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CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, 0111(1

Friday, February 9, 1951

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

Page 3

Abe Lincoln Boasted of His 'Jewish Parentage'

By NATHAN ZIPRIN
INCOLNS BEARD, mien, humor, sense of justice,
countenance and character bear all the earmarks
of Jewish quality. On best authority, however, Honest
Abe was not of Jewish origin.
Yet the noted scholar Rabbi Isaac
M. Wise of Cincinnati once disclosed
to his congregation that Lincoln had
told him "he supposed himself to be a
descendant of Hebrew parentage."
A rabbi of another school of religious
thinking, the late Bernard Revel, saw
in Lincoln the fusing of all the essen-
tials of Judaism. To him Lincoln was
not only the first typical American bu'
also the embodiment of "the noblest
Ziprin
qualities of Judaism."

L

•

•

•

IT IS DOUBTFUL if Lincoln had many contacts with
Jews prior to his ascension to the Presidency. But once
he entered the White House the picture changed. Wit
that he was, he chose a Jewish chiropodist, Dr. Isachar

Zacharie, who seemed to have pleased Lincoln as much
with his humor as with his skill.
Lincoln was the first President to appoint a Jewish
army chaplain. The appointment went to Dr. Arnold
of New York. To make the appointment possible Lincoln
pulled strings to have Congress pass special legislation.
He was also the first President to appoint a Jew
as full-fledged minister to a foreign power, when he
named Sigismund Kaufmann of New York to the post
of minister to Italy. The appointee, however, turned
down the offer.
Lincoln was also the first President to appoint a
Jew as U. S. consul to Germany. The distinction came
to a man by the name of Einstein.
And then again there is the story of Lincoln's prompt
action when he learned that Gen. Grant's headquarters
had issued an order excluding all Jews from his de-
partment. The incident had set off a wave of indigna-
tion among Jews and there were a number of protest
demonstrations. Lincoln, of course, was too preoccupied
with larger affairs and he had no knowledge of this
incident. However, as soon as the incident came to his

JNF Box Clearance Day Set;
a Trip to Israel May Be Won

Sunday, Feb. 18 has been de-
clared Jewish National Fund Box
Clearance Day, at which time or-
ganizations and congregations
will participate in the final clear-
ance, Dr. Sam Krohn, chairman,
announced.
Dr. Krohn further stated that
William Fitzerman and Mrs.
Thelma Zak will serve as co-
chairmen.
All organizations and congrega-
tions who have not as yet sent in
the names of their workers are
requested to mail them to the
Jewish National Fund office,
11816 Dexter, or telephone TO.
8-7384.
More than two million dunams
have been redeemed by the Jew-
ish National Fund, much of it
with coins deposited in the Blue

To Sing at NW

.

to Mrs. Isadore Kolodney, 4052
Sturtevant.
All these whose boxes yield a
minimum of $5 are eligible to
receive one of five Tozereth Ha'-
Aretz packages (Israel products)
at the value of $100 each. Toz-
ereth Ha'Aretz prize winner last
year was Mrs. Benjamin Schlus-
sel, 2634 Leslie.
For each 1,000 boxes yielding a
minimum of $3 each, a valuable
book on Israel or of Jewish in-
terest will be received.

Box in over a million homes.

The Blue Box has been for
years a symbol of devotion to
Israel. The JNF is faced with
tremendous tasks: the acquisition
of land, settlement, housing, af-
forestation, reclamation and wa-
ter irrigation and research. It is
the Blue Box that will largely
assist the Fund in the fulfillment
of its tasks.
Two round trips to Israel are
awarded annually. All Blue-
White Box holders, whose boxes
yield a minimum- of $10 are eligi-
ble for these awards. Numerous
Box Holders have received the
round trip awards, Tozereth Ha'-
Aretz •packages and books on
Israel.
On the - basis of the clearance
returns from the spring of 1950,
an Israel round trip was awarded

Author of Jolson's
Jazz Singer Dies

LOS ANGELES — (Special) —
Alfred A. Cohn, who wrote "The
Jazz Singer" for Warner Brothers,
the first full length talking mo-
tion picture, died last Sunday in
Good Samaritan Hospital at the
age of 71.
Starring Al Jolson, in 1927, the
film won the first Motion Picture
Academy Award.
In his varied career; Mr. Cohn
was at various times a newspaper
reporter, newspaper editor, mag-
azine editor, publicity man, screen
writer, author, customs collector
and Los Angeles Police Commis-
sioner.

Radio to Present
Jewish Programs

The Culture Commission of the
Jewish Community Council will
present the following radio pro-
grams honoring Jewish Music
Month:
Tuesday, WXYZ, 9:45 p.m.;
CKLW, 10:15 and 10:45 p.m.;
Thursday, Feb. 15, WWJ, 11:30
p.m.
On Wednesday and Thursday
two Yiddish lectures will be
heard on Station WJLB. Leibush
Lehrer will discuss "Problems of
Jewish Education." Jacob Glat-
stein will discuss "A Creative
Jewish Personality." These pro-
grams will be heard from 7:15.to
?:30 p.m,

Wayne to Open
Franklin Talks

Louis Berry and Joseph Holtz-
man will serve as chairmen of
pre-campaign in the 1951 Allied
Jewish Campaign, Abe Kasle,
campaign chairman, announced
this week.
Berry has previously served as
chairman of the Allied Jewish
Campaign in 1949 and as a mem-
ber of the three-man cabinet di-
recting the 1950 drive. Holtzman
was vice-chairman of the pre-
campaign cabinet in 1950 and was
vice-chairman of trades and pro-
fessions the year before.
The Allied Jewish Campaign is
Detroit's medium for supporting
the United Jewish Appeal for the
Jews of Europe and Israel, for
maintaining national services and
for building and strengthening
local Jewish social agencies.

Folk Singer Slated
at Davison Center

Ruth Rubin, collector and sing-
er of Yiddish folk songs, will
present a concert Saturday eve-
ning, Feb. 24 at the Davison
Jewish Community Center. Her
recital is co-sponsored by the
Center's Jewish Parents Insti-
tute and by the Hashofar Society
for Jewish Music.
Her program will include work
songs, love songs, cradle songs,
humorous songs, etc.
Miss Rubin has produced sev-
eral albums of records and a re-
cent book, "Treasury of Jewish
Folk Songs."

The deadline of the Jewish
Chronicle is noon on Tuesdays.

• •

THE LAST AND ONE of the best photographs of
Lincoln was taken by a Jew on .the Sunday before the
President's assassination. It was made in the Washing-
ton studio of Adolphus Solomon, who was later to
become president of Bnai Brith.
A Washington Jewish physician, Dr. C. H. Lieber-
man, was among the nine medical men at Lincoln's
deathbed.
Because Lincoln died on a Saturday, the first ser-
mons on his death were delivered in synagogues.
• Jews were the first contributors to a fund to erect
a Lincoln monument at Springfield, Ill. This was done
by the Jewish community of Alton, Ill.
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was trans-
mitted to the world by a Jew, Edward Rosewater, who
worked in the telegraph office of the War Department.
And it was a Jewish artist who designed the famous
Lincoln penny, the first coin bearing the head of a
President. If you have ever been puzzled by the initials
VDB on those pennies—here is the key to the puzzle.
They stand for Victor D. Brenner.

Police Seeking Israel Scholar
Auxiliary Aids to Be Guest of

Histadrut Rally

Theodore Kaminsky, comman-
der of the Sol Yetz-Morris Cohen
Post, Jewish War Veterans, with
the co-operation of Inspector Fel-
ix Paden, Sergeant Francis Trin-
ity, and Patrolman Bernard Dug-
gan, of the Petosky Police Pre-
cinct, signed up a group of mem-
bers of the Jewish War Veterans
as auxiliary policemen.
More members, either men or
women, are needed for the aux-
iliary, and any person desiring
to join can do so by contacting
his nearest police station.
To be eligible, one must be a
citizen of the United States, 29
years of age or older, in good
RICHARD TUCKER, Metro- physical condition, and not a
politan Opera star, will include member of the Army or Navy re-
Kol Nidre in his concert spon- serves, National Guard, or eligi-
sored by the Northwest He- ble for the draft.

First lecturer in the Wayne
University series of Leo M.
Franklin Lectures in Human Re-
lations- win be Dr. Louis Wirth, brew Men's Club. The Concert
professor of sociology at the Uni-
versity of Chicago. He will speak will be held at 8:30 p.m., Sun-
on "Freedom, Power and Values day at the Northwest Syna-
in Our Present Crisis," at 8 p.m. gogue. Tucker will also sing
songs by Mendelsohn, Handle
Thursday in the Rackham Me- Halevy as well as many tradi-
morial Building.
tional Hebrew a n d Yiddish
Wayne President David D. pieces. Julius Chajes and the
Henry will open the program Center Choral Group will as-
with an explanation of the sist him. For tickets call Rob-
Franklin Memorial Chair and ert Ettinger, TO. 5-9070; Herb
lecture series established at 'Harris, WO. 1-0833; or the
Wayne by the Temple Beth El.
synagogue, UN. 4-7474.
Other lectures are scheduled
for March 1 and 15, and April
5 and 26. All programs are open
to the public.

Berry, Holtzman
Get. Campaign Job

attention he promptly countermanded the order.

British Women
Ask Equality
in Synagogue

LONDON — (WNS) — Demand
for equal rights for women in the
synagogue high-lighted a recent
special meeting here of the United
Synagogues, when the female
members of the organization de-
manded the right to greater par-
ticipation in religious functional
activities.
The women demanded the right
to be seated in the same pews
with men, abolition of the special
synagogue section for women, the
right to be called up to the read-
ing of the Law and the sharing in
other religious obligations now
the sole prerogative of men.
The issue was raised against
the background of a claim that a
major portion of the synagogues
in London were pitifully vacant
during the Sabbath services. They
argued that since the men were
too occupied to attend services
there was danger that many of
the synagogues would totally
close down.
Their alternative suggestion
was that they be permitted to
assume many of the religious
functions formerly devolved upon
men only.
After hours of -discussion, the
meeting adjourned without action.
The strongest argument against
the innovation was that it would
create a breach in a thousand-
year-old tradition which has been
observed by Jews throughout the
world.

For the most extensive and
accurate local coverage read the
Detroit Jewish Chronicle every
Friday.

Histadrut workers of the Labor
Zionist movement and trades
and professions divisions will
gather at a mid-campaign break-
fast at 10:30 a.m., Sunday at the
Labor Zionist Institute to review
campaign accomplishments and
to map plans for the completion
of the campaign.
Joseph H a g g a i, prominent
scholar of Israel, will be the
guest speaker.
Abraham Gerbovoy, director
of community relations of the
National Committee for Labor
Israel, will address the weekly
Histradut campaign rally on
Thursday at the Labor Zionist

A. twelve-week training course

is given at a point close to the
recruit'? home, for a two-hour
period one day a week, at the
recruit's convenience, either in
the morning, afternoon or eve-
ning.

Karl Haas to Present
Lecture-Recital Series-

Institute.
'morels Lieberman, 'campaign

chairman, issued an urgent call
to the friends and workers of
Histradut for immediate financial
aid to Histradut.
The first week of the Narnir
Drive indicates an increase in the
tempo of the campaign. Branch
10 of LZOA is leading the Labor
Zionist movement with 101 per
cent, LZOA branch 6 and P.W.O.
Club 1 have 83 per cent.
The furniture division reached
112 per cent and cornmunnal
workers division 97 per cent.

Karl Haas, Detroit pianist and
music director of Temple Israel,
will begin a series of 10 lecture-
recitals, designed to further the
layman's interest and apprecia-
MOTHERS CLUB ONEG
tion of music at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday
Members of the 12th Street
at the Baldwin Recital Hall,
Mothers Club of the Jewish Com-
Woodward at Ferry.
For registration call the Bald- munity Center will conduct an
Oneg Shabbat at 2 p.m. Saturday.
win Piano Co., TR. 3-6800.

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