Page Four

THE JEWISH NEWS

As the Editor
Views the News • .

MR. InGOTT

Facts You Should Know

Answers to Readers
Questions About Jews

.

A Happy New Year!

A Happy 5706 to all!
May the New Year bring for Israel an
assurance of security and tranquility.
And may it bring understanding to man-
kind of the evils which lead to - war and to
strife among peoples.
May it bring Understanding to Jews of
the needs of our people which call, for un-
precedented sacrifices in order to make the
lot of the surviving men, women and child-
- ren easier.
*
*
*
It is difficult to speak in terms of happi-
ness in exchanging greetings on this New
Year.
At best, we can hope for a measure of
justice which will provide for security for
our people so that they may be able to erase
the marks of Nazism from their bodies and
their minds.
* * *
Perhaps it would be better if we just
said: "A JUST New Year."
The reports that came last week from
Europe, through the correspondents of the
New York Times, that the status of our
kinsmen in Nazi-held territories, especially
those now in control under authority of the
United States, are most encouraging. But
we must not become complacent because of
them.
A careful reading of these reports will
show that there is need for a great effort
in providing relief for the liberated Jews,
that most of them refuse to remain in lands
that have been stained with oppressive laws,
that they insist upon going to Palestine or
the United States.
We must not fail these people. We must
give them all the help that is at our disposal
and we must provide them with means of
migrating elsewhere. ' This "elsewhere" at
present means only Palestine, since all other
doors are closed to them, including the gates
of the U. S. Therefore, all Jews must join in
the fight against restrictions in Palestine and
for an open door policy to assure unrestrict-
ed immigration to the Jewish National Home.
At the same time, our efforts must be
redoubled in behalf of relief efforts to guar-
antee means of sustenance for the hundreds
of thousands of Jews who were left helpless
in Europe and who have no other people
to look to for their support except the Jews
of America.
*
*
Our chief task is to attain justice.
To such an end, we must be united in the
main responsibilities which face us every-
where.
We must be united in efforts to put an
end to intolerance, at home and abroad.
We must be united in all efforts to pro-
vide relief for the needy and to create
homes for the homeless.
We must strive to eliminate despair and
to retain strength and faith, so that we
should be better prepared to face all issues
and all foes—to the end that there may be
an end to saddening issues and to bigotry.
We pray for a year marked 'by justice.
May the New Year turn out to be a
Happy 5706.

•

THE JEWISH NEWS

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0

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MAURICE ARONSSON
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
FRED M. BUTZEL
ISIDORE SOBELOFF
THEODORE LEVIN
ABRAHAM SRERE
MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ HENRY WINEMAN
- PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
A. R. BRASCH, Advertising Counsel

VOL. 7—No. 25

SEPTEMBER 7, 1945

This Sabbath, the first day of Rosh Hashanah,

5706, the following scriptural selections will be

read in our synagogues.
Pentateuchal portions—Gen. 21; Num. 29:1-6.
Prophetical portion—I Sam. 1:1-2:10.
On Sunday, the second day of Rosh Hashanah,
the following Scriptural selections will be read:
Pentateuthal portions—Gen. 22; Num. 29:1-6.
Prophetical portion—Jer. 31:2-30.
On Monday, the Fast of Gedaliah, the fol-
lowing Scriptural selections will be read:
Pentateuchal portion—Ex.32: 11-14; 34: 1-10.
Prophetical portion—Is. 55: 6-56:8.

F riday, September 7, 1945

"In case I_ should need a transfusion, doctor, I want
to make certain I don't get anything but blue, sixth-
generation American blood!"

.

Calm Judgment in Time of Stress

It is the sad lot of Michigan Jewry that the High Holy
Day period should be ushered in with a ntte of sadness.
There have been disturbances in several communities
in Michigan. Several young people were injured in an at-
tack by hoodlums in one community, a Jewish serviceman
was hurt in another community arid Jews were insulted in
several other resorts.
The hurt that was suffered by the injured, in mind as
well as in body, because of the shock that comes to those
who suddenly become aware of the existence of anti-Semit-
ism, is not as serious as the state of panic which has stricken
many of our people.
In a period of despair and anguish over the abuse of
American principles by American youths, we seem to have
forgotten that in a minor fashion manifesttions of the sort
experienced at Michigan resorts existed in the past; and we
overlook the fact that in order to be able to fight anti-
Semitism properly we must remain calm.
If we be6ome panicky, we shall be unable to reason with
our neighbors and make demands upon state officials. This
is a time for firm dealing with culprits, and we must not be
found wanting.
The responsibility for the protection of the rights of all
American citizens lies with the local and state police. Res-
ponsibility for the elimination of bigotry lies with the schools
and the homes. In both, the children must be taught the
fallacy and danger of hating one's neighbors.
If we retain our balance so that we can make proper
demands for strict adherence to these principles, we shall
be able to defeat every vestige of anti-Semitism in America.
This should be our task,—for the sake of ourselves and our
neighbors; for the sake of America and her neighbors.

Pogroms in Liberated Poland

High municipal and police officials are among the 300
perpetrators of pogroms which have cost the lives of Jews
in Poland.
A special government investigating committee has been
selected to bring the guilty ones before the bars of justice.
The fact that Jewish lives were lost, that police are
charged lArith having turned their backs upon Jews who ap-
pealed for help and that these things are occurring in post-
war Poland whose "liberation" should have been a signal
for all decent-minded people there to refrain from oppress-
ing Jewish citizens, ought to be a matter for concern by
the United Nations.
If we are to have a free world, the liberated countries
should be free from prejudice and bigotry and should make
it a crime for any one to persecute, let alone kill, his
neighbor.
Of interest in this connection is the news that the Polish
government has served notice on servicemen with the Polish
Army in Exile and on the 75,000 Polish Jews in Germany
that their property will be confiscated and that they will
lose their citizenship if they do not return to Poland by the
end of December. We wonder: does Poland expect Jews
to return to a land which is drenched with the blood of
pogromized Jews?

Why is the Shofar blown on Rosh Hash-
anah? Why is a Ram's Horn used as a Sho-
far? Was the Shofar blown upon any other
occasion? Is our blowing of the Shofar on
Rosh Hashanah connected in any way with
the horn blowing onNew Year?
tic of the New Year is
A cardinal characteris
the blowing of the Shofar. Its original Biblical
name • was 'a day of blowing" and not the later
prescribed name of Rosh _Hashanah. But Rosh
Hashanah was not the only, day of the year on
which the sounding of the horn er trumpet was
ordained. The Bible explicitly decrees the blow-
ing of "chatzontzros" (clarions) on every first of
the month as well as on all holidays. On these
other occasions, it is true that silver -trumpets
were blown whereas on the solemn days sur-
rounding Rosh . Hashanah, the- simple' wind instru-
ment made out of a ram's horn was blown. This
instrument seems to be the oldest wind instru-
ment known to humanity.
The reasons for blowing the Shofar seem to
be numerous as well .as varied in the different
phases of human experience. The Bible (Penta-
teuch) refers to the blowing of the Shofar as
a reminder to God of his people's welfare.
Either on the basis of this reference or as an
outgrowth of thought and experience many other
significances were attributed to the ceremony.
Generally speaking they fall into three main
categories. Their purposes may be classified as
historical, mystical and psychological.
Usher in Historical Events
A journey through history will reveal that
the Shofar seemed to usher in historical events.
The birth of the Universe is said to have been
heralded by the Shofar. The "giving of the
Torah" on Mount Sinai was accompanied by the
blowing of the trumpets, as was the fall of the
Wall of Jericho and many other memorable
events. The Shofar was ordained to remind us
of the "Binding of Isaac" says the Talmud and
that is why a ram's horn is used. It 'was a ram
that was finally substituted for the body of Isaac
upon the Altar, Even the future is brought into
the picture by the authorities in discussing the
meaning of the sounding of the Shofar. It is
said that the coming of the Messiah who will re-
deem all mankind will be introduced by the
Shofar Shel Mosheach (the Shofar of Messiah).
Thus, the Shofar symbolizes both the past records
of history as well as the anticipated events of
the future.
Many writers have linked the Shofar with
the overcoming of the Satan who seeks to prose-
cute man before the divine Tribunal of the Al-
mighty. One of the reasons given for b'
the Shofar during the entire month of Elul. is
that an attempt is made to confuse Satan into
bewilderment so that he shall not know the
exact Day of Judgment. Some writers have as-
sociated this idea with the custom of blowing
horns on the Gentile New Year. The radical
scholars reduce the entire matter to a primitive
custom of scaring the- devils away from harm-
ing mankind. It remains a fact though, that
some sort of mysticism was attached to it even
by the most orthodox of scholars. This is not
strange indeed. Rabbinic literature has many
a time appended "the folds of learning" with
mystical representations. It should, however, be
brought to mind that they didn't intend to
leave the subject hanging in the clouds of mys-
ticism; but rather used the mystical horizon for
the decorative beauty of our .observances.
Symbol of Reawakening
The practical note on the subject seems to
have been sounded by the many serious-minded
commentators who look upon the Shofar as the
symbol of reawakening the human being into
serious introspection for his own benefit. Psych-
ologically, every man is in need of such stimuli
to spur him into various paths of action. Taken
at its face value there is nothing as stimulating
to the human soul as the hushful silence and
awe that overtakes the congregation while lis-
tening to the blowing of the Shofar. Each man
is thus left to react to his own arising thoughts.
Music has long been recognized as an inval-
uable stimulant especially to a crowd. The Shofar,
then, seems to have been aptly fitted to serve this
end in the most sacred of days when we seek
to arouse humanity to repentance. Maimonides
has remained unequaled in the presentation of
this thought when he attributed the following
words to -the voice of the Shofar: "Awake, ye
sleepers, ancl 'ponder over your deeds; remember
your Creator and go back to Him in penitence.
Be not of those who miss realities in their pur-
suit of shadows and waste their years in seeking
after vain things which cannot profit or deliver.
Look well to your souls and consider your acts;
forsake each of you his evil ways and thoughts
and return to God so that he may have mercy
upon you."
We see, then, the simple Shofar wound-up
inextricably with the totality of our past, the
relevancy of our present and the promise of our
future.

Talmudic Tales

By DAVID MORANTZ.

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

PEARLS OF WISDOM

"Tis nobler to perform kindly acts than to
give alms." •
"One can only give alms with money, or its
equivalent, and then only to the living and the
poor. However, kindness can be bestowed with-
out money, on the rich and poor alike as well as
on the dead."
"The reward of good deeds is like dates, sweet
and ripening late."
"They are to be honored who honor their
parents, who practice charity and kindness and
who endeavor to establish peace and good will
between men."
"One should love his wife like himself and
honor her more than himself."
"Let the honor of your neighbor be as sacred.
to you as your own."

