Friday, February 18, 1949

Page Three

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

Strictly Confidential

Ben Gurion Hold on Post Is None Too Safe

By PHINEAS J. BIRON
IF ONE CAN BE right and wrong at the same time,
we achieved the distinction. We were almost right
when we predicted that the vote for Beigin's Herut
party in the first national election in
0 Israel would be no more than 10 per-
cent. Well, they got 11.5 percent.
But we were wrong when we
minimized their actual. strength. In
reality, Beigin's anti-labor, pro-Ameri-
can oil movement can muster 49 votes
in the Constituent Assembly. Forty
nine out of 118 is too close to be com-
fortable for Ben Gurion.
In addition to the 14 votes Beigin's
party already commands, he may get,
P. J. Blron in a crisis, 35 supporters from the
Religious bloc, the General Zionists and their splinter
groups and from the Sephardim and the Yemenites. In
other words Ben Gurion's position based on the 48
seats of Mapal is precarious.
• •
HARRY GREENSTEIN of Baltimore, who was
named adviser on Jewish Affairs to Gen. Clay, United
States Military Governor in Germany, is a fine gentle-
man, we're told and has lots of experience in Jewish
communal matters.

•

Yet unless he speaks out against the increase of
anti-semitism in Germany and unless he makes a heroic
effort to stop the renazification policy which Gen. Clay
is so forcefully pushing forward, his appointment will
not add to the record of his heretofore useful life.

His predecessors, Dr. William Haber, Rabbi Bern-
stein and the others, whose names we have forgotten,
were failures. They were yes-men and did little to
counteract Clay's policies.
Good Luck, Mr. Greenstein, you have a tough job
but a great opportunity.
• • •

THE OPPOSITION to Emanual Neumann's admin-
istration calls itself the Progressive Zionist Committee.
And although we do not subscribe to the Neumann-
Silver policies, in any case not to all of them, we do
think that Neumann is no less progressive in his views
than the opposition.
We remember that when the American Committee
of Jewish Writers, Artists and Scientists sponsored a
Palestine-Soviet-American Friendship Dinner at which
A. Gromyko was the guest of honor (in December,
1947) none of the so-called leaders of the "progressive"
Zionist oppositioh accepted the invitation to participate
in this function.

Theocratic State Plan
Gets Boost in Election

By WILLIAM ZUKERMAN
(Jewish World News Service)

N

EW YORK.—One disconcerting fact cf the Israeli election was
the unexpected poiltical strength of the Religious bloc.
The religious parties of Israel are on the whole. not reactionary
in their social trends. Some of0
them even have labor elements Babylonia, and the Nazis when
which follow a sort of romantic they were in power. (Johannes-
burg Jewish Times, Oct. 22).
religious socialism.
• • •
On only one point are all of
ON
MINDSZENTY
them fanatical to the point of
A NUMBER OF important
incredulity. This is their avowed
aspiration to•base the new Jew- Jewish organizations in this coun-
ish State on what they call the try and in Europe have taken a
Torah (the Jewish religious law). stand in the trial of Cardinal
Mindszenty. The American Jew-
Now, the question is not ish Committee, the Jewish Labor
whether the Torah, or their in- Committee and the Jewish War
terpretation of it, is good or bad Veterans have issued a combined
in itself, it is whether Israel is statement condemning the trial
to be a modern, west-European as part of a "program of religious
state, based on democracy, free- persecution which it (the Com-
dom, civil rights and complete munist government of Hungary)
separation of the church, or is seeking to disguise as prosecu-
whether it should be an Oriental tion on political grounds."
state patterned on the Moslem
Four other important Jewish
style, or at best, a medieval Eu- organizations, the Central Coun-
ropean state of before the refor- cil of Jews in Hungary, the Hun-
mation.
garian Zionist Organization, the
• • •
Hungarian section of the World
CLOSE TIEUP SOUGHT
Jewish Congress and the admin-
THE RELIGIOUS bloc openly istrative committee of the Auton-
stated in its pre-election cam- omous Religious Bodies in Hun-
paign that it wanted the new gary, have also issued a state-
State closely linked with religion. ment on the subject..
That statement claims that the
The government of Israel was
not only to enforce "Kashruth" cardinal was not only a close
(ritual food observance) and the collaborator of the Nazis during
Sabbath and Holy Days in ac- the war, but an ardent supporter
cordance with the orthodox re- of the Nazi extermination of the
ligious rites, but marriage and Jews in the death camps.
The statement reproduces a
divorce, status of the family and
of women were also to be under quotation from a document al-
the rule of the orthodox religious legedly written by the cardinal
which reads in part: "It is our
laws.
If this were to be granted, civil good fortune that the great res-
marriages, recognized in every ervoir of Galician and Bukovina
civilized western country, would Jews, the millions of Jewish
not be valid in Israel. Children, masses in the Ghettos, are, as a
born of a marriage not per- result of the German war of ex-
formed • according to orthodox termination, reduced to approx-
rites, would be considered by the imately 500,000".
The European organizations in
State as illegitimate.
question appeal to the Jews in
Worst of all, the dominant par- western Europe and in the United
ties of the Religious bloc (the States to acquaint themselves
Mizrachi and the Aguda), openly with the cardinal's anti-Semitic
demanded fhe banning, by law, activities before they come to his
of all mixed marriages between defense.
Jews and non-Jews.
At least, one party of the Miz-
rachi, in Johannesburg, South
Africa, even proposed that the
State of Israel should invalidate
all mixed marriages already in
existence as did the prophet Ezra
after the return of the Jews from

EMMA SCHAVER'S SONG
"SAY NOT THAT you are
traveling your last road," the fa-
mous Yiddish song which has
emerged from the Nazi extermi-
nation camps, was sung in Yid-
dish at Town Hall, New York,
by the well-known International
Choir consisting of American
singers of all nationalities and
races. It received the greatest
ovation of the evening. The pa-
thetic song was brought over to
this country by the lovely singer
of Jewish folk-songs, Mrs. Emma
Schaver of Detroit who was sent
on a mission to the DP camps
by the World Jewish Congress
immediately after war. It was in-
teresting to compare Mrs. Scha-
ver's version of the song with
that of the non-Jewish Interna-
tional Choir. When Mrs. Scha-
ver sang "The Last Road" one
could not hold back his tears for
pity and pain. When the mighty
choir of American Negroes, west-
erners, Poles, Czechs and Jews
thundered out the pathetic words
and melody of the camp Jews
marching to their death, there
was hope and courage in the
song which one who heard would
never forget. The song is rapidly
becoming a classic on the Ameri-
can concert stage.

Civil Rights Leader
Candidate for Auditor

George Montgomery, Detroit ed-
ucator and leader in the fight for
President Truman's Civil Rights
program, is a candidate for County
Auditor on the Democratic ticket
Monday.
Montgomery is a member of the
executive board of the Detroit Fed-
eration of Teachers and editor of

LOUIS LIPSKY and Dr. Stephen Wise, both, trem-
bled lest their presence be misinterpreted by certain
vociferous anti-Soviet gentlemen in our State Depart-
mnt.
Well, Dr. Neumann came to the dinner and deliver-
ed a very effective, brilliant address which did much to
re-assure the USSR government that the Zionist leader-
ship was not engaged in any unilateral maneuvers
against it
So far as that label "progressive" is concerned, Dr.
Neumann deserves it much more than his opponents
in the Zionist movement.

• • •

BEN GURION was walking along Allenby street in
Tel Aviv, just after the proclamation of the Jewish
State. He was approached by an old acquaintance.
The old friend of the new premier related his
Tzoresland confessed that he was strictly from hunger
and ti6t he needed a job.
"What kind of a job," asked Ben Gurion. . . "I'd
like to be a member of the cabinet" ... "What ministry
would you like," asked Ben Gurion, to humor him.. •
"The air ministry," replied the job hunter. . . "But we
have no planes as yet," answered Ben Gurion. .. "Then
why has Eliezer Kaplan got the ministry of finance?"
was the triumphant retort of Ben Gurion's old friend.

Children in Spotlight At 'Meister Follies'

A program entitled "Meister
Follies", featuring pupils of the
Eve Meister Studio of Dramatic
Art, will be presented at the
Rabbi Mandel M. Zager chil-
dren's affair, at 2 p.m., Sunday,
at Bnai Moshe.
The review is composed of

songs, dances, impersonations
and novelty acts. Prizes and re-
freshments will be given all chil-
dren in attendance.

Need a speaker for your or-
ganization? Call the Chronicle,
WO. 1-1040.

Better Schools — Better Children — Better Citizens

Dear Friends:
Your right to vote and for whom you vote is a sacred privilege.
Unless you already have a personal preference, may I solicit your vote
at the February 21st, 1949, City Primary Election on behalf of

ALLAN B. SCHMIER

MEMBER, BOARD OF EDUCATION
TO FILL VACANCY

He is an attorney, former Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, World War II
Veteran, Secretary Wayne County Crime Prevention Panel, and a good citizen.
He is eminently qualified ,and I wholeheartedly recommend him to you.
SINCERELY YOURS,

JUDGE WILLIAM FRIEDMAN

Announcing
The Formation of A New Partnership

Between

Max Finkel and David Hoshkovitz

DOING BUSINESS AS

QUALITY KOSHER MEAT &
. POULTRY MARKET

3353 W. DAVISON
We Are Now Prepared to Serve You Wills
the Best in Quality Meats and Poultry

• Reasonable Prices
• Prompt Delivery Service at Any Time

Our Phone Number is TO. 8-5497

their publication, "The Detroit
Teacher."

JEWISH MUSIC MONTH
The Jewish Center is partici-
pating in the nation-wide obser-
vance of Jewish Music Month,
Feb. 12 to March 15.

The Great
and Heroic
Underground
Odyssey of
Europe's Jews
to Palestine!

Antique Jewelry

Arlene Carver

TY 6-3574

3780 Lothrop

THE
REAL PLACES
THE
REAL PEOPLE
THE
REAL STORY!

DAY NURSERY

A *Aye, LIMO. IAA

Under Aw.pices of Anterkons for Hogoneh

KINDERGARTEN

MIDWEST PREMIERE SHOWING

Sponsored by

Cinema Lodge B'Nai B'rith
Sunday, Feb. 27 Through Saturday, March 4

FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Conducted By

SUNDAY (Feb. 271
Continuous From
1:00 p.m

THE JEWISH FOLK SCHOOLS

OF THE

LABOR ZIONIST ORGANIZATION

13722 LINWOOD

TO. 8 9280

-

2 Showings Nightly
7:15 and 9:15 p.m.

Preview (Feb. 26)
at 8:30 p.m.

ABINGTON

THEATRE
Formerly Littman's
People's Theatre
TWELFTH at SEWARD
Tickets on sale at theatre box
Toiler cigar
office or Hotel
stand. (All proceeds will be
used for charity.)

ADMISSION
$1.20
ADULTS
60c
Children

PREVIEW (Feb. 26)
$2.40

Above prices include
Tax

