THE JEWISH NEWS
Page Shriven
Friday, June 4, 1943
What's Happening in Detroit
PONFERENCE elections, Confirmations, Con-
k./ secrations and graduations and the observance
of Shovuoth monopolize interest in the Jewish
community.
Of interest to all is the campaign now being
conducted to enlist women in the war effort.
The national drive seeks to
enlist women in the SPARS and
WAVES.
It is imperative that those
interested should apply to local
recruiting offices at once.
The call to all interested
women is: ACT NOW!
In the meantime, an item of considerable in-
terest in the fight to defend democratic institu-
tions is reported by Jack B. Burke, Field
representative of the President's Committee on
Fair Employment Practice.
President Creates Powerful Committee
Mr. Burke announced on Tuesday that Presi-
dent Roosevelt has created a new and stronger
Committee on Fair Employment Practice, headed
by Msgr. Francis J. Haas and responsible directly
to himself, with broad powers to prevent job
discrimination because of race, creed, color or
national origin.
The former committee had been attacked as
impotent after the President subordinated it to
the War Manpower Commission last year • and
several of its more prominent members resigned.
Msgr. Haas is dean of the School of Social Sciences
at Catholic University, and has been high in the
labor councils of the administration since the
early days of the New Deal. He has helped settle
more than 1,500 labor disputes. . .
An Executive order made public this week
and released by Mr. Burke said:
Coming Events
June 4—Temple Israel High School graduation.
June 6—Confirmation services at Temple Beth
.
El.
June 6—Consecration services at Congregation
Shaarey. Zedek.
June 6—United Hebrew Schools Elementary
school graduation, at Rose Sittig Cohen Bldg.
Rine 8—Confirmation services at Temple Israel.
June 13—Beth El Memorial" Park third anniver-,
sary exercises, at 3 p. m.
June 13—United Hebrew SchoOls , High school
graduation, at Rose Sittig Cohen Bldg.
June 15—Detroit electoral convention for selec-
tion of delegates to American Jewish Conference.
at Temple Beth El.
June 20—Farband Folk School graduation.
June 22—Annual meeting of Jewish Community
Council of Detroit.
"I do hereby reaffirm the policy of the United
States that there shall be no discrimination in
the employment of any person in war industries
or in government by reason of race, creed, color
or national origin, and I do hereby declare that
it is the duty of all employers, including the fed-
eral departments and agencies, and all labor or-
ganizations, to eliminate discrimination in regard
to hire, tenure, terms or conditions of employment
or union membership."
Have Power to Hold Hearings Here
Msgr. Haas will have six committee members
under him, to be appointed soon by the President,
The group will have power to hold hearings, make
findings of fact, advise the War Manpower Com-
mission, insert appropriate clauses in negotiated
government contracts, accept the help of state and
local authorities and volunteer workers, and make
its own regulations.
Following investigation of charges that some
of the biggest war plants in the New York area
have been checking on the race, creed and color of
applicants for employment through private in-
vestigating firms, the Office of the Provost Mar-
shal-General has inserted in war contracts, at the
request of the President's Committee on Fair Em-
ployment Practice, a clause forbidding any in-
quiries into or report of the race, creed or color
of any investigated person, except with the per-
mission of the FEPC, it was also announced this
week.
It was charged that through a number of pri-
vate investigating firms the plants were able to
check on the race and religion of job seekers in
direct violation of the provisions of the President's
Executive Order 8802, which outlaws any con-
sideration of a person's race, creed, color or
national origin as a factor in giving war industry
employment.
In making these facts known, Mr. Burke again
strongly urged that all evidences of discriMination
in war plants be reported at once, in order that
action may be taken without delay. Information
is being taken by Mr. Burke at 424 Boulevard
Bldg., as well as by the Jewish Community Coun-
cil, 803 Washington Blvd. Bldg. -
Select All-Inclusive Delegation to Conference,
Rabbis Appeal to the Jewish Community
Important Statement on Forthcoming Elec-
tions Issued to Detroit Jewry by Nine
Members of Rabbinate
The coming American Jewish Conference of-
fers American Jewry an opportunity and a chal-
lenge. It presents us with the opportunity to
achieve that concerted deliberation and activity
of the various elements and groups within
American Jewry, which Mournful necessity
makes so urgent. The global catastrophe which
has overwhelmed our people in our day is one
with which no part of Jewry is alone capable
of coping. The enormous tasks ahead, the failure
of the Jew to .receive. assurances as to the possi-
bility . of decent rehabilitation in the post-war
world, both in Eretz Yisroel and the Diaspora,
the enormous . Work of reconstruction----all these
require the resources which only a united Jew-
ish community can muster. .
The American Jewish 'Conference provides
us with the opportunity to achieve_ this unity.
It presents siMultaneously -a historic challenge
to American Jewry. Will we in this dark hour
be able to rise . above our differences, to set
aside our prerogatives and to see our problems
and responsibilities under the aspect of "K'lal
Yisroel."? .
As Rabbis in Israel we therefore earnestly .
appeal to our fellow Jews in Detroit to approach
the forthcoming election of delegates to the
Atherican Jewish Conference with consecrated
and solemn responsibility. We urge that Detroit
Jewry unite to select a delegation that will rep-
resent our whole community with its various
groups and trends, and that the nine delegates
to be chosen by Detroit Jewry be men of large
and bold vision, who will place their loyalty to
Israel above party or group. We trust that the
organizations within our community will send
to the local election conference to be held on
June 15, representatives who will vote intern-
gently and out of a high sense of duty, and will
have no other purpose than to select a complete
slate of delegates who shall be men:- of tried
faithfulness 'and who shall be truly representa-
tive of our community.
Much depends upon our interest and wisdom.
May we make the most of the opportunity for
unity which is ours. May God bless the work of
our hands.
RABBI MORRIS ADLER
RABBI MOSES FISCHER
RABBI LEON FRAM
RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN
RABBI B. BENEDICT GLAZER
RABBI A, M. HERSHMAN
RABBI JOSHUA SPERKA
RABBI ISAAC STOLLMAN
RABBI JOSEPH THUMIM
Detroit Leaders Discuss Aims of Conference
Type of Delegates and Their defeated. Adequate representa-
tion, therefore, must be given to
Obligations Considered
minority opinions and interests.
At Meetings Here
The Conference will then truly
What are the objectives of the
American Jewish Conference?
What are the obligations of dele-
gates who will be selected to rep-
resent American Jewry at the
important sessions to be held be-
ginning on July 1? What type of
delegates should be selected?
• These were the questions that
were considered at meetings of
various Detroit organizations
this week.
At the meeting of the Jewish
Community Council on Wednes-
day, several opinions were voiced
by spokesmen for various groups
in the city. That evening also, a
meeting of the American Jewish
Congress Detroit Chapter was
held at which the Congress plat-
form, published on Page 5 in this
issue, was analyzed.
At the Jewish Community
Council meeting, the following
attitude were expressed:
DR.. B. BENEDICT GLAZER,
Rabbi •of Temple Beth El:
"Since it is the expressed 'ob-
jective of the American Jewish
Conference to achieve: the status
of an organization that will rep=
resent all shades of opinion in the-
American Jewish Community-i .
express the earnest hope that this.
spirit will be made manifest in
the Detroit elections. If all of the
nine representatives from Detroit
.give, expreSsion. ..only..one: type.
of Opinion on 'Jewish qUe-StionS;
the announced .alins*Of the Aineri..-
can- Jewish Conference' will" be
live as a national unit; to develop
their economic and cultural life
as they see fit, in harmony with
their neighbors, and that . the
represent a cross-section of Amer- barriers against immigration and
ican Jewry.
restrictions on the procurement
"The larger cause which unites of land should be abolished."
us all is the desire to serve and
LEON FRAM, - Rabbi of Temple
to save the suffering and home- Israel:
less Jews of Europe. This is not
"Of the 500 delegates to the
the hour then for exclusive .pre-
occupation with the claims of Conference, 125 were assigned as
partisanship. Let us then take representatives of various na-
seriously the announced inten- tional organizations.
"On the other hand, 375 dele-
tion . of the American Jewish Con-
ference to concentrate the entire gates are to be elected from the
strength and influence of the various local communities. It is
from these 375 that the Prevalent
. Jewish Community be-
hind every effort to solve the viewpoint will emerge. There-
problems - of our stricken and suf- fore, if the American Jewish
fering brethren in other parts of Conference is to decide that the
Jewish delegation to the Interna-
the world."
JOSEPH BERNSTEIN, 1 o c a 1 tional Peace Conference shall be
leader of the Jewish Labor Com- instructed to ask for a Jewish
commonwealth in Palestine in
mittee:
accordance with the famous Bilt-
"The American Jewish Confer-
more resolutions, it will be be-
and
ence must live up to its ri.--aroc
cause the communities in electing
become the mouthpiece of Amer-
th@ ,375 delegp-4-.Lsa choose, in over-
ican Jewry.
whelming m a j t y, delegates
"It must deal .with equal zeal who press for that :yliewpo
in all problems which will con- seems to me, therefore, tha
front Jews in every country dur- the duty of every elector
ing the post-war period.
troit, in casting his vote, to
"We must assume that Hitler's in mind the purpose which
diabolical plan to .exterminate would like to see prevail at tl,
every Jew under his domination American Jewish Conference.
will not succeed and it is there-
"The question is solely and, ex
fore our task to demand from the clusively 'What nine men most
victorious United Nations that truly represent the hopes, con-
economically, politically and so- victions and the will of the Jew-
cially the Jews should be re- ish community of Detroit.' "
stored as equals, as integral parts
M. J. WOHLGELERNT. ER,
of. -the countries... in which they
Rabbi 'a -Congregation ' Beth
live. • • •
"We must Support the - dspira- Tefilo Emanuel: 7
libn of the PaleStinian Jews • to
COnfere.nce will be
the second attempt at parliamen-
tary expression by the pr(!sent
-generation of American Jews.
The last quarter of a century
witnessed the • stabilized growth
of our population and the crys-
talization of its thinking. New or
revitalized trends of thought
came to the fore, among which
one may point to English-speak--
ing religious orthodoxy. Behind
the realization of a common re-
sponsibility for the solution of
Jewish post-war problems in
chutz learetz,
Palestine and
which has .served as the motive
force for bringing all factions to-
gether, there is the deeper reali-
zation of our unity as a people
despite the many differences of
opinion which cannot and need
not be submerged. Historical
forces, stronger than the largest
or most articulate groups among
us, are coming into play and, bid
us subject ourselves to the dem-
ocratic discipline as we assume
our rightful place in the society
of tomorrow."
A. MEYEROWITZ, Chairman
f City COmmitte Fleri ► and
(tikes inLD
-'.ovement
peace
ent of Palestine
ewish. 'commonwealth with
full civil : rights for the Arab
population..
as
"2. An international Bill of
Rights for,. Jews.- everywhere . as
individual's . and- as members of
their national groups.
"3. Fullest possible relief and'
reconstruction measures for Jews
in the post-war period.
"4. Establishment of a public-
ity recogniied world Jewish:rep-
resentation to co-operate with
international bodies in matters
affecting the rights of Jews.".
MORRIS ADLER, Rabbi of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek:
"The coming American Jewish
Conference offers American Jew-
ry an opportunity and a chal-
lenge. It places -before the larg-
est free Jewish community in
the world the opportunity to
achieve that unity of program
and activity which mournful ne-
cessity makes so urgent.
"It makes it possible for us to
fortify our demands touching
the Jew in the post-war world,
both in Eretz Yisroel and in the
Galuth, with the endorsement
of a whole people—a people
broken and tortured whose in-
calculable suffering gives tragic
poignancy and power to these
just demands. -
"The American . Jewish Con-
-,Terence simultaneously confronts
uM , with a historic challenge.
Wiry we in this dark . hour be
able o rise above our partisan
log
es and -.differences? Will
have the .vision. and the
character to banish our animosi-
ties, set aside our Prerogatives
and view our problems, and our
responsibilities solely under the
aspect of Klal •Yisroel? •
"Much depends upcin our wis-
doin and::Understand.ing. May
we meet the challenge and make
the most of tbe ciptiqrtnnity: Tor
. united action WhiChL,ii i-OurS,"