Page Four

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLk

Friday, March 25, 1949

Old Spots

Detroit Jewish Chronicle

Published by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
2827 Barium Tower, Detroit 26, Michigan

WCkalward 1-1040
SUBSCRIPTION: $3.00 Per Year, Single Copies, 10c; Foreign, $5.00 pat Year
Binned as Second-clan matte: March 3. 1916, at the Poet Office at Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3. 11179

SEYMOUR TILCHIN, President

Friday, March 25, 1949

In Brief •

GEORGE WEISWASSER, Editor-in-Chief

(Adar 24, 5709)

• •

The assault upon the Zionist Organization
of America by an odd coalition of assimila-
tionists, professional fund-raisers and the Ben
Gurion party in Israel has left grievous scars
upon the status and influence of the strongest
.American Zionist group. The hands of the
ZOA leaders are tied because of the perennial
cries of the fund-raisers, who shed crocodile
tears and plead that "you must not criticize
us in the midst of a campaign for our dear
brothers in the DP camps and the brave
pioneers of the Jewish State." And indeed,
Dr. Silver and Dr. Neumann have remained
silent though bitter over one of the most in-
famous incidents in Jewish life when they
were rebuffed and humiliated by Henry Mor-
genthau at the behest of Henry Montor. The
ultimate aims of the Montors must be thwart-
ed. We therefore agree with those leaders
of the ZOA, who have launched a "Draft Sil-
ver" movement that, because the organiza-
tion has been struck a crippling blow, the
leadership of Dr. Silver is indispensable at
this time. This is no reflection on the quali-
fications of Daniel Frisch, Rabbi Miller and
other potential candidates for the ZOA presi-
dency. But, we believe, that with the Silver
opponents seeking nothing less than the de-
struction of the ZOA, it is essential that his
dynamic militant personality return to the
helm to' block the aims of that power-hungry
clique that S4shes to dominate Jewish affairs
in all American communities and which
stretches its gold-laden fingers to the inner
chambers of Israel's government. 'I'he ZOA
is reeling. Only Dr. Silver can restore it to
its dominant position in American Jewish
life.

* *
Back Strong FEPC Bill

Detroit 26, Michigan

way to the glow of wisdom and retrospection.
The belief that was his as he first stepped
on pulpit has crystallized into a profound
faith—a faith in man and humanity which
has remained unshaken even by the tragic
events of our generation. Historians, sociolo-
gists and psychologists for years have been
seeking the key to Jewish existence through
the ages in face of adversity and persecution
which would have ended the chapter of a
less tenacious people. The explanations have
been many. But in the end it was one factor
which has largely been responsible for Jewish
survival—faith. Read the history of the Jews
since the dispersion and 'you find that the
outstanding cohesive force in their lives was
belief, belief in God, belief in redemption,
belief in the basic goodness of man, belief
in the ultimate emergence of a just society
and belief in the return to Zion. Dr. Wise
epitomizes that characteristic in Jewish life
to the highest degree. Only a man of great
faith could have said some four years ago,
when the picture was still so blurred, that
he will live to see the establishment of a Jew-
ish state in Palestine. Dr. Wise's prophecy
has been fulfilled, and probably the happiest
moment in his life was when he received an
invitation from President Weizmann to visit
Israel. In a century which has witnessed so
much destruction, Dr. Wise has been a
builder. May the Lord strengthen his hands
as a builder of Israel for many years to
come.

* * *
The Aqaba Incident

Legally the Aqaba incident is settled.
Moshe Sharett has made it clear that the
Israeli forces never crossed the Transjordan
frontier, but moved only within the territory
allotted to them by the UN partition decision
and occupied the small port town of Elath
on the Red Sea adjoining Aqaba. Even King
Abdullah of Transjordan evidently agreed
with this position because he had ac-
quiesced to the signing of an armistice be-
tween his government and Israel after he
had known of the so-called "incident" at
Aqaba. The only reason the incident still
corrodes minds and occupies much space in
the British and world press is because it has
revealed the ill-feeling, suspicion and un-
disguised antagonism which still exists in
the British foreign office to Israel despite
the recognition of the Jewish state. And
this is quite serious, probably more so than
all the opposition of the Arab countries.

The Fair Employment Practices measure
that seems to have the best chance of winning
in the legislature at this session is a wishy-
washy affair with no enforcement agency
provided. The Republican lawmakers are
sponsoring the bill in the hope that it will
silence demands for strong civil liberties leg-
islation in the state. The Michigan Commit-
tee on Civil Rights, which has the support
of the Detroit Jewish Community Council,
and the Michigan region of the American
Jewish Congress, have been urging indi-
viduals and groups to write letters to their
state senators and representatives demanding
that Gov. Williams' bill modeled after' the
effective New York statute be supported
* * *
rather than the flabby Republican measure.
The Community Council is ready to help
A Wise Ambassador
organizations frame letters to the legislature.
Call CH. 1657 for information. "Bigotry is
Here is a story that is worth repeating. It
respectable in the best circles," Oscar Cohen, appeared in Robert Allen's column in Sun-
retiring Council director, told the recent dele- day's Detroit News: Shortly after being
gates meeting. "The best way to fight it out- named Israeli ambassador to Washington,
side of education is by means of legislation," Eliahu Epstein announced that he had
he said. Groups and individuals in this com- changed' his name to Eliahu Elath, after his
munity must join this struggle against ignor- home town in Palestine. Later, another
ance and intolerance. Get your club or Syna- diplomat jestingly remarked to the Israeli
gogue to send a letter to the legislature in- envoy that he was following British practice.
dorsing the Williams measure.
"You are like Sir Archibald Clark-Kerr, the
former British ambassador to the United
* * *
States,", the diplomat said. "When he be-
came a member of the House of Lords, he
A Great Jew and Great American
changed
his name to Lord Inverchapel." "It
"After a long life I still believe in one
world and one humanity with freedom under may look that way," laughed Elath, "but
law, with justice and peace for all peoples there is no real similarity. In the first place,
and races and faiths." This was the state- our parliament is unicameral. We have no
ment of faith of one of America's and Jewry's House of Lords. Secondly, we recognize only
one Lord."
great—Dr. Stephen S. Wise—as he reached
the age of 75. Dr. Wise has been one of the
most active figures on the American
Jewish and world scene for more than 50
The Workers Give, Too
years. An idealist by inclination And tradi-
The International Ladies Garment Work-
tion, he has stood at the helm of every for- ers Union broke its own fine record of gen-
ward movement in the United States, fighting erosity by contributing a quarter of a million
for the rights of the Jew, the Negro, the dollars to the UJA 1949 campaign. David
working man and the aggrieved everywhere, Dubinsky in presenting the check to Henry
ringing his convictions with a voice and sin- Morgenthau said that the money did not
cerity reminiscent of the ancient prophets of come from the treasury of the union, but
Israel. The voice of the golden orator of "donated by individual members in free-will
the earlier days still rings over the land and collections raised in New York shops by
in every community where there are Jews. workers regardless of racial origin and re-
At 75 his voice is mellower. But his thoughts ligious faith out of their good hearts for
a
are sharper. The fervor of youth has given
great humanitarian cause."

* * *

Letters to the Editor

BACKS CROSSMAN
Dear Editor:
Your answer to Crossman is.
I believe, a natural reaction of
American Jews. It must hurt to
be told Jews ought to go to Israel.
I don't believe all Jews should go
to Israel. No one wants criminals,
the medically unfit or reaction-
aries. Then there are Jews who
are opposed to Israel or those
who are anti-Semitic. However,
let us speak of the majority of
Jewry.
To these good people I say: En-
courage and educate your chil-
dren with the spirit which
brought the first pioneers to
America, The constitution of Is-
rael gives more human rights
than any other. It is another step
forward, just as our constitution
was in its day. What is gold com-
pared to real freedom, spiritual as
well as material?
Yes, induce your children to
go to Israel and don't bury your
head in the sand. The great ma-
jority of Americans are not Nazis
just as the majority of Germans
were not. But we have a strong
movement of Nazi principles

here which are aided and abetted
by certain nationalist, militarist
and religious groups. These peo:-
pie are not afraid to call Amen..
cans the most vile names.
We should, therefore, not be
afraid of the truth. It is because
of this inner feeling of being an
outsider that Jews have cried
against their brothers who con-
demned certain actions of this
country.
For our children we offer battle
in America to be allowed to exist.
In Israel it may be a tougher fight
but at least we shall know that
our neighbors will never con-
demn us on the grounds, "He is
a Jew." And we will feel that we
are a part of, that we belong, and
are wanted.
This is not Communist propo-
ganda, for it was also a pot of
the "Irgun Freedom Movement?
platform. I am happy to see some
Socialists are awake. But as you
say, "Crossinan is a courageous
fighter." Therefore he is not
afraid to speak the truth.
Thomas D. McDermott,
4226 Buena Vista.

Anglo-Jewish Press
Freer Than Yiddish

By WILLIAM ZUKERMAN
(Jewish World News Service)
NEW YORK—The dean of Yiddish journalism, Dr. B. Hoffman
of the Forward, better known as "Zivion" has utilized the occasion
of the one hundredth anniversary of the English-Jewish press to
make a comparison between the'
Yiddish and the English-Jewish
of eastern Europe which .1.
press in this country. He came to
adapted itself to American men-
the conclusion that the Yiddish
press is incomparably higher Hons. At one time, about 40 to
than the English-Jewish. He sum- 50 years ago, it had high stand-
ards of social idealism, fine writ-
marizes the latter's centenary as
a "jubilee of spiritual poverty." ing and good art.
It has done a great job in edu-
Zivion is not only a veteran
cating the East European immi-
journalist and publicist, but also
one of the few Yiddish newspa- grant and in preparing him for
life in the United States.
per men who have retained their
It has a fine record in fostering
independence of thought and ex-
pression after 50 years of writing good literature, poetry and the
theater. It served the Yiddish
for that press.
He has a clear mind, a succinct speaking immigrant not only as a
style and is probably one of the newspaper, but also as a magazine
in many cases took the place
least biased Yiddish writers. and
als- o of the book.
From a person like that, one
• • •
might have expected not only a
TIMES
ARE
CHANGED
more generous appraisal of the
BUT THIS WAS long. long ago.
English-Jewish press on such an
occasion, but at least, a truer and For the last quarter of a century
the Yiddish press in this country
less shallow one.
as been on the decline not only
• •• •
.1 circulation, but what is more
COMPARISON DIFFICULT
important, spiritually, intellectu-
TO BEGIN WITH, no real com- ally and literary.
parison can be made between the
With the exception of a few
Yiddish and the English-Jewish outstanding figures like "Zivion,*
press. The two are entirely dif- himself, the vast majority of Yid-
ferent products, produced by dif- dish journalists are not produc-
ferent people of different cul- ing anything of their own.
tures.
The Yiddish press is a product
(Continued

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