prospects: Looking at the vista
ish friends. "We also believe in 'peace on ternational.
far ahead, they contemplated the conquest of the earth; the whop
earth, good will to men.' So we accept
would be annexed and all of it would be Meshugah.
that part of Christmas which is beautiful-
May your dreams all come true. May world
They had come to these purposes after their scientists had per-
ly symbolic to us. We have a tree, we you reach the position you desire. The fected the atomic bomb. The first atomic bombs (over Hiroshimo
have carols, we have presents. That is a community at large is solidly behind you and Nagaski I had been rather crude affairs, though they had cost
billion dollars. They had destroyed only the two cities and the
because you represent the realization of 2 Meshugah
part of Americanism."
scientists had planned bombs more effectively widespread
an ideal, the attainment of a goal.
in their destruction than that which the United States had accom•
There is freedom of worship in this
Carry on and be strong. Your aim is
country. There is nothing to prevent any desirable. Your work has been good. The plished.
Yes, the Letter atomic bombs were waiting to be launched and
Jew from becoming a Christian if he community rejoices with you and in you. the launching platforms from which they would be sent accurately to
wants to. But let him do it openly. When
their destinations, thousands of miles away were ready.
The scientists and soldiers were gathered around for the signal.
he puts his tree in the window, he is cele-
Before I report on what happened I should describe the state of
brating Christmas not in an American way
the world at the moment. It is interesting to know what the world
but in a Christian way.
was like in a cataclysmic moment.
Well, the world hadn't learned a thing from the experiences of
The tree is a part of a regular Christian
World War IL All the noble speeches that were made during that
Successful prosecution of the collective war had been forgotten: Speeches about a bright new world,
ceremony. It is a symbol, a religious sym-
bol. We have our symbols, too. We have Jewish claim for a share of reparations in speeches about justice, good will and brotherhood, speeches about a
our palm tree branches, we have out cit- kind from Germany faces many difficulties. just distribution of the riches of the earth, speeches about One World,
compassion.
rons, we have our Tephilin, we have our The principal Allied Powers while sym- speeches about international
The old hates were going around the world but in new versions.
percentage
g
pathetic
to
the
allocation
of
four Passover glasses. They are all beau-
The allies of the war were hating each other as much as they had
tiful symbols. But we have never noticed of reparations for "stateless or displaced ever hated their common enemies. The Poles were hating Jews, as
any of our Christian friends adopting their persons," do not seem to favor earmark- if they had never endured a common suffering. The Greeks, Albanians,
ing funds for specific Jewish rehabilita- Dutch and Belgians were hating their liberators.
use because they are so beautiful.
TAI
No Christmas Trees
Claim for Reparation
The tree has a rich appeal for children.
It pleases them and captures their fancy.
It makes their imagination ready for the
Christmas story. That is what symbols are
for. They are the outward manifestations
of something deep and significant.
So when our Jew puts the tree in his
window, when he buys Christmas gifts for
his children, when he has them sing the
Christmas carols, he is performing acts of
worship, Christian worship.
tion.
Approaching the whole problem in the
spirit of relief and charity, rather than
long-term reconstruction, the Powers, as
in the past, studiously refrain from any
reference to Jews. The war created a
problem of distressed and stateless peo-
ple, and the United Nations admit that
they must concern themselves with their
rehabilitation. Recognition of a distinct
Jewish entity and the unique position of
the Jewish displaced persons appears to
be taboo.
Let him do this if he wishes. There is
none to say him nay. But let him not claim
This attitude raises not only political,
he is doing it as a Jew. Let him not in-
struct his children that a Jew may join in but practical obstacles. The sum of repara-
tions mentioned in informed circles which
such procedure and still remain a Jew.
We can get this same spirit of beauty, may be allocated for stateless refugees is
thoughtfulness, gift giving and loving exceedingly small. When all other state-
kindness in our own ceremonies. Chanu- less groups have put in their claims
kah and Purim offer every bit as much op- against this small sum, the amount of rep-
portunity for colorful pageantry and im- arations in kind left for the Jews will he
so insignificant that it can hardly play a
aginative appeal.
These holidays are full of ceremony. part in plans for Jewish rehabilitation in
Their background is just as significant as Palestine or in any other country.
that of the tree. But they are Jewish.
Beyond these considerations, while the
And the tree is Christian.
Paris reparations conference is attempting
Let parents who are looking for some- to determine the percentage of reparations
thing to make home love more tangible in kind from western Germany to be allo-
look into ways of celebrating Chanukah cated to sixteen nations, the total avail-
and Purim more intensively. Let the lights able
will be decided by the Allied Con-
shine on Chanukah. Let the dreidles spin trol Commission in Germany and the Big
on Purim. Let the story be told, again and Four Reparations Commission. And this
again.
decision will be based on what the Con-
One may walk down many streets in trol Commission estimates is essential for
the northwest section of our city and see German self-sufficiency ; and what it re-
house after house where Jews live glitter- gards as excess. Only the excess will he
ing with the lights and tinsel of the Christ- available for reparations.
mas tree. And one may well hear the par-
ents explaining to their children that they
are doing this as good Jews, adopting that
It is too early for definite conclusions,
part of the Christmas celebration which is
but
from preliminary talks with repre-
universal, the part about peace on earth
sentatives of various delegations at the
and good will to men.
reparations conference in Paris, it is evi-
They are wrong. We Jews believe in dent that Jewish organizations are cau-
peace on earth and good will to men. It tious in their expectations, and that the
was a part of our philosophy and our reli- need for action to secure Jewish objectives
gion before Christmas was ever heard of. is more urgent than ever. The unsettled
But we do not believe in the tree.
Palestine issue may have some bearing on
There is nothing wrong with the tree or the attitude of the delegations represent-
the ceremony connected with it. It is a ing the principal Allied Powers.
ceremony connected with the regular wor-
While cooperating Jewish organizations
ship of Jesus. It is beautiful, it is appeal-
now press foremost for collective repara-
ing. But it is Christian.
tions for the Jewish people, they also as-
sert that the positive rights of individual
Jews to claim restitution of their property
from Germany and her former puppets
Congratulations to the Council
must in no way be impaired by the alloca-
We extend our heartiest congratulations tion of reparations for the stateless and
to the Detroit Community Council on the displaced. Further, they insist that Jews,
auspicious occasion of its annual Institute both individually and as a group, have a
well-based claim on German assets
last Sunday.
The Institute, consisting almost entirely abroad, because these assets were, to a
discussion from the floor, was a fine great extent, looted from Jews.
of
(Continued on page 1 2)
,
.
ICTLT e011 " IDE 11 11 TI I,)
By PHINEAS K. BIRON
CHARLIE'S COMEBACK . . .
America First is on the march again .. . One of the country's
shrewdest public relations experts is handing the political publicity
. . . This expert devotes much of his time to a Charles Lindbergh
revival campaign . .. The idea is to rebuild Lindbergh's heroic halo
and run him for the U. S. Senate . . . fhat belated news release about
Lindbergh shooting down a Jap plane is pa rt of the rebuilding cam-
paign .. . The groups sponsoring the flyer are very very anti-Soviet
and anti-Jewish . . .
THINGS THE PRESS IGNORES . . .
Rankin's Unamerican Committee was asked to investigate among
others Gerald L. K. Smith, Joe E. McNVIiliams, E. A. Rumley, Gerald
B. Winrod, Edward James Smythe, Col. Eugene N. Sanctuary, Mervin
K. Hart and Joseph P. Kamp . . . Nothing was done about it . . .
Winchell suggests that Rankin should be asked to investigate Rankin
... Newspapers are keeping mum about two sensational "libel" suits
against the Chicago Sentinel .. . One asking $50,000, entered in the
Circuit Court by George Vose, former lecturer and organizer em-
ployed by Gerald L. K. Smith's America First Party, is based upon
ar. expose written by Archie Greenberg, National Commander of
the Jewish War Veterans, which the Sentinel published ... The other
suit, asking a total of $90,000, has been filed in the Superior Court
by Joe McWilliams, George E. Deatheridge, Eugene N. Sanctuary,
Ernest F. Elmhurst, Robert E. Edmonson, Lawrence Dennis, E. J.
Parker, Sage, William H. Lyman, Jr. and Charles B. Hudson, all
notorious anti-Semites, charging that an article published in tho
(Continued on page 1 2)
CAN THEY TAME THIS BEAST?
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