DETROIT JEW ISII CHRONICLE

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Detroit Jewish Chronicle

Published by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
WOodward 1-1040
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, 1879.

EMILY SOMLYO
Business Manager

SEYMOUR TILCIIIN
Publisher

Thursday, Jan. 26, 1950

Shebat 8, 5710

Won't You Join Our Chat?

In order to get away from the conventional editorial, the
Jewish Chronicle has decided to do something different . at
least once in a while. Our staff gets together and discusses a
certain subject. In this symposium, our staff members appear as .
A, B and C. These discussions are not necessarily aimed at
reaching conclusions, but simply at stimulating the thinking of
our readers. Your comment is invited.—Ed.

The subject of the staff discussion was Jewish education in
its broader aspects. It was agreed from the beginning that the
peculiar situation of Jews all over the world necessitates some
form of additional education. But what should this form be, and
how does Israel's existence influence our educational efforts?•
A. I believe first of all that any Jewish child born in America
should attend public school because our primary cultural alle-
giance belongs to this country. Parochial schools are not in the
best American tradition, and I reject them unreservedly.
B. It seems to me that the acceptance or rejection of this
cultural pattern does not depend so much on us but on the ma-
jority which forces us into certain patterns of behavior.
C. The fact is that our feeling of Jewishness is not con-
trolled by us but determined by our environment.
A. Is this meant as an argument for assimilation? I am not ad-
vocating assimilation. I feel that Jewish education is necessary
in addition to our general education which can be obtained only
from public schools. Public educatidn also is necessary to bring
a Jewish child in contact with Gentile children. This is the only
way to learn how to get along with each other and find common
ground.
B. On the contrary, religion should be taught academically
Let the Sunday schools teach religion. Jewish schools should
teach religious rites from a cultural point of view.
C. I believe that the essence of Judaism is religion. How-
, ever, we have to decide what are our aims in religious education.
To what end do we educate the young Jew?
A. I would rather divorce the teaching of Hebrew from the
teaching of religion.
C. This would devitalize Judaism.
A. I disagree. It must be our first purpose to teach Jewish
culture.
C. Well, isn't Jewish culture, the. one you are thinking of, a
product of Eastern European tradition? I believe that first of all
we have to get away from the patterns of the past and find new
values which fit our present situation.
A. My position is that by studying the Jewish past our chil-
dren will be able to understand their own character, their heri-
tage and, in the final analysis, their future.
C. But will the study of Judaism explain to them the pheno-
menon of anti-Semitism?
A. Maybe not. But my point is that the study of Judaism
helps Jews to understand each 'other as well as themselves.
•
•
•

B. Well, let's turn back to the question of what we are sup-
posed to study.
C. My premise is that we are not hyphenated Americans.
We are Americans plus. Jewish Americans, not American Jews.
A. The subjects of Jewish education should be history, laws,
literature, Hebrew and Yiddish. There is, of course, the big
problem of after-hours. Our Jewish schools are of necessity an
imposition on the child because they cut into its leisure time.
It is a conflict difficult to resolve. The only solution I can see is
to make our Jewish schools so attractive that a child would not
want to miss classes. But I definitely would not force a child to
attend Jewish courses if it feels it does not get anything out of
them.
C. As I see it, our main task is to discard all old patterns
which are in conflict with American patterns.
B. How do we go about it?
C. We can either copy Israeli culture, which our environment
does not permit, or we can try to find new Jewish cultural pat-
terns which are in harmony with the American scene. It is our
environment that determines the degree of our Jewishness.
Yiddish is no longer needed: American Jews can very well com-
municate with each other in English.
B. What about Hebrew?
C. Hebrew is a living language and also the language of the
Bible. As such it is much more important to us than Yiddish.
I would stress Bible and current Hebrew literature in modern
Jewish education.

•

•

•

B. We are now coming closer to the question of what is Jew-
ishness basically?
C. Well, this is just it. Is there anything basically typical of
us as Jews? The question has teen asked over and over again.
It will be new in each generation. If we find it is worth while
preserving we should embrace it full-heartedly.
B. This, of course, brings us to the question of what our
heritage is.
C. I believe that we should transmit culturally what can best
be used in our environment. Otherwise we will have or lr mal-
adjustment.
B. It seems to me that parochial schools are the answer. I can
envision a well-rounded Jewish education going hand in hand
with a general education. They do not fight each other. There is
no reason for Jews to develop a split personality.
C. I agree with A who rejected parochial schools because
educational separation will develop a ghetto complex.

Thursday, January 26, 1950

Israel Slights
Rank and File
U. S. Zionists

By WILLIAM ZUKERMAN
TWO OF THE MOST IMPORT-
ANT leaders of the American
Zionist movement, Dr. Abba Bil-
let Silver and Dr. Emanuel Neu-
mann, who have been in virtual
retirement for nearly a year due
to disagreement with the top Is-
raeli official leadership, have re-
appeared now on the political
stage.
Their reappearance coincides
with the issue of the future of the
Zionist movement and the elec-
tions to the World Zionist Con-
gress which• is expected to take
place next summer.
Rabbi Silver who is the most
likely candidate for the presi-
dency of the world Zionist move-
ment, came out with a sharp at-
tack on Dr. Nahum Goldmann,
chairman of the American section
of the Jewish Agency and spokes-
man for the Israeli government.
• • •
Di. Neumann was even more
specific and. outspoken. In an ad-
dress to the five metropolitan re-
gions of the Z.O.A. he warned
that the World Zionist Movement
was undergoing a serious crisis
because of a lack of definition of
function between the Zionist
movement outside Israel and the
Israeli government.
couldn't manage to break away.
"There is growing confusion re-
He took it all until his children garding the present status of or-
grew into their teens.
ganized Zionism and its future
Mr. and Mrs. Leverett resolved role," Dr. Neumann said. The
that their children would never partnership between Zionism and
be made to suffer the underpriv- the people of Israel "seems to be
ileged status of the Jews whose weakening if not actually dis-
names, if mentioned at all, were solving."
in the last paragraphs of the so-
This condition, he continued,
ciety column.
"is having a depressing effect on
"I've been thinking something all phases of Jewish effort to aid
that must be in your mind, too," of Israel, notably in the field of
fund-raising and the mobilization
Mr. Leverett said.
Their minds, indeed, were en of investment capital and in the
rapport that evening. Mrs. Lev- field of public relations and po-
erett said yes, she had been think- litical support."
The responsibility for this state
ing the same thing . . . "And
what church do you think we of affairs, Dr. Neumann intimated,
lay with the Israeli government.
should join?"
At the same time Dr. Neumann
She had the answer as well ...
demanded the elimination of the
"We'll be Episcopalians. They are
such nice people." She meant the present party system in all coun-
tries outside of Israel, asserting
best weddings and funerals oc-
that "the interplay of party in-
curred in the Episcopalian church.
terests" was complicating mat-
WELL, IT WORKED OUT all ters. Since the only major party
right in time for the Leveretts. in American Zionism, apart from
As Episcopalians they managed the ZOA, is the Mapai, the Labor
finally to escape Judaism and the Zionists, Dr. Neumann's attack
Jews. The Zenith Record's so- was directed against them as well
ciety column was reporting their as against the Mapai-dominated
success regularly in its top para- Israel government.
graphs:
• • •
"COCKTAIL PARTY AT LEV-
Thus, despite the statement by
ERETTS.
Dr. Goldmann at the opening ses-
"LEVERETTS GIVE DINNER sion of the Jewish Agency Ex-
ecutive that "internal peace now
DANCE.
• Headlines like these proved to reigns in the ranks of American
Mr. Leverett that he had become Zionists," the internal friction
a successful Christian whereas he has not abated since last sum-
had been a frustrated Jew. Yes, mer.
If anything, the Zionist move-
my dear Mr. Z.Y.Z. by now you
must understand the disadvant- ment in America is now wearing
ages of being Jewish and not be- an even sharper crisis than
ing allowed to register at the eight months ago when Dr. Sil-
Shamdale Arms. Being Jewish ver resigned from the Jewish
you never can rise to the top Agency and both he and Dr. Neu-
mann were eliminated from the
of the society column.
United Palestine Appeal.
But, as a Jew—if one really
Mr. Frisch's efforts to bring
feels Jewish — one can get to
other high spots. In quiet hours about peace have evidently ended
he goes as far as Sinai and in complete failure.
ascends to its summit . . . "Here
is where I came from," he says.
"From here I carried the Com-
mandments to all men." , .. The
wind touches ,his cheek and he
likes to believe that he has felt
the fluttering of God's garments.
"Interest in and appreciation
That high he stands.
for works of art were greatly
Or he walks some evening with stimulated among Detroit Jews
his prophets with whom he can as a result of the fourth annual
go as far as the stars.
exhibit of the work of Jewish
So, it appears, Mr. X.Y. Z., it's artists, which was held under the
all a matter of social standing or auspices of the Jewish Institute
of standing high on Sinai. It at Temple Beth El . . More
seems to me that Mr. Leverett than 4,000 persons visited the ex-
hibit during the two weeks it
chose the much lower level.
was held."
• • •
CZECH ENVOY ARRIVES
"The question of admitting
TEL AVIV—(ISI)—Dr. Edou- women as members of the lodges
ard Goldstuecker, envoy extra- of the Independent Order Bnai
ordinary and minister plenipo- Brith is seriously discussed in
tentiary of the Republic of circles of Bnai Brith leaders in
Czechoslovakia, presented his Germany."
credentials to President Chaim
(From the Jewish Chronicle,
Weizmann.
Jan. 23, 1925).

Being A Jew Requires
Character, Mr. X. Y. Z.!

By ALFRED SEGAL

D EAR

MR. SEGAL: I come to
you as one who looks before
he leaps, as the saying is. I am
thinking seriously of changing re-
ligion from the Christian per-
suasion in which
I was born to
Judaism.
Now I am a
man who care-
fully considers
every important
step in life. Thus,
in the matter of
marrying I did
not permit my-
self to fall, as
Segal
they say, in love.
Falling is too much like an ac-
cident and marriage should not
be the accidental result of falling
in love.
I must ask myself: What are
the advantages and disadvantages
of being Jewish? If this attitude
seems somewhat too materialistic,
I reply that since—if I accept
Judaism—I will have to live with
it all my life I should know all
about the pains as well as the
pleasures of Judaism.
Will you, sir, please give me
out of your honest mind every-
thing I should know about this.
Yours sincerely, X. Y. Z.
• • •

THE ANSWER: Dear Mr. X. Y.
Z.: I shall start with the disad-
vantages as I see them in the
story of Mr. Leverett. He used to
be Levy which he translated to
Leverett in the early stages of
his flight from what he regarded
as the disadvantages of being
Jewish.
Leverett and his family reside
in the city of Zenith in the great
western state of Zodiac.
When he was Levy, Mr. Lev-
erett was a thoroughly frustrated
man as he regarded all the dis-
advantages of being Levy. Not
that he hadn't prospered as Levy.
But he felt miserably poor when,
as Levy, he came to restricted
hotels at Miami Beach and
couldn't get in. Palm Beach was
out of the question altogether.
It was then that Mr. Levy re-
solved thereafter to be Leverett,
like Saltonstall.
"But I'll still be Sarah," his
wife complained.
"After this you'll be Sylvia—
Sylvia Leverett," he replied.
BUT IN ZENITH he remained
Levy. People on the street kept
on saying, "Hello Levy!" Busi-
ness telephone calls invariably
began, "Hello, is this Mr. Levy?"
It was practically useless for him
to answer, "No this is Mr. Lever-
ett." They kept on calling him

Levy.
All of Mr. Leverett's social con-
nections continued Jewish. He

25 Years Ago,
This Was News

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