Page Four

As the Editor
Views the News -
Educational Study

THE JEWISH NEWS

Goebbels' Propaganda Pills

IN

' Formation of a Citizens' Committee to
tonduct a study of our educational needs has
met with a hearty welcome from all elements
ha the community, and its work should be en-
couraged for the good of the entire Jewish
Cultural set-up.
There are so many conflicting school sys-
tems here, practically all of which are deriv-
ing their support from the Allied Jewish
Campaign, that a thorough understanding is
necessary if mutual accord is to be attained.
The self-study, backed up by an impartial
survey, should lead to better understanding
and the establishment of greater efficiency
in our educational movements.

What is the Midrash?
The name given to the oldest expository ma-
terial of Jewish scholars, gradually accumulated
from the explanation or amplification of Scripture
passages.
* * *
Is it true that Coleridge and Ruskin were
devoted students of the Bible?
—M. M.
Yes, Coleridge once said: "Intense study of the
Bible will keep any man from being vulgar in
point of style." Ruskin said: "All that I have
taught of art, everything that I have written, -
whatever' greatness there has been in any thought
of mine, whatever I have done in my life, has
simply been due to the .fact that, when I was a
child, my mother daily read with me a part of
the Bible, and daily made me learn a part of it
by heart."

Talmudic Tales

Detroit Fights Bigotry

A House Divided

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

By DAVID MORANTZ .

Separating Church and State

In a number of communities throughout the land, an in-
teresting practice has been introduced of having all faiths ob-
serve the combined Hanukah and Christmas festivals in pub-
lic schools. Jews and Christians in these communities learn
Hanukah songs as well as Christmas hymns, and the inclusion
of the major elements of the combined celebration is reported
to be leading to a spirit of genuine good will arhong pupils
and teachers.
Where such joint observances are not planned, Jews have
frequently—and rightfully—objected to the injection of reli-
gious teachings in our schools on the ground that it interfered
with the principle of the separation of church and state.
The protest against the singing of Christmas carols by
Jewish students in Kingston, N. Y., made by Rabbi Harold
Englander, has caused a rift in his own congregation, whose
members repudiated him, and the Christian Science Monitor
has seen fit to reprimand the rabbi editorially as follows:

American Zionism is a house divided, and
there must be rejoicing in the Colonial Office
in London, in the ranks of the anti-Zionist
elements in the Near Eastern Division of our
State Department, among the Arabs and in
the American Council for Judaism.
The resignations of the co-chairmen of the
American Zionist Emergency Council—Drs.
Abba Hillel Silver and Stephen S. Wise—is a
most disheartening occurrence.
At a time when leaders in the movement
should have been united on major Zionist
policies, internal dissention has brought
about an almost-irreparable split.
In the light of this occurrence, the tabling
"The protesting rabbi might better have emulated the ex-
of the Palestine Resolution by the Senate
ample of many of his brethren who honor Christ Jesus as a great
teacher. Moreover, he should have remembered that the gentle
Committee on Foreign Relations becomes a
Jesus taught the brotherhood of man; no -true Christian can
minor matter. The speedy reconstruction of
support racial prejudice. Many American Jews, in common with
Palestine is the major responsibility of Jews
their Christian brethren, generally observe the Christmas season
themselves, and when our leadership is split,
with benevolence and expressions of love and good will. These
customs are part of the tradition of a liberty-loving people who,
progress in reconstruction work is certain to
despite imperfections, are basically tolerant and friendly. Their
be impeded.
carols, no matter what the words or the tongue, are songs of joy,
and the Christmas story is the annually repeated expression of
The introduction of resolutions of censure
hope for such a world as the Master Christian sought to bring."
after Zionists have suffered a setback in
political action does not, in itself, represent
wise or wholesome thinking in behalf of the
This is a shocking statement, and it must be attributed
Jewish reconstruction movement. In view of to hasty action by a very responsible American newspaper.
overwhelming public opinion which backed
It is altogether too evident, in the portion of the editorial
Dr. Silver in his activities in Washington, it we have quoted, that the Monitor's appeal is based on religious
does not help the cause to try to reprimand fervor the expression of which would be fully justified in
him for a setback which was not of his own
making, since the Zionist resolution also had Christian schools and in churches.
But the fact remains that the accepted American ideal
the backing of President Roosevelt. If Zionist
leadership could not get together in a crucial is to keep church and state separate, and that separation be-
hour, the latest happenings should serve as comes impossible when an appeal for the singing of songs
a signal to Zionists to change leadership and steeped in Christian ideals is made on the ground that "the
to select at the head of the movement men words or the tongue" do not matter.
* * *
and women who will be able to agree on
action without placing the cause in disrepute.
The spirit of good will must be strengthened, and all of
us must avoid being intolerant. We must be parties to the
spreading of genuine brotherhood, in the spirit of the message
that was sent to the heads of the Federal Council of Churches
Member of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent
of Christ in America, the National Catholic Welfare Confer-
Jewish Press Service, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate,
Religious News Service, Palcor News Agency, Bressler
ence and the United Lutheran Synod by the Synagogue
Cartoon Service, Wide World Photo Service, Acme
Council of America which expressed the season's greetings
Newsphoto Service.
Member American Association of English - Jewish
in the form of "good wishes and warm regards of the Jewish
Newspapers.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publish-
community for their Christian brethren."
ing Co.. 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich. Telephone
RAndolph 7956. Subscription rate, $3 a year; foreign,
The Synagogue Council's president, Rabbi Herbert S.
$4 a year. Club subscription of one issue a month,
published every fourth Friday in the month, to all
Goldstein, stated in his message:
subscribers to Allied Jewish Campaign of the Jewish
Welfare Federation of Detroit, at 40 cents a club sub-
"In our mutual endeavors to create good will between
scription per year.
Christians and Jews, we accomplish that best through the
Entered as second-class matter August 6, 1942, at the
Post Office at Detroit, Michigan, under the Act of
broad platform of Americanism which represents the contri-
March 3, 1879.
bution of all the people of all the faiths in the United States
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MAURICE ARONSSON
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
for the best interest of our beloved country. It is our prayer
FRED M. BUTZEL
ISIDOP.E SOBELOFF
that through your devotion during your sacred season that
THEODORE LEVIN
ABRAHAM SRERE
MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ
HENRY WINEMAN
all mankind may be improved, that penance and atonement
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
may
ensue, which will certainly bring about a healing and
A. R. BRASCR, Advertising Counsel
a holy peace for all God's children."
DECEMBER 29, 1944
VOL. 6—NO. 15•
Creation of good will and tolerance, however, must not
involve
the problem of conflicting church and state activities.
The Week's Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the fourteenth day of Tebet, Church and state CAN and MUST be kept separated.
We are convinced that all good Christians reject racial
5705, the following Scriptural selections will be
prejudice. But we equally are convinced that the cementing
read in our synagogues:
of good will need not be based on the introduction of eli-
Pentateuchal portion—Gen. 47:28-50:26.
gious practices into our school system.
Prophetical portion—I Kings 2:1-12.

THE JEWISH NEWS

Facts You Should Know

Answers to Readers'
Questions About Jews

MI

A- new municipal law has been adopted by
the Common Council of Detroit.
This law makes it illegal for anyone to
publish or to circulate anonymous pamphlets
or any other publication, which "exposes any
individual, or any religious or racial group,
to hatred, contempt, ridicule or obloquy."
Detroit's Councilmen and our Mayor
should be informed that this is a step in the
right direction:
We are a fortunate community that the
millions of appeals to bigotry have fallen on
deaf ears. But there is no guarantee that
some of the appeals to hatred will not bear
fruit, and the law adopted by our Council
is a measure of prevention aiming at the
perpetuation of good will.

Friday, December 29, 1944

"Fruit," says the Talmud, "falls not far from
the tree."
"Utter not, nor listen to idle words which serve
no useful purpose."
"Men differ according to their natures; some
are jocular and happy, others are sad and mourn-
ful; some are gentle, others are hardhearted; some
are boastful, some whose desires are never satis-
fied, others lack all desires even for the actual
needs of life; some constantly pursue material
gain, whilst others are idle, not even seeking their
daily needs."
"He is truly wise who knows that he knows
nothing."
"As steel sharpens steel so does one learned
mind sharpen another."
"Look first at thy neighbors, before buying the
house."

(Copyright by David Morantz)
For - a handsome 195 page, autographed gift volume con-
taining 128 of these tales and 500 Pearls of Wisdom, send
$1.50 to David Morantz, care of The Jewish News, or
phone PLaza 1048.

Children's Corner

Dear Boys and Girls:
Every one speaks today of good will and of the
need for eliminating prejudices.
A very fine poem appeared in the latest issue
of Common Ground which expresses the thought
that all men should respect each other mutually
and race differences should not cause hatreds. It
was written under the title "Incident" by Eugene
T. Maleska, a teacher in the New York City
schools, and it reads:
Three races played together—.
The yellow, black, and white-
-And never questioned whether
It was wrong or it was right.
Three children of three races
Were concerned with playing ball
And couldn't see that faces
Made a difference at all.
I like this poem very much. That is why I in-
clude it in my weekly message to you.
We may all well ask: if we can, as we should,
play ball with friends of other races, why can't
we do business with them, practice our professions
with them, work with them?
Let us hope that before long all prejudices will
be forgotten and all men will live on friendly
terms with their neighbors.
Next week we usher in a new civil year. Let
us , hope that 1945 will be a year of peace and of
true good will.
I wish you all a pleasant Sabbath and a happy
1945.
UNCLE DANIEL.
* * *

THE HEBREW'S FRIDAY NIGHT

By ISRAEL ZANGWIL (After Burns)
"Come, my beloved, to meet the Bride; the face
of the Sabbath let us welcome.",
Sweet Sabbath-Bride, the Hebrew's theme of
praise, -
Celestial maiden with the starry eyes,
Around thine head a sacred nimbus plays,
Thy smile is soft as lucent summer skies,
Before thy purity all evil dies.
In wedding-robe of stainless sunshine Brest,
Thou dawnest on Life's darkness and it dies;
Thy bridal-wreath is lilies Heaven-blest,
Thy dowry Peace and Love and Holiness and Rest.

For in thy Presence he forgets awhile
The gloom and discord of man's mortal years,
To seek the light that streameth from thy Face,
To list thy tender lullaby, which cheers
His soul and lies like music on his years.
His very sorrows with soft splendour shine,
Transfigured by a mist of sacred tears;
He drinks thy gentle-offered Anodyne
And feels himself absorbed into the Peace divine.

The father from the synagogue returns
(A singing bird is nestling at his heart),
And from without the festive light discerns
Which tells his faithful wife has done her part
To welcome Sabbath with domestic art.
He enters and perceives the picture true,
And tears unbidden from his eyelids start,
As Paradise thus opens on his view,
And then he smiles and thanks his God he is a Jew.

So in a thousand squalid Ghettos penned,
Engirt yet undismayed by perils vast,
The Jew in hymns that marked his faith would
spend
This night and dream of all his glorious Past
And wait the splendours by his seers forecast.
And so while mediaeval creeds at strife
With nature die, the Jew's ideals last,
The simple love of home and child and wife,
The sweet humanities which make our higher life.