THE JEWISH NEWS Page Rim The Balkans — Then and Now 'As the Editor Views the News Talmudic Tales By DAVID MORANTZ (Based upon the ancient legends and philosophy found in the Talmud and folklore of the Jewish people.), Bnai Brith's War Services HONESTY When the Bnai Brith national centennial war service convention opens in New York this week-end, this great organization will have an opportunity to evaluate the im- portant contributions made by its members throughout the land towards winning the war. Here are some of the salient facts regarding Bnai Brith's war services: The organization equipped 817 recreation facilities for the armed forces and is serving 465 fighting ships. Blood has been donated to the Red Cross by 52,000 members. More than $765,000 has been contributed to the Red Cross and other United Nations war relief agencies, and 51 mobile equipments have been given to the Red Cross. Bnai Brith members have sold $244,000,000 in War Bonds. Of the 14,500 Bnai Brith members in the armed - forces, more than 7,000 are Hillel and A.Z.A. alumni. This is only part of the imposing record of Bnai Brith that will be recounted at the convention this week-end. Bnai Brith has earned the commendations of all Ameri- cans for the services rendered in helping win the war, as well as for its efforts to counteract bigotry and guarantee the perpetuation of the highest principles of Americanism. National Family Week The Synagogue Council of America is one of the par- ticipating groups that are sponsoring National Family Week, which will be observed May 7 to 14. In a statement outlining the Jewish program for this week's observance, the Synagogue Council points out that the 'Jewish family has a special function and that: ."The Jewish people owe their survival in large part to three institutions: the school, the synagogue, the family. Of the .three the family is the most important. At the present time in Europe the schools are being disbanded, the synagogues are being destroyed, but through some miracle the family con- tinues to persist in spite of all destruction and devastation. The Jewish family becomes through the cultivation of its own genius a sacred circle in which the members are bound together in a spirit of common understanding, mutual sympathy, and unremitting sacrifice." These are principles that have been and must continue to be placed in the forefront of Jewish responsibilities. There were times when these cardinal principles were so deeply rooted in Jewish life that observance of a family week would have been considered a freak proposal. But new situations have arisen. The new world influ- ences call for reaffirmations of old principles. The setting aside of a Family Week should react for the good of the entire community, and it will not hurt for all of us to re-evaluate the Jewish ideals at this time. Reader's Digest Makes a Report The editors . of Reader's Digest had overstepped the limits of journalistic propriety in the so-called "report on Palestine" published in the current issue. Replete with misrepresentations, this article misrepre- sents not only the Jewish position, but the Arab as well. It does an injustice to the cause of truth. Dr. Carl Hermann Voss, executive secretary of the Christian Council on Palestine, in his inspiring address on Tuesday evening at the Central M. E. Church here, properly evaluated this "report" as a grave injustice, and the editors of Reader's Digest should be advised to correct their blunders and to refrain from publishing misleading statements of this sort. THE JEWISH NEWS 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 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 the Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit, at 40 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. • BOARD OF DIRECTORS MAURICE ARONSSON PHILIP SLOMOVITZ FRED M. BUTZEL ISIDORE SOBELOFF THEODORE LEVIN ABRAHAM SRERE MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ HENRY WINEMAN rnimp SLOMOVITZ, Editor A. R. -BRASC11, Advertising Counsel VOL. 5—NO. 7 Friday, May 5, 1944 MAY 5, 1944 This Week's Scriptural Selections: This Sabbath, the thirteenth day of Iyar, the following Scriptural Selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion: Lev. 16:1-20:27. Prophetical portion: Amos 9:7-15 or Jizek. 22:1-19 (or 16). GUEST EDITORIAL A Call to Action for Palestine On the Occasion of Zionist Loyalty Day, Set for This Sunday, May 7 By LAWRENCE W. CROHN Member, National Administrative Committee of the .Zionist Organization of America It is our fate to witness this age of catastrophe which ex- ceeds in horror all the past tragedies of our history. We thought in our youth that we were blessed to know about the Torquemadas only through the history books, and that the final Golden Age for the Jew was at hand. When we learned about the Syrian depredations, the glories of the Maccabean revolt stood out in high splendor. The tales of Roman cruelties were relieved by the hero- ism of Bar Kochba and his intrepid followers. We prefer to look back upon these heroes, rather than the sordid people of those periods, who; like our own pleasure-loving contempo- raries, accepted the yoke of Greece, of Rome, anything in order to go on unmolested in their selfish course. What shall be our legacy to future generations? Not, we hope, the record of Florida-bound argossies in a war-torn world. For we already have written into the record the epic of the Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto, the 30,000 Jewish soldiers from Palestine and the achievements of modern Zionism. De- spite opposition from without and minus full support from the Jewish world, what has been wrought in Palestine? Let the tale be told, as it has by non-Jews like Dr. Walter C. Lowdermilk and Pierre Van Paassen, of agricultural revival, industrial rehabilitation, cultural renaissance and social inno- vation. Surely, all men of good will must see and believe. The old world of the Jews has toppled down amidst the ruins of Europe. Along with the expiring men, women and children have gone the synagogues, the academies, the books, the learning. Only 500,000 have gone forth, on time, to the Land of Israel, and have prospered and built up the ancient Homeland. To what purpose, it may be asked? Merely for their personal survival? Such is not the thought in Palestine. There, the settlers feel that they hold the land in trust, for those millions who must come later. Even now, the relative contributions of Palestine to the Keren Hayesod and the Jewish National Fund far surpass the contributions of American Jewry. Jews without feeling and conscience we have aplenty. But to our brethren in whose hearts still pulsates the Jewish spirit, the examples and the accomplishments of Palestine are deep solace and inspiration in this time of bitterness in Jewish life. Here, in Detroit, next Sunday, May 7, has been desig- nated Palestine Loyalty Day. Zionists will undertake to visit the homes of Jews to ask for memberships in the Zionist organization. Few Jews actually oppose Zionism:— It is the luxury of disinterestedness, of neutrality, in such a time, that will be marked by future historians as the crime of this age. Modern Palestine stands out as the hope and promise of Jewish revival. It is our hope that the canvassers on Pal- estine Loyalty Day will succeed in moving their prospects to sign their names to membership blanks and thus add theirs to the mounting list of Jews who participate, as it were, in the upbuilding of the Yishuv. We hope that this may be only their first step toward the attainment of that joy which is given to all those who have labored for Zion in this and in past ages. Rab Safra, who dealt in preci- ous stones, was a very piou's man and known for . his honesty and! fairness in the conduct of hisci business. In his stock was a jewel on which he placed a price of 101 gold denarim. One day a cus-1 tomer called upon him, and, de-4 siring to purchase that particular stone, offered seven denarim for' it. Rab Safra refused to sell at that figure and the customer went on his way. After carefully considering thei matter, however, Rab Safra de- cided that should the customer return, he would accept seven-, denarim for the jewel. The next day the customer did call again but found Rab Safra.1 engaged in his morning prayers.; "I have come to increase my offer," he said. "Will you sell the jewel to me for eight denarim?" Rab Safra, earnestly engrossed in his prayers, did not answer him. "All right, then, I will pay you nine denarim for it." But Rab Safra still replied not.' Taking his silence for refusal of his offer, he said: "Have it your way then, I agree to your terms. I will pay you 10 gold- denarim for the jewel." Rab Safra, finishing his pray- - ers in time to hear the last re- ; mark, replied: "My dear sir, V beg your pardon if I seemed rude in not answering you soon-I er. However, as I was intent i upon my pfayers, I did not hear you. After you left me yester-I day, I decided to sell this jewel to you for the seven goldi denarim, which you offered me then. If you will pay me that' sum, the jewel will be yourg.'!1' (Copyright by David Morantz) For a handsome 195 page, auto-j graphed gift volume containing 1281 of these tales and 500 Pearls of Wis..; dom. send S1.50 to David I'dorantz,1 care of The Jewish News, or phono' PLaza 1048. In Lighter Vein The Week's Best Stories Comedy. Off-Stage We are indebted to London Calling of the BBC for the fol- lowing charming story: A small anti-aircraft site some- where in the wilds of Northern England put in a request for en- tertainment—so a category -13' unit was detailed to go to them. The officers and men tricked up their Nissen but with a stage, fairy lights, and laid' down the red carpet for this momentous occasion. The great day arrived. The lit- tle ENSA van with its four- handed party, complete with pia- no and squeeze box, drew up at the front of the 'theater.' The en- tertainments officer was there to greet them as the comedian- drive got out of the van. "Jolly good of you to come," said the officer. "Is Leslie Hen- son with you?" "Not with this coompany," re- plied the comedian-driver, with a rich Sandy Powell accent. "But he's with ENSA, isn't he?" "Yes, but not with this coom- pany." There was a slight pause. "Well, is Frances Day with you?" "Not with this coompany." "But she's with ENSA, isn't she?" "Yes, but not with this coom pany!" "Well, is Sydney Howard with you?" "Not with this coompany." • A very long pause—then, in a disgruntled voice: "Oh, well, I suppose you'd better come in and give us a show." "Just a minute, sir", said the comedian-driver. "Is General Montgomery here?" "Good gracious, no", replied the Entertainment Officer, "not with this unit." "Well, he's in the Army, isn't he?" Curtain.