Page Four

THE JEWISH NEWS

THE JEWISH NEWS

Calling Cards

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, $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, at 50 cents a club subscription per year.
Entered as second-class matter August 6, 1942, at the Post
Office at Detroit, Michigan, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

By DAVID MORANTZ

Judge Not By Appearances

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor

MAY '7, 1943

As the Editor
Views the News

IM1

Isidore Sobeloff's Record

Regrets accompanied by sincerest good wishes are cer-
tain to greet the news that Mr. Isidore Sobeloff is taking a
year's leave from his post as executive director of the Jewish
Welfare Federation to participate in the important task of
organizing the New York War Fund.
Mr. Sobeloff's organizational genius is responsible for
the high place the Detroit Jewish community now holds in
the field of social service. He has helped raise the standards
Nearly 1,500 delegates, speaking for the vast majority of
of our many agencies and has built an organization, which
American
Jewry at the sessions of the United Palestine Con-
more than doubled the number of contributors to welfare
ference in Philadelphia, made the blunt demand that the
causes.
White Paper be abrogated.
Dr. Abba Hillel Silver of Cleveland, national chairman
In 1937, before he came to Detroit, our Allied Jewish
of
the
United Palestine Appeal, expressed some undeniable
campaign raised $350,690 from 9,908 contributors. The num-
ber of aivers to the 1938 campaign, the first to be conducted truths when he directed charges of indifference at our own
under 1\'/Ir. Sobeloff's leadership, increased to 13,374, for a government as well as Great Britain.
It is a tragic fact that the plight of millions of Jews has
total of $390,730. In the following years, the increases were
even more marked, as follows: 1939, 19,080 people contribu- fallen on deaf ears, and that the heads of the democratic
ted $651,889; 1940, 20,440 donors gave $735,970; 1941, 21,118 powers have failed to act when opportunities presented
themselves to open avenues of escape for the unfortunate
contributors gave $835,633.
victim of Nazism.
The peak in campaigning was reached in 1942, when more
It is greatly significant that on the very day on which
than 22,000 contributors gave $900,000 to the Allied Jewish Dr. Silver delivered his courageous address in Philadelphia,
Campaign. In the fall of the same year, Mr. Sobeloff was one Dr. James G. McDonald, speaking for the United Jewish Ap-
of the guiding spirits of the highly successful War Chest of peal on a national broadcast, made the following statement
Metropolitan Doti oit, with which the Allied Jewish Cam- regarding the White Paper:
paign agencies have merged for fund-raising purposes.
"British White Papers are not unchangeable, they are
*
*
*
not sacrosanct. The war crisis itself makes drastic changes in
His rich background in community service as well as British immigration policies into Palestine inevitable. The
his marked ability to supervise the activities of the numer- United States government has the right and the duty to re-
ous agencies which make up a city like ours, have won for mind the British government of our country's legal right to
Mr. Sobeloff the respect and admiration not only of Detroit be concerned at any White Paper violation of the spirit of the
but also of national social service organizations, especially Mandate.
the Jewish welfare agencies which often call upon him for
"President. Roosevelt might well remind Prime Minister
advice and for service.
Churchill that the latter, when he was in the Opposition,
He has rendered great service to Detroit Jewry, and he made a historic protest against the present White Paper."
There is primarily a violation of human rights in the
takes with him the blessings of all for success in the new
White Paper. Millions of Jews must be saved, and hundreds
task ahead of him.
of thousands of them must go to Palestine. The White Paper
The acting director of the Jewish Welfare Federation, would
prevent their finding refuge. Therefore it must be ab-
Herman M. Pekarsky, is similarly steeped in Jewish knowl-
rogated at once. No other course is open for governments
edge and has an extended career in social work. His activi- which proclaim democratic principles.
ties here in the past four years have proved that he was an
government must act. President Roosevelt must
able pupil of Mr. Sobeloff's. He has earned, and we are cer- act, Our
even if he must take steps that are contrary to the views
tain will receive, the wholehearted cooperation of all in his of an unfriendly State Department. Prime Minister Churchill
new position.
must act. Nothing short of an open door policy for Jewish
immigration in Palestine is acceptable as a basic principle
of rescue work for millions of our suffering people.

White Paper MUST Be Abrogated

Mother's Day

Americans again honor Mother on Mother's Day.
This year's observance of the day, Sunday, May 9, has
new aspects. There are the many sons who are in far away
camps or overseas. There are the mothers who, defying age,
are engaged in the war effort.
Then there are the millions of mothers overseas, a world
of them, who are suffering under the heels of oppressors.
Many American mothers will receive flowers and candies
and other tokens from their children on Mother's Day. But
the mothers in Europe and in Asia and in Africa are praying
for bread and for clothes and for medicines.
In observing Mother's Day, let us remember the world
of Mothers—those on our own continent as well as overseas
—who represent the highest embodiment of decency and
kindness. Let it be done in the spirit of the description of
Mother in the Book of Proverbs (XXXI:25-29) :

Strength and dignity are her clothing;
And she laughed at the time to come,
She opened her mouth to wisdom;
And the law of kindness is in her tongue.
She looketh well to the ways of her household,
And eateth not the bread of idleness;
Her children rise up and call her blessed,
Her husband, also, and he praiseth her, saying:
"Many daughters have done 'virtuously,
But thou excelleth them all."

This Week's Scriptural Portions:

This Sabbath, the third day of Iyar, the following

Scriptural Selections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion: Lev. 39:1-20:27.

Prophetical portion: Amos 9:7-15.

Talmudic Tales

(Based upon the ancient legends and
philosophy found in the Talmud and
folklore of the Jewish people.)

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

VOL. 3—NO. 7

Friday, May 7, 1943

One Serviceman's Organization

United Service Organizations (USO), composed of the
six major servicemen's organizations in the land, including
the Jewish Welfare Board, is rendering such an important
job in providing for the social needs of the men in uniform,
that it may well be considered one of the most important
weapons in winning the war as a morale-builder for soldiers
and sailors.
Having proven invaluable in the services it is rendering,
it is important that it should be given all the undivided sup-
port that is available from our community. Formation of in-
dependent servicemen's clubs should be discouraged and all
energies in this field should be exerted through the existing
great USO movement.
Occasionally, independent groups, motivated by laud-
able intentions, conceive the idea of starting a servicemen's
club. Any such movement is certain to interfere with the
work of the existing USO work, and it should be discouraged.
*
USO of Detroit has enlisted the aid of 10,000 volunteers.
It has put at the disposal of the servicemen six clubs and
lounges and 20 agency buildings, including the Jewish Com-
munity Center.
It is without doubt the most effective force for good
will among all faiths. In Detroit, for instance, a Jew,
Henry Meyers, is president of USO; a Catholic, Fr. Raymond
S. Clancy, is vice-chairman of the executive committee and
chairman of the public relations committee; a Protestant, the
able George F. Pierrot, is the managing director.
All groups work harmoniously together and the most
commendable program suitable for all, regardless of race or
creed, has been organized. It is a program to be supported
wholeheartedly and not to be disturbed even in the slightest
degree by independent action of groups who are not in posi-
tion to duplicate any of the efforts of the USO.

"Wisdom's bell in an ugly
shell!" exclaimed a Roman prin-
cess upon seeing Rabbi Joshua
ben Chananiah, a hunch-back
passing along the road.
The Rabbi stopped and in-
quired of her:
"May I ask in what kind of
containers thy father keeps his
choicest wines?"
"My father stores his wines hi
earthen jars," she replied.
"Why should not one so
wealthy keep his wine in golden
jars?" the Rabbi then asked.
The princess, thinking this an
excellent idea, had her slaves
pour the wine out of the earthen
containers into golden ones but
it was not long before the wine
became sour and not fit for
drinking.
Sending for the Rabbi, she up-
braided him for the bad advice
which she claimed he had given
her.
"I did not advise thee," he re-
turned. "I merely asked why thy
father did not keep his finest
wines in golden vessels. I hope
that thou art now convinced that
plain containers are best suited
for storing fine wine. The same
is true of wisdom. Remember
this the next time thou art
tempted to say 'Wisdom's bell is
an ugly shell' and judge not a
man by his outward appearance.
Says the Talmud further on
the subject:
"Despise not the deformed.:
Add not insult to misfortune by
flaunting their deformity which
is no fault of their own."
"Look not upon the pitchers
but upon what it contains."

'

(Copywright by David Morantz)
("Talmudic Tales," containing 128
legends and 500 pearls of wisdom,
are available in the autographed,
195-page volume, from the author,
David Morantz, Grossman Bldg.,
Kansas City, Kan.).

Schwarz's Anthology
Comes Off the Press

Important Collection of His- ,
toric Documents Issued by
Publication Society

Leo W. Schwarz, who has won
wide recognition as a brilliant
writer for his anthologies "The,
Jewish Caravan" and "A Golden :
Treasury of Jewish Literature,"'
has made another great contri-.
bution with his latest book,:
"Memoirs of My People Through:
a Thousand Years." The Jewish
Publication Society of America.
and Farrar & Rinehart are the
joint publishers of this remark-
able book which takes the read-.
er deep into the past of the
Jewish people. The volume gives
our people a better understanding,
of the treasures of Jewish litera-
ture.
"Memoirs of My People" has
one great value. It fills the gap
in the lack of autobiography in
Jewish literature. This book con-
sists of autobiographical writings
by Jews of all walks of life
throughout the ages. Included in
the collection are men of such
extremes as Moses Maimonides
and Ernst Toiler, Don Isaac Abra-
vanel and the prizefighter Daniel
Mendoza, Uriel de Costa and
George Brandes, Solomon Molko
and Edmond Fleg.
Mr. Schwarz has shown re-
markable ability as an antholo-
gist and as translator. His
present job is most commend-
able, and he has once again made
the Jews his debtors with his
work. It is no wonder, therefore,
that the Book-of-the-Month Club
News refers to "Memoirs of My
People" as an "abundant feast of
good things" in its February
issue.
There is a total of more than
600 pages in this book, dealing
with more than 50 subjects. The
trade edition of the volume is
available under the imprint of
Farrar & Rinehart at all book
stores. It is procurable by mem-
bers of the Jewish Publications
Society of America as one of the!
three books allotted to them on
the $5 per year memberships.

