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DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
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Detroit Jewish Chronicle
Red Magen David Course
Published Weekly by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
WOodward 1-1040
2827 Cadillac Tower, Detroit 26, Michigan
SUBSCRIPTION:
$3.00 Per Year, Single Copies, 10e; Foreign, $5.00 Per Year
Eacred as Second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at
Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
In this book, Joseph Gaer has
accurately repro-
duced Jewish life in a small Uk-
ranian village. The story de-
scribes the breakup of a family
consisting of a widow and her
two youngest children, the elder
Time for Action
on the pulse of the public, established contacts with non-Jewish
groups and created an atmosphere of friendliness and better
understanding. It has voiced the concern of Detroit's Jews
wherever racial discrimination, housing problems, employment
practices and similar grievances called for a firm and unequivocal
stand.
So far, so good, the reader will say. Why can't the two live
together? It is our opinion that most of the blame belongs to the
public. The unholy indifference of the Jewish public toward vital
Jewish issues, its non-participation in election procedures, its
muteness in the face of crucial rendezvous with destiny—all this
has finally led to a situation in Detroit where the professionals
completely dominate the Jewish scene.
There is no doubt that the Jewish community will have to
do some hard thinking about the structure of a future unified
organization along democratic lines. It is inconceivable that in a
country as strongly democratic as America the Jewish commu-
nity should be to any degree out of step with the political philos-
ophy of its neighbors, be it in form or in substance.
Isidore Sobeloff, in his Kansas City speech printed in last
week's issue, admitted that on occasion the Welfare Funds—
their structure, their fairness, their representativeness—are chal-
lenged." Their setup will continue to be questioned as long as
the broad mass of Jews who financially are in a disadvantageous
position are underrepresented.
We do not challenge the right of those who work the hardest
for the raising of funds to make their voices heard, but we feel
that the Community Council has a point when it considers its
delegates, assembly a more representative body than any other
elective group. There is no reason why the democratic features
of the Council assembly should not be recognized by the fund-
raising and spending agencies.
Bnai Brith Week
October 19 marks the end of Bnai Brith Week proclaimed
by Mayor Albert E. Cobo, and this paper would like to take this
opportunity to extend its sincere congratulations to Bnai Brith
which now has completed 107 years of service.
Bnai Brith has chosen 1950 as the year to launch its nation-
wide Jewish census for service. It will call the roll of all Ameri-
can Jewish communities and ask them to enlist their support for
Bnai Brith's manyfold activities.
We feel sure that such an appeal will meet with an enthu-
siastic response. The activities in which Bnai Brith engages are
so vital %o the Jewish community that it would be impossible to
envision Jewish community life without them.
Bnai Brith started out with a philanthropic program and has
extended it to tremendous proportions. But the organizations has
not been content with charity. It has branched out into the field
of promotion of Americanism and democracy, education in
human relations, furtherance of interfaith activities, spiritual
care for Jewish students, aid to Israel and many other projects.
Our readers will note that almost every week there appears
a picture in this paper which depicts some activity of Bnai Brith.
This is no coincidence. Bnai Brith's work is so closely interwoven
with the whole texture of our Jewish life that any record of it
would be incomplete without mentioning Bnai Brith.
This strong organization will continue to grow and be useful
as long as there are Jews who see that their life does not only
belong to them but their fellow men.
Novels Revive
Jewish Family
Life of Old
literally and
Heshvan 8, 5711
The executive committee of the Jewish Community Council,
at its meeting last Thursday, reaffirmed in a resolution the tra-
ditional stand of the Council in favor of a unified Jewish commu-
nal organization in Detroit, following a similar move by the
board of governors of the Jewish Welfare Federation.
These resolutions are the expression of the anxieties of many
responsible Jewish leaders these days. It is no secret—the Jewish
public learned about it last week from a story published in the
Jewish Chronicle—that for some time the Jewish Welfare Feder-
ation and the Jewish Community Council have been discussing
new forms of relationships.
This paper reaffirms its conviction that a unified Jewish or-
ganization will serve best the insterests of all Jews. It seems that
there is little disagreement on this point in principle. However,
the negotiations have shown that it is difficult to translate the
idea into practicality and into a form which will satisfy all parties
concerned.
We sincerely hope that the negotiations between the Federa-
tions and the Council will continue in an atmosphere of good will
and that a plan will emerge soon which will benefit all Jews of
this city.
The divergence of viewpoints becomes understandable when
we realize that the Federation and the Council are working on the
basis of different philosophies. We feel that this difference will
have to be resolved, or our whole communal life will be the
victim of seemingly irreconcilable outlooks.
From the outset it should be agreed that both the Federation
and the Council are vital links in our communal setup. The work
of each of them is essential. Just try to Imagine one of them
eliminated from the scene! The ensuing chaos would be unimag-
inable. There can be no doubt that without the driving force and
the strong leadership of the Federation our fund-raising efforts
would be far below expectations and that vital communal serv-
ices could not be maintained on the present high level which has
set an example to other cities.
The Community Council, on the oth( hand, has become over
the years the spokesman of Detroit Jews. It has kept its finger
Thursday, October 19, 1950
By HAROLD S. COHEN
IlEART UPON THE ROCK
by Joseph Gaer (Dodd, Mead
and Co., New York, 214 pp.,
82.75).
SEYMOUR TILCHIN
Publisher
GERHARDT NEUMANN
NORMAN KOLIN
Editor
Advertising Manager
Thursday, October.19, 1950
lavish Periodical Cem
three having gone to America.
With complete naturalness the
book unfolds the train of events
A group of young immigrants undergoing first aid course given
which leads the girl to Marry
by the Red Magen David, Israel's agency for Red Cross work,
and the youngest son to follow
at Rishon-Lezion.
his brothers and sister to the
"golden land."
Gaer has a literary touch
which can best be described as
that of a Sholein Aleichem
minus the exaggeration so neces-
sary to comedy. Not that "Heart
Upon the Rock" is without hu-
flowers. They ascended the altar mor, on the contrary those sec-
By ALFRED SEGAL
and were blessed by the rabbi. tions where the village "intellec-
OUR TEMPLE was filled
Consecration of Kids
Lifts Hearts of Elders
O H, to overflowing that morning.
The congregation was even lar-
ger than on Yom Kippur. You
know how it is on Yom Kippur.
On that day practically every-
body comes to shul to have a
number of hours with God.
I have never
been deeply im-
pressed by this
sudden, hurried
penitence. Our
friend, the well-
known Mr.
Zilch, hasn't
been in syna-
gogue since last
Yom Kippur.
From then on
Segal
he went his way
with no religion at all. (Except
maybe on Pesach when he had
a seder.)
But on Yom Kippur, Mr. Zilch
felt he should be doing some-
thing about being a man of Jew-
ish religion. His interest in the
matter was nothing religiously
social. He had the idea that may-
be it was something to his per-
sonal interest to be in shul on
Yom Kippur.
Though he wasn't sure that he
could be exculpated of his vari-
ous sins on Yom Kippur, he con-
sidered that it was really no
time to speculate. Maybe there
was something in it, after all,
and if he went to shul on Yom
Kippur and fasted through the
day it night be good for him in
the coming. He had some deals
on the fire and he certainly
wanted to live to see them com-
pleted.
So he went to the Yom Kippur
service and hung around the
synagogue all through the day.
At times, as the service got long-
er and longer, Mr. Zilch dis-
covered his mind wandering
away from the holy things. He
was thinking of the business he
was at the moment neglecting.
The temple was filled with
their parents and grandparents.
Old• Mr. Zilch who had been
there on Yom Kippur in behalf
of himself was feeling much
more honest that day in the
temple. His grandson was among
the children marching down the
aisle to the altar. He and Mrs.
Zilch craned their necks to see
him the better.
Mrs. Zilch wiped away a tear.
There was Victor starting out
toward the identity of being
Jewish. Victor looked heroic al-
most as with his bouquet he
marched toward the altar. His
grandparents would have liked
to shout out "That's our Victor"
but in a temple you don't let
yourself go that way.
So it was with all the Zilches
that morning. Other Zilches' eyes
were following their descendants
down the aisle. "There's Philip!"
Just to see Philip entering into
Judaism at the age of six was
like looking at some triumph.
Yes, Philip was entering into
Judaism and how beautiful he
looked! Philip!
There was Tommy, too. His
parents had come to know
Judaism better through Tommy.
Yom Kippur had been just an-
other day to their intellectual
concept. This Simchath Torah
was something sublime because
it had to do with Tommy and
the way of life on which he was
being directed.
tuals" gather to exchange in-
formation on America rank with
the best of the Yiddish master.
But the story is largely tragic
in tone, not because Gaer colors
it that way, but because he
faithfully portrays a society in
dissolution.
Two forces act upon the char-
acters, the forces of enlighten-
ment that were to lead in a
decade to the Russian revolution
and the economic pressures that
pushed the mass immigration
of Eastern European Jews to
America.
"Heart Upon the Rock" is a
thoroughly delightful book that
will amuse and move the hearts
of those readers who have a
European background and those
who wish to know more ahout
the land in which their parent ,:
or grandparents lived.
• • •
WILL OF IRON by Isidore
Rosen (Crown Publishers, New
York, 284, pp., $3).
Unlike Joseph Gaer, Isidore
Rosen has turned his attention
to the life of the Eastern Euro-
pean immigrant after his estab-
lishment in America.
"Will of Iron" is the story of
an immigrant family (the chil-
dren are born in the United
States) and its efforts to survive
the struggle for existence.
Literally the Vestmacher fam-
ily must fight to live. The de-
pression following the first world
war sets the scene of the fight
which assumes epic proportions.
• • •
Ruth Vestmacher, the mother
YES, THAT DAY was more of the family, is the only adult
than Yom Kippur to most of the member whose will to survive
people assembled in the temple transcends all other considera-
that morning. It had to do with tions. Even her strong sense of
their brave hopes and nothing family loyalty does not stop her
at all with their fears. It seemed in the struggle to the top of the
much more honest to be there heap.
on account of hopes for people
She boots her son out of the
like Victor, Philip and Tommy house, even though it breaks her
than for the purpose of being easy-going husband's heart. But
rid of all one's sins wholesale. she knows that only if he is
God must have been much driven to it, will her son ever
••
more pleased with this conse- support himself.
SO IT WAS WITH many of cration of little children than
Her only favorite is her young
the Zilches on Yom Kippur. He wa.; the day that Mr. Zilch son who is mentally deficient.
There came a time when the tried to get rid of the crust of
service of Yom Kippur palled'on his sins. Not that Mr. Zilch— It is his future that she works
them altogether and they went and all the other Zilches—had primarily to assure as she builds
out for fresh air on the front any terrible sins on their persons a large business singlehandedly
out of the selling of buttons.
steps of the shul. Passersby on Yom Kippur.
With a wealth of natural de-
could get the idea that maybe
This was all to the good of the tail and a good, strong, clear
there were more worshippers on
the steps than in the shul itself. Jewish story. This large congre- prose, Rosen has revealed a
But all this is history now gation of them—larger than on whole world of activity about
until next Yom Kippur. I am any Yom Kippur—was dedicated which much of the public is
thinking gratefully of the over- to the future of Judaism, to the unaware and the remainder takes
for granted, although millions of
flowing crowd that was in our children who would take on its
our citizens are the products of
obligations.
temple a week or so after Yom
Some people have been think- this environment.
Kippur. It was Simchath Torah,
But aside from this, Rosen
the Rejoicing for the Law. You ing that Judaism has been dying,
couldn't • get a seat if you came the way Jews seem to be making tells a fascinating story. If there
late that morning. Standing less of their religion, except at be any flaw in his book, it is
room! The worshippers weren't Yom Kippur. This big congrega- strangely enough that the reader
there in their own interest. No tion, gathered to honor its chil- would like to know a bit more
sins to be rid of! They had come dren, suggested a good and eager about the motivation of the cen-
there toward the future of their future. Jews weren't just l'om tral character, Ruth Vestmacher.
Identifying her with a type
Kippur Jews.
children and grandchildren.
They were thinking of tomor- (rugged individualist) does not
In our temple Simchath Torah
has been established as a day row when their children and help too much. Until the end it
of consecration for little kids-5 grandchildren would be carry- is never quite clear what dif-
and 6 years old—who are just ing on the old teaching—the Law ferentiates her from her daugh-
starting on their way to being and the Prophets—and their eyes ter, Sarah, who has inherited
religiously Jewish. At the mo- were bright in the temple as they her strong will and clear mind,
ment of consecration the child- saw their descendants marching but has in addition a more
ren marched down the center to this old altar which was built highly developed social con-
science.
aisle toward the altar, bearing 84 years ago.