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Page Four

THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, October 2, 1942

Breaking the Chains

THE JEWISH NEWS

The Weekly
Sermonette

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.

Published every Friday by Jewish News Publishing Co., 2114
Penobscot Bldg., Detroit, Mich. Telephone, RAndolph 7956. Sub-
scription rate, S3 a year; foreign, $4 a year. Club subscription of one
issue a month, published every fourth Friday in the month, to all
subscribers to Allied Jewish Campaign of Jewish Welfare Federa-
tion of Detroit, in accordance with 1942 Allied Jewish Campaign
*pledges, at 50 cents a club subscription per year.
Application for Second Class matter pending at Detroit, Mich.

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Priorities of Life:
A Succoth Sermonette

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By RABBI MORRIS ADLER

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"Ye sfiall dwell in booths seven
days; all that are home-born in
Israel shall dwell in booths, that
your generations may know that •
I made the children of Israel to -
dwell'in booths, when I brought,:
them out of the land of Egypt; I •
am the Lord your God." (Levitt-
cut 24:42, 43) •

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On the Sabbath of this week, which corresponds with Shemini
Atzeret, the eighth day of the Succoth festival, the following Scrip-
tural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal por-
tions, Deut. 15:19-16:17; Num. 29:35-30:1; prophetkal portion, I Kings
8:54-66 or -9:1. On Sunday, Simhath Torah, the Feast of Rejoicing
in the Law, the following Scriptural selections will be read: Penta-
teuchal portions, Deut. 33:1-34:12; Gen. 1:1-2:3; Num. 29:35-30:1;
Prophetical portion, Joshua 1.

1- ,Lzitetrerpf:;-*5;

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Words and ideas have a destiny
of their own. A generation or an
epoch will select from the ac-
cumulated vocabulary of the ages,
that term or
phrase, w h i c h
best represents
its mood, and
gives it especial
and emphatic
si g nificance.
Thus in one age,
in one land, the
triad "liberty,
equality,
fra-
ternity" may
strike the deep- Rabbi Adler
est chord; in another age, in an-
other land the vague word "race"
is given inflated importance ands
becomes a people's sign - post to
tragedy. A not inaccurate history,
can be written, on the basis of the

MAURICE II. SCHWARTZ and PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Publishers

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MAURICE ARONSSON
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
FRED M. BUTZEL
ISIDORE SOBELOFF
THEODORE LEVIN
ABRAHAM SRERE
— MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ
HENRY WINEMAN

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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor

VOL. 1—NO. 28

OCTOBER 2, 1942

From Chaos to Order

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Detroit's War Chest appeal is being described as an
effort to create order out of chaos in fund-raising during GUEST EDITORIAL
the present emergency.
words which the passing ages
A glance at the causes included in the War Chest
have emblazoned upon their ban - '
and an accounting of the multiplicity of relief drives con-
ners. The term so chosen, ex-!
By FRED M. BUTZEL
ducted in behalf of the war-stricken peoples of the world
presses in a highly concentrated. ,
will give credence to this claim.
On many occasions the rivalry of our Jewish organi- form the temper of the day.
American communities cannot afford to be hopelessly zations to duplicate one another's work, obtain credit and
Our age, likewise, is forging !
split into different groups in aiding the persecuted. Just Prestige and thereby to confuse public thinking and plan- out of its own experiences, out of
as the war effort calls for unity of action as well as unity ning is a source of great embarrassment.
its fears, anxieties and sorrows;
of purpose, so does the relief effort demand similar co-
However, there are fields in which rivalry and the a vocabulary eloquent of ital
ordination of activities.
seeking of prestige are all to the good. Recently the needs and attitudes. A whole h
of terms have assumed new atiscti
In the main, the desire on the part of spokesmen for Franklin Hills Country Club staged a fine demonstration deeper meaning in our day.
Onel
all elements in the community and for leaders in all faiths of patriotism by giving a dinner for the
word which has been lifted out oft '
to create a united whole out of the many elements which purpose of focusing the attention of its
the obscurity in which it long re - 1
compose metropolitan Detroit is the most encouraging members on subscriptions to the war loans.
sided, and given a special place ini •
indication of the existence of unity of purpose in the hearts Now comes the Knollwood Country Club
our contemporary speech is "pri - :
ority." The business man em - t
of all Americans. This is a time for the elimination of which seeks to outdo in friendly rivalry the
ploys it, the professional man
conflicting differences and for the solidification of our record of money raising already achieved. A

Knollwood' s

forces. Every life saved for the United Nations means the million

W ar Bond Drive

dollars is no snide amount even in

strengthening of the worldwide battlefront against Nazism. these days of billions, and with the energetic
To encourage a multiplicity of drives would mean the type of leadership at the Knollwood Coun-
rs;',
introduction of chaos; to avoid such multiplicity of appeals try Club there is. good reason to expect Fred 14. - Itu tzei
means the establishment of order in our community.
that the amount will be subscribed. I am sure that in this
By becoming a part of the War Chest. the Jewish event all rival organizations will want to wish the Knoll-
community of Detroit has completed the unifying effort wood Country Club good luck.
In our Allied Jewish Campaigns where we also have
for inter-faith action in the present emergency. This is
action which should not only improve fund-raising poll- considerable rivalry between teams, the success of
•ies, but should also lead to increased good will among one team is never begrudged by another. There
the various groups which compose the great $5,800,000 are many places where rivalry is in order and others where

drive. The War Chest should be an instrument for creating cooperation is in order, and in Jewish life the two very

"order out of chaos" not merely in philanthropy but also often seem to coincide. At any rate, the entire Jewish
community watches with deep interest and prayerful hope
in human relations among all American citizens.
the result of this important selling campaign and wishes

A Miniature Synagogue Council

the officers and members of the Knollwood Country Club
success and over-subscription of its quota of War Savings

Dr. B. Benedict Glazer's proposal, in his Guest Edi Bonds.
torial in last week's issue of The Jewish News, that a Syna-
gogue Council be set up in Detroit to deal with all religious

issues that may face this community, should be taken very
seriously by our Rabbis and Congregations.

Detroit's USO President

All Detroit Jews share in the honors accorded Henry
Meyers in being selected for the presidency of the Metro-

From time to time, emergency issues arise demanding politan Detroit USO.
speedy action. Heretofore, in Detroit and in other corn-This excellent choice marks an elevation for Mr.

munities, there has been appalling confusion. Orthodox Meyers from the Chairmanship of the Detroit Jewish
leaders have differed from Reform and Conservatives, and Welfare Board Army and Navy Committee. A former
lack of adequate machinery in dealing with the problems president of the Jewish Community Center, president of
not only failed to present a united Jewish front but created the midwest conference of the Jewish Welfare Board and

also unnecessary internal difficulties.

a vice-president of the Jewish Welfare Federation, Mr.
Dr. Glazer proposes proper action in dealing with our Meyers comes to his new post well trained for the impor-

tant and responsible post with the USO.
community. His plan should be taken up by Rabbis, syna-
The honor accorded him is well earned, and the fact
gogue boards and other groups that are concerned in cre- that he had served his apprenticeship for community
ating amity within our ranks. The sooner the three re- service with the Jewish organizations reacts to the credit
ligious Jewish groups get together to act on this proposal, of Detroit Jewry.
the better for the entire Detroit Jewry.
It is a distinct pleasure to congratulate Mr. Meyers
on the high honor conferred upon him by his fellow

community problem affecting our existence as a religious

considers it, the writer weaves it!
into the pattern of his composi-,
tion. It has pushed far into the,
background such phrases as "car
in every garage," "business is .
business," "neutrality," "indivi -
dualism" — slogans of a day that
already seems to belong to the
prehistoric past.
Now ■ Essentials Are Obstacles
The term is symbolic of a new;
and chastened attitude. It is ex..:
pressive of the realization. that -
has overwhelmed us, under the
impact of the mounting dangers
and horrors of the world situa-
tion, that a scale of values must'
at once be applied to our life.'
First things must come first, last;
things last. The secondary give .
way to the primary, the lesser to
the greater. Non - essentials are ;
obstacles, if they divert attention:
from essentials. We cannot con-1
tinue any longer, what one col - 1
lege student was described as
doing, "majoring in minors."
If I were asked to describe in a
word the meaning of the Succah,
I would say "It seeks to call our !
attention to the true priorities of ■
Israel, coming in con - I
tact with the relativelyrich and'
complex civilization of r Canaan
was instructed, through the sym-
holism of the Succah, not to aban-
don its earlier simplicities. A de-
veloping and expanding civiliza - .=>
tion is not without its dangers.

It multiplies, in Thoreau's magni-

ficent phrase, "improved means to
unimproved ends." It overbur -
dens life with the secondary and
citizens.
the derivative.
The Goals of Life
The Festival of Tabernacles
Dr. Joseph Hermann lIertz, Chief Rabbi of the
seems to say to man, "Go forth
'United Ilebrew Congregations of the British Empire, has
An excellent showing has been made during the from the roaring city; leave be-
reached his 70th birthday and is receiving the greetings past fortnight in the War Bond sales conducted by Detroit hind the 'maddening crowd's ig-
of Jews throughout the world.
synagogues and other organizations.
noble strife'; retire to the simp/i
After 29 years of service in his present position, • More than a million dollars worth _of Bonds were city and serenity of the Succah. .
Britain's Chief Rabbi has emerged as one of the most bought in response to appeals in
the synagogues, and an From its vantage point you will
powerful personalities in the present war. Like the Cath- additional million is certain to be added' to this total by see yourself in better perspective,
and will be able the rnore:whole-
()lie and Protestant church heads in England, he has the a

The Chief Rabbi at 70

Only a Beginning

ppeal now being conducted by Knollwood Country
helped to keep up the morale of the people of England Club.
and to hold high the banner of justice and decency.
This record should serve as a precedent for future
The first student to be graduated from the Jewish action. Purchase of War Bonds is not a substitute for
Theological Seminary of America in 1894, Dr. Hertz may charity: it is the best sort
of investment one can
well be considered America's contribution to English make. It is an investment with our Government possibly
in the
Jewry. As a leader in world Zionist activities, he has conduct of the present war to guarantee our liberties
earned the honor accorded him by the decision to plant and the future security of
our children.
•
a forest in Palestine, in his name, on the occasion of his
May the spirit which motivated these successful cam-
70th birthday. May his hands be strengthened and may paigns
continue and may this be only a beginning for
he be privileged to continue to

peace as

he is now doing in war.

minister to his people in increased future efforts in the purchase of War. Bond:
by our fellow .citizens.

sornely to. assess .-your .dalry
suits. • Free yourself 'frofn, the
bondage of things antrthe . surfeit

of comforts. Look. throth . the

leaf - bedecked covering
the stars above."
_

SUCC8ifi

to

'We must return to the funcla-

mental simplicities of_ faith and

living. Then, unencuMbercd by

s the
he stifling
stifling and the secondary we

to the ,appreciation of

that - which is primary and en-

during.

