Friday, January 8, 1943

THE JEWISH NEWS

Page Eleven

Dr. Baron's New Book Traces ,THEATER
Program to alp Win War
Littman's Star Cast
Jewish Community, History Will Stage a Comedy Is Aim of Welfare Assembly

3-Volume Work Presents First Comprehensive Study of
A musical comedy, "Chossen Community Funds, Federations, Councils to Be Put on
Kale Mazel Tov," will be staged
Growth from Dim Antiquity Down to American
Advanced War Footing; Unification of 4 Major Defense
at Littman's People's Theater,
Revolution; Rated Monumental Achievement
12th and Seward, this Sunday
Agencies to Be Speeded at Cleveland Jan. 16-18

Community organization problems, the multiplicity of
Jewish movements, the nature of various community ten-
dencies, have created problems and controversies in Amer-
ican Jewish life which raise important questions. The is-
sues involve fund-raising, the position of the religious and
educational movements and the question of conformity of

the Jewish heritage with the 0
American environment.
Our people have had an experi-
ence of more than two millenia in
a field to which the intelligent
and community-minded Jew can
profitably refer. From the Bible
times to the modern period Jew-
ish experience in community liv-
ing has continued in a straight
unbroken, though most extraor-
dinary, line. • For wherever there
were Jews, they faced similar
problems.
Community's Importance
Consequently, there is hardly a
political setup or an economic
system to which they have not, at
one time or another, adjusted
their organized comunal life. It
varied with the background, and
yet succeeded in maintaining an
essential continuity which is
traceable to dimmest antiquity.
DR. SALO W. BARON
The history of the Jewish com-
munity is, in fact, one of the most bewildering and sometimes amus-
important and instructive phases ing. One thing is certain, the
of the history of the Jewish peo- Jewish communities made earn-
ple. What is astonishing is that est 'efforts to insure democracy,
until now no Jewish scholar has though they were frequently no
made the Jewish community the more successful in this respect
subject of a thorough study.
than we are nowadays. Commu-
The need for such a work, how- nities of the past had the addi-
ever, has finally been fulfilled tional problems of religious life
with the publication of a three- to solve; rabbis, teachers and
volume work by Dr. Salo Witt- judges being communal officials.
mayer Baron, professor of Jew- The modern American Jew will
ish history at Columbia Univer- find this portion of the book par-
sity. Dr. Baron's "The Jewish ticularly instructive.
Community: Its History and
Prof. Baron stops with the
Structure to the American Revo- period of emancipation, that is,
lution," has a total of 1,352 pages. at the end of the 18th Century,
The three volumes were publish- with the American and the
ed last week by the Jewish Pub- French Revolutions. Carrying the
lication Society of America, Phil- story farther would have meant
adelphia, Pa. Each volume sells becoming involved in the radical
at $2.50.
changes brought about by the
participation of the Jews in the
Palestine in Early Days
Prof. Baron will be remember- general life of the cities and
ed for the significant work which countries of which they then be-
he published several years ago gan to form an integral part and
under the title, "A Social and Re- by the introduction of Capitalism
ligious History of the Jews." His Which worked a transformation
present study of the Jewish com- in the general outlook, and in
munity shows the remarkable government policy.
An Exhaustive Bibliography
grasp of historical development,
the incredible knowledge of
There is, however, a third vol-
source material and of printed ume, in its way as interesting as
works, the wide linguistic ac- the first two, and, for the scholar,
quaintanceship which one has also as important. It consists of
quaintanceship
come to associate with his name, three sections: the notes to • the
his historical perspective and his text of the first two volumes; an
profound expertness in rabbinic exhaustive bibliography pertinent
• literature.
to the subject of the Jewish com-
A truly monumental work a munity; and a thorough index.
result of his efforts. The first
The scholar will read this work
volume deals with the commu- to the end without stopping, for
nity as a whole: Beginning with he will find the point of ' view
the municipal organizations in novel and the new .information
Palestine during the days of the stimulating. The devoted com-
First and Second Common- munal leader and the intelligent
' wealths, the book continues with contributor to community funds
a discussion of the origins and will absorb it slowly but syste-
functioning of the Synagogue, matically, for it will provide them
around which community life with food for thought on many
was centered. From its inception problems which must trouble
the Diaspora necessitated modifi- them in the present organization
Cations in the community forms of the American Jewish commu-
developed on native Palestinian nity.
soil. The Graeco-Roman civiliza-
Prof. Baron has occupied the
tion, on the one hand, and the Chair of Jewish History, Litera-
Persian - Babylonian (Talmudic) ture and Institutions on the Mil-
culture, on the other, are the next ler Foundation at Columbia Uni-
steps in the story which .this vol- versity since 1930. He was born
ume tells. There follow further in Tarnow, Austria, in 1895, and
changes, demanded by the new received his higher education in
environment of the Middle Ages Vienna, receiving the following
in both Europe and the Near East degrees in the years 1917-23: Ph.
and by the ghetto regulations D., Polit. Sc. D., Jur. D., all from
later on. But the development of the University of Vienna, and a
European community life did not rabbinical degree from the Jew-
stop there. At various times lo- iSh Theological Seminary in
cal communities federated them- Vienna. From 1919-26, he taught
selves into what Prof. Baron calls at the Juedisches Paedagogium
"supercommunities," sometimes, in Vienna, and in 1926-27 was
as in Poland and Sicily, on a na- twice the Visiting Lecturer to the
tion-wide scale. At the same Jewish Institute of Religion in
time, the local communities en- New York and subsequently was
couraged the formation of socie- invited to become Professor of
ties, each devoted to a philan- HistOry and Director of the De-
thropic or religious project within partment of Advanced Studies,
the life of the Jewish people.
where he served from 1927-30.
Sought True Democracy
Has Wide Interests
The second volume describes
Dr. Baron is now President of
the manner in which the commu- the American Academy for Jew-
nity functioned. • The procedures ish Research, president of the
for the holding of elections for Conference on Jewish Relations,
communal officers in various and president of the Academic
parts of the world are sometimes Committee for the Hebrew Uni-

matinee and evening, by a star
cast, featuring Leon Fuchs, Flor-
ence Wise, Mildred Block and
Clara Rosenthal.

For the second time since Pearl Harbor, Jewish
federations, welfare funds and community councils in all
parts of the United States and Canada will send their
A special feature of these per- representatives to a General Assembly to review the eco-
formances will be the presenta- nomic and social developments arising from the war and
tion of a special number, "The to formulate policies for the coming year.. A large Detroit

Draft Commission," by Leon delegation is expected to attend%
Fuchs, who will imitate Maurice the sessions.
include a summary of War Chest
Schwartz, Menashe Scholnick,
The 1943 General Assembly— developments in 1942.
Herman Yablokov and Aaron tenth in the history of the Coun-
Reports will be heard from the
Lebedeff.
cil of Jewish Federations and Committee on Local Community
Welfare Funds—will be held at Organization which has made a
122
Hotel Statler, Cleveland, Jan. 16 study of the basic questions of the
to 18. Facing the grim realitiei of structure and objectives of local
13 months of war, the Cleveland community organiaztion; t h e
Assembly
will have one purpose Budget Research Committee, au-
10,608 Jewish Refugees
—advancement of America's war thorized by the 1942 Assembly,
Come to U.S. in 1942, Depart- program through our community
which has made intensive studies
ment of Justice Announces facilities and welfare services.
of three overseas organizations
Will Analyze 1942
NEW YORK—One hundred and
supported by local welfare funds.
The
opening
session
on
Satur-
twenty-two refugees from Hol-
The participation of Federal
land are once again on Dutch day night will be devoted to a welfare agencies in the task of
soil, having arrived on Monday discussion of welfare problems post-war planinng .and rehabili-
at Surinam, Dutch West Indies, and programs in war-time. In his tation will be discussed at the
it was announced by Joseph C. presidential address, Sidney Hol- Sunday evening session b y
Hyman, executive vice-chairman lander of Baltimore will analyze Charles P. Taft, assistant director
of the Joint Distribution Com- the Council's activities in 1942, of the Office of Defense, Health
mittee. The refugees disembarked with particular emphasis on the and Welfare Services, and a
at Paramaribo from a Portu- national program undertaken in member of the President's War
guese vessel. Their passage was behalf of the member agencies. Relief Control Board. Mr. Taft's
arranged by the Lisbon office of James Marshall of Npw York, address will cover also the place
chairman of the Assembly Pro- of social welfare planning in war- •
the Joint Distribution Committee
gram Committee, will review the
which has succeeded in .bringing economic developments arising time and the relation of volunt-
nearly 8,000 refugees to asylum from the war and the impact ary to private agencies. William
in the Destern Hemisphere and of current conditions on welfare J. Shroder of Cincinnati, chair-
man of the Council's Board, will
in Palestine since Pearl Harbor. programs and interests.
close the session with a summary
Served By HIAS-ICA
The offical Sunday morning of the Assembly proceedings . •
Official government statistics session will open with a report
The major national and over-
issued by the Immigration and from the Committee on Civic- seas agencies have accepted res-
Naturalization Service of the De- Pr otective Organizations. The ponsibility for arranging meet-
partment of Justice, show that 1942 Assembly adopted a resolu- ings on Monday in their respect-
10,608 Jewish refugees from the tion calling for unification of the ive -fields. Subjects included for
Nazi dominated European con- programs of the four major na- discussion are overseas and ref-
tinent were saved from Hitler's tional defense agencies. The com- ugee programs, Jewish educa-
extermination squads in 1942. mittee named by the Council's tion, Army and Navy work and
These figures cover the period Board, • has worked on the pro- post-war problems.
between July 1, 1941, and June ject continuously during the year.
30, 1942. Most of the men, women Following a series of conferences
MICHIGAN'S LARGEST
and children who found a haven with the defense agencies, the
FLORSHEIM DEALER
Council's
Committee,
at
the
dir-
across the Atlantic were served
ection
of
the
Board,
submitted
to
by the HIAS-ICA Emigration
headquarters in Lisbon, Portu- the civic-protective groups a
•
gal, just as their American rela- comprehensive plan looking to-
wards
the
creation
of
a
central
tives and sponsors were served
2231-35 Woodward Next to Fox Theatre
Open Evenings
by HIAS in drawing up the re- operating body for defense work
in
the
United
States.
The
Corn-
quired affidavits and applications
mitee met Jan. 6 to review the
for the issuance of U. S. immi-
ROTHERS
status of its proposal and to pre-
gration visas.
pare a report for submission to
SHIRT MAKERS
the membership at the Assembly.
NEW SHIRTINGS
Veterans to Discuss
Made to Measure or Ready to Wear
Report on War Chests
World Jewish Position
On the agenda also will be a
$2.50 and up
RAndolph 1214
1244 Wash. Blvd.
"We and the World—the Jew- report from the Committee on
ish Position in the - Present Inter- Fund Raising Policies which will
national Crisis" will be the sub-
ject of an address to be delivered
by Philip • Slomovitz, editor of
The Jewish News, at the meeting
of the Rosenwald Post 218,
American Legion, and its Ladies'
Auxiliary, on Wednesday eve-
ning, at the Bnai Moshe, Law-
rence and Dexter.
In these days of priorities,
Commander Robert Morrison
the American people are won-
has called the Post meeting for
dering if there is no end to
8:30 D. m., and at 9:30 p. in. the
rationing. Not that they mind
Post and Auxiliary will assemble
when they're helping America
jointly to hear Mr. Slomovitz.
win this war. THAT is upper-
Mrs. Sadye Morrison is Auxiliary
most in our hearts at present.
president.

Dutch Refugees
Arrive in Surinam

BLEYS

PRESCRIPTIONS

versity in Jerusalem. He is a
member of the publication com-
mittee of the Jewish Publication
Society of America and is the au-
thor of a number of important
books and monograms.
"The Jewish Community" is
available under the membership
plan of the Jewish Publication
Society, for as low as $5 per year,
for which members receive any
three cloth-bound books publish-
ed by the society.

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But there is no shortage on
your drug store's service or on
The drugs that they are faith-
fully making into the prescrip-
tions your doctor orders.
Cunningham's takes pride in
always having a fresh and
complete stock of drugs with
which to serve you. And the
ex per t care Cunningham's
druggists give your -prescrip-
tions is definitely on the non-
priority list.

-J.

