Page Eight
Friday, March 15, 1946
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
COMMUNITY COUNCIL CONTINUES ITS STORY
(Continued from Page 1)
the purposes of the Council as
described in its Constitution of
1937, will reveal that as much
attention was focused on these
aspects of community life as on
the civic-protective side of the
picture. The Constitution speaks
of maintaining "the dignity and
integrity of Jewish life," of de-
veloping "an articulate, intelligent,
and effective opinion on Jewish
problems and interests," of pro-
moting and advancing "the cul-
tural, social, economic, philan-
thropic, and national and spiritual
aspirations of the Jewish people."
Internal Relations
These objectives are the spurs
which motivate the Council's In-
ternal Relations Department of
which the writer is chairman, with
Lawrence W. Crohn, a vice-presi-
dent of the Council, serving as
co-chairman. The goal is a Jewish
community which functions with
dignity and harmony, and which
stimulates wholesome Jewish liv-
ing and devotion to Jewish inter-
ests.
The Internal Relations Depart-
ment of the Council includes a
multitude of activities. A number
of them are the responsibilities of
representative committee s, the
chairmen and co - chairmen of
which together make up the In-
ternal Relations Committee. In ad-
dition a number of Community
Council services are operated with-
out direct committee supervision,
except where special problems or
matters of policy arise.
Council Membership
The Council's constitution nat-
urally lists the qualification for
membership. The task of recom-
mending applicants is entrusted to
an Admissions Committee of which
Benjamin M. Laikin has been
chairman, with Mrs. Douglas I.
Brown as the new co-chairman.
The Committee receives applica-
tions for membership, investigates
the eligibility of the organization
and then submits its recommenda-
tion to the Executive Committee
which under the constitution, pass-
es on all applications for mem-
bership.
it
Breaking Down Barriers
We live in a Jewish community
which is made up of a large var-
iety of Jewish groups with their
own interests, programs and ori-
entations to Jewish life. Not so
long ago there was little or no
communication between many of
these groups. Large numbers of
Jews lived in compact groups in-
sulated from contact with and
understanding of other groups.
There was an urgent need for
the removal of the barriers which
separated Jews from one another.
Changes in Jewish life and pres-
sures from the outside world have
served to level many of these
barriers. In many large commun-
ities, however, there is still no
common meeting ground for all
Jews, except on the occasions of
special events. In Detroit the Corn-
munity Council has been providing
such a common ground where
Jews of diverse backgrounds and
interests may meet and deliberate.
The Internal Relations Commit-
tee seeks always to stimulate this
process of bringing Jews together
to discuss and act on common
problems. Through the medium of
the Community Council, Jews, who
knew of one another only, as it
were, by hearsay, and who were
suspicious and in some instances
antagonistic, have learned to know
• ■ ••••••••• • ■■■ •■ •■■
LAWRENCE W. CROIIN
and respect their neighbors, even
though they did not see eye to eye
on all issues.
Community Calendar
It may appear to be a matter
of small importance, but the Com-
munity Calendar maintained by
the Council serves as a helpful in-
strument in a busy community.
Competition, resentment and cha-
os would certainly plague us if
there were not the means of clear-
ing meeting dates which the Com-
munity Calendar affords. When
used systematically by organiza-
tions in planning their major ev-
ents, it makes possible the sched-
uling of programs without involv-
ing conflicts and their attendant
irritations. On occasions there are
grievances caused by the failure
of groups to make proper use of
the Calendar; the result, when the
circumstances are explained by the
Council staff, is indignation on the
part of the aggrieved organiza-
tion. Fortunately for the harmony
of our community these conflicts
have become infrequent.
'
Internal Discipline
As Jews we are the heirs of a
great ethical tradition of fair deal-
ings with our fellowmen. Jewish
tradition has always stressed the
responsibility of the individual and
the community to deal fairly with
others. Where there were depart-
ures from the established ethical
standards, the community exercis-
ed the right to correct abuses.
The Community Council of today,
through its Internal Discipline
Committee, is operating quietly
and effectively in keeping with
this tradition. An area of super-
vision which is in itself complete-
ly justified, it takes on added im-
portance in view of the need of
the community to protect itself
against the misdeeds of individ-
uals. We do not live in the best of
all possible worlds. Actually, we
live under deplorable circumstances,
wherein the misdeeds of individ-
uals are attributed to the entire
group. The publicized misdeeds of
individual Jews agitates an atmo-
sphere which has become sensi-
tized to Jews as a group. To pro-
tect the many from the conse-
quences of the misdeeds of the
few is the responsibility of the
organized community.
Therefore the Internal Discipline
Committee has been working from
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time to time with individuals and
groups involved in unethical and
questionable practices in business.
Moral suasion and the pressure of
an alert community are used In
getting malefactors to mend their
ways. Simultaneously, a program
of community discussion and edu-
cation on this program has been
carried on, with a significant
number of organizations register-
ing their support of the work. All
this work has been carried on
quietly with only the affected par-
ties having any knowledge of it.
Arbitration Tribunal
Closely related to this Internal
Discipline work is the work of the
Arbitration and Conciliation Trib-
unal, headed by Morris Garvett,
with A. C. Lappin as co-chairman.
Disputes and controversies be-
tween individuals, between organi-
zations, between organizations and
members are disposed of by arbi-
tration or conciliation under Com-
munity Council auspices. Operat-
ing in accordance with the laws
governing arbitration in Michigan,
the Tribunal has handled a con-
siderable number of cases. Arbi-
tration is informal, inexpensive
and effective. Decisions of arbitra-
tors have the force of court de-
cisions. Many an unpleasant con-
troversy whcih might well have
caused the community and the
disputants anguish has been satis-
factorily dealt with by the Arbi-
tration Tribunal.
"Mushroom" Synagogues
The perennial problem of "mush-
room synagogues" has led to the
establishment of a Synagogue
Committee which is working for
the elimination of this abuse on a
long-range basis. Earlier efforts
to curb the evil of individually-
sponsored-for-profit "synagogues"
for the High Holidays were con-
fined largely to an annual public
appeal to the community to with-
hold support of these ventures,
and to attend established syna-
gogues. This was supplemented
last year by discussions with syn-
agogues which have established
facilities, urging them to arrange
auxiliary services. The present
Synagogue Committee was then
established with Morris Mohr and
David J. Cohen as chairman and
co-chairman to work on this prob-
lem far in, advance of the High
Holidays.
The Committee has undertaken
also to initiate discussions among
a number of . synagogues which
have announced plans to erect
new buildings, all within a small
geographical area. Here the Com-
mittee has sought to move the
synagogues to reconsider their
plans in the light of the total
community's needs.
Program Service
What passes today for "cultur-
al" activity in many sections of
our community life is hardly to
the credit of the organized Jew-
ish community. The Community
Council has been attempting to
raise the level of programming in
the community by conducting a
Program Service, through which
organizations are furnished with
guidance in their planning, and
practical help in securing speak-
ers, artists, etc., for their pro-
grams. The extension of this es-
sential service has been hampered
by a lack of funds.
For Yiddish-speaking groups,
this Program Service has been
under the direction of a Yiddish
Culture Committee of which Sam-
uel Jacobson Is the present chair-
man, and Charles Driker is co-
chairman. This Committee, which
serves in an advisory capacity to
individual organizations, also
works with the Jewish Commun-
ity Center in the promotion of a
series of public Yiddish cultural
programs, now in their fourth
year, which have attracted large
local audiences, and evoked favor-
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of "telling the story" bf the Coen
cis to its member organizations.
Interpretation
This is the province of the Com
munity Coordination Committe
under the leadership of Leon Ka
and Mrs. Alexander W. Sander:
Their task is a two-fold one: t
increase community understandin
of the role and work of the Cout
ll, and to improve the two-wa
movement of information and al
titudes between the Council an
the member organizations. TIr
Committee has arranged a serif
of meetings of representative
with common Interests where 11
work of the Council has been di
cussed in intimate and detail(
fashion. In other years simili
committees have conducted "Jei
ish Community Council Months
designed also to bring the Conn
message to the organizations.
From the above it is clear the
the Jewish Community Coune
has set for itself a varied and h
tense program designed to enrk
the inner life of our communit
in many ways. "The Communil
Council is more than an agent
set up to combat antl-Semitisl
and build good relations with tt
non-Jewish community." It is a
agency which aims at the Lille:
integration of our community iii
on the highest possible level
dignity, discipline and content.
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Community Platform
An articulate, intelligent, and
effective public opinion on Jewish
problems and interests." This is
one of the objectives of the Jewish
Community Council. With its rep-
resentative and Inclusive charac-
ter the Council is able to reflect in
large measure the opinion of the
Jewish community. Knowledge is a
prerequisite to intelligent opinion.
With this in mind the Community
Council's Program Committee, with
Mr. Crohn and Dr. Shmarya
Kleinman as chairman and co-
chairman, devotes itself to plan-
ning the programs of the periodic
Delegates' Conferences. The com-
mittee plans for the presentation
and discussion of important cur-
rent issues. Various opinions are
given a hearing. When action is
indicated, the delegates are called
on to vote, and thus to register,
as far as possible, the point of
view of the community.
A few weeks ago at the General
Assembly of the Council of Jew-
ish Federations and Welfare
Funds, the proposal for National
Advisory Budgeting was rejected.
A similar propolhl had been un-
der consideration in 1941. At that
time and again this year, the
Community Council provided an
opportunity for public clarifica-
tion and debate of this important
public issue.
On several occasions in recent
years the position and plight of
Jews abroad has called for the
expression of Jewish public opin-
ion here. Similarly the problem of
the status of Palestine and Jew-
ish rights there. National Jewish
bodies which deal with these ques-
tions need the support of local
communities. The Program Com-
mittee, sensitive to these prob-
lems and alert to the need of ex-
pressing Jewish reactions, brings
these issues to the delegates. On
March 25 the delegates will hear
a report on the recent Cleveland
session of the American Jewish
Conference, as they have after
Earlier meetings of the Confer-
ence.
The work of our committees fre-
quently touch one andther and
overlap to some extent. While the
Program Committee concerns it-
self with the problems of agenda
and programs for delegates' meet-
ings and the annual Community
Council Institute, and with ways
and means of stimulating attend-
ance and participation by the del-
egates, another Committee has
been working on a broad program
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