THF.

Page Four

Friday, May_ V, 1944

EWISH, NEWS

11.6370.121MICIMI,

North, South, East, West, Americans all

Shevuoth and Decoration Day

On Sunday and Monday, when we gather in our syna-
gogues to observe Shevuoth, our thoughts will be led in the
direction of our youth.
This great festival, which originated as a holiday mark-
inc the end of the grain harvest in Palestine, and which is
traditionally
observed to commemorate the Giving of the-
b
Torah to Israel on Sinai, has become an important day for
youth.
Shevuoth marks confirmations and consercrations of
boys and girls to the faith of Israel, and for our entire people
it is therefore the occasion for reconsecration and rededica-
tion to our religious ideals. Today, the cream of our youth is
fighting for a better world and for an opportunity for all
peoples to enjoy the advantages that go with freedom to ad-
here to one's faith and to express one's opinions.
The fact that Decoration Day will this year be Observed
on the day following Shevuoth adds significance to the reso-
lutions which must go with a determination to rededicate
ourselves to the ideals of our faith, The battle for freedom
and justice must be won. Invasion Day is drawing nearer
and the sacrifices to be made must not be losses in vain.
Mankind must emerge freed from bigotry and from the indig-
nities that go with ignorance and with a lack of faith in the
highest principles of democratic thinking and living. .
The prayers we utter on Shevuoth and on Decoration
Day will be that the world shall be blessed with the ideals lot
which all faiths strive—with the. right for all men to observe
their religibus- beliefs and to express their opinions on po-
litical and social matters, without running the risks of being
spied upon by Gestapos. We pray for early victory and for a
happy return home of millions . of our • fighting men and
women. We will _have won our battle for justice if the-men
and women in all brancheS of the service will find the ideals
they fought for completely realized.. We must not lose this
battle.

Invasion Day Service

Jewish communities throughout the
country have indicated their readiness to co-
operate with the Synagogue Council of
America in response to its Call to Prayer on
Invasion Day.
In Detroit, Orthodox, Reform and Con-
servative Rabbis have already made plans
for solemn participation in special services
by all synagogues.
The Synagogue Council's call urges that
"in manifestation of our spiritual unity with
our armed forces . . religious leaders in the
country (should) convoke their communities
for a special service of prayer and rededica-
tion at 8 p. in. following the announcement
of the landing of the invasion of enemy-held
Europe by the armed forces of the United
Nations."
It is properly pointed out in the Syna
gogue Council statement that "synagogues
should remain open for prayer all day on II-
Day. We do not know what day or hour the
invasion will come. When it comes let us
affirm through prayer our spiritual kin-
ship with our sons and brothers who will
be plunging into the crucial battle of the
war for human freedom."
These D-Day services are not limited to
Jews. Our Christian neighbors as well as
City. State and National leaders have is-
sued similar calls. Our people should heed
this call. There will be no way of reaching
the community with a renewed call to
prayer. Let every one, therefore, be ready
to go to his house of worship and to express
the kinship we have with the men in service.
All of us must respond to this call in the
spirit of humility and solemnity which will
guide the peoples who are dominated by the
desire to see justice established throughout
the world.

Partisan Voting

Dr. Stephen S. Wise, in a sermon before
the Free Synagogue in New York, made
some interesting observations on the re-
sponsibilities of Jews as voters.
Warning against partisan voting, he
urged his. listeners to refrain from casting
their ballots as religious or racial groups in
the Presidential election. .
Said Dr. Wise: "A minor reason for vot-
ing as Jews is to vote against an unworthy
Jewish candidate. A major reason for vot-
ing as Americans and Jews would be to
prevent the. destruction of American de-
mocracy. If . that were threatened, we could
not sit idly by and say the election will take
care of that issue."
We doubt ',whether any clear-thinking
American will differ with these views.
Detroit JeWs, reviewing our position as
Americans and as Jews in the past few years,
should feel gratified that we have never had
to put into effect the first portion of the
credo enunciated by Dr. Wise in the instance
of higher offices held by Jews. We are
thinking reverently of the name of the late
Judge Harry B. Keidan and in terms of high-
est respect of State Supreme Court Justice
Henry Butzel and Judge William Friedman.
The 'principles outlined by Dr. Wise
should be taken seriously by all American
On the eve of his return to Detroit as executive director Jews.
At the moment, the major responsibility
of the Jewish Welfare Federation, Mr, Isidore Sobeloff has
received the high honor of being chosen president of the of all citizens is to register in order that they
may not lose the right to cast their ballots
National Conference of Jewish Social Welfare.
This mark of national recognition comes to Mr. Sobeldf at the coming elections.
as a result of his numerous accomplishments in the field
of social service. As director of the community agencies in
Detroit and as one of the organizers • of the War Fund in
Member. of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent
New York; as a former newspaperman and as a student of Jewish
Press Service, Seven Arts Feature Syntlicate,
Religious
News Service, Palcor News Agency, Bressler
Jewish life, he has shown marked ability for leadership.
Cartoon . Service, Wide World Photo Service, Acme

High Honor for Mr. Sobeloff

THE JEWISH NEWS

An Outrageously Irresponsible Act

High-sounding names have been used by numerous com-
mittees formed •in this country in recent years by a group
of young men who presumed to be the spearhead in efforts
to rescue the Jewish : people. Their latest .act is to establish
a "Jewish embassy" in Washington under the title "Hebrew
Committee of National Liberation."
Dr. Israel Goldstein, speaking for the Zionist Organiza-
tion, has branded the act "buffoonery." The American Zionist
Emergency Council has called it a "colossal hoax." The new
group is attacked by the American Jewish Conference.
In the meantime, this irresponsible element, representing
a handful of Jews and some misled non-Jews, is rendering
untold harm to the Jewish cause. .
Had the American Jewish Conference emerged from the
great demand for unity in Jewish life as the spokesman for
American Israel, such outrageous acts of irresponsibility
would have been impossible. But there has been procrastina-
tion in efforts to establish authority in American, Jewry.
The result is that every silly movement is able to make use
of the freedom accorded all people by our democracy and
assumes to speak with authority.
It is high time that the irresponsible elements were ruled
out of existence. Let us begin with the 36-room unfurnished
"embassy" established in Washington by, the "buffoons" of
the "National Liberation" committee.

Newsphoto Service.
Published every Friday by Jewish News Publishing
Co., 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26 Mich. Telephone
RAndolph 7956.—Subscription 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 sub-
scription 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
I\LAURICE H. SCHWARTZ HENRY WINEMAN

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
A. R. BEASCH, Advertising Counsel

VOL. 5—NO: 10

MAY 26, 1944

This Week's Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the fifth day of Sivan, 5704,
the follosi'ing Scriptural selections will be read
in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Num. 1:1-4:20.
Prophetical portion—Hos. 2:1-22.
Scriptural selections for Shevuoth, Sunda and
Monday:
Pentateuchal portions—First day, Ex. 19:1-
20:26, Num. 28:26-31; second day, Deut. 15:19-
16:17, Num, 28:26-31.
Prophetical portions—First day, Ezek. 1:1-
28;3:12; second day, Hab. 3:1-19.

Talmudic Tales

By DAVID MORANTZ

*(Based upon the ancient legends and philosophy found el
the Talmud and folklore of the Jewish people dating ha
as far as 3,000 years.)

The Influence of a Good Wife
Akiba, a poor shepherd, loved Rachel, the

beautiful daughter of the wealthy K _ alba, whose
flocks he tended.
Rachel, realizing the true worth and intelli-
gence of Akiba, returned his love and they were
married, despite the objections of her father,
who, thereupon, discharged the shepherd and
disowned his daughter.
Rachel constantly encouraged her husband to
study but there was so much to learn and their
means were so limited that he despaired of suc-
cess.
One day, on their journeying, they came to a
spring and noticed where a cavity of consider-
able size had been formed by the constant fall-
Mg of water on the stone.
"See," she said, "the continual dripping of
small drops of water can make a cavity in the
hardest stone. The same is true of man.
"If you would learn a little every day, eventu-
ally all the learning of the sages will be at your
command."
Inspired by his good wife, he resolved to rise
above his lowly position and after years of pri-
vation and study, he became the renowned Rabbi
Akiba. Scholars thronged to hear his lectures and
his school became famous.
Says the Talmud further on the subject:
"Woman, doing her duty, has greater reward
promised than man. She is to see to her chil-
dren's regular attendance at school and to look;
to her husband's comforts whilst he is engages
in study or his daily vocation."

(Copyright by David Morantz)•
For a handsome 195 page, autographed gift volume con ,i
taining 198 of these tales and 500 Pearls of Wisdom. send'',
$1.50 to David Alorantz, care of The Jewish. News, on
phone PLaza 1048.

Children's Corner

Dear Boys and Girls:
This Sunday and Monday we will observei
Shevuoth—the Feast of Weeks.
It is called the festival of weeks because it
occurs seven weeks after the second day of Pass-
over.
The Greek name for the festival is Pentecost,
meaning fiftieth—referring to the 50th day from
Passover.
Shevuoth is the traditional Jewish harvest- fes-
tival. It marked the harvesting of wheat in Pal-
estine, and was also observed as the festival of
the first fruits.
Flowers and plants are used to decorate syna-
gogues and homes on Shevuoth, in commemora-
tion of the agricultural tradition which created
the festival of Shevuoth.
The beautiful Biblical story of Ruth is read
during Shevuoth services. The festival has re-
cently become the occasion for confirmation ob-
servance as a reminder of the fact that Jews
received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai
at Shevuoth time.
This year, our boyS and girls Will have a very
long holiday, since Decoration Day occurs the
day after Shevuoth. We will have occasion,
therefore, for several days not only to glory in
our faith but also to honor the heroes who are
fighting for the preservation of American ideals.
I wish you all a very pleasant holiday.
UNCLE DANIEL

* * *
Historical and Ceremonial Aspects of Shevuoth.

Shevuoth (literally "Weeks") falls on the sixth
and seventh days of Sivan, the third month of
the Jewish calendar, seven weeks after Pesach.
It is the second of the three major festivals of the
Jewish year, the other two being Pesach, which
precedes, and Sukkoth, which follow it. Together
they are known as the Shalosh Regalim, or the
Three Pilgrimage Festivals.
Originally, when our ancestors dwelt in Pales-
tine, Shevuoth WaS observed as an agricultural
feast, and marked the beginning of the wheat
harvest. -
Later, Shevuoth served to commemorate an
important event in the early history of our
people—the proclamation of the Ten Command-
ments at Mount Sinai. Since the destruction of
the Temple and the exile of the Jewish people
from Palestine, when- the Jews ceased to be pri-
marily an agricultural people, the historical as-
pect has assumed greater significance.
Shevuoth is observed one day in Palestine
and for two days by Jews in other countries. It
is called by the following names, each of which
suggests a different phase of its significance or
refers to some ceremony in its celebration:
1. Pentecost (Greek for "fiftieth"). This fes-
tival was called Pentecost by the Greek - speaking
Jews because it. occurred 50 days after the of-
fering of the barley sheaf during the Passover
feast.
2. Hag Ha-Katsir (Feast of Harvest). T h e
harvest season in ancient Palestine extended
over a period of seven weeks. It began with the
harvest of the wheat, around Shevuoth, the
wheat being the . last cereal to ripen.
3. Yom Ha-Bikkurim (Day of "First Fruits").
This name suggests the act of bringing the first
ripe fruits of the wheat harvest to the Sanctuary.
4. Z'man Matan Toratenu (Season of the Giv-
ing of our Law). Tradition has fixed it as the
day on which the law was given to Israel, at
Mount Sinai.
* * *
Giving and Receiving
. Once the Rabbi of Kozk was asked: "Why is
Shevuoth called 'The Time of the Giving of the
Torah' and not 'The Time of the Receiving of
the Torah'?"
"Because only on that day," he replied, "'the
Torah was given, whereas the receiving is still
going on. All have been given an equal share
in the Torah, but not everyone has taken it."
* a *

Tikkun Shevuoth

Tikkun Shevuoth is a special collection from
Biblical and rabbinic literature which is recited
on the first night of Shevuoth, when pious Jews
keep vigil.