Page Four THE JEWI-SH` NEWS Ttit; JEW-ISli NEWS Nettot of tighten Friday, _December ,4 1942 By•BRESSLEM The Weekly Sernionette Member of Independent Jewish Press Service, Jewish Tele- graphic Agency, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Religious News Service, Paicor 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, $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 Sepond Class matter pending at Detroit, Mich. By DR. ISRAEL TABAK Chairman, Rabbinical Council of the Seaboard Region, Balti- more, Md. Copyright, 1942, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc. 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 • VOL. 2—NO. 7 PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor • DECEMBER 4, 1942 This Week's Scriptural Portions: -During Hanukah week, commencing Friday morning, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Friday, Num. 7:1-17; Sabbath Hanukah, Pentateuchal por- tions, Gen. 37:1-40:23 and Num. 7:18-23, Prophetical portion, Zech. 2:14-4:7; Sunday, Num. 7:24-35; Monday, Num. 7:30-41; Tuesday, Num. 7:36-47; Wednesday, Rosh Hodesh Tebet, Num. 28:1-15 and 7:42-47; Thursday, Num. 7:48-53; Friday, Num. 7:54-8:4. . Feast of the Maccabees Hanukah of the year 5703 occurs at a time when all peoples may take heart from the lesson taught by the story of the Maccabees of old. The Maccabeans, like our modern heroes, fought against vandals and heathens. They battled for an ideal Edgar Guest, popular Detroit poet, made the shock- against great odds. They fought for freedom of religion ing revelation at a luncheon of the Detroit Round Table and for the right of men to plan their own destiny. They of Christians and Jews that the announcement of his ap- were victorious against the overwhelming forces of their pointment as the Protestant co-chairman of the Round opponents because they made no concessions in matters Table brought to his desk a flood of abusive mail. involving justice and faith. For those who are uninformed on the actual existence Historians and theologians agree that not only Juda- of an anti-Semitic lunatic fringe, even at this time when ism but also Christianity was saved as a result of the Mac- our country is fighting the Nazi-Fascist ideologists, this cabean triumph. Had that effort failed,. the entire r evelation must have been startling. But as Jews we are foundation for Christianity which was established with used to such information and we should take it calmly, in the preservation of Judaism would have been destroyed order that we may be able to fight it efficiently. and the development of civilization would have been Dr. B. Benedict Glazer was right when he remarked delayed for many decades, perhaps centuries. at that luncheon that "those are the people we must be The heroic battles now being waged against the Nazi- wary of." If the country at large can be made aware of Fascist hordes by the brave American, Russian and British t he existing danger, then some good will come from Rabbi military forces point to an inevitable Maccabean success Glazer's warning. in our time. As in the days of yore, the success of the The fact that Gerald L. K. Smith secured 25,000 votes United Nations is certain to restore light to a long-suffer- t the recent election; the continued spread of anti-Semi- thvg world and to guarantee the perpetuation of justice and ic literature by groups that continue to function in spite liberty for all mankind. f recent round-ups' of pro-Nazi elements by the F. B. I.; With the hope of unending Maccabean victories on 1 he flood of bigoted letters to the newspapers, are indica- lemocratic fronts, we extend best wishes to all Israel for 1 ions that the battle against intolerance is not over. It may 1, very joyous Hanukah. ] ave only just begun. The Lunatic Fringe at Work Post-War Fulfillment Two Serious Losses We are ushering in the obser- vance of the Feast of Lights, and the stirring message of this festi- val should serve as a reservoir of faith and optimism for the hard days that lie ahead.* The successful uprising of the small band of Judeans against the tyr- ant Antiochus was the first epic in the long history of humanity's struggle for Religious Freedom. From Zion came forth the Light of Religion and from Zion also came forth the battle-cry in man's fight for Religious Free- dom. When the aged Mattathias summoned his sons to defend the faith with the call: "Take your soul into your hands and fight the battle of the Lord," he led the way in the struggle which has continued through the cen- turies, and which is being fought with the greatest fury in our very own- day. The Hanukah Prayer The Hanukah prayer of Thanksgiving contains the signi- ficant statement: "Thou didst de- liver the strong into the hands of the weak . . . the wicked into the. hands of the righteous, and the arrogant into the hands of the faithful." Yes, the experience of the Jew has been that the righteous were delivered into the hands of the wicked, and the faithful into the hands of the arrogant. It was only a miracle which re- versed the order. The Arsenal of Religion It is now crystal-clear that the Nazi heathens, like the heathens of yore, are not only bent on crushing the Jew, but on destroy- ing his teachings as well. In order to withstand the bat- tering of the enemy the forces of religion .must be vital; for reli- gion is the spiritual arsenal of democracy. If victory of Judah Maccabee is to mean anything to us today, we have to be guided by the Mac- cabean spirit of loyalty to the faith of our fathers. Now is the time to strengthen our spiritual defenses, if in our days, we are to be worthy of the miracles, the redemption, the mighty deeds and savings acts" for which we offer thanks at this season. Governor Herbert H. Lehman of New York, who this The Jewish people has lost two leaders the past week assumed the post of Director of Foreign Relief and v week, in the deaths of former Detroiter Rehabiah Lewin- Rehabilitation, entrusted to him by President Roosevelt, 1 pstein and the eminent Palestinian leader, Dr. Ben s responsible for a significant statement. In a message Zion Mossinsohn. ;0 the annual .".Night of Stars" of the United Palestine Mr. Lewin-Epstein, scion of an eminent Zionist fam- A.ppeal, held in New York, he expressed the belief that ily, who had made his home in Detroit with his sister and `the spirit which moved the statesmen of the world to brother-in-law, Rabbi and Mrs. A. M. Hershman, was on !mbody the Balfour Declaration in the League of Nations, the way to Palestine on an important mission. He died after the first World War, must again assert itself after i n Cairo, having succumbed to septicaemia following in- he present conflict." i oculations. An eminent economist, former director of This is an expression of faith in the fulfillment of the American Palestine Economic Committee in Tel Aviv, )ledges made to - the Jewish people. The eminent New Mr. Lewin- Epstein was one of the most devoted American Cork leader's statement conies at a time when deep con- Zionists. Humble and modest, his activities were felt in ;ern is felt over the status of the democracies and their ( uarters limited to specialists, but those who know the 'ate after the present war. It is an encouraging expres- i ntricacies of Zionist activities are aware of the great con- The completion of a Synagogue ion which should serve to stimulate unending work for t ributions he had made to the cause of the upbuiding of Council survey of Jewish Religi- he upbuilding of the Jewish National Home to which the Jewish National Home. ous Textbooks with a view to hundreds of thousands will have to look for refuge when - Dr. Mossinsohn, who also was well known to Detroit eliminating passages unfriendly t] he war is over. V Jews, was the director of the Vaad Leurni education de- to other religiouS denominations, Governor Lehman's statement is important also be- partment in Palestine. He was the founder and for 35 was announced by Rabbi Israel ause it comes on the eve of the conference of the National years the director of the Herzlia Secondary School in Tel Goldstein, president of the Syna- Council for Palestine of the United Palestine Appeal, to Aviv. He was a - former Vice-Mayor of Tel Aviv and had gogue Council of America, which ake place in New York this Sunday. His declaration that taken an active part in propagating the Zionist cause in represents' rabbinical and congre- gational groups in American we in the United States, stimulated by the progress which 1- any lands. Judaism, Orthodox, Conservative 0 ur support has made possible, must face the future with May the memory of these two eminent Zionists serve and Reform. he readiness to shoulder gladly the responsibilities of as a blessing for generations to come. Over a period of several years, urthering the upbuilding of Palestine in keeping with the survey has been conducted 7 he needs of anxious and decisive days to come," is a by a Synagogue Council Com- c larion call to all of us not to falter in our duties in the mittee consisting of Rabbi Leo g reat resettlement work in Eretz Israel. The reopening of Detroit's Yiddish playhouse, Litt- Jung of the Jewish Center of r -Ian's People's Theater, for the current season, deserves , New York, chairman, Rabbi n lore than the usual attention from the . Jewish commun- Joseph Zeitlin of Temple Ansche Blum and Mandel i1 y. The fact that- outstanding actors like Jacob Ben-Ami, CheSed of New York, and Rabbi Imprisonment of Leon Blum, former Premier of v ho has made his mark not only on the Yiddish but also A. A. Steinbach of Temple Aha- trance, George Mandel, former Cabinet member, and t e English stage, are included in the Detroit cast, adds vath Sholom of Brooklyn. 0 ;her officials by the Laval government, and their intern- t( The Synagogue Council survey the importance of the current Jewish theatr:cal season, rent by the Gestapo under the personal charge of Hein- Recent efforts to create an active theatrical guild is a sequel to a similar survey r ch Himmler, one of the most cruel Nazi gangsters, is an h ave produced a wholesome effect upon the theatrical which had been conducted by the Levitable result of the tyranny ruling conquered Europe p lanning in , Detroit. They have undoubtedly aroused Federal Council of Churches as )day. g reater interest in this aspect of Jewish cultural activities a result of which recommenda- The cruelties to which the people of Europe are being it the city and it is to the credit of Abraham Littman, tions have been mad'e for the ibjected stagger the imagination. Nazi rule, which does d: rector of the local theater, that he has selected the cast elimination of passages in Chris- A hesitate to speak in terms of exterminating an entire in accordance with the plans advocated by the supporters tian textbooks which reflect un- friendliness toward Jews • and aople, will not hesitate to subject several out8tanding o] the theater guild idea. Judaism. le aders among that people to the most bestial tortures. Our Yiddish theater deserves the community's sup- Rabbi Jung and his committee May the prayers of the free peoples, and the weapons of p o rt, and it is to be hoped that Mr. Littman's renewed he United Nations, protect Israel and these two members ei f orts to give Detroit the best available theatrical talent have examined about 450 volumes in addition to many pamphlets -o ' the People of Israel. . w ill be duly rewarded by large attendances at his theater. and magazine articles., • SynagogueCouncii Finishes Interfaith Relations Study , Detroit's Yiddish Theater