THE JEWISH NEWS
Page Six
THE • JEWISH NEWS
April 24, 1942
The New Jailer
The Weekly
Sermonette
Published every Friday by the Jewish News Publishing Co.,
Inc., 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit. Mich. Telephone RAndolph 7956.
Subscription rates, $3 a year; foreign, $4 a year.
Member of Independent Jewish Press Service, Jewish Tele-
graphic Agency, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Religious News
Service, Palcor News Agency, Bressler cartoon Service, Wide
World Photo Service.
ON GIVING TOO MUCH
By RABBI JOSHUA S. SPERKA.
"There are things, the fruits of
which man enjoys in this world,
while the stock remains for him
in the world to come."—Mishna.
MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ and PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Publishers
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Maurice Aronsson•
Fred M. Butzel
Theodore Levin
Maurice H. Schwartz
Philip Slomovitz
Isidore Sobeloff
Abraham Srere
Henry Wineman
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
On this Sabbath, the eighth day in the month of Iyar, 5702,
the following selections w ill be read from the Torah in our Syna-
gogues: Pentateuchal portion. Lev. 16:1-z0:27; Prophetical portion,
Amos 9:7-15. or Ezek. 22:1-19 (or 16).
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APRIL 24, 1942
VOL. I—NO. 5
Our Credo
(Reprinted from Our First Issue, March 27, 1942)
The Jewish News believes in the American way
of life and is here to contribute everything possible
towards its survival.
The Jewish News believes in the sacred Amer- .
ican ideal of Fair Play and dedicates itself towards
the complete realization of this ideal.
The Jewish News is confident that Americans
are prepared to fight for their rights and that they
will refuse to permit fear to dominate our land. We
are here to help defeat the spirit of fear.
The Jewish News believes in the Four Freedoms
An Unfortunate Blunder
A classified advertisement in the Detroit News
on
Sunday read as follows :
AMERICAN Nationalist very much desires job or position
with someone who can place themselves in the same category.
Anti-Semetic. Box 5370, Detroit News.
enunciated by President Roosevelt and will fight for
these freedoms on every American front, in the Amer-
ican way.
The Jewish News pledges itself to a program
whose concern it becomes to keep Jews and non-Jews
fully informed on facts relating to the Jewish posi-
tion ; whose chief Interest it is to advance the morale
of our people and to hold high the banner of democ-
racy, religious freedom and good will among all
faiths_L to fight against fraud, deceit and misrepre-
sentation, and in that spirit to set a high example for
ethical conduct in our community. •
We are motivated by the 'community responsi-
bility of establishing the most friendly inter-denomi-
national relations, of advancing the Good Neighbor
The grammar, the incorrect spelling of the name of
the group he dislikes, the idea of seeking association with
someone who can place himself in his category, reveals the
character of the advertiser.
We happen to know the attitude of the Detroit News
and are therefore less alarmed than we might have been
over this blunder. We do not hesitate to call it a blunder,
since insertion of such an advertisement is, to our knowl-
edge, contrary to the policy of the News.
Therefore we have more valid reason for- urging that
greater care be exercised in the future by members of the
staff of the Detroit News in accepting discriminating ad-
vertisements. A person who is anti Semitic is in all likeli
' hood also pro Axis and therefore un American. There is
no room for un-American utterances . in the American
press.
some American life based on inter-faith co-operation.
We lcome , Dr. Weizmann
policy between Jews and non-Jews, of. establishing
the type of relations which serve to build a whole-
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Dr. Chaim Weizmann is in this country after a long
in securing transportation. He and Mrs. Weizmann
delay in
had
had planned to come here two months ago, and the post-
ponement in this visit was occasioned by the tragic death
Pierre Laval is neither more nor less than a tool of of their son, in the course of duty with the R. A. F. The
Adolf Hitler.
fight to secure British approval for the formation of a Jew-
In the devastating stt,,l.v of th e new head of the en- ish military unit in Palestine was the cause of another
slaved French people, Henri l'orres, who was the defender delay.
of Sholem Schwarzbard, the assassin of the pogromist
Now, having come here in the interests of cementing
Semion Petliura, and who was to defend Herschel Grynsz- sentiments in behalf of a Jewish Palestine, it is to be
pan had _lot France been betrayed to the Nazis, describes hoped that Dr. Weizmann will receive the support his mis-
Laval as "the lackey," and as one of the most treacherous lion deserves. He is here especially in the cause of unity,
of men.
if he succeeds in creating a spirit of amity among the
In this most interesting story of Laval, published by Zionist and anti-Zionist groups, he will have achieved the
In
the Oxford Press, Torres predicted on May 10, 1941 :greatest success of his career.
"Germany holds him in reserve. Tomorrow he may be
We stand a good chance to gain advantages for mil-
back in power; the cup of shame has not yet been drunk lions of downtrodden Jews when the peace comes. But
to its dregs. But even today he dares not show himself in we also stand the chance of failing to get these benefits if
the streets of the capital."
we are not united in principle and in spirit. In his address
This prediction has come true. Laval, branded b y b e fore th e Detroit. Allied Jewish Campaign audience here
Torres as a traitor, is again in power and is surrounded by last week, Dr. Abba Hillel Silver made this important
a gang, again in Torres' words, "all of them vultures who statement: "Anyone who is sectarian is unworthy of Jew-
were able to spread their wings only over the charnel ish leadership. There is one destiny for all of us, and we
house of defeat. He is also surrounded by the curses of must work as a unit. This is no time for doctrinaire dis-
the people of Paris, unanimous in their hatred for him and cussions or romancing."
in their faith in the liberation of France by a victory of the
This is a warning that should be heeded in all serious-
'Allies." May the latter prediction of M. Torres come true ness. We are in danger, as Dr. Silver said, of coming out
as speedily as has his prophecy that Germany held Laval of the certain victory, after the war, "an unrequited and
reserve.
Unrewarded people." We must guard against that by aim-
ing to achieve unity in the present crisis. Dr. Weizmann
should therefore be given all the aid Ameridan Jews have
at their command to assure success for his mission and to
Polish-Jewish mortality figures, just made public, are help him mould American Jewry into an unified and co-
Sufficient to horrify even the most calloused.
operating • community.
The recently suspended Cracow Polish-Jewish newt
paper "Gazeta Zydowska" gave the following information
on Warsaw "Jewish burials" for three months in 1941:
April, 2,061; May, 3,881 June, 4,290.
The Saturday Evening Post has made
rgtraction
Compare these with the figures for the two preceding that is tantamount to an apology. In paid adveriisements
years: 1940: April, 1,044 ; May, 856 ; June, -650; 1939; carrying reproductions of the editorial by its new editor,
Pierre Laval the La ckey
Is Polish Jewry Doomed?
The Saturday Evening Post: pology
April, 382; May, 352; June, 334.
Ben Hibbs, the Post expresses regret over the "misunder
If ever there was doubt as to the future of Polish standings" that -have arisen over the Milton Mayer article
Jewry, and especially the Jews of Warsaw, should the and asserts that "the Post never has been, is not now, and
Nazi terror continue, these figures provide the answer. never will be anti-Semitic in belief or expression."
There is nothing in all human records to compare
This is a welcome declaration and is a victory for the
with such tragedy.
American ideal of fair play. It is a direct contradiction of
How heart rending is Polish Jewry's cry, "Whence the stand taken, until its suppression by our GoVernment,
cometh our help!" And how well may they who can still by Coughlin's violently.anti-Semitic "Social JustiCe."
be helped direct this call to us, who are so fortunate in this
These are proofs - -of the accepted fact that justice
bitter period of historic transformations!
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must, as it will, .prevail in this cctuatrYfr . •
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Ii in the moral world crimes
were immediately and fully pun-
ished humanity could not sur-
vive, for is there a man righte-
ous on earth who commits no
sin? If all virtue were immed-
iately and fully rewarded hu-
manity could not be, because all
would ape an- -
gelic-deeds for
pay and remun-,
eration. For the
development of
human beings,
the reaction of
either good or
I evil is not ob-
vious in the ac-
tion. However,
the seed of re-
.ward is hidden
in the flower of Rabbi Sperka
virtue, even as the seed of evil
is hidden in the fruit of crime.
Though compensation is most
often unapparent, it inherently
exists for those who seek it or
need it.
STRENGTH AND REWARD
Thus criminal and sinful peo-
ple find excuse in that they
could not foresee the evil results
of their acts. But what ails us,
is the prevailing disconcern even
with the moral and spiritual
compensation inherent in acts of
duty and charity; Our pious
fathers living in persecution and
pogroms felt the reward of being
Jews even at the ' dear price of
their own liv es. our proud
fathers living in discrimination
and dejection of men, enjoyed
God's regard and became cultur-
ally and spiritually more creative
than their "superiors. -
Our
saintly fathers in living as Jews.
nd
emo
religion, customs
and ceremon i es f e lt t h ey were
giving little and
e's receiving much.
Our loyal fathers in maintaining
the Synagogue and attending its
services were compensated in
strength and faith out of all pro-
portion to their efforts. Our de-
voted fathers in sustaining lion
and educational institutio
were sustained; in supporting so-
cial and welfare agencies they
found strength, sus
and
ample reward. sustenance
am
ESCAPING THE FAITH
Men of little faith and of less
piety, of little pride and of less
firmness, are "uncommonly un-
selfish." They give and desire
nothing in return. More than
that they will get nothing in re-
turn. If they were born Jews
they wish to escape the benefits
of their religion, culture and
dest iny. If they must belong to a
Synagogue
gue promise them they
need not come there. If they
come to a Synagogue stir them
not to prayer and participation.
If they must maintain an organi
nation don't bother them with its
social or cultural benefits. If ed-
ucati onal institutions have to be
- created let the other's children
attend. Such people giVe too
much.
PRESERVING JUDAISM
In normal times these may ex-
elude themselves from Klal
Yisrael. Today the community of
Israel stands in need of strong,
-firm and proud men and women.
Everyone of us must be equip-
.ped with a 'positive strength to
preserve the heritage of Judaism
and its civilizing influences. No
man will dare, fight, or sacrifice
for any empty non - creative, - non-
beneficial way of life. To see us
through this War to victory, to
preserve our freedom, to - Main-
tain our religion and to .provide
a creative destiny for our-people
we need and must seek.. every
source of strength -and support.
O ur enemics. are • equipped with ,
' strengt4 _of. forge arid
Can
we,deny ourselves the strength of:
loyalty and courage, of faith and
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