". 4
Page Four
THE JEWISH NEWS
As the Editor
Views the News - -
Red Cross Helps All Three
Extension of the life of the American
Jewish Conference for another 15 months
does not bring with it assurance that we
shall one day have a unified body to speak
for the Jews of this country.
Delegates at the third session of the
Conference were outspoken in their demands
that such unity should be created, that
an over-all body representing the Jews of
America should be organized through the
Conference or within the Conference.
Conference spokesmen were frank in
charging national organizations of selfish
desires to perpetuate their own vested in-
terests at the expense of Jewish unity.
*
*
During the coming 15 months, the Con-
ference's Interim Committee will again
"explore" the possibility "of establishing a
permanent democratic, representative Jew-
ish body."
Since it is the expressed desire of the
majority of the Conference delegates that
such a "democratic, representative Jewish
body" should deal not merely with over-
seas matters and with issues affecting world
Jewry, but also with domestic problems af-
fecting the Jews of America, it will be in-
terestina to watch the reactions to the
b
"exploratory"
efforts to bring such a body
into existence.
*
*
*
What, for example, will be the attitude
of the Bnai Brith and its Anti-Defamation
League; of the American Jewish Congress
and its subsidiaries; of the American Jew-
ish Committee; of the numerous other agen-
cies which have hitherto guided the domes-
tic activities affecting Jewry and which are
now being charged with being the "vested
interests" interfering with the creation of a
unified body?
The next 15 months are certain to be
very eventful in the life of our people.
They will be crucial overseas, where we
shall have to solve the problems of the dis-
possessed and homeless Jews, and in this
country where we must prevent the rise
of bigotry. But these months may prove
very uneventful in efforts to create Jewish
unity, if we are to judge the- future by the
experiences of the past.
Give to the Red Cross
President Truman has designated March
as Red Cross Month, and 3,000,000 volunteer
workers are expected to participate in the
great task of raising $100,000,000 nationally
for this important mercy cause.
Detroit's goal is $2,400,000, and it is of
the utmost importance that all individuals
and groups should assist in raising this sum.
The Red Cross, as is so well known,
.does not limit its activities to war efforts.
Emergencies which arise from time to time
in our own country receive the assistance
of this fund.
The Jewish community is certain to do
its proper share in behalf of the Red Cross.
Let this job be accomplished promptly, in
order that our manpower may be released
fully for the approaching $2,000,000 drive
of the Allied Jewish Campaign.
THE JEWISH NEWS
2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich.
Member of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent
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Religious News Service, Palcor News Agency, Wide World
Photo Service, Acme Newsphoto Service, King Features
Syndicate, Central Press Service.
Member American Association of 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
V 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, under 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
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
A. R. BRASCIL Advertising Counsel
VOL. 8—No. 24
MARCH 1, 1946
This Week's Script, ral Selections
This Sabbath, the me_ y-ninth day of Adar.
Rishon, 5706, the followLig selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal p o r tie n: Ex. 35:1-38:20;
30:11-16.
Prophetical portion—L. Kings 12:1-17.
On Rosh Hodesh Adar Sheni, Sunday and
Monday, Num. 28:1-15 will be read during
synagogue sery ices.
Candle lighting time this
-
Friday is at 5:45 p. m.
Facts You Should Know
Answers to Readers'
Questions About Jews
Unity vs. Vested Interests
*
Friday, March 1, 1946
New Standards in Liberal Giving
At Washington, on Feb. 24, new standards were set for
liberal giving to the unprecedented $100,000,000 United Jew-
ish Appeal for Refugees, Overseas Needs and Palestine.
The Rosenwald Family has set the pace for giving with
its $1,000,000 gift.
The additional $500,000 and $250,000 gifts by Edward
M. M. Warburg and Edmund I. Kaufmann are encouraging
factors in the commencement of the UJA drive.
Other prominent Jews are known to be prepared to
give in amounts ranging in the hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
Word comes from some communities that well-to-do
men and women have pledged contributions in five digits,
and some in six digits.
These are preparatory moves for action to give the
signal of success to the great drive now in progress.
Detroiters who attended Sunday's conference joined
in the spirit of giving and have undertaken personally to
contribute large sums and to help in raising unprecedented
amounts.
Detroit's solicitations are about to begin.
Here, as elsewhere, we are to be called upon to break
all previous records.
Let the high standards become the rule rather than the
exception.
The national $100,000,000 UJA drive and Detroit's $2,-
000,000 Allied Jewish Campaign MUST succeed, so that the
survivors should know that it is our intention to keep
them alive, and to give them the homes which are their
right—especially in the land of their hopes, Palestine.
Radar and Palestine Immigration
The blowing up of the RAF radar station on Mount
Carmel, at Haifa; Palestine, by the official Jewish defense
organization—the Haganah—calls for evaluation so that our
people may understand what is behind this daring step
taken by Jews in Zion.
Having consistently expressed our disapproval of acts
of terrorism in Palestine, it is necessary to explain why Jews
generally will approve of the blowing up of the radar station.
We must keep in view the incontrovertible fact that
the latest act was not the work of the Sternists and the
small groups of Irgun Zvai Leumi, but of the Haganah.
The Haganah acts officially in defense of the Jewish
position in Palestine, and Jewish defense in Eretz Israel
involves protection of the rights of our people to free im-
migration into that country. We deny that there is such a
thing as "illegal" immigration into Palestine, and our con-
tention is that it is illegal for any power, including the
British government, to bar Jews from entering their home-
land.
Haganah, and Jews generally, are justified in asking
whether modern inventions are to be permitted to be used
against Jewish settlement in Palestine. The answer that
has been and will continue to be given is that science must
not be used as a weapon against human considerations.
It is unfortunate that the blowing up of a radar station,
or any other effort in defense of Jewish rights, involves
injury to British military men. But when military forces
are used to prevent Jews from entering the Jewish National
Home, the blame for tragic occurrences must be placed at
the door of the British government, and not that of the Jew-
ish people.
We continue to adhere to the viewpoint that terrorism,
as an act of retaliation and vengeance, is wrong, and that
it never can serve as an instrument of Jewish policy any-
where. But we draw the line between genuine defense
movements, pursued by Haganah, and the efforts of the Stern-
ists and the Irgun Zvai Leumi. We draw the line between
terrorists and patriots. It is an act of patriotism and
humanitarianism to protect the rights of Jews to free im-
migration to Palestine. We hold that the blowing up of
the radar station, whose force was used to interfere with
the inalienable right of Jews to settle in Palestine, falls
in the latter category.
What is meant by (a) "Canon"; (b) "Apo-
crypha"; (e) "Pseudepigrapha"?
Rabbi Samuel J. Fox, writing for the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency, explains:
"Canon" fundamentally a Christian term,
stems from the
' Hebrew "kanah" which designates
a "rod" or a "measuring rod." In the early years
of the Common Era, it became necessary to
create a dividing line between those books
which were to be included in the official Bible
and those works which were not to be regarded
as a part of the Holy Scriptures. In the tradi-
tional Jewish spirit, the demarcation is simple.
Jewish tradition asserts that the official books of
the Bible were inspired by the Almighty and
written down by those who were directly in-
spired with prophetic visions. Any work written
after the time of the prophets or by anyone else
but the prophets are not included in the Holy
Bible. There are 24 such books.
One category of books not included in the
Canon is referred to as "Apocrypha," a Greek
term meaning "to store away" or "to hide". Some
writers consider this a translation of the term
by which the Hebrews refer to them, i.e. "Gen-
uzim," which also means "to hide." Many claim
that in its original usage the term applied to
books that were hidden away from the popular
collection because their depth or precious nature
was not understood by all. They are general-
ly to be found as books that were included in
Greek and Latin Bibles, but not included in the
Hebrew Canon. Jewish tradition does not at-
tach any degree of "inspiration" to them.
Another category of non-canonical books,
known as "Pseudepigrapha," literally denotes that
the books so known have "false titles," fradulent-
ly or erroneously ascribed to the authors whose
names they bear. The contents and the spirit
of most of them was recognized to be moving
farther and farther away from the lines of of-
ficial Judaism. They were "extraneous writings"
which condemned themselves by their character
and were finally excluded from the fold of
Judaism.
FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE 1
Dear Boys and Girls:
I had so many interesting comments on the
two articles by Dr. Maeanna Cheserton-Mangle
which appeared in this column that I always
welcome with great appreciation whatever addi-
tional material she may send me.
This week, Dr. Cheserton-Mangle, in behalf
of the Committee on Production and Syndication
of Religious Education Materials of the National
Conference of Christians and Jews, sent me a
very fine story by the well known Jewish writer,
Elma Ehrlich Levinger. I am turning over the
entire column to Mrs. Levinger's story.
Next week's column will be devoted to the
Purim festival.
A pleasant Sabbath to all.
UNCLE DANIEL
* * *
A PLACE FOR REBECCA
By ELMA EHRLICH LEVINGER
Rebecca Cohen was very lonely at first in
the little Colorado town where her father had
moved to recover his health. She missed her
many New York friends and her Religious School.
She could not help feeling strange in a place
where she was the only little Jewish girl.
Her classmates at school were friendly to
the stranger. She did well in her classes and
from the first month was on the honor roll. Re-
becca had a lovely contralto voice and was able
to "make" the Glee Club. Soon the girls invited
her to their homes. They even asked her to
join their Sewing Club.
"Oh, I'd love to!" exclaimed Rebecca. "I be-
longed to one in New York and it was such fun
because I like to sew. When do you meet?"
"On Saturday afternoon at each other's
houses," answered Lucy, the Club president.
Rebecca bit her lip. "Then, I'm afraid I can't
join," she said slowly.
"But why not?" Frances, Lucy's sister, looked
a little hurt. "We don't ask everyone. And we
have the best times: parties on our birthdays,
and hikes and everything."
"I can't join because I'm Jewish," Rebecca
explained painfully.
"What's that got to do with it?" chorused
several of the girls.
"You meet on Saturdays and Jewish people
are not allowed to sew on Saturday. It's our
Sabbath, you know, just like your Sunday."
"I'm sorry," Lucy told her. "We'd love to
have had you. I know you would have made a
good member."
"You're not as sorry as I am," Rebecca
choked a little. "But thank you anyhow, for
askin g me."
A week later Frances and Lucy met Rebecca
on the way to school.
"We've been looking for you! We had our
club meeting Saturday, and . "
Rebecca nodded. "The Sewing Club. Did
you have a good time?"
"Yes. We had a business meeting first; a
very important one. We're going to change our
meeting from Saturdays to Wednesdays right
after school."
Rebecca caught her breath hopefully.
Frances went on. "At first some of the
girls said there wouldn't be enough time for
sewing and our program is only two hours, so
we decided just to sew every other week and
have special meetings twice a month on Satur-
days for business and social times."
Lucy couldn't wait. "So now it will be all
right for you to join, won't it?" she asked.
"Of course!" Rebecca's large dark eyes
danced with happiness. "Just wait till I tell
Mamma. She was so worried about my making
some nice friends here. Now she'll know you
are just about the nicest girls in the whole
United States!"