Page Four THE JEWISH NEWS LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR! THE JEWISH NEWS Friday, November 20, 1942 by BRESSLER 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. . The Thanksgiving Feast of Universal Religion 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. Application for Second Class matter pending at Detroit, Mich. By RABBI LEON FRAM Temple Israel Is Thanksgiving Day an Ameri- can National Holiday? If so, it is certainly different from other-na- tional holidays. It bears no re- semblance, for instance, t the Fourth of July, or to Labor ay, for its obse r- %-• vance is almost exclusively in the home and in t h e house of worship. Is Thanksgiv- ing Day, then, a religious h o 1 i- day? If so, it bears no resem- blance to. Christ- R abbi mas, for to ina-ssovRe bsiinF ceraintlis neither distinctively Christian nor distinctively Jewish. MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ and PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Publishers BOARD OF DIRECTORS PHILIP SLOMOVITZ MAURICE ARONSSON ISIDORE SOBELOFF FRED M. BUTZEL ABRAHAM SRERE THEODORE LEVIN HENRY WINEMAN MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor VOL. 2—NO. 5 The Weekly Sermonette NOVEMBER 20, 1942 This Week's Scriptural Portions: On the Sabbath of this week, the twelfth day of Kislev, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our syna- gogues: Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 28:10-32:3; Prophetical portion, Hos. 12:13-14:10; or 11:7-12:12; or 11:7-14:10. It Belongs to All Faiths In view of its origin—the deci- Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Day, the great American festival, is always occasion for great rejoicing because we have so much to be thankful for as citizens who are sheltered by the Stars and Stripes. This Thanksgiving Day is even more significant. We are to observe it during the worst crisis for all humanity, and the most tragic one for Israel, with the knowledge that the principles for which our great Republic stands are the most vital for the preservation of human rights. We are thankful for the ideals which make this land humanity's guide in the fight for freedom for all peoples. We are thankful that the poison which caused the collapse of the European peoples failed to find root in America. We are thankful that the strength retained by our great democracy is now leading the free peoples of the world to victory over the beasts of Europe and Asia. May the ideals and principles which give us cause for thanks soon become the blessings for all mankind. Decline in Jewish. Population It is daily becoming more evident that the Nazis are seriously carrying into effect their threats to reduce th e Jewish population. The leading Nazi gangsters do not hesitate to admit that they seek to "exterminate" the Jews. The latest figures showing the decline of the Jewish population in Europe come from the Norwegian Informa- tion Service. In a bulletin describing seizure by the Nazis of Jewish men and boys from 14 to 75, the Norweigian service reports that the Jewish population in Norway has dwindled to only 800. The American Jewish Book gives the pre-war figures of the Jewish population for Norway as 1,359. The Norwegian Information Service also reports that all Jewish families in Narvik are ;segregated in a single building, in effect a ghetto, and that the total number of Jewish men in Norway is now between 200 and 300. Thus. the nefarious Nazi scheme continues to deci- mate the Jewish population of Europe. But, not unlike our allies in this war, we shall soon see the day of reckoning. When it comes, the Jewish communities of Europe will be rebuilt and there is certain to be recompense for the suffer- ings now suffered by millions of our kinsmen. . Jewish Book Week Observance of annual Jewish Book Week, which will commence this Sunday, is symbolic of the determina- tion of th . e free peoples of the world to carry on their normal activities during the war period. In effect it means that we are strengthening our home front by retaining our cultural values and by refusing to abandon efforts that are vital. for the preservation of our democracy. Annual Jewish Book Week is the occasion for encour- aging the buying and the reading of Jewish books. It calls for encouragement and support of Jewish publishing ven- tures and Jewish authors. The Jewish Publication Society should be remem- bered on this occasion. Also, this annual observance should be utilized for the spreading of books published by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Bloch Publish- ing Co., Behrman's Jewish Book House and the Hebrew Publishing Co. In Detroit, a particular book deserves special attention at this time—Mr. Samuel D. Weinberg's "Jewish Social Services in Detroit," published by the Jewish Welfare Federation. This volume is not only the first Yiddish book to be published by a Federation in this country, but it also has the distinction of being the first Yiddish book, by a Detroiter, published in Detroit. The volume ought to be in the hands of every Jewish leader in the Yiddish- speaking community and every Jewish organization should possess it. Jewish Book Week will be observed in appropriate fashion by the Jewish Community Center and Shaarey Zedek Library. It should also be occasion for celebration in Jewish homes, with parents and children honoring the traditions of the people of the Book by chesishing the value of possessing and reading books. The J. D. C. War Efforts A statement issued this week by Joseph C. Hyman, executive vice-chairman of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, serves to remind us again that the J. D. C. stands in the center of relief activities during this tragic war period. Were it not for the J. D. C., suffering would be much greater among those trapped by the Nazis. Dr. Hyman, in his statement, declared that in accord- ance with the policy for enemy-held territories, established at the beginning of the war, the J. D. C. had advised local French Jewish leaders, prior to the scrapping of the armistice with France by the Nazis, to continue their relief work for refugees and other needy Jews with borrowed funds to be repaid after the war. This was necessary be- cause Nazi control of unoccupied France had cut the Jew- ish community off from direct contact with outside relief agencies. Expressing deep concern over the fate of 200,000 Jews in France-145,000 of them native-born, the rest refugees—Mr. Hyman's statement, nevertheless, carries with it 'encouragement for greater relief among hundreds of thousands of Jews throughout the world. He indicates that while the Jews in France are now in grave danger, th e occupation of North Africa by British and American troops will bring freedom to 330,000 Jews in that sector who have suffered until now from the pro-Nazi laws en- forced by Vichy. There are 110,000 Jews in Algeria, 160,- 000 in French Morocco and 60,000 in Tunisia. Included in these figures are 25,000 refugees who were transported from Europe to work on the trans-Saharan railway. Thus, J. D. C.'s effective program offers hope to the Jews trapped by the Nazis in France, and the North Afri- can Jewish communities will be freed by the troops who are occupying former Nazi-held territories and are raising the banners of the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack. . Buy MORE War Bonds An analysis of the trend in the sales of War Bonds, made by Nate S. Shapero, one of the leaders in the Michi- gan War Bond sales organization, shows that sales in- crease when United Nations' losses are heavy and decline when fortunes of war are with us and our allies. That is unfortunate. It indicates that people are in- clined to wait for calamities before acting. The opposite ought to be the case. The more War Bonds we buy, the more strength we provide for our Government to carry this war to a successful conclusion. If we wait until we are compelled by adverse circumstances to give all we possess towards winning the war, we will be giving aid and comfort to the enemy. We are on the road to victory, and we must pave the way to success for the United Nations. This is the time to buy MORE War Bonds. This is not the time to shirk responsibility. Jewish Fighters on A II Fronts Jewish citizens of democratic countries are earning their spurs as fighters for freedom on all fronts. The encouraging news from the North African, South Pacific and Russian fronts is dotted with thrilling reports about Jewish heroes who have distinguished themselves in the fight against the Axis. The Detroit Jewish community has its share of heroes and casualties. Capt. Ruben Iden and Lieut. Roy F. Green have given their lives in the service of our country. Major Max Weil, reported missing, is one of the great heroes of the battle of Bataan. May the collective sacrifices of the fighters in the cause of the United Nations bring speedy victory for the cause of humanity and freedom the world over sion of the Pilgrim Fathers to de- vote a special day for thanks- giving to God for the first harvest • in the new land—and in view of the customs that have become associated with it, the family re- union at dinner, the home pray- ers, and the Thanksgiving serv- ices at churches and synagogues, the holiday must inevitably be defined as a religious holiday. If 1 so, it is perhaps the only in-1 stance we have of a holiday of 1 universal religion, for its is al day which Protestants, Catholics-1 and Jews observe with equal rev- erence. It belongs to no one of them exclusively, and yet it be-1 longs to all of them. Long before such institutions as "Brotherhood Day," or "Brother- hood Week," were established as an occasion when people of var- ious religions may emphasize the common ideals which unite them- rather than the ideological dis- tinctions which separate them, Thanksgiving Day had already been serving this high purpose. A Second Succoth Long ago and spontaneously, there spread over hundreds of cities of America the custom of community services on Thanks- giving Day, when men and worn- en of all faiths worship God to- gether. It is a good thing that we have this universal day of worship, imbedded deep in the history and the heart of the American people. We Jews, who are especially sensitive to all influences mak- ing for unity and brotherhood, ought to celebrate this holiday with a special "Kavanah," devo- tion. We ought to observe it not only with the turkey feast in the I home, but by attending commun- ity Thanksgiving Services and by ! holding Thanksgiving Services also in our own- synagogues.1 Thanksgiving Day should be for us a second Succoth. Its Basis Is In The Torah When the Pilgrim Fathers de- cided to designate a day of thanksgiving to God, they were undoubtedly influenced by the Biblical description of Succoth; the Autumn Feast of the Harvest in ancient Palestine. "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the Feast of the Lord." (Leviticus Chap. 23, Verse 39). It is for us Jews a matter of , special rejoicing that Thanksgiv- ing Day, too, like so many .of the principles and ideals of the Amer- ican way of life, has its basis in the Torah of Israel. 5,000 Russian Jews Honored for Bravery KUIBYSHEV (JPS). — Five thousand Russian Jews received medals and decorations for braV- ery during the first 15 months of the war, it is reported here. The Jewish commander of a flying squadron, Yusi Trachtner, carried on the tradition of hero- ism on the Stalingrad front, dis- tinguishing himself by shooting down many German airplanes.