■ •••••11.

Friday, 'Sepferrilier 15, 1944

4

THE JEWISH NEWS

A Few Chelm Ancedotes

Many Stories Have Made
Polish Community Famous

Greetings
From JWV

By Archie H. Greenberg
(National Commander, and
A Normal Jewish City, New Seat of Polish Government
Both as Americans a nd as
Formed in Liberated Territory, Chelm's Fables
Jews, we greet the New Year
with happiness in our hearts and
Are Unknown by Many Detroit Jews
thanks in our voices: With our
The report that Chelm had note to hide it. I intended to
'7WY:
been chosen as the seat of the come back in the evening, after
Polish government fOrmed in shul, and take it away, but
the territory liberated by Russia when I came I found neither
caused is to ask a cross-section money nor fur coat."
of Detroit Jews whether they
The people were very much
knew the fable about the "Chal- impressed by the story, but
mer Naronim," who also are re- they wanted to hear the story
ferred to in Jewish folklore as of the second man too.
"The Wise Men of Chelm."
"One night," he began, . "I
.It was amazing to find that
most people never heard the was sitting in my easy chair
stories ascribed to this corn- chatting with my wife. It became
munity, whose Jewish popula- late and I told her to go and
tion has been wiped out by the bolt the door.
Huns.
" 'You go and bolt the door,'
The number of stories ascribed said my wife, who is by nature
to the "foolish" people of Chelm a strong-headed woman.
is legion.
" 'You go,' said I. Well, we
Actually, Chelm was a normal kept on argfang for a full hour.
Jewish community. But the fact At last I said: 'Let's stop now
that the stories coined about and the one who starts talking
Chelm were ascribed to its peo- shall bolt the door.'
ple have made the name of this
" 'Good!' said my wife.
ARCHIE H. GREENBERG
community famous.
"We sat, and sat, and sat,
Here are a few of the Chelm neither of us' saying a word to
herc4 armies winning the vic-
anecdotes:
the other. At last the angel of tories that make possible libera-
Sipall-Town Solomon
sleep overpowered us and we
A few days ago, the Christian went to bed, the door remaining tion from the threat of Nazi tyr-
anny, the liberty loving people
Science Monitor repeated a open of course.
of the world enter into a new
Chelm story withOut giving in-
"Soon I awoke and noticed era of freedom and democracy.
dication that its source is Jew-
that thieves were in the house.
To the free Jews of the U. S.,
ish. The story as published in Into a sheet that was spread on
Great Britain and the other
the Monitor follows:
the floor they gathered all the
In the small village of Chelm, silverware and bric-a-brac we democracies, it means a final
repudiation of the false concept
in Russia, a public bath was_ in
had in the house. Yet I kept
the course of construction, when quiet. For I did not want to be of Nazi racism; it means the tri-
umph of democracy over dicta-
a -controversy arose concerning
it. Some of the citizens de- the first man to talk. Finally torship. And Jews,' in keeping
manded that the flooring be the thieves came ' over to the with their historic tradition that
made of • smoothly planed boards bed and wanted to take the very glorifies the dignity of man and
so there would not be any pillows on which we slept. This the sanctity of the individual,
splinters, while - another , group was too much for me, so I gave know more poignantly than most
maintained that a smooth floor a vigorous cough in order to people the virtues of the demo-
would constitute a source of wake up my wife. It did wake cratic way of life.
danger—it would be ' slippery her up, and outright she shouted
ThUs, the New Year is a happy
and people might fall and be —`0i. ganovim! Help! Thieves!' occasion, a happy occasion that
So she was the first to talk
injured.
carries with it added responsibil-
after all.
The matter was brought be-
ities for the Jews of the United
The
second
man
was
chosen
as
fore the venerable patriarch of
States, the strongest Jewish corn=
congregation.
the village, whose duty it was president of the
* * *
munity in the world. We must
to keep peace among the people.
not seek to evade our destiny;
The Moonshine of Chelm
"My decision," he said, "is
It has been some time since we must join together in all our
that boards should be planed."
strength to preserve Jewish lives
"But," continued the sage, turn- the merry doings of the Jews and the Jewish way of 'life.
of
the
renowned
city
of
Chelm
ing to the rough-board cham-
been reported in these
To this task the Jewish War
pions, "in order to remove the have
columns.
Veterans of the U. S. dedicates
danger that might ensue from
The shammas of the Chelm itself. We are the organization
smooth boards, I shall direct
the carpenters to day the boards synagogue wa especially fond of, by and for the quarter of a
with the smooth sides down- of the prayer of the ftell moon. million Jewish veterans of World
He loved to see the pious
ward."
Chassidim gather late at night
*- * *
at the synagogue for this devo-
"Election of a President
The City of Chelm was in a tion. But one day he was
state of great excitement. The stricken with a dread thought.
two men who were both stand- How can there be a full-moon-
ing for the presidency of the prayer if there is no moon? How
synagogue drew an equal num- about the rainy or cloudy nights,
ber of votes, and neither wanted when- the moon cannot be seen?
This thought worried the hon-
to stand aside for the other.
So the leaders of the com- est shammas for some time un-
munity called a mass meeting to til' -he finally hit upon a happy
consider what . should be done. solution to the problem. He
After a long and heated discus- waited until a night arrived
sion, in which the cleverest during \k"Phich the moon shone.
men of Chelm took part, it was full and bright. Then he filled
decided to let each of the two a barrel with water, moved it
men tell a true story which to a place where the moon's
should show his wisdom, and reflection could be seen in it,
the one who made the better and clapped the top on.
"Now we'll always have a full
impression by his story was to
moon in Chelm whenever we
become president.
This was the story the first want it," he cried triumphantly.
—P. S.
man told:
"On Saturday afternoon I was
walking down the street when I
noticed' a ten-pound note on the
ground. As a good Jew I could
Here are two child asthma cases
who found new health at the Na-
not possibly pick it up on the
tional Home for Jewish Children in
Holy Sabbath, but I hated to
Denver, which has pioneered in
leave the money. What did I do?
bringing rellif to asthmatic chil-
I threw my fur coat over the

Page Fifty-three

Community of Rome
To Hold Elections

By VICTOR BIENSTOCK
ROME, (JTA) — The Jewish
community here will hold its first
elections since the liberation of
the city within a month's time
when it will install a new coun-
cil to assume control over Jewish
communal affairs.

Authorization to hold elections
to the Jewish Community Coun-
cil was requested from the Rome
Jewish lawyer, Silvio Ottelenghi,
designated by Lt. Colonel Charles -
Poletti of the Allied Military
Government as commissioner for
Jewish community affairs early
in July when he . dismissed the
Council after a dispute between
it and Chief Rabbi Israel Zolli.
The Italian Government and
members of the Jewish commu-
nity are studying proposals to
abolish the special legal status of
the Jewish community, establish-
ed under. Mussolini's decree of
October 30, 1931, which in effect
compelled all Jews to belong to
the community, and which was
invested with official power to
tax its members. This peculiar

War I and the half million Jew-
ish servicemen of World War II.
It is in this spirit — in behalf
of our membership of veterans
of the first World War and our
80,000 service members still
in uniform — that we salute the
Year of Liberation, that we wish
a Happy New Year to the people
of Israel wherever they may live.

status, was given only to the Jew.
ish and not to other religious mi-
norities in Italy, and the adminis-
tration of the community was
made responsible to the govern-
ment.
Rabbi Zolli, who was formerly
the rabbi of Trieste, had accused
the president of the Council, Ugo
Foa, and other members of the
council of being fascists. Otto-
lenghi was named commissioner
for the affairs of the Rome Jew-.
ish community at Rabbi Zolli's
recommendation.
A group of 1,500 Jews who suc-
ceeded in escaping from the
Nazis and are now hiding in
Yugoslavia are in dire need of
assistance, the Yugoslav Red
Cross informed - the authorities
here.

New Year's
Greetings

The

HACK

SHOE CO.

New Year's
Greetings-

JEANETTE STUDIO

Formerly Century Furniture Shoppe

7404 W. MoNICHOLS RD.

To Our Policy Holders and Friends,

We Extend Our Best Wishes for

A Happy New Year--

A. J. Blumenau

Nathaniel Pernick

Walter Berlow

Albert Oppenheim

Crown Life Insurance Co.

1559 NATIONAL BANK BUILDING

DIEXTER-
DAVISON
MARKET

Chaverim
and Chaveroth

N. Cottler — H. Leviant

13310 DEXTER

TO. 8-1382

Relatives
and Friends

Greetings and Best
Wishes for the
New Year

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change of environment, wholesome
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the vast majority of children sent
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—Adv.

Greetings-

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Mr. and Mrs.
Louis Linsky

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and Family

Specializing in-

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