Page Four

THE JEWISH

As the Editor
Views the News - -

Hell's Kitchen

UM

IA GER

The Palestine Resolution

Adoption by the U. S. Senate of the Pales-
tine Resolution, with only one dissenting
vote, is an act of definance of those forces
which have tried desperately in the past few
weeks to prevent the opening of Palestine's
doors to Jewish immigrants, or to assist in
-the ultimate establishment of the Jewish
Commonwealth in Palestine.
All of which goes to prove that just
causes have a chance, provided their pro-
ponents do not die in their tracks. There
is need for courageous and firm action when-
ever the cause is recognized to. be worthy.
In the instance of the Palestine issue, the
just cause involves the urgency of provid-
ing immediate means of rescuing many tens
of thousands of Jews who will perish unless
Palestine's doors are opened for them.
The U. S. Senate and its Foreign Rela-
tions Committee have earned the everlasting
gratitude of the Jewish people for their ac-
lions in- behalf of Jewish aspirations in
Palestine. -

-

The Graveyard of Europe'

Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz's description of
Poland, at the Joint Distribution Commit-
tee's thirty-first annual meeting, as "the
graveyard of Europe," reminds our people
of the most tragic occurrences in our entire
history. Less than 10 per cent of Polish
Jewry survives, and of the 80,000 remaining
Jews in that country 70;000 are in dire need
of assistance.
The inability of the Polish government to
stamp out anti-Semitism, the flight of Jews
froni. Poland into German and Austrian con-
centration camps which are more preferable
to them than the dangers that lurk in Poland,
the hesitancy of British and. American au-
thorities to accept these fugitives—these are
indications that "the graveyard- of Europe"
remains a graveyard.
It is an indictment of the Polish people—
that they should treat their former neighbors
so cruelly, begrudging even a handful of
survivors a return to their former homes.
And it is an indictment of the democracies.
that they should have failed to effect a strong
and a worthy peace which could have assur-
ed justice for all peoples instead of the exist-
ing state of terror which is comparable only
to Nazism.

Rescue the Children!

Upon • her return from Europe where she
served as advisor to the U. S. Delegation
to the International Labor Union Conference
in Paris, Miss Katherine F. Lenroot, chief
of the Children's Bureau of the U. S. Depart-
mentof Labor, reported that practically no
Jewish children of 6 to 12 are alive in Europe
today and that Jewish children only of pre-
school or adolescent age have survived the
war.
This is one of the tragic reports which
are coming in daily and which corroborate
the view that there has been an almost total
annihilation of European Jewry.
If we are to rescue the survivors, young
and old, and if the children especially are to
be given a better chance to live in a decent
world, we must rise to new heights as a
people of mercy and we must raise our phil-
anthropic standards ten-fold.

THE JEWISH NEWS

Member of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent
Jewish Press Service, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate,
Religious News Service, Palcor News Agency, Wide World
Photo Service, Acme Newsphoto Service, King Features
Syndicate, Central Press Service.
Member American Association or English-Jewish News-
papers and Michigan Press Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publish-
ing Co., 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich. Telephone
RAndolph 7956.* Subscription rate $3 a year; foreign
$4 a year. Club subscription of one issue a month,
published every fourth Friday of the month, to all
subscribers to Allied Jewish Campaign of the Jewish
Welfare Federation of Detroit at 40 cents a club sub-
scription per year.
Entered as second-class matter August 6
, 1942 at the
Post Office at Detroit, Michigan, unde r the Act of
March 3, 1879.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MAURICE ARONSSON
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
FRED M. BUTZEL
ISIDORE SOBELOFF
THEODORE LEVIN
ABRAHAM SRERE
MAURICE H. SCHWARTZ HENRY
WINEMAN

•••••

rnrur SLOMOVITZ, Editor ,
A. R. BEASCH, Advertising Counsel

VOL. 8—No. 14

NEWS

DECEMBER 21, 1945

The Week's Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the eighteenth day of Tebeth,
5706, the following Scriptural selections will
be read in our synagogues:

Pentateuchal portion—Gen. 47:28-50:26.

Prophetical portion—I Kings, 2:1-12.

Candle-lighting time this Friday is at 4:39 p. m.

Friday December 21, 1945

,

Facts-You Should Know

Answers to Readers
Questions About Jews

What is a Minyan?
Minyan (number) designates the least number
of adult males (10) who are required for Jewish
public worship.
*
•
•
What is a Polyglot Bible?
Editions of the Bible in which the original
text and several translations are placed in
Parallel columns.

Talmudic Tales

By DAVID MORANTZ

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

Washing the Hands
Rabbi. Akiba, because his religious beliefs and
teachings were not in accord with those of the
Roman authorities, was thrust into prison.
One day when Yehoshua Margarsi, his atten-
dant, was bringing him a vessel of water, the
jailer intercepted him and, objecting to the
amount of water, poured out half- of it.
The Rabbi was faint with thirst and could
hardly wait until Yehoshua returned.
"Why did you tarry so long," he asked, "know
you not that my very life depends upon this
water?"
When Yehoshua told him what had happened
and showed him the small amount of water re-
maining, Akiba ordered him to pour it over his
hands.
"But Rabbi," he remonstrated,. "if you use this
Detroit Jews must not pass over lightly the appeal that little water to wash your hands, there will be
was sounded last week by Abe Kasle and Bernard Isaacs, none left with which to quench your thirst."
"Those who neglect to wash their hands," re-
president and superintendent, respectively, of the United
Hebrew School, pointing to the imperative need for a new plied the Rabbi; "are deemed worthy of death_
It is better that I die of thirst, by my own act
Hebrew school building in the northwest. section of our rather than - I partake of food without first
community.
washing. my hands."
. The Talmud contains much about the im-
The facts and figures they quote are impressive and ap- portance of washing the hands. For instance, one
pear to be incontrovertible. Hundreds of our children are is forbidden to eat without first washing his
deprived of a Jewish 'education because of lack of school hands.
"If upon a journey without water, one knows
facilities,- and the remedying of this situation becomes an that
water may be' obtained four. miles ahead or
imperative necessity.
one mile back, he must travel four miles ahead
or return one mile back so he may wash his
A handful of interested men and - women, if they will hands
before eating."
exert their efforts and influence, can make the proposal
"It were better to cut the hands off than to
for a new Hebrew school building a reality. And by doing touch the eye, or the nose, or the mouth, or the
etc., with them without having first washed
so they can repair serious damage to our people by avert- ear.
them. Unwashed hands may eause blindness,
ing the raising of an ignorant generation of young Jews.
deafness, foulness of breath, or a polypus."

Needed: A Hebrew School Building

*

*

*

The appeal in behalf of the increased needs of the
United Hebrew Schools should not be limited to the con-
struction of- a new building. There are other requirements
which fit into the community's obligations to our educa-
tional institutions. Responsible leaders must unite. to solve
all issues affecting, our educational needs, and we particular-
ly call the attention of our readers to the following:
Whatever setbacks we have suffered from has been a
result of lack of teachers. There have been more lucrative
fields than Hebrew teaching for our young people, and only
a handful of the most idealistic men and women have en-
tered the profession.

Children's Corner

Dear Boys and Girls:
A young reader asked me during the week:
"What shall we Jewish children do when we
are asked to sing Christmas Carols in the
schools?",
The answer is simple. If it is explained to the
teacher that it is contrary to Jewish regulations
for Jewish children to sing religious songs, they
will surely be excused from participating in this
type of activity in the schools during the Christ-
mas period.
Our public schools are not religious schools
This is a problem which can and must be solved, and if and when the teachers realize that Jews should
we show the proper interest we shall solve it for the good not be made a part of Christian ceremonies the
children will be excused.
of our people.
If our boys and girls will take a little time
out
from their vacation fun periods to study
Hebrew teaching jobs must be made attractive. They
Jewish history, they will find so much to be
can and must be made careers. In our new era of build- interested
in and to be proud of that they will
ing a wholesome American Jewish community it is now be compensated for their belonging to a minority
group.
an honorable calling and should be treated as such.
I hope you will all Make the best use of your -
* *
*
holiday vacation.
In order to encourage young people to enter the Jewish
A pleasant Sabbath to all.
UNCLE DANIEL.
educational field, it is necessary that proper classes be formed
* *
*
for them.
Own. Your Own Vineyard
Mr. Isaacs and other midwestern Hebrew educators
By the Rev. Morris Joseph
already have evolved such a plan. Mere lip service in endors-
How good it is for the mind and character to
ing the plan will not do. It must be treated as a long- turn the most familiar objects into reasons for
range program, as the beginning of a permanent and effective joy, to prize one's own vineyard, even though it
is hard by a place which is always , challenging
project which should grow in the course of time.
comparisons with it—to prize it as the finest of
To be effective, it must be financed by people who are all domains—to think of one's daisy as the most
beautiful daisy that grows! There are joys
aware of the necessity of such a program.
enough in the average life to satisfy the most
* *
*
exacting. Think of the inestimable boon of
We would be even more extreme in advocating such health, the glorious capacity for work, the power
of helping and blessing others, the inexpressible
a program.
delights of home life, the love and devotion of
We would urge that outstanding students be selected to our dear ones. These are the priceless gifts,
study in Palestine so that they may return here steeped which no other joys can match—none, at least,
of those that we usually associate with the lives
in knowledge of Hebrew as the language is spoken we
envy.

today by more than 600,000 Jews; to become acquainted with
the land of the Bible and with the history and traditions
of our people.
It is a much smaller order than our proposal sounds
on the surface.
It is a task easy to accomplish, and the sooner it is in-
augurated the better for all Israel, since American Jews must
assume positions of leadership and responsibility for our
entire people.

* * *
Patriot of the Revolution

Although the role of Jewish financiers in the
American Revolution has been publicized, it is
not generally known that the Jewish clergy, too,
played a significant role in the fight for the
independence of the Thirteen Colonies.
The best known of the latter group was the
Reverend Gershom Mendez Seixas who, because
of his untiring activity, came to be' known as
"The Patriot Jewish Minister of the American
Revolution."
*
Rev. Seixas was one of the 14 clergymen who
American children must have the most modern Hebrew participated in the inauguration of George Wash-
ington.
school buildings.
The "Patriot Jewish Minister" preached many
They must have the ablest pedagogues to guide them in sermons in support of the American cause to
their Hebrew studies.
both Jewish and Christian Congregations.
In New York City a memorial tablet has been
Let the job for the building of a new Hebrew school
erected commemorating his deeds, at the Shearith
building be completed as speedily as possible, and then let Israel
Synagogue. In his later years he was also
us begin to plan the most effective program for the ad- active as a trustee of Columbia College.
The Reverend Seixas set an inspiring example
vancement of our educational programs so that they may
of the service
which the clergy can and does
.
prove a light and a guide for all Jews.
perform m time of national emergency.

