Friday, July 3, 1946
DETROIT EWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Page Two
Capital Letter
By CHARLES BENSON
Strictly Confidential
•!.
WASHINGTON.—In a recent broadcast
recorded here by the Foreign Broadcast In-
telligence Service it was reported that the
book stocks of the university libraries of
Hamburg, Kiel, Muenster, and Bonn have
been so reduced by effects of the war that
the scientific work of these universities is
impaired.
Not only were the great libraries of Eur-
ope destroyed by bomb destruction, pillage.
confiscation and burning by the Nazis, but
the great blackout of news which was
leveled upon most of these countries even
before the actual hostilities began prevent-
ed the publication or distribution of tech-
nical journals which are even more im-
portant than books in some fields. Often a
new medical discovery is outdated before
it can be published in book form, for ex-
ample.
The American Book Center for Devas-
tated Libraries, Inc., has been working for
some time to accomplish two things. They
seek first to coordinate all the various
agencies who are interested in providing
printed material to devastated areas and
secondly, to build up for each of these
areas a stockpile of several million pieces
of scholarly materials—books, technical
periodicals, medical journals, "any kind of
material important to its subject"—which
would bring them up to date on the scien-
tific and Intellectual advances which have
been made during the war years.
About 14 thousand cases of such "schol-
arly material" have already been sent or
,promised to the Center by libraries, edu-
cational Institutions, publishers, business
corporations and individuals. This is only
a "conservative estimate" according —to
Kenneth B. Shaffer, Executive Director
of the American Book Center. Thirty
tons of books and periodicals were re-
ceived in one day alone, he said.
Over two thousand cases of this printed
material have already been processed and
sent by the Center for use in rebuilding
the intellectual centers of some 34 re-
ceiving countries. An important part of the
"processing" lies in assembling parts of
Certain scientific journals which were made
scarce by the paper shortage in this coun-
try during the war. A complete chemical
abstract, for example, might contain parts
sent in by any number of contributors.
Patterned after the Inter-Allied Book
Center which was established in London
in 1942, the idea of a book center for this
country was considered by the Depart.
ment of State in 1945. Because of restrict-
ed funds and the delay In getting permis-
sive legislation passed, the American Book
Center for Devastated Libraries was or-
ganized as a private organization, spon.
sored by the Council of National Library
Associations, and incorporated in the State
of New York. It is recognized by govern-
ment and semi-official agencies—the State
Department, Library of Congress, the Na-
tional War Fund, the President's War Re-
lief Control Board, and UNRRA—as the
official coordinating agency to carry on the
work of intellectual restoration in devas-
tated areas.
Funds for the Center have been col-
lected on an individual country basis, that
is, a drive for sending books to China or a
drive for books for Poland.
Plain Talk
By ALFRED SEGAL
Four New Jews
I have been reading lately some lamenta-
tions coming out of the Jewish Theological
Seminary about multitudes of American
Jews being converted to Christianity—a
weeping that doesn't, seem at all ,justified
by the known facts of American Jewish
life.
This is not to say that Jews are as
strictly faithful in synagogue observance
as they might be, but then it may be
said that most of the Christians don't
go to church either. In our town, which
/ contains some 20,000 Jews, I know only
of two who have gone over to Christian
churches—one to the Presbyterians and
another to the Episcopalians.
But I am not going to quarrel with them.
I hope only that they will derive from
their churches much more than the fash-
ionable pleasure of being Presbyterians and
Episcopalians. They may get the noble
ethics of being good Christians and that
would be all right; but then they could
just as well have gotten the same ethics if
they had stayed in Judaism and taken the
trouble to know the Old Testament.
However, this isn't intended to be a dis-
cussion of departed Jews but rather it
concerns four new Jews who recently,
while these others were walking out, after
deliberate judgment decided to come into
Judaism.
Some months ago I reported here the
case of six young Christian women who
were converted to Judaism in our town, by
reason of the fact that they were marry-
ing Jewish young men. Now these four
more have come along.
I am not turning religious handsprings
on that account. As long as there are so
many Jews who arelacking in Jewish re-
ligious life, it really makes no sense to
delight in four Christians coming over to
the Jewish side. Yes, the great need in
Jewish life is to convert Jews to Jewish
religion.
Jews have been running in all direc-
tions of being Jewish, except the prime
one of religion. To a stranger watching
current events it might seem that being
a Jew was largely a matter of politics
and geography.
So it may be instructive to know what
these four new Jews think about being
Jewish. Our rabbi, Dr. Victor Reichert, had
instructed them In Judaism and, after
they were through with their lessens, had
required each of them to write a brief
essay on what Judaism meant to her.
Dr. Reichert has sent me their essays
and I, as a Jew, find in them something
new, fresh and invigorating about the mat-
ter of being a Jew. In these times even
the best-intentioned Jew may fall into the
idea that being a Jew has to do solely
with joining organizations to fight anti-
Semites, to put up money for that purpose
and to look for hidden enemies under every
stone; or with aspiring toward a national
identity as Jew.
I find none of that in the essay of Mra.
M. B. She, it appears, married a Jew,
has a child, has decided to bring up the
child In the religion of its father and to
make that religion her own as well.
omormosamrddllIllk,
"For me," she wrote, "Judaism Is the end
of a long search for a religion through
which I can wholeheartedly express my be-
lief in God . . . I did not have the good
fortune, of being born into a completely
Jewish family. Although my dear father
was Jewish, my mother is Catholic. I was
given no formal religious education, but
merely taught to believe in a Supreme
Being who created all things and to be a
decent citizen of the world.
"When I was about 16 my parents told
me I might choose my own faith. Choose?
How hard to choose this one thing which
ought to be everyone's inheritance at birth.
"Since then I have been exposed to
many forms of religious beliefs. I say 'ex-
posed' because I never found it in my
heart to accept any of them. Now that my
quest is ended I am rather glad that my
faith was not handed me on a sliver plat-
ter. My glimpses into other religions only
serve to make me more appreciative of
Judaism and much more tolerant and
broadminded than I might have been with-
out them.
"There is much for me to learn about
the teachings of this, my chosen faith.
Much to learn of the practices through
which all Jews should keep their religion
a vital and living monument to God. I
intend to learn them as fully as I am able.
I realize that the longest life is not time
enough to absorb all truth and beauty but
I will do my best in that allotted to me.
"I pray that I may be blessed with more
than the one child I now have and with
Supreine Guidance to instill in them the
pleasure and pride and greatness of Ju-
daism which I am now discovering.
"I want to help them find the warmth
and comfort of a firm faith built on solid
truths; to make the belief in One God, the
Ten Commandments and the Brotherhood
of Man the rock on which their lives are
founded. I myself will ever try 'only to do
justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with my God."
1 quote also from D.S.'s essay: "J adaism
is to me a new and bright future . . . I
was not asked to become a member of the
Jewish faith; more so, I was told of the
many trials, hardships and heart-breaking
experiences I may have to endure . . . No
amount of riches could replace my decision
.o be a worthy member of the Jewish faith,
for in it I have found true happiness."
And from the essay of K.M.: "I was
Interested in Judaism originally because
I wish to have the same faith as my hus-
band and I wanted only one religion In
our home. I was reared in the Protest-
ant religion ... I sincerely believe in all
the teachings of Judaism and I know
that by living a life of Justice, goodness
and mercy, it will be a happier life for
me and my children."
Thanks to these new Jews, thanks for
their good teaching that may refresh the
many born Jews who are horribly con-
fused as to what being Jewish means,
thanks for their being among us and
here's hoping they will do us all some
good.
By PHINEAS K. BIRON
Anti-Semitism in England
1:y REV. BE RICHARDSON
Guest Columnist)
(We are happy to present to you an exclu-
sive feature—Rev. Ben Richardson, Har-
vard graduate Negro leader, author, and,
according to Quentin Reynolds, "America's
most eloquent orator"; is pinch-hitting to.
day . . . His subject is Anti- Semitism In
England.)
Ernest Bevin, British Foreign Minister
and leader of the Labor Party in that
country, recently made the most anti-
Semitic remark to be uttered by a govern-
ment official since the downfall of Hitler.
The remark was made to the Laborite
Conference at Bournemouth, England, on
June 12th. Speaking of Palestine, Mr.
Bevin cast a snide slur at New York and
on the tragic Jewish refugees from fas-
cism. He said, "Regarding the agitation In
the United States, and particularly in New
York, for 100,000 Jews to be put into Pales-
tine, I hope it will not be misunderstood In
America if I say, with the purest of mo-
tives, that that was because they did not
want too many of them in New York."
Progressive forces throughout the world
cannot ignore the anti-Semitism in Bevin's
speech, because it is a part of the fabric
of reaction that he, as an influential mem-
ber of the British government, and leader
(though hardly spokesman) for the Labor
Government is weaving.
The extent of anti-Semitism in Britain
which this evil exists in the ruling class of
is not generally known, and the degree to
Britain is even less known. But this situ-
ation must be known in order to under-
stand the anti-Semitic remarks made by
men like Beviry-and other high officials in
the British GoVernment.
During the first decade after World War
I the ruling class of Britain had little need
for "anti-Jewish sentiment. Therefore only
two fascist organizations existed at that
time. They were the British Fascists and
the Imperial Fascists. Both were small
parties and received little support from
the influential elements of the population.
But the economic crisis of 1929-32 brought
about a new phase in the development of
British anti-Semitism. Unemployment, wage
cuts, and a widespread feeling of insecur-
ity were contributing causes to its growth.
By 1932, the general population was in
dire need, and the working class struggles
were clearly defined. It was at this mo-
ment, that Sir (?) Oswald Moseley founded
the ignoble British Union of Fascists.
Moseley, himself an ex-socialist and apos-
tate from the Labor Party, was able to
solicit the support of influential people
among the upper class of Britons. His was
a fight against the progressive development
of the English people. The press organ of
the B.U.F., the "Black Shirt," was a scur-
rilous anti-Semitic sheet. In It the Jews
were blamed for trying to get England in-
to war with Germany.
The Evil Grows
The British Union of Fascists also at-
tracted large numbers of the middle-class
population who felt the pressure of big
trusts and combines. Moseley told them
"They were being squeezed by the Jews."
By 1934 the B.U.F. was able to openly de-
clare its program of anti-Semitism. When
this was done general anti-Semitic vio-
lence became widespread, and Moseley and
his party gained the secret backing of
some of the most powerful areas of reac-
tion in Britain.
Another formidable fascist organization
in Britain at that tme was the Anglo-Ger-
man Fellowship. It openly advocated Hitler
Nazism with its cruel program of anti-
Semitism and worked for an Anglo-Ger-
man alliance against the U.S.S.R. Among
its membership were such "distinguished"
Britons as: Hon. W. W. Astor; Lord Lo-
thian (late Ambassador to Washington);
the late Lord Stamp (Chief Industrial Ad-
viser to the Government); also some of the
directors of the Bank of England, Lloyds
of London, the National Bank of Egypt;
members of the Anglo-Iranian Light, Gas
and Coke Distillers, Sir Leonard Lyle of
Imperial Airways, and many other people
of similar standing. Lady Astor, leader of
the "Cliveden Set" and supporter of the
Chamberlain government, was notorious for
her anti-Semitic expressions. As a result
of the efforts of these pro-fascist forces in
Britain, anti-Semitism reached unpreceden-
ted heights during the war. (All of the
familiar canards used by bigots through-
out the world in their persecution of the
Jews, were brought into usd in Britain).
1
Personal Problems
By DR. W. A. GOLDBERG
Changing A Job Is Good For You
"Should I change my job if I do not
believe my highest skills are being
used? This is the best job I have ever
had . . ." J. F.
Naturally you would not throw your
present job overboard just for the sake of
making a change. Certainly you will want
to use discrimination as to the kind of
change possible.
I say this although I am a firm believer
in changing jobs unless you are making
progress. I believe that every person should
be fired at least once in three years. He
may then be rehired, on a demonstration
basis, the very next day. Or he may look
for something else.
Every person falls into routines, habits,
some of which are careless and some are
sloppy. We use the same techniques over
and over again. We get into a rut from
which it is not easy to rise. We hesitate
to disturb ourselves from established rou-
tines. At times, it takes an explosion to
make us move ahead.
Being fired or being laid off is good for
the body and for the mind. It calls into
action those thought processes and muscles
which have gone unused for too long. It
takes a person off the scat of his pants
and puts him on his feet. A pay check,
regularly received, is the worst of narcotics
because it dulls the mind. It puts fear
into the heart and stifles courage.
When fired, the check stops. You begin
to look at yourself. You may or may not
see the build-up you have given yourself ...
the things you say you can do well but
which challenge you in doing.
Both employer and employee are in
better position when a change is made. No
person is indispensable. If you believe you
are, you face a shock. The job will go on,
perhaps a bit better, if you should quit or
die. A new employee comes to work unpre.
judiced against the existing personalities.
He does not know about them. He is will-
ing to show what he can do. He is out to
make a reputation. To the boss he is some-
thing new, to be appraised from the begin-
ning. These words also apply to the em-
ployee transferred to a new department.
There is a challenge to learn, new peo-
ple to met, a new job. More important,
there is a fresh task at hand.
Blow Air Into Your Job
Should you change a job? Never mere-
ly for the sake of change. A change is
certainly indicated if you gain from such
a move. You may not get more money
but the job may be more interesting.
You may have easier personalities to deal
with. There may be mere diversification
on the job, a chance to do a variety of
operations. If you change Jobs very often,
you are marked as an unstable person.
An employment manager counts time on
each Job as important as references in
appraising you.
How do you know your "best skills" are
not being used? Who is the authority for
that statement? Is it merely•your own con-
cept of what you can do? Have you had
an objective test of ability in your field?
You may be absolutely right but I am the
last one to take for granted any employee's
unsupported statement to that effect, I
would have to have an expert opinion,
which is easily obtained.
What is your ultimate goal? How does
your goal fit in with an unbiased pro-
fessional opinion of your ability, intelli-
gence and personality? In other words, are
you aiming at something you may be able
to reach, reasonably? Or are you reaching
for the moon?
The goal, too, is of consequence. Perhaps
this is the time to get added schooling or
experience. Perhaps there is a serious gap
in experience which can be remedied with-
out great sacrifice. A sound professional
analysis of your current and latent abiliti,i3
and personality can be extremely helpful
in showing you the direction to follow.
A change, merely for change, is of no
value. A change which means ultimate
experience, without more pay, is good.
Any change which broadens experience in
the general direction of your own goal is
extremely valuable.
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