lowlilLT:
II;
Friday, January 31, 1947
w■I..110
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Strictly Confidential
Rogge Lists Leaders
Sympathetic to Reich
Ridicule Is Essence of Dialect Jokes
Not Use of the Language Itself
By PHINEAS J. BIRON
ROGGE SPENT three months in Germany, interviewing Ger-
J OHN
man big shots . . . In his 400 page report to Attorney General Tom
C. Clark he enumerated the names of important German sympathizers.
In that list you will find the names of S. Behn, president of the
International Telegraph and Telephone Company;' James Mooney of
General Motors; Messrs. De Witt Wallace, Paul Palmer and George
T. Eggleston of Reader's Digest;
not to forget John L. Lewis and IN THE SPLENDID biography
ex-Senator Burton K. Wheeler.
of Homer Loomis, the Colum-
Don't be sur- bian fascist leader, published a
prised if Whee- few weeks ago in PM, the author
ler is appointed forgot to mention the interesting
United States fact that Loomis spent a great
Attorney - Gen- deal of time in Canada before the
eral one of these war ... It is in the province of
days. . .
Quebec that Loomis learned a
The battle great deal about anti-Semitic
about dialect journalism.
comedians is in
Which reminds us that "Le Gog-
full swing. Wal-
ter Winchell is lec," Quebec's most violent anti-
thundering dai- Semitic publication, has reap-
P. IL Biron
ly against the peared. It is edited by one Joseph
bad boys, and has full backing of Meynard . . .
Orchids to the "Council Against
the Anti-Defamation League for-
ces ... Ed Sullivan, whose column Intolerance in America." Its ex-
"Little Old New York" has gained hibit "Tolerance Can Be Taught,"
many readers in the last few on view at the Norlyst Gallery in
years, Is battling Winchell. Eddie New York, is a worthwhile achieve-
enjoys the support of Dr. Stephen ment.
S. Wise.
Posters, placards, maps, car-
In all this melee the real issue toons, films etc. are being used.
is being distorted . . . Dialect in Close to one hundred organiza-
itself does nobody any harml... tions, labor unions, newspapers and
The kind of dialect humor that democratic agencies are cooper-
ridicules racial characteristics ma- ating. The teaching of democracy
liciously—that's the kind that can be made quite exciting . . .
Bravo! ...
must be stopped.'
• • •
Ant4-Jewish or anti-Italian jokes
delivered with a; perfect Harvard PALESTINE YEAR BOOK
accent are just as—if not more— QOPHIE A. UDIN, director and
nauseating than the dialect racist " liberation of Zionist archives
material. "Clean up your Humor" and library, is the editor of the
should be the slogan instead of Palestine Year Book, just issued
"Correct your Dialect"...
(Continued on Page 14)
Capital Letter
U.S. to Halt DP Ships
Unless Congress Acts
Extension of Authority to Bring
Refugees Here Asked of Law Makers
•
By CHARLOTTE WEBER
WASHINGTON—On Feb. 28 the authority of the Maritime Commis-
TV skin to carry on the work of the War Shipping Administration,
which operated about 5,000 ships during the war, will come to an
end unless Congress sees fit to extend that authority. The ships that
have been transporting displaced persons to this country from Euro-
pean ports are in this category. That Is one reason why certain groups
are pressing for extension of the
authority.
in this country in 1944 and 3,050,-
After that date the Maritime 000 in 1945.
Commission will have no authority
An article entitled "The Van-
to draw funds to assume the work ishing ANN*" which appeared in
of the WSA. The WSA went out the Monthly Review of the Im-
of business last September, merg- migration Service for May, 1911,
ing its remaining functions with and a similar article in October,
the Maritime Commission at that 1915, Indicates the trend. Rever-
time.
comb failed to include the latter
figures in his report.
Under the War Shipping Ad-
The report acknowledges that
ministration the ships were oper-
ated by "general agents" who we do have full employment now
were commissioned to run the but warns that a sizable addition
ships for the Government. Un- to the population "would naturally
der this arrangement the agent add to the problem of unemploy-
carried out the orders to fulfill ment whenever it may arise." It
the shipping needs of the Gov- makes no mention of repeated
statements by the CIO and a re-
ernment.
The Maritime Commission will cent one by the AF of L expres-
still be able to sell and charter sing support for the proposals to
ships after Feb. 28 but will not admit war refugees to this coun-
be able to direct the comings and try.
• • •
goings of these vessels since a
chartered ship is, in effect, rented REFUGEES' FRIEND
to a private operator who will R EPRESENTATIVE George P.
use the vessel to best monetary It Miller, California Democrat, re-
advantage.
cently Introduced three bills to
• • •
grant the Attorney General use of
discretionary powers in cases cal-
INACCURATE REPORTS
ling for the deportation of aliens
THE BEST DEFENSE those whose temporary visas had run
who would liberalize the im- out. At present the Attorney Gen-
migration laws can have against eral does not have the power to
prejudiced, inaccurate expressions waive deportntion proceedings If
of opposition like the report of a person's visa has expired.
Senator Chapman Revercomb of
In Miller's opinion some of these
West Virginia are the facts. Un- aliens—who came here for many
der the cold light of critical reasons and i,i many categories,
analysis his report falls apart in including many war refugees—
a number of places.
have made a very real and valu-
The report quotes alien registra- able contribution to this country.
tion statistics to show that there In keeping with the American tra-
were 5,009,857 aliens in the United ditiole of befriending the home-
States In 1940. Latest published less, Miller feels that they should
Immigration statistics show that be allowed to stay in this country
there were only 3,600,000 aliens if they so desire.
Science Institute
Maps Exhibit
By MARTIN SILVER
THE JEWISH Scientific Insti-
tute—YIVO—is now arranging
an exhibition of the materials in
its possession, "Jews In Europe,
1939-1946" designed to acquaint
American Jewry with the realities
of the surviving communities In
Europe and to enlighten the non-
Jewish public in this country.
Displayed and annotated will be
documents of communities, syna-
gogues, relief organizations, under-
ground unit s, photographs of
camps, songs recited or sung In
the ghettos—all aspects of Jewish
life under Nazi domination and
Jewish life after the liberation.
It is impossible to appreciate
fully all the work done by this
unique institution in collecting
source material, in studying and
publishing it, and in training a
new generation of Jewish scholars,
unless we bear in mind that un-
der normal conditions, federal,
state and municipal grants, pri-
vately established foundations and
individual donations are combined
for the support of such a vast pro-
gram of activities.
In 1925, while Europe was still
suffering from the aftermath 'of
the first World War, a group of
Jewish scholars united to pursue
research despite the difficult ex-
ternal conditions. This group dif-
fered radically from the old
school of Jewish savants which
was rooted in the German ro-
mantic movement of the nine-
teenth century and which was
limitea in its approach and sub-
ject matter.
They felt that the old school
was largely responsible for the
opinion still prevalent among
many Jews that only problems
dealing with the hoary past de-
serve study.
Jewish research work was dis-
sociated from actual Jewish life
and had therefore lost favor. What
was needed was study of Jewish
life in the recent past and present
according to sociological and so-
cio-psychological methods.
• • •
CENTRAL INSTITUTE
AT THIS TIME, N. Shtif, a
brilliant linguist then residing in
Berlin, initiated the idea of a
central institute for this new type
of research. Shtif perceived that
only by establishing a centralized
Jewish organization for the plan-
ning, study and dissemination of
research could the work of the
individual scholar properly develop
and assume its full significance
for the Jewish community.
The idea was taken up enthu-
siastically in Vilna, Berlin and
Warsaw. It was finally decided
that the headquarters of the new
Institute, whose name was to be
Yiddisher Visnshaftlecher Insti-
tut, should be established in Vil-
na. New York, too, became in-
terested In the idea of a central
research institute and founded a
branch soon thereafter.
When the outbreak of World
War II threatened the very ex-
istence of the headquarters in
Vilna, the fear for the future of
the institution was uppermost in
the minds of the leaders of the
American branch.
They spared no efforts in trans-
forming the YIVO in America into
a world center for Jewish studies.
An appropriate charter was grant-
ed it by the State of New York
and its friends ancT supporters
provided it a spacious building in
the heart of New York's academic
center. Thus, it was enabled to
continue its work a:most without
interruption.
• • •
NEW TREND STARTED
WITH THE RISE of sociological
research on the one hand and
g r o wing "national" awareness
among ethnic groups on the other,
a new stream entered into Jewish
scholarship: the study of Jewish
group life.
The trend seemed to be toward
an understanding of history as
the consummation of the achieve-
ments and failures of peoples or
societies rather than of leaders
toward a study of mass phenomena
such as Immigration, community
organization and ethnic culture.
This was in essence the approach
of the Jewish scholars who clus-
tered about the nucleus of the
YIVO organization. The primary
purpose of the YIVO was to build
a body of knowledge to serve the
Jewish people for their Inner needs
and desires rather than as an
apologetic defense against attacks
from outside.
Page Three
Personal Problems
Is Size of the Diamond
Gauge for Marriage?
Wealth of Boy-Friend Only Criterion
Some Girls Go By, Expert Asserts
By DR. W. A. GOLDBERG
I LIKE TO RIDE THE bus. I hear the funniest things. Sometimes,
WO, I hear the reactions of young peopre amt older folks which
would be denied me if I drove.
. A sharp guy, all of 19 or 20, a member of the tribe, interested in
The Theatre, was sounding off to an MOT .. . girl with whom he
was riding. "I never date a Hebe girl. They are so uncouth. They
lack manners. They haven't learn
ed the social graces ... Gentile furniture, a trip to Bermuda, a
girls are much quieter. They don't house—before the marriage can be
want first - row
considered consummated.
seats, dinner at
All this is nice, of course, if
the Blitz and a
you have it or can get it. But
night -spot to
what are the values of ordinary
finish off an
people? What do we require of
evening."
the decent young man before we
He was talk-
will
give him our daughter's
ing with the
hand?
complete assur-
At the beginning of his econ-
edness of an
omic life, do we expect a young
emancipated
man to have—by his own ef-
young man of
forts —the equivalent of our
the world. Per.
wordiy goods accumulated In a
haps he was Dr. Goldberg
just released from his mother's lifetime?
supervision of how clean his neck
Of what consequences are char-
and ears were. But he was con- acter, honesty, Intelligence, decen-
fident and he echoed the complaint cy and flexibility — just common
of other young men and sonic goodness and human worth? Some-
young women with whom and to where along the line, have we for-
whom I speak.
gotten to proportions and relative
A jeweler tells me there can be levels necessary in living and rats.
no engagement today, among some ing a family?
••
of our people, without a huge
diamond of two or more carats. THE CONTRAST
If the young man can't buy the GENTILE GIRLS are engaged
ring, the girl's folks buy it for
and married in large numbers.
him or send an intermediary.
Perhaps you do need a magnifying
• • •
glass to see the diamond In the
NEW REQUIREMENTS
engagement ring, not smoked glas-
IS THIS THE SINE-QUA NON ses. Perhaps they feel the size of
of today's marriage? Is it the stone is not important.
"What will our friends and rela-
Perhaps they can teach us some-
tives think?"
thing . . . not to reach for Lm-
Nowhere in my reading of the possible heights. Perhaps they
marriage license or the religious have reached a saner view of life,
ritual have I seen the requirement not to enshrine false idols which
of a new car, a house full of new
(Continued on Page 15)
Plain Talk
Plan. to Change Name
Branded as Hysterics
Writer Tells the Levys to Beat Down
Hitler Ghost Still Frightening Them
By ALFRED SEGAL
LEVY WHO had been wrestling with himself practically all
-
night called on me in the morning. He had called on me to ap-
point me to the function of referee, you might say.
I call him Levy but his name isn't really that. It's something
quite as Jewish, though. This is to say, the moment you hear his
name you automatically know he Is Jewish and, if your mind runs
that way, you begin to wonder
what kind of a Jew he is: Whether boy's intonation. It's like Hitler
Mizrachi or Poale Zionist; ortho- himself marching around the lob
d o x, conserva- ,,,, , by shouting: "Another Jew!"
tive, reform or '
Mr. Levy said he could feel
reconstruction.
it In the atmosphere wherever
The fact Is
he went. It was nothing he could
though, that Mr.
put his hands on but it was
Levy has never
there all right . . . "Well, when
bothered his C. 6' t
you know there are a lot of peo-
mind with any
pie who are against you, you
of these Jewish
don't feel like throwing your-
conflicts, and I
self in their faces, do you?"
doubt very
"Yet, we have had the name I
m u c h whether
don't know for how long. My
he could tell Al Segal father, my grandfather and my
you what a Mizrachi is. So, a Jew great-grandfather had got along
without problems, he might he a with it, and I don't know how
fairly contented person were it many others before them. My
not for his name. He had been father had the name on the store
fighting with his name for a long window and he had done all right
time. Indeed, the wrestling in with it. That's the way I argued
which he had exhausted himself with myself."
through the night had to do with
Would it be fair to his kids to
his name: To keep on being Levy, make them carry a name that
or to be something else. would be like something awful
"I want you to settle it for me," heavy on their backs all their
he said. "I've been thinking of lives?
changing to Leary."
Now here he was at my desk
Yes, he said, he had been hav- Which should he be, Levy at
ing an awful time with Levy ever Leary?
since Hitler began to make it so
"What do you say?" he askeu.
• • •
miserable for Jews. Hitler might
be dead but he still was getting JUST HYSTERICS
around ("if you get what I mean") (AIR. LEVY," I SAID, "there's
and to be Levy had become like
nothing the matter with your
a sore thumb.
name that an adult sense of reality
couldn't cure. You're a child with
FEELS STIGMATIZED
hysterics after a nightmare."
HE SAID THAT when he signs
Yes, I said, Hitler remains as
at a hotel he can tell by his triumphant among us as in the
look that the room clerk is say- time when Jews were fleeing to
ing to himself, "This is another the caves and woods from his
Jew." When he is paged he can madness. Mr. Levy had translated
detect the accusation in the bell-
(Continued on page 4)
yin.
"I
ti