DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE Page 4 Detroit Jewish Chronicle Putrid Tobacco, Ernie Published by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc. WOodward 1-1040 1827 Cadillac Tower, Detroit 26, Mi':higan SUBSCRIPTION: $3.00 Per Year, Single Copies, 10c; 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. Thursday, Oct. 27, 1949 (Cheshvan 4, 5710) Detroit 26, Michigan The Aaronsburg Story The picturesque town of Aaronsburg, Pa., lies in a lush valley between the Seven Mountains and Shriner Mountain in the Alleghenies. Geographically it does not perhaps even merit a dot on the map. Its existence and history is most likely known to few Pennsylvanians and to still fewer people outside the state. Yet its 400 residents this week basked in a glory that is as truly American as it is human. The story goes back to colonial days. In the year 1760, a certain Baron Levy, a Jewish immigrant, arrived from Amsterdam on American. shores. Before many years elapsed he became a merchai t of great eminence and esteem. During the Revolutionary War, besides furnishing supplies to the regular army, he lent large sums to our Continental Congress, money only partially repaid. Twenty years thereafter, finding himself one of the largest land proprietors of this state, Aaron Levy decided to found Center county's first town, Aaronsburg. This town, he hoped, would someday grow to become Pennsylvania's capital city. • • It was from the Aaronsburg acreage that Aaron Levy deeded two lots to the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, one on which to biuld the church and cemetery, the other on which to build the Lutheran school. Insisting always on religious tolerance, Aaron Levy stipulated in the agreement from the very first, that the use of the church be also granted to the Reformed parishioners, whose own church had burnt down. In commemoration of the church's first service, the Jewish immigrant presented the Lutherans with a pewter communion set fashioned by the finest metalsmiths in Philadelphia. The set, though lost for many years, is now in a glass covered vault kept in the church vestibule. Aaronsburg, as we know, never became Pennsylvania's capital. Its founders hopes never bore fruit. But it is questionable whether Aaronsburg didn't become something even more important. For today, Aaronsburg is a symbol of religious brotherhood and good- will, a symbol urging that all faiths regard each other with the tolerance and graciousness that is expected of religious convictions. It is also a symbol of how such brotherhood and goodwill can be realistically implemented. • By celebrating the 150th year of the existence of a church made possible through the charitable contributions of a Jew, the town of Aaronsburg has placed itself in the forefront of the struggle for those principles of brotherhood which are inherent in all great faiths. We hope that among the lofty speeches that were delivered at the occasion a pause was taken to remark that Aaronsburg remem- bers Jewish bounty even though only one Jewish family now remains in that town. The Little Symphony The sad state of the musical situation in Detroit is something that concerns the Jewish population of this city deeply. Jews always have had a sizable part in the promotion of the arts, especially music. Jewish composers and Jewish musicians have been in the forefront for decades to raise the standards of music to heights previously unknown to this country. Moreover, the lack of a symphony orchestra in Detroit is not a matter that concerns the musicians alone; it is a matter of civic pride and cultural maturity. ' Music is, of course, outside the realm of. religion, race or color. It is a universal language easily understood by everyone who has still preserved a taste for the finer things in life. But as an integral part of this city, we Jews should make it our buiiness to help Detroit find ways to keep music alive. The Little Symphony of Detroit which was formed a short while ago, has received the acclaim of the public. All of its con- certs were sold out. But it is a matter of record that musical organizations cannot break even; they need continued financial support in their endeavors. No way has been found so far to make orchestras a paying proposition. . We urge our readers therefore to join the ever widening circle of friends of the Little Symphony. In supporting this organization they will bring joy and happiness to this city—the type of happi- ness that only music can impart. It is good Jewish tradition to give cultural institutions a helping hand. The deepest feelings of mankind are expressed in music, and the beauty it brings into our hearts deserves our fullest financial backing. Israel and American Jewry Israel's critical needs are no secret. But the revelations made at the Washington conference of the United Palestine Appeal placed the situation in a perspective from which there is no es- cape, except for those whose hearts have been hardened beyond hope. It was not a happy picture that was painted at the confer- ence. Judge Morris Rothenberg's report of the UPA deficit shocked even those who have long been aware of the fact that the cam- paign was lagging woefully behind that of the preceding year. Nor was it pleasant to hear Henry Morgenthau's statement that "we have only done fairly well" and that we haven't begun to match the sacrifices of the Jews of Israel even in terms of mere dollars." But the truth, however painful, had to be told. The responsibility of American Jewry toward the tens upon tens of thousands of Jews who found shelter in Israel after escap- ing Hitler's hand of death was stated recently with characteristic frankness by President Weizniann when, on receiving a UJA delegation at Rehovoth, he declared that the problem of absorb- ing an enormous immigration at this time was insoluble "without toniinued help from America through the UJA." Letters to the Editor REBUKES TEACHERS Dear Editor: I wish to call your attention to the meeting at Cass Tech on Oct. 28 of the Detroit Teachers Asso- ciation. At this time Detroit teachers will be given the oppor- tunity to hear Senator Karl Mundt who will speak on the subject, "The America I Want." As a member of the Jewish community, as a parent and a teacher. I want to point out that this choice of a speaker is a dis- tressing one. "In Fact," Oct. 17, 1949 (No. 471-Vol. XX No. 3) devotes con- siderable space to the relation- ship of Senator Mundt and a Mr. Allen A. Zoll, whom the news weekly calls "an old-time Coughlinite, Jew-baiter, apologist for fascist causes and the master mind behind a new organization seeking to censor text and library books in schools and colleges and decide what students all over the country should read." He has just emerged as ex- ecutive vice-president of the Na- tional Council for American Ed- ucation, an organization, accord- ing to "I'n Fact," devoted to ''the solicitation of funds by using a mailing list of various hate or- ganizations." I believe that Mr. Mundt is unqualified to speak on educa- tion and since this day is an en- lightening one for the educators he is definitely out of place. I think that Detroit's school teachers could have used much better judgment in picking a speaker. AN INTERESTED OBSERVER. REFUTES STEINGI.ASS Dear Editor: The statements in the letter of Mrs. Meyer F. Steinglass (in your issue of Oct. 6) on the relations of the United Jewish Appeal with the JeWish Telegraphic Agency are not correct. For the information of your readers the facts are that JTA re- ceived $150,000 in 1949 from the national United Jewish Appeal, allegedly as a "service fee." It received $75,000 in 1947 and the same sum in 1948 from the na- tional United Jewish Appeal. These figures were revealed by the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds in its report on JTA to local welfare funds. Also Mr. Steinglass is wrong in asserting that the New York UJA actually operates like a local Jew- ish welfare fund or federation. The fact is that the New York UJA is not and never was in- tended to operate as a great Federation of Jewish Philanthro- pies quite independent of the New York UJA. • . • The new York UJA is a tax- exempt New York State member- ship corporation, organized to raise funds for the same three beneficiaries as the national Unit- ed Jewish Appeal. It may well be a matter for the courts to decide, if necessary, whether the New York United Jewish Appeal le- gally has the right to share funds with the tacked-on non-relief agencies. Morally it has no such right. Moreover, since JTA does not enjoy a tax-exempt status in New York State, the New York UJA may well be endangering its own legal staus by granting it tax- exempt funds, which amounted to $201,000 in 1948 and $275,000 in 1949. Recent developments in the management of JTA have re- vealed—as I originally pointed not in my study in The Menorah Journal for Spring, 1949—that JTA is and always has been a private corporation, the majority of whose shares are owned per- sonally by Mr. Jacob Landau. Certain steps to change JTA's status may now be under way, but this development does not absolvC the UJA from its effort to conceal facts and mislead the con- tributing public. ALLEN LESSER Managing Editor - - BNAI BRITII TIIANKS Dear Editor: The enclosed resolution was unanimously passed at the last meeting of the Greater Detroit Bnai Brith Council held on Oct. 19, 1949. We can only add our personal gratitude resolution. DR. LAWRENCE I. YAFFA, President JULIUS DEUTELBAUM Assistant District Executive Secretary • • • WHEREAS, the Detroit Jewish Chronicle has extended itself in an effort to publicize and to pop- ularize the Bnai Brith program through its editorial and news columns on the accasion of the 106th anniversary of Bnai Brith on Oct. 13, 1949, and WHEREAS, such presentation of Bnai Brith services has creat- ed a favorable impression among its thousands of non-member readers, and WHEREAS, this publicity has been of great aid to us in keeping our own membership informed of plans incidental to house par- ties and the radio program, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLV- *Continued .. Page SJ 1949 Refugees Get{ Help from N.E. Clink D ESPITE EMILY SOMLYO Business Manager SEYMOUR TILCMN Publisher Thursday, October 27, THE RIGORS they have suffered, refugee fam- ilies coming to Detroit are gen- erally in surprisingly good health. That is the finding of North End Clinic, one of the member agen- cies of the Jewish Welfare Fed- eration aided by the Torch Fund, The clinic, which had a total of 3,000 visits from refugees in the first eight months of this year, gives every new Detroiter a corn.. plete physical examination, in- cluding chest X-rays, blood tests, urinalysis and examination for parasitic infestation. This last is especially import- ant, according to Selma Samplin- er, clinic director, because inade- quate sanitary facilities in DP centers such as Shanghai often resulted in contraction of anme- bit dysentery. • . • EAGER TO WORK "OUR MAIN PURPOSE in this examination," Miss Sainpliner said, "is to find out whether these people are employable. Most of them are eager to begin earning their own living and our medical checkup discovers what kind of work they are physically able to do and makes possible the correc- tion of minor conditions which may interfere temporarily with their working." The finest in medical service is available to the refugees, since the clinic offers every department to be found in a modern out- patient clinic and the staff of 100 —all volunteers—include some of Detroit's foremost physicians and dentists, Although the clinic is operated under Jewish auspices, the med- ical staff open to every quali- fied physician, regardless of creed or color, and several of the phy- sicians who donate their time are Christians. There is no restric- tion, either, as to color or creed of patients. • • • VOLUNTEERS NEEDED VOLUNTEERS ALSO A R E needed by the clinic in registra- tion and other phases of work. Anyone interested in giving a few hours a day or week is in- vited to call the clinic, TR. 5-5:163. One important source of volun- teer service, Miss Sampliner said, has been the Neugarten Medical Aid Society, whose members are helping to purchase costly med- ications for the clinic's pharmacy. Although their experiences have been harrowing, the refu- gees are in a generally hopeful frame of mind, and the incidepre of psyschosomatic illnesses is no higher than among our native population. One discovery has been a few cases of syphilis— cured quickly at the clinic with modern short-term treatment— in men and women who may have been. inoculated by the Nazis with the disease. • • . 27,000 IN 9 MONTHS NOT ALL OF THE clinic's pa- tients are refugees, of cows* since the total of visits from Jas uary through August of this year was 27,000, but it is the refugee case load that has been showing a marked increase and it is ex- pected to continue heavy, with 200 families to come to Detroit under the DP law in the coming year. The clinic's deficit for its en- tire program is financed by the Torch Fund, with a special hos- pitalization fund furnished by the Allied Jewish Campaign. David Wilkus is president of the board of trustees of North End Clinic. Other officers include Sylvan S. Grosner, vice-presidenk Mrs. Abraham Cooper, secretary, and Miss Edith S. Heavenrich, treasurer. The clink's various depart- ments are headed by Drs. S. G. Meyers: James R. Rogin, M. P. Meyers, Irving Posner, A. A. Gil- bert, L S. Schembeck, and A. R. Bloom, with Dr. I. S. Schembeen, chief of staff, and Dr. S. Rosow- zweig, clinical director.