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 SUBSCRIPTION: $3.00 Per Year, Single Copies, 10c; Foreign, $5.00 Per Year '. 7 ntered as Second-class matter March 3, 1916. at the Postoffice at Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879 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.