DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

Page 4

Arab Iliderism

Detroit Jewish Chronicle

Published by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
WOodward 14040
2827 Cadillac Tower, Detroit 26, Michigan
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, 1819.

SEYMOUR TILCIIIN
Publisher

EMILY SOMLYO
Business Manager

Thursday, Nov. 17, 1949 (Cheslivan 25, 5710) Detroit 26, Michigan

Revitalizing Jewish Life

• —
Daniel Frisch, president of the Zionist Organization of
America, puts his finger on a sore spot when he urge,s "more
democracy" in the organization of Jewish life.
In his plan for action, published in our last issue, Frisch
proposes two steps: 1) the setting up of a central Jewish body,
and 2) the integration of the federations and welfare funds
within the framework of the democratic community.
Both suggestions are timely and point the way to an end to
the anarchy which marks our present situation.
There are stringent reasons for bold and quick action.
At a time when social and political changes are shaking the
very foundations of our existence as Jews, when the question
of Jewish education becomes more urgent from day to day,
when anti-Semitism keeps raising its ugly head—at such a time
we are without a representative body which could speak for
all American Jewry authoritatively.
We don't See why American Jews should not be able to
elect a body of spokesmen in the same democratic way as is
done generally.
The whole pattdn of Jewish life in this country still clings
to paternalistic ideas and is out of step with the spirit of our
times. This has, of course, something to do with the apathy
which has settled over a great part of the Jewish community.
This indifference toward Judaism and its fate makes it impossible
for us to indulge in over-organizing which leads to overlapping
activities and defeats its own purpose.
What we need is fewer and stronger organizations, but
democratically chosen, and an end to the atomization of our life.
We cannot plan our future without reshaping our present.

Lehman Becomes a Senator

"A . Senator with better qualifications to represent the people
of
of New York could not have been recruited from the ranks
Democratic
Party
in
this
state."
the
This was the editorial opinion of the "New York Times"
the day after former Gov. Herbert H. Lehman was elected to the
U. S. Senate by an overwhelming majority.
Lehman's victory is significant in that he is the first Jew in
four decades to join the ranks of that august body. Through
interested in
all his life—he is 71 years old—he not only was
politics but also had been associated with many Jewish activities.
During his recent term as director of UNNRA his decisions
affected the fate of the remnants of Europe's Jews who had
escaped the Nazi holocaust.
As vice-chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee, of
which he was a founder, he gave dynamic leadership to the
efforts of American Jewry to help solve the problem of the
Displaced Persons.
For many years, Lehman also was active in the United
Jewish Appeal. He was one of the chairmen of the Greater New
York UJA campaign.
It also should be remembered that in 1925, together with
Felix Warburg, Bernard' Flexner and others, he founded the
Palestine Economic Corporation which lends economic assistance
to private enterprise in Israel.
Among his other Jewish affiliations are the American Jewish
Committee, the Board of Overseers of the Jewish Theological
Seminary, and a host of philanthropic, educational and welfare
organizations.
The Chronicle joins the large group of those who wish him
well as he is about to crown his career with one of the most
responsible duties in this country.

Agricultural Sabbath

Observance of Agricultural Sabbath, proclaimed by the
Synagogue Council of America in co-operation with the Jewish
Agricultural Society, brings to mind the great importance of-
farming to the Jews of America. This is a day devoted to re-
minding the Jew of his pastoral origin and to pointing out that
his agricultural urge has not been lost.
For centuries Jews in various lands have been deprived
of the right to cultivate the soil, but now, after the long dark
night of the Diaspora, Jews have turned in ever greater numbers
to the occupation of their Patriarchs, in their new-old land of
Israel and elsewhere.
Too many persons here are unaware of the fact that there
is a sizable segment of Jews in the U. S. deriving a living
from the soil, about 150,000 of them. Flourishing Jewish farm-
steads and progressive farm communities arc to be found in
many states.
Many Jews, either by their advanced practices or their
scientific researches, have benefited the agricultural economy
of the United States. Still there are proportionately fewer tillers
of the soil among Jews as compared with the number of farmers
in the general population.
The Jewish Agricultural Society reports an increasing in-
terest in farming among urban Jews because of various factors,
• the geneial prosperity of farmers in America being one of
them. Many DP's arriving here turn to the land.
The society, which is completing 50 years of activity on
behalf of a Jewish farm class in the U. S., has reasons to be
proud of its record. Never in its history have more applicants
been settled on land, or more agricultural loans been made
than at.present.
It is hoped that this Agricultural Sabbath, which is be-
coming a tradition among American Jews, will become a force
a way of life which is dignified,
in directing our thinking to
wholesome and satisfying.

Thursday, November 17, 1949

Segal Muses
Over Jewish
Ghetto Trends

By ALFRED SEGAL
THERE'S A NEW BOOK out,
1 "Jews in Transition," by
Rabbi Albert I. Gordon of Minne-
apolis and published by the Uni-
versity of Minnesota Press. It is
all about the Jews of Minneapolis
but it might as well be a story
put in any of the larger Ameri-
can cities, about you and me,
\
that is.
It might be my own Cincinnati
which contains about as many
Jews (20,000) as
Minneapolis. The
Jewish Home-
wood area of
Minneapolis!
might be our
Avondale. Yes,
everywhere, as
i n Minneapolis
and Cincinnati,
Jews have col-
lected them-
selves in suburbs
Segal
of their own is
which they live self-sufficient
lives. (The Synagogue is around
the corner and the Rabbi is a
neighbor. So is the Kosher butch-
er's shop.)
I should mention that our
Avondale once was called the
most fashionable ghetto in the
world, though we weren't happy
at all with that designation. For,
though we do integrate ourselves
plete liberty and freedom. How and live in a suburb called Jew-
ish, we resent any suggestion that
ever, in my lifetime (38 years) I we are ghetto dwellers.
have found my fellow Jews the
But Avondale no longer is all
most intolerant of all people. fashionable. Now it has a large
Your stand on Christmas trees as section of which the inhabitants
are wage-earning people who
a perfect example.
If I ever become ashamed of be- rent homes. There has been a
ing a Jew, it will be because of lot of moving from Avondale
may fellow Jews, not because of farther out toward the country
estates. But in a few years after
non-Jews.
THEODORE (TED) ZIPSER a Jew has moved into a more
rural area, he finds himself
among Jewish neighbors again.
They have moved out that way,
too.
• • •

Letters to the Editor

'CHRISTMAS CONFLICT
Dear Editor:
As to your editorial, "Chanukah-
Christmas Conflict," to think that
any full grown American would
consider it a conflict proves us
more superstitious than intelli-
gent.
I think an adult American Jew
may or may not have a Christmas
tree in his home according to the
American code of living in corn-

Non-Intervention Works
2 Ways. Ben Gurion Told

SOCIAL PROGRESS
THIS IS THE JEWISH social
process in whatever city. In
Rabbi Gordon's Minneapolis it be-
By WILLIAM ZUKERMAN
(Jewish World News Service)
gan later than in other large
EW YORK American Jews, both Zionists and non-Zionists, cities. The first Jews arrived
were mystified by another strange speech of David Ben Gurion. there in the 1860,:s. To Cincinnati
Less than a week after the implicit repudiation of his declaration the first Jews came in the 1820's
and we have a Temple that's
that American Jews must send@
their youths to Israel, the premier absolutely sure that none of the more than 125 years old.
slated in a speech at the conven- members of the government of
As elsewhere, the first Jews in
tion of the National Foundation Israel intervene in the internal Minneapolis were Germans who
Fund at Tel-Aviv:
affairs of Jewish communities in soon became a merchant class and
"No Zionist can direct the gov- the Diaspora. Non-intervention is made respected lives there.
After them in the 80's, and fur
ernment of Israel along the path a great principle, but it works
30 years unto the time of the
it shall follow unless he leaves both ways."
•
•
•
First War, the East Europeans
the Diaspora and becomes a citi-
came. They took up peddling at
zen of Israel. Any attempt to UN SUMMARY
apply pressure on the government
THE UN ISRAELI delegation the start, carried heavy packs on
of Israel through funds or the was marking time this week in their backs until they had earned
Zionists Organization is in direct expectation of the debate on enough to buy a horse and wagon.
contradiction to the new basic Jerusalem and Palestine in gen- They founded Synagogues in
principle on which from now on eral which comes before the store rooms.
the Zionist movement rests—the special committee.
Out of their impoverished
free and independent sovereign
In the meantime, the delega- means they managed to establish
State of Israel."
tion has issued a pamphlet stat- Hebrew schools (Cheder) ) for 111\
But who ever questioned that ing its case on Jerusalem which their children. That's the way , it
principle?, Dr. Samuel Margoshes it has distributed among the was in our city, too.
asks of Ben Gurion in his column members of the committee. Sec-
The first Cheder was on the
("Tog" Nov. 9).
retary General Trygve Lie has ground floor of a tenement house;
• • •
announced that he had invited the teachers were peddlers. In
NEVER ASKED POWER
representatives of Jordan to at- the afternoons they took off the
AMERICAN ZIONISTS, he tend the discussions on Jeru- huge burdens of tinware they had
says, never wanted to influence salem even though Jordan is not been carrying all morning and
policy in Israel. On the contrary, a UN member. Though the Jor- went to the Cheder to teach.
• • •
all that American Zionist leaders dan delegates will have the right
asked was that the same principle to participate in the discussion, REMEMBER CHEDER
of non-intervention should be they will have vote on the
Middle-aged 'gentlemen in our
applied to them too, that the matter.
town like to remember gratefully
Israeli government and leaders
It is known that last week the Cheder time of their child-
should not try to dictate policy Abdullah sent urgent telegrams hood and to give up praises for
to the representatives of India. their fathers who made going to
to them in this country.
Says Dr. Margoshes: ''For the Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanis- Cheder a sacred duty to God.
life of me, I cannot see why, if tan asking them to oppose the
Especially on the yahrzeits they
the Zionist Organization of internationalization of Jerusalem. observe for their parents, these
The Conciliation Commission
America cannot tell any citizen
gentlemen remember this. They
of Israel whom to elect to the met in New York, following its know how to lead the congrega-
Knesset, members of the Israeli session in Washington with State tion in the prayers of the evening
government should go out of Department repreSentatives. Gor-
and are proud that the ancient
their way to tell the Jews of don R. Clapp's economic mis- words remain fluent on their
sion's
report
is
in
the
hands
of
America whom they must elect or
appoint as chairman and execu- the commission, and this was the -tongues.
They ask, "But what of our
tive director of a Zionst fund in subject of talks with Secretary
sons?1'
What of the Judaism of
of
State
Acheson.
However,
re-
the United States.
"Premier Ben Gurion's position lease will be delayed until the their children. Hebrew is not
with regard to non-intervention middle of, the month, and the fluent on their tongues, if at all
by Diaspora Zionists in the af- commission will also reserve de- their Jewish education was not
fairs of Israel, will be thoroughly cision on the Israeli demand for in the discipline of the rude
(Continued en Page 15)
(Continued on Page 16)
unassailable only when he makes

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