Alltericam ffewislt Periodical en
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
rage 4
Detroit Jewish Chronicle
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Published Weekly by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
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900 Lawyers' Building, Detroit 26, Michigan
SUBSCRIPTION
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Entered as Second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at
Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879
This thick volume is the fourth
in a series of six on the history
of civilization. It surveys the
period from 325 to 1300 C.E.
II Adar 22, 5111
The Iraq Disaster
The existence of the Jewish communities in the Mos-
lem countries is apparently coming to a rapid close.
Ever since the war between the Arabs and Israel it has
been the consistent policy of the Arab countries to make
their cities and villages what Hitler called "judenrein."
A few months ago, it was the plight of the Jews in
Yemen that inspired one of the most daring feats of res-
cue work known in Jewish history: "Operation Magic
Carpet" transplanted almost the entire Jewish commun-
ity of Yemen to Israel and thus saved thousands from
death and disaster.
Now it is Iraq's turn. The information coming out of
Iraq leaves no doubt that the situation is serious and
that the pressure is so strong that the great majority of
the Iraq Jews is trying to leave the country by all legal
and illegal means. The situation becomes even more com-
plicated by the fact that Iraq has set May 31 as the dead-
line for emigration.
In the well tested Hitler manner, Iraq is exploiting
the panic of its Jews economically by issuing "laws"
which make it impossible for emigrants to take their
possessions with them.
Israel has done the only two things it could do: it
has appealed to American Jewry for financial assistance
in order to give the Iraq Jews a home in the Jewish state,
and it has decided to carry the issue to the United Nations
and seek international intervention in the persecution
of Jews. •
We hope that the UN will not fail to take immediate
steps to stop Iraq from continuing its policy of expulsion
and extermination. The world has enough trouble with
Korea and other sore spots and needs no additional diffi-
culties. Iraq has no reason to expel its Jews who have
been living there in peace an harmony with their neigh-
bors for centuries. The only possible motive is Iraq's
desire to demonstrate its hostility toward the Jewish
state. We do not know of any grounds on which Iraq
could justify its action.
Despite its own economic impasse, Israel has no
choice other than continue its open-door policy. The
influx of some 70,000 Iraqi Jews will become a tremend-
ous drain on Israel's economy. But the Jewish state will
not and cannot give up. It is morally bound to continue
the fight for freedom of all Jews who cannot find a home
elsewhere.
It is imperative that American Jews do what they
can to enable Israel to discharge this duty. The call for
money, and more money, has been reaching us so often
that our ears hardly react to it any more. However, if
the beginnings of the 1951 UJA drive are an indication
of American Jewry's present mood, it can be said that our
hearts are still open and our sense of responsibility is
still alive.
American Jewry will not fail its persecuted brothers.
It will extend its helping hand and prove to the world
that dictatorship may be able to steal property and to
kill individuals or drive them from their homes, but that
it cannot touch human dignity or destroy our faith in the
ultimate victory of freedom and democracy.
Russia Stands Accused
Charges against Russia were brought recently in the
United Nations by a delegation of Jewish labor leaders,
They protested that the Soviet Union was carrying on a
pogrom against the Russian Jews.
"We charge," they declared, "that the Soviet cam-
paigns to blot out Jewish cultural life and Jewish iden-
tity are brutal and uncivilized breaches of the UN char-
ter, of the Covenant of Human Rights and of the genocide
convention. We appeal to the conscience of humanity
to intervene in time and terminate this genocide."
Although nobody knows exactly what is going on
in Russia, it seems obvious that, the remnants of Russian
Jewry are in the process of compulsory dissolution.
From the Jewish point of view, this is a major tragedy,
because Russian Jewry has always been one of the main-
stays of progress in modern Jewish life.
Whether the United Nations can force Russia to
mend its ways, is another question. Our experience so
far has not ben encouraging.
Jewish Hospital on the Way
The decision of the Mount Sinai Hospital Association
of Detroit to turn its assets over to the Jewish Hospital
Association is a commendable step forward.
Although it was 'clear from the outset that the vari-
ous smaller groups which have been working toward a
Jewish hospital in Detroit would not get anywhere by
themselves, they were reluctant in the past to merge into
one organization which could do the job more efficiently
and quickly.
The merger of the Mount Sinai Association with the
Jewish Hospital Association, we are sure, will speed up
the construction of the hospital so badly needed by the
Jewish community and the community at large.
Medieval Life
Recorded in
Durant History
By HAROLD S. COVEN
THE AGE OF FAITH by
Will Durant (Simon & Shuster,
New York, 1196 pp. $7.50.)
SEYMOUR TILCHIN
Publisher
GERHARDT NEUMANN
NORMAN KOLIN
Editor
Advertising Manager
Friday, March 30, 1951
Friday, March 30, 1951
Since Jewish life took root in
Europe during the Middle Ages,
it is interesting to turn to the
section of the book entitled
Judaic Civilization.
This section is divided into
three chapters: The Talmud, The
Medieval Jews, and The Mind
and Heart of the Jews.
There is nothing in any of
these chapters that cannot be
found in other, earlier sources.
Durant's feat is simply that he
has systematically organized and
condensed the information and
presented it to the reader with
clarity and understanding.
It is amazing how well he has
grasped the significance of The
Talmud in Jewish life during the
Middle Ages and has realized
how, out of it and the Bible, the
Jews were able to construct a
portable homeland which fortifi-
ed them in the vissicitudes of that
era.
Durant devotes a sub-chapter
By RICHARD H. CROSSMAN,
to the question of anti-Semitism
(From the London New Statesman and Nation)
One
Cross- du'ring the "Dark Ages."
The following are excerpts from an article by Richard
feels
that,
perhaps
due
to
the
man, British member of parliament, who sees the Arab minority in necessity of conforming to space
different
light
than
it
usually
appears
in
articles
from
Israel in a
limits, he has oversimplified too
Israel's Arabs Wealthy,
Disloyal, Briton Finds
Israel.—Ed.
much.
.•
•
•
He states that the main sources
HAT ABOUT THE 150,000 Arab who receives Jewish wages of hostility between non-Jews
YY Arabs who remain in Israel? either hoards them or smuggles and Jews were economic al-
Two years ago, when the war them abroad.
though religious differences gave
edge and cover to economic riv-
was still on, I found a wide-
The devout Moslem woman alries.
spread belief that there would
This explanation is far too
be no Arab-Jewish conflict once will never be anything but ap-
the British were gone. This illu- palled at the behavior of Jewish simplified to be even correct. To
say. as the author does, that
sion is fast disappearing, and re- women.
Christian resentment against the '
sponsible Israeli are at last fac-
The tempos of Jewish and Jews was based upon a "mis-
ing the fact that the way this
small Arab minority is handled Arab progress are so different understanding" of the latter's role
will determine the relations of that the communities can -never in the death of Jesus, as well as
the fact that Jews were the earli-
Israel and her neighbors.
coalesce, unless the Arab be-
bankers during a period when
You can see the problem in comes a Jew (in culture, of est
interest rates were very high, is
its bleakest form at Nazareth, a course, not in religion), and that to reduce the question to almost
wholly Arab city, still under is only possible if the process be- irrelevant manifestations rather
military administration.
gins in childhood and at the than to reveal the causes.
Although the Arab wage rates primary school.
Medieval anti-Semitism was In
• • •
are kept well below the Jewish,
fact the natural result of the ciro-
IT IS THIS DIFFERENCE of umstance that the church pro-
the Histadrut has enormously
improved the economic situation tempo which is forcing some moted it from its earliest days.
of the workers in the town and Israelis towards another solution. The gospels themselves were in
the villagers outside, and pro- Would it not be wiser, they ask, part written by Jew haters, and
vided them with a health serv- to give up a Utopian experiment, the tradition of hatred that they
ice which must be unique in the accept the fact of discrepancy, contain was continued as part of
Middle East,
and solve the problem by a Catholic policy during the entire
Yet Nazareth remains a Com- wholesale exchange of popula- period under consideration.
Even the clemency shown the
munist city (that is, an Arab na- tions?
Why not let the 150,000 Arabs Jews by various popes was gen-
tionalist city). The reasons are
of Israel be transferred to Iraq erated by concern lest the Jews
only too clear.
An Arab wants to go to Haifa, and make place for the Jews of be totally annihilated and the
where he can earn Jewish wage that country, Why not achieve favorite scapegoat lost.
History records church council
rates in the port. But in order peace between Israel and her
de-
to cross the town limits of Naz- neighbors not by union, either after church council issuing
crees
calling
upon
the
faithful
to
political
or
economic,
but
by
areth, he must obtain a permit in
intensify the program of hatred
triplicate, with three photo- separation and an agreement to
against the Jews.
disagree?
graphs.
The reason for all this was
An Arab boy, who before the ' No one from outside can judge simply that the Jews were neces-
war could get higher education between these two alternatives. I sary as an example to a half
at the Arab college in Jeru- think it is worth recording, how- pagan population of what would
salem, must now slip out illegally ever, that every Jordanian with happen to those who refused to
to Beirut if he wants to study whom I talked told me emphati- follow the true faith or question-
cally that the only healthy solu-
and cannot do so in Hebrew.
ed the activities of the guardians
Despite the devoted efforts of tion was the transfer of all the of society.
the IIistadrut, which is also try- Arabs in Israel.
As the poison spread from
ing to introduce cooperative
To an Arab nationalist, the thousands of pulpits, it was only
methods among the olive grow- idea of a minority in Israel being natural that those with economic
ers of Galilee, the Arabs are pampered into accepting the Jew- grievances should take up the cry
still second-class citizens, and ish way of life is more repellent against the Jews. They could not
are treated by the military auth- than the policy of separateness, criticize any other part of the
orities as potential fifth column- which is still dismissed as a sur- social order since all existing
render of Socialist principle by relations were sanctified by the
ists.
• • •
the leading politicians in Tel church.
THE TROUBLE IS THAT, in Aviv.
Upon the raW and pliable
the present state of suppressed
But one thing is certain. To- minds of a semi - barbarian
war between Israel and her day, under the festering uncer- Europe that emerged from the
neighbors, the Israeli army is tainties of the armistice, the ruins of the Roman empire, the
completely justified in treating Arab minority in Israel is both mold of racial and' religious
them in this way. If the for- prosperous and disloyal.
hatred was impressed by those
tunes of war changed, the vast
who were most eager to strength-
By
enormously
improving
their
majority of the Arab minority in
en their own positions.
1,economic
conditions,
the
Hista-
Israel would side, at least
drut
is
removing
any
incentive
passively, with the Arab armies.
What, then, is to be done? for them to leave the country: Hagadah for the Young
A "Hagadah for Young Amer-
The idealists, who arc mostly to by treating them as fifth col-
umnists, the military authorities ican Jews" has been published by
be found in Ben Gurion's
entments Bernard M. Malerman, 504 Pine
hope that, as soon as peace is are nurturing their r es
and
canceling
out
the
work
of st., Philadelphia. It was prepared
signed, the military restrictions
by Isidore E. Krakower. Musical
on Arab movement can be with- the Histadrut.
It is now clear that, in any illustrations were given by Sha-
drawn, and the task of integrat-
Altman, and the pictures
ing the minority begun in earn- peace treaty between Israel and lom
were
contributed by Freda Lei-
Jordan,
the
fate
of
this
Arab
est. They admit that, with the
bovitz
Reiter. The English trans-
minority,
whichever
way
it
is
elder generation, complete suc-
decided, may make all the dif- lations will make it easier for
cess is unlikely.
the Seder
The standard of living is so ference between a lasting peace young people to follow
rites
with
greater
understanding.
paper.
scrap
of
and
a
fantastically different that an