Friday, February 14, 1947
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Page Four
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
Letters to the Editor
And the LEGAL CHRONICLE
Published Weekly by Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc., 525 Woodward Ave., Detroit 26, Mich., CA 1040
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CY AARON, Publisher
SIDNEY STEARNS, Advertising Manager.
Vol. 49, No,
•
2 Au
GEORGE WEISWASSER, Editor=in•Chief
NATHAN J. KAUFMAN, Managing Editor
Detroit 26, Mich.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, (Shevat 24, 5707)
Why Barricades?
One cannot help but conclude that what
is going on in Palestine today, the ostensible
conversion of the land into a war theater,
is another one of those inane, blundering
acts for which British history is famous.
We have the incongruous situation of a
conference going on in London to "settle"
the Palestine problem at the same time
that the British inside of Palestine are do-
ing everything imaginable to irritate and
provoke the Jewish population and to solidi-
fy its defiance of the tyrant.
One would imagine that, logically, nothing
would be done to arouse the anger and the
stubbornness of a people when negotiations
are going on somewhere else whose intent
is to mollify them and compromise with
them. But apparently, logic and states-
manship are words unknown to British dip-
lomacy. Blunders, treachery and backstab-
bing belong to Britain's vocabulary.
How explain the contradiction between' the
London conference and the barbed wire and
evacuation of civilians? Does Britain have
to convert Palestine into a fortress because
of a few hundred active "terrorists?" Is
the mighty British army unable to cope
with them? Do women and children have
to be shipped off to Egypt because of the
threat of reprisals on the British army?
Of course not! Britain is doing all
this for three reasons and the chief of
them is that there is an economic crisis
of vast proportions going on in England
(aggravated this week by the cold
wave) and England must distract its
people's attention from their strikes and
their empty bellies by blowing up a
minor colonial clash into a world crisis.
Jewish Palestine becomes the scapegoat
for British expediency.
If the sensational press screams loudly
enough—and the American journals are as
raucous as the British—the Englishman will
forget his skimpy rations and the world
will come to think that poor, defenseless
Britain is being picked on by the naughty,
powerful Jews.
As for the evacuation of the women and
children, that is, palpably, part of the game
to arouse the world's sympathy for the
"persecuted" British—done "to make an
impression on world opinion" as the level-
headed `oldie Meyerson, head of the polit-
ical department of the Jewish Agency, put it
derisively in Jerusalem.
The extremists have never harmed women
and children and have only as a desperate
measure molested any civilians in their bat-
tle against the tyrant. The British civilians
themselves have been outspoken in their
criticism of the evacuations and the bar-
ricades. The American consulate-general has
not been disturbed by the imaginary threats
and has not asked Americans to flee de-
spite the fact that if fighting does come,
one will not be able to stop to distinguish
between an American and a Britisher.
A third reason is that Britain, ever jeal-
ous of the fast advance of Jewish economy
in the Holy Land, is hunting an excuse to
stifle it. This is the conclusion of Dr. David
Tannenbaum, executive director of the
economic bureau of the Palestine Founda-
tion Fund.
Which all boils down to this—the British
are making fools of themselves again. There
won't be any "war" unless the British start
it. The barbed wire and the sandbags are
just so much window-dressing.
Let the British consider the advice of the
Nation:
"If it is not too late, the condemned Ir-
gun member should be granted a reprieve
in consideration of his war services to the
British forces or his case, even over his pro-
test, be sent to the British council.
"Above all, the present crisis should be
sufficient to stab the London and Washing-
ton negotiators awake to the necessity for
an immediate and permanent plan for Pal-
estine. If the solution is a partition that
guarantees a "viable" Jewish state, then let
the governments of Great Britain and the'
United States declare it and stand by their
decision."
Fair Play
A grammar school child knows the mean-
ing of "fair play" it is part of our American
democracy. But can we say, that a Jewish
newspaper practices fair play when it calls
the readers' attention to only one of 12
Jewish candidates for judicial office, when
such men as A. C. Lappin, Samuel W. Leib,
and Jacob L. Keidan and others are equally
deserving and qualified as "best judicial
timber."
It is common knowledge that these men
have been for many years equally active in
communal affairs. Leib and Lappin, out-
standing and respected lawyers and pre-
eminent community leaders, are also ad-
mired for their "fairness, judicial timber,
intelligence, honesty and knowledge of the
law." A. C. Lappin's leadership in the field
of arbitration-mediation is second to none,
and his Zionist and other activities for many
years stamp him indelibly as a leader in
our community.
Samuel W. Leib's activity in Bnai Brith
and other civic enterprises are well known.
He was elected to represent the many thous-
ands of Bnai Brith members in Detroit on
the Board of Governors of the Jewish Wel-
fare Federation. As wartime chairman of
Detroit's largest price and rationing board
for almost five years. Leib was rated by
the district director of OPA as one of the
best in Michigan.
Lappin was preferred by the Detroit
Citizens League as a, candidate for the
Common Pleas Court, Keidan was preferred
for the Recorder's Court and Leib is the
only Jewish candidate for circuit judge in-
dorsed by the major labor organizations.
The true spirit of fair play seems to have
been better exemplified by these represent-
ative groups of Detroit citizens who made
their indorsements after careful investiga-
tion.
Alvin D. Hersch
Brotherhood Week, Feb. 16-23, will have
a certain emptiness in Detroit this year;
for death last week took one of the state's
best beloved and most sincere workers for
tolerance and harmony, Dr. Alvin Hersch,
lawyer, scholar, writer and gentleman.
He was a great believer in education as
a weapon in the battle on bigotry and lie
gave of himself to the fullest measure from
pulpit and platform spreading lessons of
brotherhood and amity.
nfluence was enormous for he spoke
influence
simply and honestly. The ideas of tolerance
that he implanted in the minds of many of
his hearers are today being carried through-
out the country. They will be his living
epitaph.
The Visiting Editor
German Repentance?
Pity is a praiseworthy trait, but when
misdirected it becomes a vice instead of a
virtue.
This thought comes to mind in connection
with Pastor Niemoeller's errand of "pity"
in this country for Germany. The good pas-
tor, whom Rabbi Stephen S. Wise accused
of having "not so borne himself through-
out the Hitler years as to merit the respect
or confidence of the Christian people of
America," has the same right of freedom
of speech and expression in this country
as any citizen has, or should have. But, it
seems to us, that a man who went to the
length of hailing Nazism as "an instrument
of God" and of making a turnabout only
when that very force turned against his
own church, is hardly made of the spiritual
stuff that can appeal to the Christian con-
science of America.
The good pastor's attempt to "white-
wash" the German people of the sin of anti-
Semitism is especially obnoxious in view of
the multiplying and disturbing reports that
both fascism and anti-Semitsm are still
deeply rooted in Germany.
Seven Arts Feature
ADVICE TO BRITAIN
Dear Editor:
Winston Churchill spoke vol-
umes when he stated that Brit-
ain covered itself with shame
and dishonor in its Palestine
treachery.
Britain is somewhat in the pre-
dicament of the python strangling
with • an oversized lamb in its
throat. However, she can go a
long way toward salvaging both
her national honor and the rem.
nants of her shaky empire by
making nines of the industrious
Jews. This I believe can be ac-
complished by a radical retreat
from her present indefensible pol-
icy in Palestine and fulfillment
of the Balfour Declaration.
Evacuating women and children
from Palestine is, of course, just
cheap and transparent melodrama.
No one knows better than the
British that the 10 Ihly civilized
Jewish patriots never have nor
never will molest women and chi'.
dren.
JACK FREEMAN.
Dear Editor:
In a recent article, you stated
that Betas is the Hebrew Resist-
ance Committee. I would like to
clarify this misunderstanding.
Betas is a militant youth organi-
zation dedicated to the task of
organizing and educating Jewish
youth to take their place in creat-
ing a Jewish State and to be ready
to make sacrifices in order to ach-
ieve this goal in the shortest per-
iod of time.
The Hebrew Resistance Commit-
tee was formed in order to get
funds to help the Irgun fight the
British. I head both Betas and
the Hebrew Resistance Committee
in Detroit.
PHILLIP S. JAFFE,
803 Lawyers Bldg.
Keeping Up with the Joneses Gets
Maurice Pebblehill and Wife in Trouble
(Continued from Page 3)
find my wife crying when I come
home. Then she gets mad at me.
What kind of a schlemiel did she
marry who can't give her as much
as her neighbors, her fellow-mem-
bers? Is she to take a back seat
in her own city? No, she won"t.
I must give her enough money to
buy the same kind of clothes.
"So my problem was: Should I
buy her a dress, a hat, a bag and
shoes and have nothing for food?
Or not pay the rent? Or cut the
children's allowances?
• • •
WEARS DRESS ONCE
G4NOW, DOCTOR, you have al-
." ways known me as an honest
man. I make only $150 or $175 a
week or sometimes $200 and I
bring it home. But how many
times can a lady of the commun-
ity, an active lady like my wife,
wear the same dress? Once only,
to meetings .. .
"So now I write you my troubles
from a hideout in the woods, I in-
tend to stay out until my salary
can support a wife who is not
ashamed of her husband. I even
had the doctor write me a dis-
ability letter for the boss . . . ner-
vous exhaustion, rundown and
needs a vacation. .
"I bought a cow, chickens, flour,
potatoes, canned goods, blankets,
radio and record changer, a rifle
and fishing tackle. I can stay
here for the rest of the winter. .
Yours,
(Signed) Maurice Pebblehill.
P.S. If my wife calls you tell
her I still love her and to kiss the
children. I can't compete with the
ladies' meetings. You will hear
from me soon."
M. P.
Intermarriage Brings Tolerance Plea;
Writer Advises 'Reasonable Attitude'
"M=NIMI
(Continued from page 3)
you, if you could, force him into
the divorce court?
No! That's the last thing you'd
ever think of. So there's left to
us our duty to put the best pos-
sible face on it, to behave like
people who have had long ex-
perience of intolerance and,
therefore, should be the most
tolerant. Let's look at our
daughter-in-law. Let's judge her
In the way we as individual
Jews say we want to be judged:
Each by his own character; we
don't like to be all lumped to.
getter in one bundle of con-
demnation.
*
AROUSE HOSTILITY
E DO KNOW she is a fine
girl by character and educa-
tion. We know she comes from
decent people. From all I hear
they're as nice as we are.
That's a good beginning from
which to start trying to be rea-
sonable. At that point we may
ask ourselves: What good will it
do us, as Jews, if we scorn this
Will she respect Jews more
if we behave that way? No! She
will know Jews as an obnoxious,
stiff-necked people, represented in
her parents-in-law who denied her
the hospitality of their house, to
say nothing of the respect they
owed her as their daughter-in.
law and as a good human being.
When and if there are children
W
will she be more inclined or less
inclined toward the faith of their
Jewish father, if his parents be-
have like fanatics? Certainly, we
wouldn't be honoring the good
name of Judaism if that were our
way of being Jewish. If we re-
ject her won't we be contributing
to the conflict that we're afraid
of? Aren't we helping to wreck
a marriage that but for our ob-
stinacy might come to a happy
ending?
BOY'S IIAPPINESS
A ND WHAT OF our boy's hap-
piness? From his earliest day
you worried to protect him. You
were so meticulous to get him
safely across streets. You were
practically up all night with him
when he had a cold in his nose.
The way you worried the time
he had the measles! You can't
let him down now.
Let's invite her and him to
dinner some evening this week.
I think you should include
blintzes in the menu. I do like
blintzes and they would be a
gastronomical revelation for the
girl among her new relations.
Yes, my dear, call her up right
now.
Thus Mr. Segal would speak up
if he were in the same position
as his correspondent. He hopes
that the correspondent's wife, who
is an admirer of Mr. Segal, will
accept this counsel as not unwise.
Looking Back Through the Years
Events as compiled from the files of the Detroit Jewish Chronicle
25 Years Ago
Draft of Palestine constitution made public by Britain. Sir Herbert
Samuel named high commissioner.
Daniel Budson winner of gold medal at eighth oratorical contest
of Philomathic Debating Club at Shaarey Zedek.
20 Years Ago
Romanian government starts campaign of retaliation against Jews
because they refuse to deny pogroms.
Abraham Littman to be honored by Yiddish Stock Co. at testi-
monial performance Feb. 18 at Majestic Theater.
10 Years Ago
New York Times correspondent describes how Poland's 5,000,000
Jews are threatened by disaster.
Mrs. Walter Laib named chairman of tenth anniversary celebra-
tion of Detroit Service Group April 11 at General Motor, Bldg.
6 Years Ago
New home of Yeshivath Beth Yehudah to be dedicated Feb. 15.
Irving B. Dworman elected president of Knollwood Club.