- • • Page , Feur
Friday , c lilay ZS; ISIS
DETROIT JEWISH* CIIIIO•ICLE
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
Shalom and L'Citaint
Published Weekly by Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc., 548 Woodward, Detroit 26, Mich., CA. 1040
SUBSCRIPTION: $3.00 Per Year, Single Copies, 10c; Foreign, $5.00 Per Year
Entered as Second-class matte, March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879
•
SEYMOUR TILCHIN, President
Vol. 50, No. 19
GEORGE WEISWASSER, Editor-in-Chief
Friday, May 28, 1948 (Iyar 19, 5708)
Fred Butzel
To Fred Butzel, the Jewish community
of Detroit was wife and child. Upon it he
lavished a fatherly love and devotion, he
guided and nurtured it, inspired it to deeds
of nobleness, rebuked its people when they
faltered in their duty, taught them by pre-
cept and example to be neighborly, to be
just, to be kind.
Today, Fred Butzel is dead, and the
community he led for two decades and
more is desolate and anguished in spirit;
for who can take the place of a beloved
husband, who can substitute for a self-
sacrificing father?
Even as a young lawyer, Fred Butzel
was known for his liberality towards the
welfare of others. When the community
was in its infancy, it was commonplace
for newcomers who had a difficult problem
before them or who needed solace or en-
couragement to visit the office of "Lawyer
Butzel" for advice.
Although the youthful attorney was
busy building a reputation which event-
ually made him one of the city's most
sought after counsellors, he found time
for these visitors who thronged the cor-
ridors of his office. He never sent one
of them away empty-handed.
As the community grew,- its problems
suddenly became gigantic and its advisers
had to be men of acumen and of vast ex-
perience as leaders. Automatically, Fred
Butzel was pushed to the fore in each
undertaking.
His loyalties were eclectic. At a time
when it was unfashionable to be a Zionist,
he was one of the movement's warmest
advocates. Brought up in an atmosphere.
of arch-reform, he fostered the study of
Hebrew and traditional Judaism as an offi-
cer in the schools of the orthodox com-
munity.
Unity in Israel was a byword with him.
He hated the divisions and the dissident
organizations in Jewish ranks. He was
one of the main supporters of the early
United Jewish Charities and when that
organization grew into the Jewish Welfare
Federation he was chiefly responsible for
the accretions to its roster.
Federation was his favorite activity
and he lived to see it grow into a colossal,
all-inclusive agency that could raise as
much as $5,000,000 and more in one cam-
paign for the benefit of Jews everywhere.
Fred Butzel belonged to all Detroit and
to some measure to the whole nation:
Years ago when that man of goodwill,
Frank Murphy, i was mayor, he recognized
Mr. Butzel's humaneness and the catholicity
of his interests by dubbing him "Detroit's
First Citizen."
Non-Jewish organizations without num-
ber were beneficiaries of his generous heart
and of his tireless industry. To him there
were no distinctions of race or color or
social caste. All "men were his brothers,
and for years he lived on Mack avenue,
the only - white resident on the entire street,
and it never occurred to him that there
was anything extraordinary about it.
If this grieving city - -can find some con-
solation, it is from the fact that Mr. Butzel
lived to see the new State of Israel come
into existence. Levelheaded and astute, Mr.
Eutzel was also somewhat of a sentimenta-
list, and he sensed, in his great wisdom,
that the establishment of a Jewish State
would lift up the dignity and self-respect
of Jews everywhere.
He died knowing that he left a great
heritage in the splendid people of the com-
munity he had guided so ably, and that
world Jewry once again had a land they
could call Home.
Thus he saw cherished dreams realized,
and his rest will surely be untroubled in
the Great Beyond.
A iferited Ateard
At a time when the objectivity of the
American press is being widely challenged,
our faith in Detroit newsmen is reaffirmed
by the type of reporting of such men as
John. Najduch of the Detroit News.
Najduch is the reporter who has been
assigned, since the tragic death of the
DETROIT 24, MICH.
lamented Philip Adler, to cover the nation=
ality groups of the city. His articles
have been so complete and fair that he
has been universally applauded as one of
the city's most forthright newsmen.
In recognition of his contribution to the
advancement of human relations, the De-
troit women's division of the American
Jewish Congress bestowed upon him their
first annual award of merit to a Detroit
reporter. The Detroit News, in a charac-
teristic act, supplemented the award with
a generous cash gift.
We join with the women of Congress
in lauding the clarity and impartiality of
Najduch's articles and the enthusiasm and
sympathy with which he covers his beat.
We congratulate the women for establish-
ing the award and for the wisdom of their
choice. as its first recipient.
The presentation was a climax to a sea-
son of magnificent accomplishment by the
women of Congress here under the exem-
plary leadership of Mrs. Samuel Green.
The good works of Congress in the
field of human relations are legion. Only
recently one of its undertakings was
crowned with success when the Supreme
Court forbade the judiciary to enforce the
shameful restrictive covenants in realty
which pierce at the vitals of American
freedom.
Congress, we failed inadvertently to
point out in our editorial two weeks ago,
was one of the agencies which joined in
fighting the realty bans before the highest
court. It is to such organizations that we
turn with confidence for the protection of
our liberties.
to President Truman '
The Jews of America are grateful to
you, Mr. President, for your prompt recog-
nition of the new State of Israel. It was
an act of nobility and of statesmanship.
. But, Mr. President, your recognition has
little practical value if you do not follow
it up with the annulment of the embargo
on arms to Israel. To deny the tiny new
State-arms when the six Arab nations who
have attacked it are getting them freely
from Britain and other sources is unjust.
Moreover, Mr. President, recognition
will be meaningless if the Arab nations, led
and abetted by treacherous Britain, con-
tinue their aggression.
We implore you to do everything in your
power to speed admittance of Israel into
United Nations membership. Then all
member nations could be called on to re-
frain from giving military and economic
aid to the attackers and Britain and her
satellites could be brought to the bar of
international justice.
With these two moves, Mr. President,
recognition can have significance; for recog-
nition alone is, tragically, not enough.
L'Chairn, Dr. Chaim Weizmann
illION1111010111110111111111M11111119111111111110511111011111 INIMINIIIMIN111111210111W1111111P10111ffitriilliMMOSismai0MINIINIU11111114110111g
Random Thoug is
56111141110111111141111110110114111141111011111MIlinal
ARE
By Seymour Tilehin muummigaimmummeisz i
YOU CONFUSED, dis-
turbed and emotionally ex-
cited over th' events that are
now taking place in the State of
Israel?
Are you among those who are
itching to start some kind of ac-
tion against British policy or
against Arab aggression? If so,
please do not do it on your own.
Many people have called me as-
serting that they represent small
groups in the community who
would like to start another dem-
onstration, start a boycott
against Britain, start an adver-
tising campaign and so forth.
Those are all good ideas but
unless it is done through recog-
nized community groups, it
might do more harm than good.
Before taking on any unilateral
action, for the sake of the new-
born Jewish State and for the
welfare of this community,
please contact either the Zionist
Council of Detroit or the Jewish
Community Council.
Rest assured that we are all
as disturbed as you are and are
doing our utmost toward help-
ing the State of IsraeL
• •
•
Failure to do so at this crucial
time is a crime against their
own fellow Jews and against
the country that made it possi-
ble for them to live in luxury
and happiness.
• • •
YOU CAN HELP
AID TO ISRAEL by way of
medical supplies, clothing, food,
and so forth may be sent. If you
have anything of value such as
binoculars and G.I. clothes,
please contact the Zionist office
or liadassah.
• • •
LIFE'S REACTION
TOP NEWS OF the week was
the declaration of the Jewish
State and its recognition by the
U. S., yet Life magazine last
week ignored it completely and
the only picture shown was that
of the British sergeant killed
when he received a package con-
taining a time bomb.
The purpose of such a picture
was to create further anti-Jew-
ish feeling. I for one have dis-
continued my subscription to
Life magazine.
• • •
OUT IN THE OPEN
THERE ARE MANY Jews
here who have become wealthy
in the paM 10 years but who
have kept their accumulation of
wealth a secret from the com-
munity.
FRIENDS OF ISRAEL
I HAD A PARLOR meeting at
my home the other day in con-
junction with the Zionnn mem-
bership campaign. Present were
approximately nine or 10 couples
who previously were either anti-
Zionists or indifferent to the
cause.
It was interesting to note that
these people are now interested
and are willing to accept the
accomplished fact of the Jewish
State yet are unwilling to join
under a Zionist banner.
The suggestion was made that
a society be formed to be known
as the "Friends of Israel" with
no political connotation where
the sole purpose would be to
help the implementation of the
Jewish State and to sponsor a
type of cultural Zionism which
would help revitalize Jewish life
in this community. Worth mull-
ing over.
- At least from all outward ap-
As the pages of Israel's national rebirth pearances, they continue to live
unfold themselves, glorious names come to modestly; they do not belong to
organizations and except for
the fore, from Herz! to Weizmann.
Many of the dreamers have been gath- their few immediate friends, are
ered unto their fathers, among whom re- virtually unknown to the Jew-
Welfare Federation or to
joicing must be high over the return of ish
the community.
Israel to the land of Israel. But a good
I know a few such people.
Providence has §een it proper to give sonic
of the early dreamers the privilege of wit- They have failed to assume their
nessing the fulfillment of their prayers— equal responsibility to the com-
munity and to Jewry at large.
among them Dr. Chaim Weizmann.
The path which Dr. ChaiM Weizmann
These people must now come
had been treading over a long life was an out in the open and help those
unhappy one for himself and the Jewish who have tot years contributed
people. Now, at a ripe age, he reaps the. to the welfare of the community
and to Jewry and share that re-
fruit of his labors.
sponsibility with them.
It was only poetic justice that this
•
man who stood at the helm of Zionist lead-
ership for over a half century should be Texas Legislator Labeled as Bigot
honored by becoming the first president of
(Continued from Page 3)
Baker, plays the old tune of the
Israel. Ile deserved it by virtue of leader-
"Jew Deal." It drums up the
outright
anti-Semitic
attack
on
ship, wisdom and devotion.
worn-out lie that 750,000 Jews
The selection of Dr. Weizmann as the Jewish organizations. It's au- held key posts during the Roose-
by Joe Karrip, the notor-
first president was a recognition of his thored
ious anti-Semite, and the sales velt administration, and supports
great qualities as a man and Jew and of are being promoted to replenish Kenneth Goff, the anti-Semitic
the love and respect he commands among the treasury of the Constitution- leader who uses all the old
Streicher materiel.
Jews everywhere.
al Educational League.
• • •
Goff is scheduled to follow up
We pray that the Lord may give him
the health to serve Israel for many years THE "CHRISTIANS for Amer- his activities on the coast with
a whirlwind campaign in the
to come.
ica Club," founded by Stanley East.
a