Page Fourfeen
THE JEWISH NEWS
council Adopts Resolution
For Permanent Conference
Frkfay, Dedemt;ef t,
Council, City School Heads
Discuss Central Incident
Rhodes Represents
JWV at Conference
Samuel J. Rhodes, f or m e r
Michigan state commander of the
D4.. Trachtenberg, Guest Speaker, Maintains That National Jewish War Veterans of the Community Relations Committee Reveals Exchange
of
Jewish Conference Had Finished Its Assigned Task
at First Session; Local Leaders Speak
Messages Regarding Alleged Remark by Teacher;
Superintendent Bow Assures Investigation
A resolution adopted at a meeting of delegates of the
Jewish Community Council of Detroit, held Nov. 21 at the
Jewish Center,.urged that the American Jewish Conference,
whose session resumes in Pittsburgh this Sunday, should be-
come a permanent representative body devoted to represent-
ing the American Jewish community in matters affecting
life in the United States as well%
Representatives of the Jewish Community Council, pur-:
suing the program to improve interfaith -relation -s, have held
a series of conferences with school authorities in order to
establish an effective arrangement for the handling of in.
cidents involving pupil-teacher relationships, Rabbi Leon
Fram and Harry Yudkoff, co-chairmen of the community
as abroad.
Leon Kay, president of The
Detroit chapter of the American
Jewish Congress, presented the
resolution which was adopted
after a lengthy discussion of the
record and future prospects of
the American Jewish Conference.
Morris Garvett Presides .
F.
Morris Garvett, vice president
of the Community Council, pre-
sided at the meeting.
Dr. Joshua Trachtenberg of
Easton, Pa., chairman of the
Conference sub - committee on
the .post war status of Jews, was
guest speaker. -
Dr. Trachtenberg maintained
fhat the American Jewish Con-
feience actually had finished its
assigned task at its -first session
in September, 1943, when it ad-
opted decisions and policies on
post w a r reconstruction i n
Europe and a Jewish Common-
wealth in Palestine.
The Confetience had been cre-
ated as a Consultative, policy-
making body, and it had not
been intended that it should be-
eome a body to carry on an
active program to implement its
decisions, Dr. Trachtenberg stat-
ed. This, he said, had been ad-
ded to the scope of the Con-
ference as a result of the en-
thusiasm of the delegates for
the idea of an over-all- national
Jewish body.
Outstanding Success
The three major Conference
commissions on' Palestne, rescue
of European Jewry, and post war
reconstruction have been work-
ing faithfully and with varying
degrees of effectiveness. Its out-
standing success was in securing
a united representation at the
UNRRA conference in Montreal,
where the major Jewish de-
mands' were adopted by that in-
ternational body.
- Dr. Trachtenberg suggested
that the Conference has been a
disappointment to many Ameri-
can Jews because it has not achi-
eyed certain results for which
they had hoped. He pointed out
that such disappointment is
based on the fact that many per-
sons hOped it would do things
for which it was not created and
which it was not supposed to do.
He maintained that it was *pow-
erless to do these things because
it lacked the authority which
can come only from organized
local Jewish communities.
He proposed that at the ses-
sion of the Conference in Pitts-
burgh' steps should be taken to
reorganize the Conference, to
provide for representation from
local Jewish communities. The
entire problem, in his opinion,
should be referred back to these
local communities which must
determine whether they _want a
national policy-making body,
and with what matters such a
body should concern itself.
Delegates Tell Views.
In the discussion which follow-
ed Dr. Trachtenberg's address,
Detroit delegates to the Confer-
ence expressed their views on
the present status of the Con-
ference and on Dr. Trachten-
berg's analysis and proposals.
Dr. B. Benedict Glazer deplor-
ed the lack of Jewish unity, the
existence of vested interests and
conflicting philosophies, and the
absence of widespread interest
of community problems.
Rabbi Max J. Wohlgelernter
felt that American Jewry • was
not yet ripe for the proposals
made by Dr. Trachtenberg be-
cause American Jews were not
adequately informed.
Rabbi Leon Fram felt that the
Conference had accomplished a
great deal and the despair con-
cerning • it is unjustified.
Schaver, Temchin Talk
Morris L. Schaver supported
The idea of making the Confer-
--
ence a permanent over-all body
to represent American Jewry on
all problems affecting it.
Daniel Temchin emphasized
the important work done by the
Conference in relation to the
campaign for the establishment
of Palestine as a Jewish Com-
monwealth.
The others who participated in
the discussion included Abraham
MeyeroWitz, Mrs. David Sher-
aga, William Hordes, Samuel
Lieberman, Harr y Kaminer;
Samuel W. Lieb. Most of the
speakers indicated their belief
that the Conference should be
strengthened, made permanent,,
and given a greater measure of
authority and wider jurisdiction;
.Mr. Kay's resolution urged
that delegates "shall urge upon
the Conference that steps be
taken to reorganize the Confer-
ence on a widely-representative
basis, with power to continue to
represent American Jewry; and
to implement a broad program
of activities with • respect to the
interests and needs of the Jew=
ish people, in the United States,
in Palestine, and in other lands."
It was pointed out that dele-
gates' go to the Conference un-
instructed and are not bound by
the resolution which was. to be
regarded as a statement of senti-
ment rather than as a directive.
Delegates to Council
To Meet on Dec. 11
On Monday, Dec. 11, the third
conference of Jewish Commun-
ity Council delegates for the
current year will be held at the
Jewish Center, at 8:15 p. m.
On the agenda will be a report
on the. 6ession of the American
Jewish Conference by members.
of Detroit's delegation.
A special committee has been
appointed to plan the agenda for
this meeting as well as for the
forthcoming annual Delegates In-
stitute to be held in January.
Conference's 3-Day
Parley Opens Sunday
PITTSBURGH — Representa-
tives of American Jewish com-
munities and national organiza-
tions—the, delegates to the Am-
merican Jewish Conference—
will meet Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday to review the Jewish
scene, receive reports of past
activities and map plans for the
future.
The session will open on Dec.
3, at 2:00 p.m. at the William
Penn Hotel, with the reports of
the three co-chairmen of the
Interim Committee, to be fol-
lowed by reports from the Com-
missions on Rescue, Palestine and
Postwar.
Lt. Blau Returns
From 50 Missions
After eight' months overseas,
having participated in 50 mis-
sions, Lt. Harry Blau, son of
Rudy Blau of 2227 Springwells
Ave.. was home last week on
leave.
Lt. Blau has been awarded
the Air Medal with three Oak
Leaf • Clusters, the service stripe
with two battle stars and the
Distinguished Flying Cross. The
Presidential citation is expected
for his crew for accomplishing
45 of the 50 missions as a single
unit and for a hazardous mission
successfully carried out over
Vienna, the former home of the
Blau family.
On D-Day, Lt. Blau saw action
over southern France and he
wears stripes indicative of
French and Italian engagements.
He has been in service 39
months and has reported for re-
assignment at Miami Beach, Fla.
SAMUEL J. RHODES
•
United States, has been notified'
that he has been selected one of
the national delegates to the
American Jewish Conference to
represent the Jewish War Vet-
: erans.
Myerson Elevated
To Rank of Major
Attached to the Chemical
Warfare Service as a chemical
engineer, Max H. Myerson - re-
cently was promoted to the rank
of major. Over-F."
seas 30 months,
he now is sta-
tioned at Oran
in North Africa.
H i s first five
months were
spent in Eng-
land.
A graduate in
chemical e n g
neering from
the College • 'of Maj. Myerson
the City of DetrOit and in phar-
macy from Wayne University,
he entered service on April 21
1942. He was previously a re-
serve officer with the chemical
warfare service.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Myerson formerly of Detroit and
now of Los Angeles, he was
married to the former Jeanette
Bresler -on ,May 17, 1942. Mrs.
Myerson resides at 3265 Boston
Blvd.
,
Leonard Olshanky
Now a Staff Sergeant
. S/Sgt. Leonard Olshansky has
the distinction of having advanc-
ed from buck private - to staff
sergeant in less than six months.
Inducted into the army on March
23, - 1942, he was
promoted to the
rank of sergeant
after five months
and three weeks
later became a
staff sergeant.
First stationed
at Camp Rob-
erts, Calif., he
was serving With
a supply unit in
t h e Headquar-
ters Division ofSfSgt. Olshansky
the Infantry.
S/Sgt. Olshansky,.26, was ship-
ped overseas to England on Jan.
15, 1944. He now is attached to
a medical supply division.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. D.
Olshansky, 2005 Fullerton Ave.,
he was . graduated . from Central
High School and was formerly
employed as a supervisor of
plumbing installations.
WXYZ 7 P.M:
relations committee, announced.
A series of incidents alleged to
have occurred at Central High
school, involving Jewish stud-
ents and non-Jewish teachers,
have been thoroughly investigat-
ed by the Community Council.
On the basis of these investiga-
tions, conferences were held with
the principal of Central High
sc,hool, Superintendent Warren E.
Bow, Assistant Superintendents
Paul T. Rankin and Ivan E. Chap-
man, Miss Laurentine Collins,
secretary of the committee on in-
tercultural education, and Cen-
tral teachers.
In the course of these confer-
ences consideration was given to
the broad general problems in the
field of intercultural education.
Recommendations Made
Following one of these confer-
ences Isaac Francl:, executive di-
rector of the Council, forwarded
to Dr. Bow the recommendations
which had been considered in the
discussion. Mr. Franck's letter
stated in part:
"I take this opportunity to re-
state in writing the three recom-
mendations which emerged out of
our discussions:
1. That a directive or statement
be addressed by the superintend-
ent to all teachers, reminding
them of the democratic founda-
tions of America in general and
of Detroit's public school system
in particula and advising them
that derogatory references to the
teligion, race, or nationality group
to which their students belong
are contrary to the policy of De-
troit's public schools.
2. That in the case of all au-
thenticated reports of such ref-
erences having been made by any
teacher, a conference with the
teacher be arranged, in which the
following participate. the prin-
cipal, one or more representativeS
of the executive staff, and a rep-
resentative of the Jewish Com-
munity Council (where the un-
favorable reference concerns the
Jewish people). It should be the
purpose of this conference to ex-
hibit to the teacher the un-Amer-
ican character of such remarks,
and to indicate that they are con-
trary to the policy of the Detroit
public schools. Obviously, such
a conference would carry with it
the implication of disciplinary ac-
tion in the event of the recur-
rence of such remarks.
Transfer Suggested
"3. Since the incident involving
Miss has caused a great
deal of agitation among unpils
and parents at Central High, dis-
ciplinary action, perhaps in the
form of a transfer to another
school, ought to be taken."
In his reply, Dr. Bow stated.
"I have your letter of Nov. 13,
including three recommendations
on behalf of the Jewish Commun-
ity Council.
"With regard to the first one,
that a directive be addressed to
all teachers, I want to say that
the spirit of this recommendation
has already been met by a num-
ber of things that have been done.
The point of view -suggested for
inclusion in such a directive has
been presented orally both by
me and- by speakers whom I have
invited to several different gen-
eral principals' meetings held in
the last year or • two. Special
school programs emphasizing the
same idea have been presented to
the entire group • of principals and
also to various school and *com-
munity groups where many
teachers were present. An inter-
cultural policy for the Detroit
public schools has been drafted
and is under review at the pres-
ent time looking toward presenta-
tion to all schools in the system.
We will stress this matter from
time to time in our official pub-
lication, Detroit SChools, which
goes monthly to every employee.
Cites Disadvantages
"With regard to recommenda-
tion two, the principal will confer
with the teacher involved to
check the facts and to take such -
steps as may seem-. appropriate.
In my judgment, it would be dis-
tinctly disadvantageous to have a‘
representative of the group that
makes the complaint present. . . .
"With regard to your third
recommendation, the incident as
reported has already been dis-
cussed with Miss by the
principal and the assistant super-
intendent in charge. Although she
denies having made the state-
ment as quoted by certain stud-
ents, yet she has been made fully
aware that the 'administration
does not look with favor on re-
marks by teachers in any school
that are derogatory to any re-
ligion, race, -or national group.
"It is our desire that no de-
rogatory references to the re-
ligion, race, or nationality of in-
dividuals be made. We believe
that the constructive approach is
preferable in the long run, and
propose to continue to emphasize
such an approach. I am confident
that we have your support for the
activities in intercultural educa-
tion which are under way in the
Detroit schools."
Rabbi Fram and Mr. Yudkoff
emphasized the importance of the
entire Jewish community being
on the alert to report all verified
incidents to'the Community Coun-
cil office. They stressed the need
of having a disciplined and cen-
tralized approach to the handling
of these problems, as 'well as to
the entire program of developing
_proper relationships between
Jews and non-Jews in the com-
munity,
FRE-DSON'S
KOSHER
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12017
UNEXCELLED FOOD
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DEXTER BLVD.
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