DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
Page 4
The True Spirit
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
Thursday, Jan. 12, 1950
Film Depicts
Salvage of
a Young Life
iwtoitt
Published by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
WOodward 1-1040
2827 Cadillac Tower, Detroit 26, Michigan
SUBSCRIPTION:
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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, January 12, 1950
By EUNICE MINTZ
"The Quiet One," which opens
Friday at the Cinema Theater, Jg
a film dealing with the psycho-
logical effects of parental re.
EMILY SOMLYO
Business Manager
Teveth 23, 5710
ii
The Yiddish Theater
The valiant comeback of the Yiddish theater was demon-
strated last week in a brilliant performance of "Anna Lucasta"
and will undoubtedly again be demonstrated when Maurice
Schwartz and his troupe play Sholem Alcichem here.
The coming of the Yiddish players was welcomed by large
crowds. This fact in itself should show that they fill a need.
However, the question remains: do we need a Yiddish
theater?
One big factor in favor of it is that a considerable number
of old and middle-aged Jews in the larger American cities still
cling to Yiddish as their main vehicle of commuyication.
Memories of the old country, strong ties with Jewish folk-
lore and literature link these people naturally with the Yiddish
theater. It brings back to them the ways and moods of their
parents and grandparents, and the bitter-sweet memories of
their childhood.
Other factors speak against the•continued existence of a
Yiddish theater. First of all, it is apparent that the number of
Yiddish-speaking people is on the decrease. The younger gen-
eration is, for all practical purposes, Americanized and has only
weak links with the past and the traditons of the older genera-
tions.
Second, there is a great dearth of good material for the
Yiddish stage. Most of the Yiddish plays are adaptations from
the novels of famous Yiddish writers. A great deal of the plays
is undoubtedly inferior in quality to the usual standards of good
theater.
The question of whether we need a Yiddish theater re-
mains, therefore, unanswered. It fulfills its purposes, and it also
is doomed—depending on the viewpoint of the observer. How-
ever, regardless of its final destiny, we feel that we should sup-
port art wherever it struggles for its place in the sun.
Overlapping Activities
"The work of the Committeee is carried on in these major
areas:
"Combating prejudice.
"Working for civil, religious and economic rights of Jews
abroad.
"Jewish adjustment in America."
In reading this program we felt bewildered, for offhand
we could think of a number of Jewish organizations which claim
to represent the same areas of work.
The program we happened to read was that of the Ameri-
can Jewish Committeee.
What is the average Jew going to do when he wants to join
a Jewish organization? On what basis is he to decide where he
fits in best, which group comes closest to his philosophy or is
likely to do the most good in all or any one of the fields men-
tioned above?
As a matter of fact, the basis for his decision will not be an
objective one, according to the merits of an organization. In all
likelihood he will rather join the organization to which his
friends belong.
It probably is not an easy process of adjustment after so
many years of lack of integration. But how much money could
be saved and put to better use if all Jewish organizations had the
wisdom to take a broader view of Jewish needs and synchronize
efforts which otherwise do not benefit anyone or ,at best, are
duplications.
Jewish life could well stand a redefinition of its aims and
purposes.
Their Money Goes Begging
It happened again.
Last week, Lafayette College announced it would accept
a $140,000 bequest from Frederick F. Dumont, with the stipula-
tion that no Jews or Catholics receive aid from the money. A
few days later, the college's trustees decided not to accept the
gift.
Early in November, Jefferson Military College in Missis-
sippi announced a large gift from Judge George Armstrong of
Texas, with the same stipulation attached, and then reversed its
stand very suddenly.
What happened was that public opinion was so strongly
opposed to this kind of, to put it bluntly, tax evasion that the
colleges simply had to refuse money which they needed badly.
We are proud of America's attitude. The money of anti-
Semitic millionaires goes begging because public opinion does
not agree with the old Latin proverb that money carries no odor.
Short-Sighted Nationalism
The recent announcement of Prof. Einstein's new theory
and its immediate acceptance by the scientific world reminded us
of the stupid invitation extended to Einstein by a rear admiral
of the U.S. Navy that he go back to Hitler. The reason: Einstein
believes in world government.
Our 110 per cent nationalists would probably not object to
reaping the benefits from the achievements of outstanding men
who came to this country from the madhouse of Europe. But
they feel no qualms in telling them off when they dare voice an
opinion.
It is the double standards we object to. Hypocrisy is de-
stroying the very fundamentals of our free society. On the other
hand, it fortunately cannot destroy creative genius. This may
not disturb the rabble rousers, but it will cheer up afl men of
good will.
jection on a small child.
In this case the child happens
to be a Negro living in a slum
area of Harlem. Those two facts,
however, seem almost irrelevant
compared to the larger aspect of
the mistreatment of the child.
• • •
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Jewish life has Gained
In Breadth, Not Depth
By ALFRED SEGAL
THIS MR. SEGAL is conscious
of being somewhat of a
character on the occasion which
marks especially the year 1950.
It's the end of the first half of
the 20th cen-
tury and Mr.
Segal presumes
to notice him-
self as one who
has had some-
.
thing to do with
it
.
He has lived
all through than,
time, lived event .
before the year
1900 when it all Segal
began. When he says that he
has had something to do with
it he doesn't mean that he was
in its management.
He was just one of the many
little guys who were in it. He
remembers the eve of Jan. 1,
1900. He was baby-sitter for his
youngest brother, age 2 then.
His parents were celebrating the
advent of the 20th century at
the home of some friends.
In the earlier part of the first
half he was an inhabitant of
an untroubled world.
The future had to do only
with himself and getting a suit-
able job when the time came.
That wasn't much to worry him.
That was a period when a Jew-
ish boy could feel no hindrances
encumbering his feet when he
started to climb onward and up-
ward.
• • •
AS A JEW YOUNG SEGAL
could feel he would go as far
as anybody else, provided he
kept his nose clean and worked
diligently. There may have been
people who didn't like Jews but
they were no bother. Practically
everybody knew some individ-
uals or some group he had no
use for, but that was something
that came naturally in the hu-
man race.
Oh, that was a golden time
of human kind, though Segal
and his contemporaries didn't
realize it then. Being decent
toward the neighbors was some-
thing that was accepted in the
course of civilized behavior.
The O'Briens lived upstairs
and were good neighbors; next
door resided the Kramers who
came from Germany in the
early 90's. Mrs. Kramer oc-
casionally borrowed a cup of
sugar. •
In our town Jews were well-
accepted people, prominent in
many affairs of the city, hon-
ored for their business probity.
among the New York Time's and,
the National Board of Review's
ten best 1949 picture selections.
It would be hard to take issue
with their choice.
"The Quiet One" has none of
the typical Hollywood artifices; it
doesn't need them. The story is
effectively told by a narrator who
sticks to his job and doesn't
preach.
The photographic technique em-
ployed in the film is like that
used in better foreign films. At
times, however, it is almost too
dark. The acting is uniformly ex-
cellent.
Although the child in question
is a Negro, the movie does not
stress at all that his psychologi-
cal problem is the outgrowth of
prejudice. lie is rejected by his
The Catholic Good Samaritan
Hospital was proud to have as
its head surgeon the great and
good Jew, Dr. Joseph Ransohoff.
mother and misunderstood by his
grandmother, who administers to
him by rote and offers him no
affection whatsoever.
THERE WAS NO NEED for
BY THIS VERY device of not
• • •
• • •
stressing the Negro factor, the
agencies to fight anti-Semitism.
The young men who far later film succeeds in making the
were to have anti-defamation viewer conscious of the moat*basic
jobs weren't yet born. Jewish and essential fact of all: namely,
charity wasn't a multi-million that a child is just that and re-
dollar project. Only in the sponds to the treatment he re-
Czar's Russia were Jews being • ceives only as a child, The pi eju-
oppressed and they were man- ' dice factor is something entirely
aging to get away from their separate.
Any child of any race or creed
oppressors by the hundreds of
thousands and settling in the who is rejected and deprived of
affection will become mal-
U. S. and making good.
God was an inhabitant of adjusted.
In this case the child steals,
every household. He had been
brought along from the European plays hookey, and seldom speaks.
countries; He had walked with
Ultimately he is cared for by
them up from the railroad sta- competent psychiatrists and coun-
tion to the tenement houses in selors at the Wiltwyck School for
which they settled.
1Boys in New York State who help
The first thing they did, after him find himself and make a more
they had made house for them- 1 normal adjustment to his situa-
selves, was to make a formal tion.
• • •
house of worship for Him. They
rented some store room or a
THE SCHOOL cooperated in
hall upstairs. To be in the syn- the filming of "The Quiet One,"
agogue they laid aside their and aims through it to educate
peddler's packs and kept away the public on the problems of in-
from the sweatshop on the Sab- digent and delinquent boys.
bath.
The motive, however, never is
They were poor but for the emphasized as such, and "T h e
sake of God they could afford Quiet One" represents another
to do without the day's profit. advance in the documentary film
It would have hurt much more technique.
to lose God than it was to miss
the day's profit.
• •
l
OH, IT TURNED OUT all
right for them in the end. Now
their children abide in plushy
dwellings and a lot of them are
in Cadillacs and minks. Their
country clubs are elegant play
spots. They build million-dollar
synagogues which they don't
often attend.
As the second half of the 20th
century starts, the ghosts of the
immigrant forefathers may look
with pride on the well-being of
their children. But old Mendel
• or old Eliezer may ask: "Are
they really richer than we were?
Our houses were so rich with
God and Torah, though we lived
on the third floor."
Winnie Won't Desert
Jews in 'Finest Hour'
LONDON—IWNS)—Recent-
ly Winston Churchhill was
asked what he thought of
Zionism.
"I have been in sympathy
with Zionism for more than
30 years." replied Churchill,
"and I refuse to desert it now
in its hour of triumph."
I
25 Years Ago,)
This Was News
Louis Lipsky, on his return
from Palestine, told reporters
that "words are too poor to de-
scribe what Jews have done and
are doing to reclaim that land
long held as a promise and only
today becoming the stage of Jew-
ish realities."
• • •
"The Supreme Court of the
United States affirmed the deci-
sion of the U. S. District Court
of New York upholding the con-
stitutionality of the New York
kosher meat law of 1922. Asso-
ciate Justice Sutherland handed
down the opinion of the court,
which was unanimous except for
the fact that Justice Brandeis did
not participate in consideration of
the case."
• • •
"A bill to modify the pi k . cot
quota law by the admission of
relatives of citizens and declar-
ants, was introduced by Con-
gressman LaGuardia of New
York."
(From the Jewish Claronick,
Jan. 9, 1925)