DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
Page Four
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
Time for a Change
Published by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
WOodward 1-1040
2827 Barium Tower. Detroit 26. Michigan
SUBSCRIPTION:
$3.00 Per Year, Single Copies, 10e; Foreign, $5.00 Per Year
Entered as Second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at
Detroit, Mich.. under the Act of March 3, 1879.
SEYMOUR TILCHIN
Publisher
Thursday, Sept. 15, 1949
NEW YORK—If Hollywood
portrayals of foreign characters
and life are to become realistic
it will only be after the film in-
Detroit 26, Michigan
dustry is convinced that the pub-
lic wants honest representations,
Jewish War Veterans in a Mob
reports Science News Letter.
This is the judgment of Dr.
Siegfried Kracauer, Jewish soc-
ial psychologist, who reports in
We were shocked when we heard that some members of the
.1 , .wish War Veterans were part of a mob shouting anti-Semitic
∎ ovectives and demanding the lynching of Paul /Meson. We
note further from the press that persons who assumed leader-
ship in this mob bore Jewish names. It is true that the action
taken by these individual Jewish war veterans was not sanc-
tioned by the national office of the JWV and we are pleased to
reprint the statement of the New York commander of the
Jewish veterans, Arthur J. Aronson, who said that the demon-
stration must find nothing but revulsion in real Americans who
are opposed to any kind of woolhatters, black shirts or super-
Americans. His group's participation, he said, was contrary to
the national organization's policy. He proposed courtmartial and
ouster for JWV members who participated in the 'shameful
outbreak.
Apparently, these Jewish war veterans forgot to look at
their official membership card, which reads in part as follows:
"To uphold the fair name of the Jew and fight his battles
wherever unjustly assailed; to encourage the doctrine of uni-
versal liberty, equal rights, and full justice to all men; to combat
the powers of bigotry and darkness wherever originating and
whatever their target."
God only knows that we need Jewish leadership in this
country and the type of leadership that will fight for the rights
of Jewry and the rights of all mankind; and it seems to us that
the Jewish war veterans could assume an important part in that
Jewish leadership and would as such be accepted by Jewry if
their energies were directed towards that purpose.
Lausanne a Failure
The final act of the drama of peace in the Middle East is
being transferred from the sessions of the Palestine Conciliation
Commission at Lausanne to the UN Assembly at Lake Success.
This also means that the negotiations are passing from the
old-fashioned European professional diplomats to a new type of
American shirt-sleeve diplomat who believes in action more
than in words. For Lausanne has proved to be a definite failure,
as the resignations of Mark Ethridge and Paul Porter have
shown.
By appointing Gordon Clapp, the head of the TVA and one
of the few New Dealers left in important positions, President
Truman has indicated that a new approach will be made to thy
problem of peace in Palestine. The approach, according toad-
vance reports, will be primarily economic, and rather recon-
structive than political.
Instead of talking about exact numbers of refugees and
exact frontiers, a number of big economic projects will be
undertaken particularly in the field of irrigation and reclama-
tion of the desert areas, which will provide the facilities for the
refugees and will also determine their numbers.
Zionism and Politics
Daniel Frisch, on his return from Israel, announced a pro-
gram for action for the ZOA, which program was adopted
unanimously by the national administrative council. In the main,
it is a practical program and is aimed to help Israel and to help
Jewish survival and revivial in America, and we heartily approve
of that part of the program. However, we note that in the
background of the program there is a major attempt to streng-
then the General Zionists both in this country and in Israel.
Both Israel and the United States have their share of political
parties that have existed prior to the creation of the Jewish
State and who are now striving for a major position both in
this country and in Israel. This, we deplore.
We maintain that there is no room for political parties in
this country linked to Israel. We further maintain that we have
no right as such to support any political party within Israel.
Political philosophies had their place prior to the creation of the
Jewish State because at that time every Zionist was working
for a particular type of state he wanted to see created; but now
that the State exists, it is not up to the General Zionists in this
country or to the Labor Zionists or to Mizrachi to influence or to
attempt to determine the type of government Israel shall have.
We have no right to hold political campaigns in this country
and contribute money to the political parties in Israel in order
to help them in their campaign there.
Chronicle View Prevails
The press debate on Chalutziut, touched off by an editorial
in this paper, keeps growing. The following editorial comment
on the discussion is from Jewish World News Service:
A debate on the Chalutz (Zionist Pioneer) movement is
going on in the English-Jewish press in the United States. The
Zionist "Detroit Jewish Chronicle" in an editorial ''Keep Our
Youth at Home" claims that a large Chalutz movement trans-
ferring many thousands of Jewish-American youth to Israel
from this country would tend to arouse doubt in Jewish loyalty
to this country and would generally undermine the Jewish posi-
tion in the United States.
The paper advocates all out aid to Israel, but not the incul-
cation of the idea in American Jewish youth that their home is
in Israel. not in the place of their birth.
The "Indianapolis Jewish Post" denounces the position of
the Detroit Chronicle as "cowardly and assimilationist." How-
ever, in the same issue in which the editor denounces the advo-
cates of a large Chalutz movement, the "Jewish Post" reports
that the American Chalutz movement is the poorest in the world.
While South American countries number 12,000 Chalutzim and
England 4,000, the United States with a Jewish population 10
times that of.England and South America, number only 2.000.
American Jews evidently side with the ''Detroit Jewish
Chronicle" more than with the Indianapolis paper.
Movies Urged
in Program
to Spur Amity
By RALPII STONE
(World News Services)
EMILY SOMLYO
Business Manager
(Ellul 21, 5709)
Thursday, September 15, ISO
Public Opinion Quarterly a study
of films made for UNESCO as
part of their project for studying
international tensions.
SWISS, ITALIAN FILMS
Countries where the public
desire for international under-
standing is already overwhelm-
ingly strong have produced a
Dr. Silver Ably Defines
U.S. Jew's Link to Israel
By WILLIAM ZUKERMAN
(Jewish World News Service)
YORK—The average Zionist is sensitive about the question
N EW
of double loyalty. The fanatic becomes fUrious when the sub-
new type of semi-documentary
film, deliberately international,
which presents characters from
different countries as mirrors h'of
reality, Dr. Kracauer says. Such
films as "Marie Louise" and "The
Last Chance" and two Rosselini
films from Italy, "Open City and
"Paisan" are examples.
Whether these films mark the
beginning of a trend depends
upon mass education, Dr. Krac-
auer believes.
"Unless organizations such as
UNESCO can stir up a mass de-
sire for international understand-
ing, chances for the cooperation
of film producers are slim," he
predicts.
CLOSE TIES TO BRITISH
ject is merely mentioned; the more tolerant person tries to evade
it. But none can escape it.
The spectre of double loyalty been born and brought up as
doggedly follows Zionism like a Their Country.
shadow. Even the rise of the
If history is any guide, the
State of Israel has not eliminated Jews of today will, by and large,
it. On the contrary, ever since maintain the same attitude to-
the emergence of Israel the sub- wards the State of Israel as their
ject has not left the columns of forefathers did. Theirs will be a
the Jewish press and now it has most sympathetic spirtual rela-
come up also in the pages 'of tionship towards it. They will
"Reader's Digest," with two art- help it to absorb as many Jews
icles by Alfred Lillienthal and as wish to go there or may have
Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, which to go there . . . but the Jews
cast an interesting light not only of Israel will be Israeli citizens
on the subject matter, but also and the Jews of the United States
on the state of mind of American will be citizens of USA, and sim-
Zionists on the question at the ilarly in other lands."
• • •
present moment.
• • •
Portrayals by Hollywood of
the English have been realistic,
Dr. Kracauer says. But he at-
tributes that to the fact that
Americans look upon the. English
as part of the same family. A
real attempt has been made by
film producers to present an
cated by most American Zionists
from Justice Brandeis to Dr.
Emanuel Neumann, former pres-
ident of the ZOA, who stated the
same principle in his program
at the Zionist convention in 1948,
at Pittsburgh.
But it so happened that the
very week Dr. Silver's article ap-
peared
in "Readers' Digest,"
David Ben Gurion, premier of
Films about Russia are studio-
made, and because of the scarcity
of Russian actors in this country,
the part 'of Russian characters
is assigned to Hollywood stars or
to German actors.
accurate picture. Many films have
been taken from English novels
or plays, Major parts have been
given to English actors and
scenes have been shot in Eng-
land.
By contrast, American films
about Russia make little attempt
to capture reality, and this is
attributed by Dr. Kracauer to
the lack of common traditions
in the two countries, lack of in-
CLASSICAL VIEWS
DR. SILVER'S CASE
THIS IS AN ALMOST class- termingling of the nationals, and
SIGNIFICANTLY, Dr. Silver
the feeling by Americans that
bases his entire case for undivid- ical statement of the old Amer-
the Russians are very foreign.
ed loyalty of the American Zion- ican conception of Zionism advo-
ist on the historical fact that Jews
have always been, and as he puts
it, "always will in the days to
come, continue to live outside
Israel."
He briefly persues the history
of the Jewish people and shows
that even after the second de-
struction of the Jewish State, six
hundred years B. C., five and a
half million Jews lived outside
Palestine, while only two and a
half million lived in the Jewish
Israel, deliverd a speech to a
BLOCKS OBJECTIVITY
"Reliance on outside portrayals
in imitation settings thwarts
rather than facilitates an objec-
tive rendering of other peoples,"
Dr. Kracauer comments.
Films about a foreign country
are avoided by Hollywood dur-
ing a period when American
attitude toward that country is
delegation of American Zionists
who came to pay homage to him
State.
"No one country can contain and to Israel. In that speech Ben
the whole Jewish naion," he con- Gurion said:
a subject of heated controversy.
tinues, by reason of its populous-
"Although we realized our Such a period of silence on Ger-
ness; on which account they fre- dream of establishing a Jewish many came during the pre-war
quent all the countries of Europe State, we are still at the begin- years when American public
and Asia . . but accounting ning. Today there are
only opinion was split into isolation-
those regions in which they have
(Continued on Page II)
ist-interventionist camps. It came
to an end in 1939 with the re-
lease of "Confessions of a Nazi
Spy," realistic rendering of Nazi
activities in the U. S., which
overtly stigmatized Hitler Ger-
many.
We have recently passed
Rosh Hashonah worshippers in help meet the cost of Torah ed-
through a similar period of sil-
Detroit synagogues were called ucation for more than 600 De-
ence on Russia in the film world.
to rally to the support of Ye- troit Jewish children."
Plea for Beth Yeltudah Aid
Issued by Detroit Rabbinate
shivath Beth Yehudah in a proc-
lamation issued this week by De-
troit's Council of Orthodox Rab-
bis.
Signed by Rabbi Joseph Thum-
in, president, and by Rabbis Is-
aac Stollman, Leizer Levin and
David Bakst, executive mem-
bers of the Vaad, the proclama-
tion reads:
"Yeshivath Beth Yehudah, in
raising the level of Torah educa-
tion in Detroit, has brought bene-
fits to the entire community."
"All believing Jews are urged
to associate with the work of the
Yeshivah by taking out member-
ships, in the amount of $18 a
year or above. Their dues will
To implement the proclama-
tion, Rabbi Thumin revealed,
speakers will be assigned to the
various synagogues on the first
or second day of Rosh Hashonah,
to discuss the program and at-
tainments of the Yeshivah.
Membership applications will
be made available to worship-
pers.
Present at the meeting at which
the proclamation was adopted
were Rabbi David Bakst, Rabbi
Moses Lehrman, Rabbi Leizer
Levin, Rabbi Lsaac Paneth, Rabbi
Samuel II. Prero, Rabbi Joseph
Rabinowitz, Rabbi Joshau S.
Sperka, Rabbi Joseph Thumin
and Rabbi M. J. Wohlgelernter.
Release of "The Iron Curtain"
in May, 1949, may, like the "Con-
fessions of a Nazi Spy." mark
the end of a period of contro-
versy in American public opin-
ion, this time towards Russia.
Science News Letter concludes.
Sobeloff to Speak
at Welfare Meeting
NEW YORK—Isadore Sobeloff,
executive director of the Detroit
Welfare Federation, will speak on
"Local Organizations and Plan-
ning for 1950," this week-end at
the 14th annual conference of the
New York-Ontario region. Jew-
ish Federations and Welfare
Funds.