Friday, June 9, 1944

THE JEWISH NEWS

Page Sbcfeen

Honor Memory of Jewish Heroes
Of Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto

Detroiter Kills Two Japs

Excerpts From Speeches Given by Archb ishop Mooney and Rabbi
Eisendrath at Mass Meeting Wednesday Arranged
by Jewish Community Council

Pfc. David Dickman, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Morris Dickman of
2350 Elmhurst Ave., who has
been awarded the Purple Heart
for wounds received at Bougain-

By RABBI MAURICE EISENDRATH

Director, Union of American
Hebrew Congregations
The commemoration of such acts of martyrdom
as the heroic Jewish defense of the Warsaw
ghetto becomes a vain and vapid thing unless
it leads to similar acts of sacrifice and conse-
cration. The "Kiddush Ha Shem"; the "sanctifi-
cation of the Divine Name" to be forever en-
shrined in the annals of courageous men by our
Jewish brethren of Poland is transmuted into a
"Hillul Ha Shem" unless our words of praise, our
tears of sorrow, our sighs and our laments are
translated into equally valerous deeds.
This solemn and awesome hour must become
an hour of profound spiritual dedication worthy
of the dauntless martyrs to whom we would pay
our altogether inadequate word of tribute.
Dedication to the exalted ends for which they
died: dedication, first of all, to victory for the
United Nations. Those heroes of the Warsaw
ghetto were not fighting merely for their lives.
They, too, were battling for freedom so precious
to the soul of the Jew; so indispensable to the
spirit of Israel.
Is It Quite Enough?
Are we Jews in America worthy of our kin-
ship with these sacrificial sons of our people?
Whatever we have thus far done—is it quite
enough? Must we not—in the shadow of their
corpses, in the red-hued reflection of their blood,
confess that still more lives will be lost, still
more bodies will be pulverized into dust—be-
cause our sacrifice has not yet been equal to
theirs? May this great hour goad us into new
and unstinting sacrifice that our long-prayed for
victory may more swiftly be attained.
This hour must gird us likewise into advancing
more unequivocally and uncompromisingly those
concrete programs of immediate rescue by which
alone those comparatively few of our brethren
yet left from the slaughter might be snatched
from their impenthng doom.
The motes of Palestine must be opened.
Rectify Flagrant Wrong
Let there be no doubt nor halting in our in-
sistence upon the rectification of this flagrant
wrong which slams the gates of that long prom-
ised land in the very faces of those to whom the,
nations of the earth solemnly vowed that there
the weary sons of Israel might find a refuge;
that there these uprooted, homeless multitudes
might strike root and establish a secure home.
Whatever our varying ideologies on the sub-
ject of political Zionism—and how God in His
heaven must despise our . protestations of His
unity when we ourselves are so blasphemously
driven by rancour—whatever may be our diver-
gent philosophy of Judaism, upon one thing we
must concur—that the lives of our brethren must
be saved and that the sacred bond established
between the democratic states and ourselves
must be fulfilled; that there can be, no victory
for the United Nations as long as the
re is any
injustice to the least among the peoples of the
earth.
America Must Open Gates
America, too, must open her gates, which
traditionally has welcomed the oppressed of all
peoples.
Give me your tried, your poor,
Year huddled masses yearning to be free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
These words of the Jewish poetess, Emma Laz-
arus, inscribed upon the gateway to this promised
land, upon the Statue of Liberty, become mean-
ingless, become a desecration of the very spirit
of our nation unless we will find some place
within our own far-spread land for these har-
ried, hounded folk.
America Challenged
Were there ever before such "huddled masses
yearning to be free," such "wretched refuse,"
such "homeless, tempest-torn"? If ever America
v ■ ras being challenged, it is now: challenged not
merely to sound words of warning to the savage
dictators of punishment to be meted out in days
to come—when many more thousands or hun-
dreds of thousands will be butchered=but to
offer a haven NOW for those who might be
saved.
Our President has shown commendable initia-
tive in establishing the War Refugee Board. But
now its work must be implemented. Especially ,
must its suggestion for "free ports" be imme-
diately achieved.
Refuge for Prisoners
Shall we provide such "free ports" for mer-
chandise, but not for men? Shall we provide
temporary refuge for our bestial enemies; the
brutal, barbaric, bloodthirsty Nazis in our prison
camps, but close tight our doors, barricade our
gates against these, our fighting allies? Let us
demand some such decent and dignified con-
sistency between our words and deeds, our pre-
tension and our practice.
Above all, let each one among us be inspired

Major Croll, Chaplain
Levi Guests in Detroit

Maj. David Croll of the Cana-
dian Army and Capt. Eliezer A.
Levi, Chaplain with the U. S.
Army, were guests in Detroit
on Sunday.

Pfc. Harry Dickman Relates
Exciting Story of Encounter

By THE MOST REV. EDWARD MOONEY, D. D.

Archibshop of Detroit
This meeting affords us occasion publicly to
express our admiration of the heroic courage of
those who in the last days of the Warsaw
Ghetto led a forlorn hope in resistance to their
murderous oppressors. This they did not with
any idea that they could ultimately prevail, but
with the determination that they would die, if
die they must, like men fighting to defend their
rights rather than as abject slaves, and with
the thought that their resistance might arouse.
the conscience of the world.
It is pleasing to note that their desperate cry
was taken up by the Government of Poland and
relayed to the world. In a recent meeting of the
International Labor Office, a member of that
Government said: "Hitler is using Poland as a
slaughterhouse for the mass murder of millions
of Polish Jews and Jews of other European
countries—a murder unprecedented in the an-
nals of history.
"Hitler is determined to achieve the complete
annihilation of the Jewish people. In some areas
fighters of the Jewish Underground, aided by
their Polish brothers-in-arms, rose against the
German conqueror. The heroic armed resistance
of the Warsaw Ghetto will live forever in the
story of mankind."
The Flail of Man's Inhumanity to Man
Not only a sense of brotherly compassion, but
even an elementary concern for the moral health
of our Western civilization prompts our cry of
horror at the deliberate and brutal extermination
of a race which, more than any other of equally
high and ancient culture, has through the cen-
turies felt the flail of man's inhumanity to man.
It . implies no closing of our eyes to other con-
temporary instances of unconscionable cruelty in
handling problems of racial and religious antag-
onism to give full play to the salutary sense of
horror at the utterly inhuman solution of a prob-
lem in human relations which the story of the
Warsaw Ghetto so repulsively climaxes. A gen-
eration Which has grown accustomed to read of
the systematic suppression of inalienable hu-
man rights, of mass deportations of millions of
men, women and children at the nod of a dic-
tator, of the deliberately murderous extinction
of whole sectors of populous nations on account
of racial, religious or political antagonism—a
generation which, like our own, has had to read
of these horrible things in the contemporary his-
tory of the establishment of either Communist or
Nazi domination, is in danger of losing its capa-
city of being shocked at the sight of brute force
standing over the trampled form of human
rights.
Application to All Situations
Without the unremitting cultivation of a keen
sense of right and wrong, and its objective ap-
plication to all situations regardless of whether
they concern us, our allies or our enemies, there
is the further danger that we may almost un-
consciously admit into our souls a kind of fatal
admiration for the efficiency of brute force in-
stead of persistently retaining our natural ab-
horrence of its callousness.
To give full play, therefore, to our instinctive
revulsion of horror against this latest instance
of mass cruelty in the story of the Warsaw
Ghetto, is to serve a salutary purpose in pre-
paring ourselves for the impending task of put-
ting together the shattered pieces of a war torn
world.
I have no thought of extenuating the lapse
from ideals of Christian conduct so often evident
in the part which Christians have played in the
age-long tragedy of Israel's wanderings through
the nations. But we should not fail to note the
fact that the Nazi perpetrators of the colossal
crime of the Warsaw Ghetto are professedly and
rabidly anti-Christian as well as anti-Jewish.
Christians Persecuted
In Germany itself, throughout occupied Europe
and particularly in Poland they have persecuted
Christians with a ferocity that is exceeded only
by their unparalleled cruelty to the Jews. May
we not hope that in the fires of a common trib-
ulation new bonds of human solidarity and mu-
tual goodwill are being forged between Christian
and Jew. In the heroism of Christians who have
so often risked and not infrequently given their
lives to rescue their even more unfortunate Jew-
ish brothers, may we not find an augury that
when the agony is over Jews and Christians will
work together to write a brighter page of his-
tory in liberated Europe, and particularly in Po-
land which has, at least, the historic glory of
having offered the Jews a haven of refuge when
they wcr' driven out of other countries?

by this magnificent page written by the heroic
action of our martyred brethren to consecrate
ourselves to live—to die if need be—with cour-
age, with honor, with dignity—al Kiddush Ha
Shem—for the sake of God's name and for the
liberation of all mankind.

brothers, Abbe and David, and
his sister, Mrs. Leo Weisenfeld,
before leaving for his new post
in Brooklyn, N. Y.

Liberty Ship Honors
Late Rep. Edelstein

NEW YORK (JPS)—The S. S.
Michael Edelstein, a Liberty
MEYER ZOLKOWER, sta- ship, was launched at Panama
tioned at Signal Training Cen- City, Fla. The vessel bears the
ter, Fresno, Calif., eras promoted name of the late Rep. Michael
Major Croll was here for a to captain on his wedding anni- Edelstein of New York who died
few hours to attend the conse- versary. His wife is the former suddenly in Congress three years
cration of his daughter, Con-
stance, from Congregation Laura Wertsheimer. They reside ago after delivering an impas-
in Fresno. Capt. Zolkower is the sioned defense of the Jews in
Shaarey Zedek.
Rabbi Levi -yilsited with his son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Zolkower. reply to Rep. Rankin.

Pfc. D. Dickman Sgt. H. Dickman

ville Island, tells a moving story
of face-to-face encounters with
Japs and his safe return to his
group of American soldiers.
In his letter dated April 10,
1944, he tells just one of the
stories of experiences during
which he met face to face with
Japs for the first time. Regula-
tions permitted his telling the
story. He was lead scout on a re-
connaissance patrol. When the
lieutenant called a halt to locate
the group's position on the map,
Pfc. Dickman and two others
remained standing and discover-
ed they were near a steep cliff
with a 200-foot drop. They heard
the brush move and before they
knew it three Japs stepped forth
about 15 feet from them.
Out in the Open
He writes:
"We were out in the open with
no protection or concealment. We
did, however, have our faces
blackened. The first and third
Japs' had their helmets camou-
flaged. The second one had grass
tied-- all around him. A fourth
stepped out and looked at us. He
hissed to the others to look at us
and stepped behind a large tree.
"I was too surprised to shoot.
When the Jap was eight feet
from us, I aimed my rifle at him
and snapped off the safety. The
other fellow fired five shots into
the Jap. I don't know what
happened to the first three, but
when the first shot was fired two
more stepped out from the bush.
I aimed my rifle quickly at them.
Feet Over Cliff
"The Japs never knew what

hit them. The second fellow
and I hit the ground behind a
Our feet were
small tree.
dangling over the edge of the
cliff. I saw one Jap start to
crawl. I fired two times and
my rifle was empty. I reloaded
and took my bearings."
In the few minutes that inter-
vened, they started to rejoin the
patrol, since the rest of the men
did not know where they were.
Then the Detroiter saw a tree
move, and spotting another Jap
aimed at him- and saw him fall
backward. "Nothing happened
after that for about three min-
utes. Then the lieutenant called
out to crawl back, to leave the
area. The third fellow would have
crawled over the cliff if I hadn't
told him to look around."
The experience was not with-
out anxiety. The soldier he re-
fers to as "the second fellow"
was scared, and Pfc. Dickman
had to push him along with his
shoulder. Two Japs fired at
them. Soon, they rejoined the
patrol.
He's Disappointed
The next day, another patrol
went back to the spot of this
encounter, and found only three
graves. Pfc. Dickman had re-
ported that he killed four Japs,
but discovered that he had only
two to his credit, the other man
having killed the third enemy.
But hewrites: "Was I disappoint-
ed. I only killed two Japs and
not four. I made up for it by
helping to kill at least six more.
That will be another story. I
can prove what I wrote."
"A few days later," he adds, "I
fired at a sniper and my rifle
failed to fire. Some fun. I sure
had a good laugh after it was
all over."
A 1939 graduate of Northern
High School, Pfc. Dickman, who
is 23, was inducted in service
Dec. 28, 1942. He trained at
Camp Walters, Texas. He has
been in active overseas service.
for 13 months. Since recovering
from his wounds, he has return-
ed to combat duty and is still
somewhere in the Pacific.
His brother, Sgt. Harry Dick-
man, 25, has been overseas for
26 months. He is in the Infantry.
He was the first American to
capture a Nazi flier in Iceland.

Dr. Leon Rottenberg Robbins Promoted
Promoted to Captain To Staff Sergeant
Mr. and Mrs. Hyman Rotten-; In South Pacific

berg of 2466 Highland Ave. re-
ceived word of the_ promotion
of their son, Dr. Leon Rotten-
berg, from First Lieutenant to
the rank of cap-
tain.
Capt. Rotten-
berg is serving
with the U. S.
Arm y Medical
Corps and is sta-.
tioned at Sta-
tion Hospital,.
Portland, 0 r e.
He has been in
active service
Rottenberg for 18 months.
A graduate of Detroit College
of Medicinne, class of 1938, he
interned at Receiving Hospital
in Detroit and in Port Huron.
He was married seven years
ago to the former Adelaine
Sacks. They have a two-year-
old son, David.
Hi.. brother, Pvt. Coleman Rot-
tenberg, who will be 20 on June
16, has been in service nearly a
year and is now stationed at
Camp Gruber, Oklahoma. He is
a graduate of Central High
School and attended Wayne Uni-
versity for one year.
Their mother is president of
Ladies of Yeshivath Beth Yehu-
dal.. Their father is a former
president and vice-president of
Congregation Bnai David, on
whose board he now serves.
Dr. Rottenberg received his
Jewish education at Yeshivath
Beth Yehudah.
* *
Word has been received by
Mrs. Leo Grandon that her hus-
band has been promoted to the
rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade.
Lt. (j.g.) Grandon is on active

duty somewhere in the Pacific.

Albert Robbins, son of Mrs.
Ida Rabinowitz of 2900 Hazel-
wood Ave., who is stationed on
an island in the South Pacific,
has been advanced to the rank
of Staff Sergeant. He is assigned
to the Base Censor Detachment.
S/Sgt. Robbins, a former
teacher in t h e
Detroit public
schools, was
t ransferred•
about six
months ago to
his present post
from the Fiji
Islands.
For his over-
seas duty of two
S/Sgt. Robbins years' duration,
S/Sgt. Robbins was awarded the
"Asiatic-Pacific" and "Good Con-
duct" Ribbons.
He writes that the Chaplain
assigned to his post is Rabbi
Norbert L. Rosenthal of Chicago,
and his last letter tells the fol-
lowing about the Seder arranged
for his group:
"We had a very fine Seder
for Passover. It was well at-
tended by officers and enlisted
men. The Quartermaster Corps
and the J. W. B. cooperated iaz,
providing us with Australian1
Matzohs, California wine a n d
_good meal.
"Chaplain Rosenthal conducts
Friday evening services at one
of the hospitals and I attend as
often as possible. For the past
several Fridays we have had as
guest Lou Lawrence, of N e w
York, a USO entertainer. He
has a splendid voice and he not
only chanted the .rvices for
us but also sang several selec-
tions."