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CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, 01110
Friday, November 24, 1950
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
Page 3
Jewish Authors Not Jewish Enough for Nobel Prize
By PIIINEAS J. BIRON
THE NOBEL PRIZE in literature is regarded as a
sort of world's championship title awarded to the
most deserving.
The only author who had the
"chutzpah" to reject the award was
G. B. Shaw. In a historic letter he told!
the Nobel Prize judges that he had
reached the shores of immortality on
his own strength and did not need any
lifebelt.
Numerous Jewish scientists have
received the Nobel crown in physics,
chemistry, etc., but no Jewish fiction
writer ever achieved the prize in litera-
Biron
ture. True Henri Bergson, the philosopher, was accorded
the coveted plum but when that happened he was of-
ficially a converted Catholic and besides, although classi-
fied as the recipient of the award in literature his field
was abstract philosophy.
Richards Quiz
Is Defended
Major Jewish organizations this
week defended the right of the
Federal Communications Com-
mission to inquire into the alle-
gations of anti-Semitism and
news distortion in the operation
of radio stations owned by G. A.
Richards.
The FCC, on the basis of a
complaint filed by the Radio
News Club of Los Angeles, is in-
vestigating charges that over a
period of years Richards issued
instructions to news-staff mem-
bers of stations KMPC (Los An-
geles), WJR (Detroit), and
WGAR (Cleveland) to slant the
news so as to reflect Richard's
personal prejudices.
Hearings in Detroit began
Tuesday.
The action of the Jewish or-
ganizations was in response to a
resolution adopted recently by
the National Association of Broad-
casters which condemned the FCC
inquiry into operations of radio
stations as an invasion of Rich-
ards' privacy and rights under
the First Amendment.
In a joint letter to the National
Association of Broadcasters sign-
ed by the American Jewish Com-
mittee, American Jewish Con-
gress, Anti-Defamation League of
Bnai Brith, Jewish Labor Com-
mittee, Jewish War Veterans, and
Union of American Hebrew Con-
gregations, the organizations at-
tacked the NAB resolution as
"betraying a basic misunderstand-
ing of the necessary and natural
functions which the FCC must
serve if it is responsibly to acquit
itself of its obligations to the
American people."
The statement was issued by
the National Community Rela-
tions Advisory Council.
Whether any Jewish author ever deserved the prize
is a rather moot question. Literary critics will probably
admit that if Sinclair Lewis, Pearl Buck and William
Faulkner were adjudged worthy of so great a recogni-
tion, surely such story tellers as Jacob Wasserman and
Arthur Schnitzler should have received consideration
during their lifetime.
And one cannot ignore the works of Stefan Zweig
and Arnold Zweig. Arnold Zweig's "The Case of Ser-
geant Grisha" can be compared favorably with the best
produced by Faulkner or Buck.
Also Franz Werfel's works are by all means, as im-
pressive as any of the literary Nobel Prize men with
the exception of Thomas Mann who towers high over
the present living crop of fiction writers.
Then why did no Jewish writer achieve the distinc-
tion of a Nobel man? The question is interesting be-
cause it cannot be answered on the grounds of racial
discrimination since Jewish scientists gathered a full
share of awards.
Aspirants to the Nobel award in literature must have
Kvutzah Ivrith Plans Memorial
The Kvutzah Ivrith, the He-
brew Cultural Group of Detroit,
is sponsoring a memorial evening
dedicated to Yaacov Lerner, well-
known Hebrew poet, at 9 p.m.,
Saturday in the Rose Sittig Cohen
Building.
Tomorrow
Short talks about Lerner's con-
tributions to Hebrew Literature
will be delivered by Mrs. J. M.
Mathis, Bernard Isaacs and Mor-
ris Nobel.
Mrs. Yaacov Lerner, the widow
of the poet, who lives in Israel
••■•■
a solid national foundation. Their works must have
profound roots in the national folklore and tradition of
their nation. It is not enough for a Jewish author to
write beautifully in the language of his country. The
essence of his work must be representative, in a na-
tional sense, of his people.
From this point of view the only Jewish writer who
during his lifetime deserved the Nobel Prize in litera-
ture was Sholem Aleichem. Ile was a Jewish fiction
writer who was representative of his people, or, let us
say, an important section of the Jewish people.
Perhaps a Bialik might have been at one point con-
sidered and probably was studied by the Norwegian
gentlemen.
A Sholem Asch would have had more prospects had
he remained a Jewish story teller concerned with the
flesh and blood of his people instead of wandering in
strange fields.
There were rumors that Martin Buber, the poetic
thinker and writer whose field is liadisism, was seriously
weighed as a possibility for the 1949 award of literature.
and is now visiting this country
FIRST GRAPEFRUIT SHIPPED
for the purpose of distributing
HAIFA—(ISI)—The first con-
the writings of her late husband,
will also take part in the pro- signment of grapefruit this sea-
gram.
son — 40,000 cases — was loaded
The public is invited.
onto a British fruit carrier in
The deadline of the Jewish Haifa port this week. The fruit
Chronicle is noon on Tuesdays. comes from the Jordan Valley.
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Sigma Alpha Mu Unit
Chooses New Officers
At the recent meeting of the
Detroit Alumni Association, Sig-
ma Alpha Mu Fraternity, the
following officers were elected
for 1950-1951:
President, Albert M. Colman;
vice-president, Morris Singer;
secretary, Ben Pivnick; and
treasurer, Ben Kohen.
Stan Wallace was elected chair-
man of the board of governors.
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