DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
Page 4
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
it's All the Bunk'
Published by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
2827 Cadillac Tower, Detroit 26, Michigan
WOodward 1-1040
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
EMILY SOMLYO
GERHARDT NEUMANN
Business Manager
Editor
Thursday, February 23, 1950
Adar 6, 5710
Fascism in Action
At a very opportune moment—a few days before the official
start of Brotherhood Week—Mississippi's Rep. John Rankin let
loose with a blast against Albert Einstein, which was obviously
intended as a political bomb, but hardly provoked any other
explosion than loud laughter. •
Dr. Einstein, Rankin inserted in the Congressional Record,
"is one of the greatest fakers the world ever knew."
And his logical conclusion follows: "He should have been
deported for his Communist activities years ago."
So you thought Einstein was a great man? So did we. How
ignorant we all are. The great atomic expert Rankin has this
to say:
"He (Einstein) had no more to do with development of the
atomic bomb than if there hadn't been such a thing."
Well, we know this much: the secret of atomic energy was
not discovered in Mississippi.
Of course, it is not Einstein, the scientist, with whom Rankin
is concerned. He is worried over the "Communist" Einstein.
In a televised interview with Mrs. Roosevelt, Einstein had
advocated a ban on violence among nations to prevent destruc-
tion of the human race by atomic and hydrogen bombs and other
"advanced" methods of killing
This threw Rankin into a rage.
"This bunk that Einstein is now spreading," he said, "is
simply carrying out the Communist line."
There is no reason to take the demagogue from Mississippi
seriously. But what worries us is the state of mind that makes
his attitude possible and takes hold of people who ought to be
able to tell truth from fiction.
As Jews we have a right to be worried, for Rankin's stupid
statements have far-reaching implications. As he calls Einstein a
Communist, he also subtly reminds the world that he is a for-
eigner and a Jew. The text step is to call all Jews, Communists.
This well-known Fascist technique worked nicely in Europe,
so why not try it here?
Peace among nations, understanding and good will among
men, truth and reason—none of them is any concern of the Rank-
ins. Their business is hatred. They were not slow in taking a
leaf from Hitler's book from which they found out that the hate
business is a going concern which does not even require an in-
vestment of brain power.
What can be done about the hatemongers? Frankly, we do
not know. It is easy to say that we should fight them and just
let the facts speak for themselves. The lessons of history are not
too encouraging. Truth is mighty, all right, but it has a way of
creeping awfully slowly, whereas hatred gets to its destination
with the speed of a jet plane.
Of course, we have to fight against the Rankins, but we must
be realistic enough to see that they have one advantage on their
side: they are appealing to the emotions whereas we are appeal-
ing to reason.
Ours is by no means a losing fight. But everyone should
know that it takes courage, vision and infinite patience to see it
through.
Arming the Arabs
From all indications it seems that a new British arms scan-
dal is brewing in the Middle East. Recent British arms shipments
to Arab countries have set off fear and alarm in Israel. The
small country is indeed in an uncomfortable position. It has no
atomic bombs with which it could intimidate potential enemies,
nor has it any military power to speak of.
All Israel has got is its courage, determination and confi-
dence in its future.
We know that Israel will appreciate the moral support that
comes froth abroad. One of the most heartening developments
during the past week was the joint action of the presidents of the
CIO and AFL who paid a special visit to President Truman in
order to ask for American intervention in the British arms
shipments.
Whatever the excuse of Mr. Bevin may be, it seems clear to
the objective observer that such support of the Arabs does not
work toward peace. Britain knows, just as well as the Arabs do,
that Israel's neighbors have no justified grounds to expect a sur-
prise attack.
Israel's peaceful intentions are too obvious to be misinter-
preted, Britain did its level best to misinterpret them during the
recent war between Arabs and Israelis. The political develop-
ment since the end of this war seems to have made no impression
on official British opinion.
Maybe a word from Mr. Truman will do the trick.
Equality in Israel
A recent bill adopted by the Israeli parliament makes
women subject to military draft.
This is not only an emergency measure but the expression
of complete democracy. Ever since the first Jewish settlements
were'set up, women have played an active and equal part in the
reconstruction of the country. During the war they fought with
the men in the firing lines.
It is a democracy that shares and shares alike in war and
in peace.
Rabbis' Note to Israel
a Slap at Democracy
By WILLIAM ZUKERMAN
THERE WAS AN ELEMENT of
A courage and statesmanship in
Ben Gurion's rebuke to the Jew-
ish Religious Bloc in the United
States for its attempt to interfere
in the internal affairs of Israel.
Few politicians even of old es-
tablished states would have acted
like that.
The orthodox rabbis of Amer-
ica, by their campaign to force
Israel to introduce compulsory
religious education in the immi-
grant camps for all children, even
for non-Yemenites, whose par-
ents oppose such education, have
made an outright assault on a
fundamental principle of democ-
racy.
Ben Gurion was certainly right
from every democratic point of
view when he told the rabbis
that if they wanted to have a
say in the educational or other
affairs of Israel, they should come
to the country and become citi-
zens of it.
• • .1.
IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE,
another and still greater prin-
ciple was violated.
The political edifice of Israel
was built on the premise that
Israel and the Jewish people are
two distinct and separate entities.
That is why Israel was named as
it was, not the Jewish State. That
is why the responsible Israeli
leaders have always been careful
to differentiate between their
own citizens and Jewish citizens
of other countries.
That was also why the Zionist
Organization of America at the
time of the proclamation of Is-
rael declared (at the Chicago
Convention) that the "people of
Israel owe their allegiance to Is-
rael, and Jews of America owe
their allegiance to the United
States."
If this principle is violated, the
entire status of the five million
Jews in this country needs to be
r evised.
• • •
THIS DOES NOT MEAN, how-
ever, that American Jews have
no right to express an opinion,
to offer advice, or even voice
criticism on problems in Israel.
But it is one thing to offer
friendly advice, or criticism, and
another thing to organize political
pressure groups in this country
to strengthen the hands- of some
minority parties in Israel to work
against the will of the majority
of the people and its govern-
ment.
The Religious Bloc did not re-
quest in a friendly manner the
Israeli government to consider
their proposals for a compulsory
orthodox education for all, but
demanded it on the ground that
"every Jew has a share in Is-
rael" and that no matter where
a Jew lives and of what state he
is a citizen, he has a right of a
citizen to voice his demands in
Israel.
There is a world of difference
between an act of courtesy and
friendship and a stab in the back
which the Religious Bloc has now
inflicted on the Ben Gurion gov-
ernment, and Jews outside Israel.
• • •
THERE IS ONE OTHER dis-
turbing element in the whole of
this business. This is the support
which the rabbtk have received
and are receiving from official
and unofficial Zionist quarters
in this country.
Both Yiddish Zionist dailies
have fully justified the Religious
Bloc's position and have joined
the campaign against Ben Gu-
rion's government. Dr. S. Mar-
goshes, who is considered the of-
ficial spokesman for the ZOA
and its president, Daniel Frisch,
has come out with a strong de-
nunciation of Ben Gurion for his
'insult' to American orthodox
Jews who merely sent a 'polite
communication' to the Premier.
The question of the 'politeness'
of the rabbinical communication
can be left without comment. But
what cannot be passed without
some remark is what Dr. Mar-
goshes states further in the same
column:
"The State of Israel is the cre-
ation of World Jewry. What's
more, it had been the proud boast
of the pioneers of Palestine and
of Israel that they were only the
advance guard of World Jewry
which is to follow in the great
historic process of the return of
the Jewish people to their an-
cestral soil."
This is something new in
American Zionism since the es-
tablishment of Israel. This is not
the interpretation of present-day
Zionism that Dr. Emanuel Neu-
mann gave at the Chicago Con-
vention in 1948; nor is it what
Dr. Abba Hillel Silver stated in
his Readers' Digest article.
It is not what Frisch told the
American Jewish Committee .
Doei that mean that American
Zionism is embarking on a new
policy of ideological nationalism?
Is Dr. Margoshes speaking for
himself? Or has the American
Zionist movement, or its present
leadership, joined the Religious
Blo• in its stab-in-the-back cam-
paign against Ben Gurion? These
are grave questions to which
American Jews are entitled to
have a clear answer.
Thursday, February 23. 1951
'Widget' Man
Explains Way
to Prominence
By ALFRED SEGAL
NOW THE SAME MR. Gorr.
LIEB of Los Angeles who a
few weeks ago caused me to re-
port my vital statistics in this
column demands
to know more
about Mr. Hillel.
"I mean that
gentleman
—horn you fre-
quently quote in
your column,"
Mr. Gottlieb
says. "The one
who takes time
out f corn - his
widget business
to write your
Segal
column for you occasionally. It
seems to me you owe it to your
readers to tell them more about
him, in order that they may
know how much respect to give
his Jewish opinion."
"How," Mr. Gottlieb asks,
"does a widget manufacturer
manage to become an authority
on so many of the phases a/
Jewish life. Shouldn't a widget
manufacturer stick to his wid-
gets? And what are widgets,
anyway?"
Upon receipt of Mr, Gottlieb's
letter I called up Mr. Hillel.
Mr. Hillel began by saying that
it was his big success with wid-
gets that brought him to hit
prominence in Jewish life and
the respected Jewish authority
that he is.
"When I was turning only 100
widgets out a day who cared to
hear from Mr. Hillel at the
speakers' tables? I couldn't ex-
pect to amount to anything as an
authority in Jewish affairs.
"I recall one evening at a big
banquet given to promote more
spiritual vision in our commun-
ity. And who was the main
speaker? He was none other than
the leading widget manufacturer
in our city then. 1, with my 100
widgets, couldn't consider my-
self a competitor of his.
"My wife reproached me: Why
wasn't I ever invited to the
speakers' table? Why was I held
down to an inferior position M
one of the many small tables
around the banquet hall, w hile
that other widget manufacturer
sat at the big table and spoke
like a voice of authority in
Jewry?
"Ile puts out 10,000 widgets a
day and I only 100. That makes
a big difference of 9,900 wid-
gets," I replied.
'There came an evening when
my wife felt that I had at last
arrived at my due place in the
Jewish life of our community.
"Since then, as my output of
widgets has grown from quota
to quota, I have advanced in my
Jewish position from strength to
strength."
"But, Mr. little!, there's an-
other question that Mr. Gottlieb
asks: What are widgets?"
"I've answered that," Mr. Hill(L)
replied. "Widgets are the things
by - which to seem important."
25 Years Ago,
This Was News
Bequests to charitable and re-
ligious institutions amounting to
$9,000 are made in the will of
Emanuel Wodic , Civil War vet-
eran and Indian fighter who died
Feb. 4 at the age of 89 years.
The Wodic home at 1257 Brain-
ard street and $10,000 are left
to Mrs. Sarah Wodic, the widow.
Mr. Wodic was among the
earliest Jewish settlers in Michi-
gan and one of the most pic-
turesque figures in the state.
• • •
The Hundred Thousand Club
of the Great West Life Insurance
Co. recently chose as its president
Moe Leite; of Detroit. He has
been termed one of the largest
underwriters on the American
continent.
(Jewish Chronicle, Feb. 20, 1925)