Page Four THE JEWISH NEWS THE JEWISH NEWS Friday, July 16, 194• Coming to a Boil Talmudic Tales Member of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent Jewish Press Service, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Religious News Service, Palcor News Agency, Bressler Cartoon Service, Wide World Photo Service, Acme Newsphoto Service. Published every Friday by Jewish News Publishing Co., 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit, 26, Mich. Telephone, RAndolph 7953. 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 (Based upon the ancient legends and philosophy found in the Talmud and folklore of the Jewish people.) Everything Created Has Ifs Use "Of what use in the spider?" mused David, King of Israel, one day as he lay on his couch watching a spider spin its web. "It only clutters up the rafters with its webs, making walls dirty and unsightly." BBOARD OF DIRECTORS PHILIP SLOMOVITZ MAURICE ARONSSON FRED M. BUTZEL ISIDORE SOBELOFF ABRAHAM SRERE THEODORE LEVIN HENRY WINEMAN MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ Then he mused further: "Of what use in the world is an insane person or an idiot?" PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor VOL- 3—NO. 17 Just then he was bitten' by a mosquito and his thoughts turn- ed in that direction. JULY 16, 1943 As the Editor Views the News - "Just what is the mosquito's mission on earth?" he meditated. "Why was it ever created? All it does is disturb our comfort and no one profits by its ex- - A Rest From Bigotry Members of both Houses of Congress are not alone in sighing relief as a result of the adjournment ordered last week. The entire country should be relieved that some of the nonsense which has been pouring out of Washington will not be heard for at least two months. There is no reason why we should be asked to become fully accustomed to the silly prattle which was uttered almost daily by men like Congressmen Clare Hoffman and John E. Rankin. The latter takes special delight in taunting a Jewish Congressman—Emanuel Celler of New York. Singling him out as a target for attack Congressman Rankin, several days before the closing of the Congressional session, refer- ring to the Detroit race riots, let loose on "Communistic Jews" whom he charged with "creating and promoting race trouble and race riots." Here is a sample of this Congressman's brilliant chatter. Said Congressman Rankin: "'When those communistic Jews—of whom the decent Jews are ashamed—go around here and hug and kiss these Negroes, dance with them, intermarry with them, and try to force their way into white restaurants, white hotels and white picture shows, they are not deceiving any red-blooded American, and, above all, they are not deceiving the men in our armed forces—as to who is at the bottom of all this race trouble. "The better element of the Jews, and especially the old line American Jews throughout the South and West, are not only ashamed of, but they are alarmed at, the activities of these communistic Jews who are stirring this trouble up." Is better evidence needed that right on the floor of Congress there is at least one man who is stirring up racial differences and is inciting hatred? There is good reason for feeling relieved that Congress will not be in session for a while. Perhaps the hate-inspiring Congressmen will return with a better sense of justice than they had displayed during the last session. Perhaps this is too much to expect of Congressman Rankin. But we entertain this hope because we have faith in the sound judgment of the American people. After all, some of his own constituents may find it necessary to point out to the Mississippi Congressman that the rantings of the type we have just quoted do not serve to increase good will among all Americans and tend to undermine the basic ideals of this great republic. `Behavior' as a Guide Hungarian Jews have been asked by the Jewish Com- munity of Budapest "not to give any opportunity for criti- cism of your appearance and behavior." The community's appeal reads: "We ask our Jewish coreligionists in a most emphatic manner to see to it that our behavior and attitude is worthy of these serious times when our position demands from us greatest sacrifices. Let us be modest, disciplined, unimperti- nent. Let us not occupy places of amusement, recreation, or on the beach. Let us not furnish any opportunity for criticism of our appearance and behaviour. In times like these, our duty lies in maintaining serious, modest and disciplined behavior." Where have we heard such instructions before? When- ever Jews become panicky, they immediately begin worrying about "behavior." That this appeal should have, been made to one of the most distinguished and most cultured Jewish communities in Europe is proof of the existence of a mischievous force back of it. The cat is released from the Hungarian bag with the an- nouncement that the above statement apparently was made under instructions from the Hungarian authorities. Since these "authorities" are under the complete influence of the Nazis, it is evident that the "behavior" suggestion is a Nazi- manufactured scheme. This Week's Scriptural Portions: This Sabbath, the fourteenth day of Tammuz, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion: Num. 22:2-25:9. Prophetical portion: Micah 5:6-6-8. Readings of the Torah on the Fast of Tammuz, Tues- day, July 20: Pentateuchial portion: Ex. 32:11-14; 34:1-10. Prophetical portion: Is. 55:-56:8. istence." But King David before his death was to learn that there is nothing but what has its use. (See Editorial) GUEST EDITORIAL— The Jewish Community Council By JAMES I. ELLMANN President, Jewish Community Council of Detroit The last 10 years have undoubtedly witnessed the greatest deterioration in the whole position of world Jewry. Dislocations and ravaged homes aside, the casualties through the most cold-blooded murders in our entire history, will mount to staggering proportions. In this sort of dismal background the concept and structure of a Community Council has come to play its part in American Jewish life. Moments of hesitancy and d o u b t, moments even of genuine despair, were natural enough in its early days. It was, of course, not to be entirely expected that the Community Council would at once be endowed with adequate resources, enough staff, and be possessed of enough accumu- lated experience, to do effectively an im- perative job. Ideas, plans, human and J. I. Ellmann financial resources, all had to be garnered in an atmosphere often of indifference, sometimes even of complete resist- ance. Fortunately, the Community Council does evince a fresh virility The devotion, the enthusiasm and the energies of its devotees, have helped weather many a storm. A fairly new instrumentality (out of an old tradition) has been fashioned through which to establish and develop, among other things, representative thinking, planning, acting, to replace individual assumption of spokesmanship however capable and well meaning. Then, too, a large measure of the Council's work must be exploratory and creative in character. Its work would be simple indeed could it appeal in crucial moments to the national agencies for immediate and complete guidance in all directions. But answers from there are necessarily dis-. tant, slow and indecisive at times. We must therefore continue to develop here and now, and perhaps also in other communities in the land, men, plans, and methods for dealing at close range with ever new and disturbing problems and irritations, as well as with more wholesome and positive attitudes in our own relations. Without manpower and proper direction, crises will find us confused, hysterical and even irresponsible. Through a developing program a self-criticism, self- improvement, and self-defense, the Community Council at least provides us this treble weapon for Jewish group life in America. When he was captured by the brothers of Goliath in the land. of the Philistines and brought before Achish, the king of Cath, was it not only by acting as tho he were an idiot that he escaped being put to death? Did not he by impersonating a madman, make the king believe that sure- ly such a man could not be the kingly David? "And David changed his demeanor before them and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said King Achish unto his servants: "Lo, when ye see a man that is mad, wherefore do you bring him to me? Do I lack mad- men, that ye have brought this madman in my presence?" David therefore departed thence, and escaped. (I Samuel 21:22). On another occasion, a spider spun a web over the opening to the cave where David was con- cealing himself from his purs- uers. When they came to the cave and • saw the spiderweb, they passed on, feeling that no one could have entered that cave without having disturbed that spider's web and accordingly David was saved by a spider. On a third occasion, when David entered the Camp of Saul, stealthily he crawled past Abner, a sleeping guard. Just then Abner moved his position in his sleep and his leg fell across David's body. David was in a Predicament. A single move on his part would awaken Abner and mean his capture and death while if he remained in that posi- tion until morning, he would be discovered and that would like- wise mean his death. He was in- deed perplexed as to what to do. When all of a sudden a mos- quito alighted upon Abner's leg. The guard, still asleep, slapped at the mosquito, moving his leg quickly on doing so and David, thus released, was rescued from death by a mosquito. Thus was it proven to David that there is nothing that has Michigan CIO News has exposed the activities of Con- been created but what has its gressman Clare E. Hoffman of Michigan and Gerald L. K. use and can be an omen for Smith, former lieutenant in the rabble-rousing armies of good. `Clare and Gerald' Hugh Long and Father Coughlin, now the leader of a new reactionary movement, with headquarters in Detroit. The CIO News publishes correspondence from Cleveland reporting a meeting which was addressed by both Hoffman and Smith at which the defeat of the United Nations in the war against Fascist was predicted. As usual, there were attacks on Jews, and the name of Wendell Willkie, who has repudiated the rabble-rousers, was booed. As an aftermath to the race riots in Detroit, Congress- man Klein of New York introduced a resolution calling for the selection of a committee to investigate the anti-Negro outbursts throughout the land. Congressman Klein stated on the floor of Congress: "I think that in Detroit it was the remnants of the Ku Klux Klan, the Gerald Smith followers, and other subversive forces that were responsible for the riots." Whether this is so or not, it is certain that the Hoffman- Smith forces are not contributing to the good will and peace of the land, and it is about time that a halt was called to their activities. The sooner such rabble-rousing activities are stopped, the sooner, of course, will Detroit feel relieved of the guilt that most subversive activities, aimed at dividing the Ameri- can population on racial and religious issues, have been fathered by bigots who have made our city their head- guar terp (Copyright by David Morantz) ("Talmudic Tales," containing 12S legends and 500 pearls of wisdom, are available at $1.50 postpaid, in the autographed, 195-page volume, from the author, David illorantz, Grossman Bldg., Kansas City, Kan.). Greenstein Gets Leave To Join Lehman's Staff BALTIMORE (JTA)—At the request of Herbert H. ' Lehman, director of the Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation, Harry Greenstein, executive director of the Association Jewish Charities of Baltimore, has been granted a year's leave of absence to as- sist in the planning of welfare programs in the office of the OFFRR, it was announced here. Mr. Greenstein will serve as general consultant in the Divi, sion of Program and Require- ments and will help to develop plans dealing with mass prob- lems of relief in the liberated areas.