Pa ge Four
THE JEWISH NEWS
THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, November 6, 1942
Willkie's Wise Reminder
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.
By DR. MORDECAI M. KAPLAN
Rabbi of Society for Advance-
ment of Judaism, New York
Published every Friday by Jewish News Publishing Co., 2114
Penobscot Bldg., Detroit, Mich. Telephone, RAndolph 7956. Sub-
scription rate, $3 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.
The problem of Jewish sur-
vival reduces itself to the ques=
tion whether such survival is
compatible with the option which
Jews have of accepting or re-
jecting Judaism. The element of
voluntarism must henceforth be
reckoned with to a degree never
called for in the past.
The possible alternative of ac-
cepting the dominant faith in-
volved breaking with habits and
the whole complex of associa-
tions, which exercised what may
be called an inner or autonomous
coercive force. The average per-
son could not overcome such in-
ner coercion.
Application for Second Class matter pending at Detroit, Mich.
MAURICE H. 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
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
VOL. 2—NO. 3
NOVEMBER 6, 1942
2 DOMINANT FACTORS
This Week's Scriptural Portions:
On the Sabbath of this week, the twenty-seventh day of
Heshvan, the following Scriptural selections will be read in
our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 23:1-25:18;
Prophetical portion, I Kings, 1:1-31. On Rosh Hodesh Kislev,
on Tuesday, Num. 28:1-15 will be read in our synagogues.
The War Chest's Zero Hour
Solicitations for the War Chest are progressing at a
Slower pace than was originally expected. It was believed
that the quota of $5,800,000 would not only be subscribed
at the appointed time—on Nov. 12, when the drive is
scheduled to conclude—but that this amount would be
oversubscribed. It is evident, however, that the workers
will have to increase their efforts to reach all the prospects
if the great humanitarian campaign is to be successful.
Workers and contributors alike must ever keep in
mind the fact that the War Chest finances every important
relief movement, and its funds will provide for the needs
of the impoverished and oppressed among the United
Nations. The success of the War Chest campaign must,
therefore, be listed among the important war objectives
on the home front.
Inclusion of the Allied Jewish Campaign in the War
Chest budget increases Jewish responsibilities in the
drive. All of our needs for the coming year are to be
provided for in this drive, and we must do all that is
humanly possible to help assure the success of the solici-
tations.
We are confident that the War Chest will be a suc-
cess—provided that solicitors and contributors will fulfill
all their obligations during this campaign.
The Earmarks of a Libel
Last week's story released by United Press, stating
that "Congressional circles understood" that Henry Mor-
genthau, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury, "is being urged
to relinquish his Cabinet post to assume charge of the
Zionist movement for establishing Palestine as the nation-
al home of the Jews," has all the earmarks of an anti-
Semitic libel.
-
This story was complicated by an additional assertion
that "persons close to Morgenthau assert that the Treasury
Secretary is not likely to take leadership of the Zionist
movement unless personally urged to do so by President
Roosevelt." Anyone who knows the situation in -Wash-
ington will at once recognize in this report an attempt
to confuse the minds of people and to lead them to be-
lieve that the President and members of his Cabinet are
concerning themselves with matters unrelated to the pres-
ent crisis.
Coming as thiS report did on the eve of the celebra-
tion of the 25th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration,
there is some ground for believing that the news agency's
report is a result of the imagination of people unfriendly
to both President Roosevelt and the Jewish people. For,
while Zionists plead for our Goverment's assistance in
assuring that pledges to the Jews will be honored, we do
not ask Cabinet officers give. up their posts for this pur-
pose.
The rumor about Mr. Morgenthau is resimiscent of
a similar story that was circulated about the late Louis
D. Brandeis, while the eminent jurist was still a member
of the highest court in the land. Because he was such an
ardent Zionist, the story was circulated that he was
abandoning his judicial post to become the president of
the World Zionist Organization. That story was as untrue
as is the report now spread about Mr. Morgenthau, who
is so much less likely to assume a Zionist role since ' he
has never been affiliated with the movement. Recently,
Mr. Morgenthau issued a statement about Palestine which
gave some encouragement that his aid can be enlisted in
behalf of the cause of Jewish national rebirth in Pales-
tine. But the possibility of his assuming a position of lead-
ership in the movement, or of giving up a place he fills so
;well in our Government, is so fantastic as to be recognized
at once as being malicious.
Jewish Survival
Our Army and Navy Committee
All this has changed. The aver-
age Jew can now stop living as
a Jew without having to accept
the dominant faith. He can satis-
fy all his functional, rational and
even spiritual needs outside Jew-
ish life, without incurring the
stigma of being a deserter. Only
those in whom the inner coercive
force of habit and association still
operates, go on living as Jews.
That his inner coercive force still
operates is due to two factors:
(1) the hangover of pre-emanci-
pation prejudices against Jews,
and (2) the hangover of ways of
life developed under pre-eman-
cipation conditions. As hang-
overs these factors are bound to
play a diminishing part in Jewish
life. If Jewish life is to continue,
it must be supplied by a new flow
of inner coercive energy.
Increased activities by the Detroit Army and Navy
Committee of the Jewish Welfare Board are evidenced
in the year's report submitted by Henry Meyers, Metro-
politan Detroit's USO president who has been succeeded
to the chairmanship of the Army-Navy Committee by
Samuel H. Rubiner.
WHENCE NEW ENERGY?
But the crucial question is:
As' the war progresses and as larger numbers of our where is this new inner coercive
young men are entering the armed forces, this committee energy to come from? It is evi-
assumes a role of major importance on the calendar of dent that with the option which
community events. Its program calls for strengthening American Jews have of giving up
the morale of men in uniform as well as of their parents their Judaism, any prospect of
wh.o are anxious that the soldiers and sailors receive the their retaining it must be based
on voluntary choice. It is equally
most courteous treatment wherever they may be.
evident, however, that if nothing
The Jewish community's committee is serving not only but voluntarism is to obtain in
the immediate Detroit area, but also the men in service Jewish life, the possibility of its
at Battle Creek, in Mt. Clemens and Sault Ste. Marie. The continuance is out of question.
months to come will bring with them greater demands No form of cooperative effort can
made to depend purely on
upon its facilities. We are confident that all Jewish or- be
voluntarism. Some form of com-
ganizations and synagogues represented on this com- mitment
must be combined with
mittee will render the wholehearted cooperation neces- voluntarism to prevent the will
sary to fulfill an important task on the home front during from acting anarchically or ir-
the war.
responsibly. All commitment in-
Judge Harry B. Keidan
In deference to his extreme modesty, nothing has been
said in advance about the 60th birthday of Judge Harry
B. Keidan, on Nov. 1.
One of the ablest jurists on the Bench, a man of great
faith and learning, Judge Keidan has been the symbol of
the highest idealism in Jewish life. He has the best wishes
of the entire community, and it is thrilling to know that
the high regard in which he is held by Christians and
Jews alike reflects his record of more than 30 years of
devoted service to his city, state and country.
Palestine's Birth Rate
Palcor News Agency has made public facts regarding
the birth rate in Palestine, and the figures presented have
an interesting lesson for Jews who are concerned about the
transformation of the settlers in the Jewish National Home
from merchants and office employees into agriculturists.
While the large cities in the Yishuv of Palestine are
showing a decline in the birth rate, during the war period,
the situation is different in the Kibbutzim, the collective
settlements. The higher level of birthrate in the colonies
is being maintained and the figures just made public are :
BIRTH RATE PER 1,000 ADULTS
Year
1937-38
1938-39
1939-40
1940-41
Yishuv
54
47
49
42
Kibbutzim
55
54
57
48
In order to avoid influence of the lower age levels
in the Keren Hayesod collectives, the data for the above
table was gathered on the basis of 1,000 adults in the age
group of 20 to 45.
As in other fields of Palestinian activities, the Kib-
butzim appear to hold up better than the cities in time
of crisis. The maintenance of the birth rate by the Jewish
colonies speaks volumes in favor of the back-to-the-land
movement as well as the ideal incorporated in the col-
lectives and the wholesome attitudes they create among
the settlers. By eliminating the commercialized competi-
tive elements inherent in the life of the large cities and
by creating a spirit of cooperation, the colonies created
with public funds raised among the Jews of the world—
the bulk at present coming from the Jews of America—
are setting an example which should exert influence upon
the post-war world during the period of reconstruction
that will follow the present years of terror and vandalism.
troduces an element of autono-
mous or inner coercion.
DIVERSITY IN UNITY
The synthesis cf voluntarism
with inner coercion must hence-
forth form the basis of Jewish
life in the diaspora. Such syn-
thesis will give rise to various
communal and cultural institu-
tions. To be affiliated with them
will constitute a commitment and
will foster personal habits and
associations. This commitment
and these habits and associations
will function as an inner or au-
tonommous coercive force.
But so long as the element of
option or voluntarism is bound
to figure more than ever in Jew-
ish life, Judaism must be ren-
dered as acceptable as possible to
the individual Jew. How is that
to be achieved? The fact is that
the tendency of human life in
general is to become more and
more heterogeneous in outlook
and in tastes. It is, therefore,
impossible to expect that any one
conception of Judaism or pattern
of Jewish life will be found ac-
ceptable to all Jews. Allowance
must therefore be made for dif-
ferences in outlook and tastes.
The only hope, therefore, of bas-
ing Judaism on the principle of
voluntarism is in having Judaism
itself henceforth recognize the
principle of diversity in unity.
This means that those who plan
for its future must concern them-
selves with the task of solving
the problem of maintaining
Jewish unity without insisting on
absolute uniformity. This prob-
lem has to be dealt with in de-
tailed fashion principally in the
following domains: (1) Jewish
education and culture; (2) Jewish
ritual observance; (3) Jewish so-
cial structure, and (4) the
place of Palestine in Jewish life.
Unless the principle of diversity
in unity is extended into each of
these areas of Jewish interest, the (
fundamental problem will not be
solved. No half-way measures
will do.