Friday, June 21, 1946
THE JEWISH NEWS
Delegation Here Sunday
Dr. Sommerstein,
Visiting Heroes to Describe
Resistance of Polish Jew s
Judaism Discussed
As Faith of Reason
In Schwartz Book
Status of Valiant Survivors to Be Told at Public Meeting
of Federation, at Central High; Sommerstein, Bitter,
Zack, Wertheim, Miss Grossman to Speak
Charles and Bertie G. Schwartz,
husband and wife, both attorneys-
at-law, are the joint authors of
"Faith Through Reason: A Mod-
em Interpretation of Judaism,"
just published by Macmillan Co.
The volume is an interesting
approach to Judaism as a faith
cf reason. The subjects of resur-
rection, immortality, reward and
punishment, the meaning of life,
public worship, retribution,
prophecy and inspiration, are
fascinatingly discussed.
Christians as well as Jews will
find this book very interesting.
Young people will appreciate its
value in view of the modern ap-
plications to the subject used by
the authors.
Community-wide interest has been aroused in the visit
here of a delegation representing the Central Jewish Com-
mittee of Poland, whose members will speak at the public
meeting at Central High School auditorium, Linwood and
Tuxedo, at 3 p. m. Sunday, June 23.
Dr. Emil Sommerstein, chairman of the Central Polish
Jewish Committee, heads the%
delegation.
age of 9 she was active in Hash-
The meeting was arranged by omer Hatzair (Zionist youth
the Jewish Welfare Federation
group). She lived in a Hach-
of Detroit and the Allied Jew-
sharah-Kibutz (training farm for
pioneers) near Bialystok. When
she was graduated from the
Hebrew high school in Bialystok
she was to leave for Palestine
as a chalutzah, but the war
frustrated her plans. During
the Nazi occupation she headed
the underground chalutzim move-
ment and organized secret fight-
ing groups in the ghetto which
brought weapons from the Aryan
side. She led the Uprising in
the Bialystok ghetto, and having
miraculously saved herself, she
continued with the Partisans.
She is an excellent speaker in
Yiddish and Hebrew.
Escaped From Zamosc
Marek Bitter was born Dec. 5,
1903, in Gritza, near Warsaw. In
1924 he was graudated from a
technical school's electrical de-
MISS CHAYA GROSSMAN
partment, worked- in Warsaw and
ish Campaign for the United from 1926 until dissolution of
Jewish Appeal for Refugees, Communist party was active in
Overseas Needs and Palestine, the Polish Communist
party.
which are sponsoring the Detroit During the war, from 1939 to
visit. The speakers will present 1941, he lived in Lemberg. When
the first authentic report to this the Nazis occupied Lemberg he
community on conditions under was forced to flee to. the Warsaw
which Polish Jewry fought for ghetto, participated in organiz-
freedom from Nazi persecution ing the uprising and remained in
and its present status.
the ghetto to the very last—May,
1943--Lwhen- the Nazis discovered
Distinguished Visitors
the underground stronghold in
Among those who will address
Maidanek near Lublin. From
the meeting are Dr. Sommer-
there he was sent to the con-
stein, Marek Bitter, a member
centration camp in Zamosc,
of the. Polish Workers Party;
escaped on Feb. 1, 1944, joined
Miss Chaya Grossman of Hash-
a partisan group operating in
omer Hatzair; Prof. Joseph Zack,
the woods and on July 10, to-
of the Right Poale Zion; and
gether with his groups, was lib-
Anatole Wertheim, of the Polish
erated by the Red Army. He was
Partisan group. Dr. Sommer-
one of the organizers of the
stein is a leader of the general
Central Committee of Polish
Zionist group.
Jewry and still occupies the post
Legislator 20 Years
of vice-president. - •
Fought in Underground
Dr. Emil Sommerstein, leading
in
Joseph Zack was born
champion of Jewish rights in
Poland, was elected a member Przemysl in 1899. During World
of the Rolish Sejm, and served War 1, in 1915, he was a leader
in the national Parliament for of Pciale Zion Youth Organiza-
more than 20 years. In 1943, tion. Later he became a mem-
when the League of Polish ber of the Polish Zion Student
Patriots was formed in Moscow, Organization "Heirut" (Free-
he was the logical choice as head dom). Before the outbreak of
of the section for Jewish affairs, World War II he was a member
a post which he filled brilliant- of the Central Committee of the
ly under almost unsurmountable party. From 1925 to 1934 he
was a teacher in the Jewish
difficulties.
In
When the Polish Committee of gymnasium of Czenstochowa.
Liberation came into being in 1935 he went to Warsaw as lead-
Lublin during the summer of er of the Hechalutz (Pioneer
1944, Dr. Sommerstein emerged movement). From 1937 he was
as the head of the expanded de- a prominent leader of the society
partment for Jewish Affairs, "Judaistishe Bibilotek" in War-
playing an outstanding part in saw. During the German occup-
the rehabilitation efforts in be- ation he was a member of the
half of devastated Polish Jewry. Jewish underground national
council in Warsaw ghetto, as
mated Jewry of Poland.
well as a leading member of the
He was appointed to the vital secret Jewish fighting organiza-
post of Minister of War Supplies tion as representative of Poale
in the newly formed Provisional Zion, and was in close contact
Polish government early in 1945, with the Polish underground
and held this key job until the labor movement. He was a
final liberation of Poland from teacher in the ghetto under-
the Nazi yoke, when he became cover Jewish gymnasium, of
the president of the Jewish Cen- which the martyr Itzhak Kat-
In zenelson was the director. He
tral Committee of Poland.
this position he has over-all participated in the uprising of
responsibility for reconstruction the Warsaw ghetto as one of its
activities in behalf of the deci- organizers. Since the liberation
mated Jewry of Poland.
he has been a member of the
Heroine of Bialystok
Central Committee of Polish
Miss Chaya Grossman became Jews and leader of the Polish
famous as the heroine of the Zion movement. He was a mem-
uprising of the Bialystok ghetto. ber of the delegation of the
She received many awards for Central Committee which parti-
heroism from, the Polish and cipated in the European confer-
Soviet Army.. Following the ence of the World Jewish Con-
uprising in • Bialystok ghetto she gress last August.
Decorated by Partisans
joined a Jewish partisan group
Anatole Wertheim • was born
where she fought until the lib-
eration. Miss Grossman,
26, in 1909 in Mlave. In 1934 he
personifies the chalutzah. At - the was graduated from law school
Page Five
of the Warsaw university. Upon
the outbreak of the war he
went to White Russia, where he
remained until 1941 as a teacher
in the Soviet schools. In 1942
he organized the first Jewish
partisan division. In 1943 he
was nominated by the chief of
staff of the White Russian parti-
san movement, as staff repres-
entative of the Jewish national
partisan group. He received a
medal of the partisan's first class,
was recommended for the order
of "red star", and was decorated
for his partisan work. Upon his
return to Poland he became a
member of the Jewish Central
Committee in Poland and chair-
man of the Jewish partisan as-
sociation in Lodz.
Key to Jewish Revival
In Hands of American Jewry
NEW YORK (JTA)-The fate
of the 150,000 Jewish survivors
in Poland is in the hands of
American Jewry, Dr. Emil Som-
merstein, leader of the delega-
tion of the Central Jewish Com-
mittee of Poland now visiting
this country, told a huge audi-
ence at a mass-meeting held at
Madison Square Garden.
Dr. Sommerstein emphasized
that more than 100,000 Polish
Jews, including 25,000 children,
have already been repatriated
from the USSR, and that thous-
ands more are expected to be
repatriated within the next few
weeks. He called upon the Jews
of America to help the Jewish
survivors in Poland establish
themselves. He charged the Jews
of the world with "not fulfilling
their national duty with regard
to their brethren in Poland."
Similar charges and demands
were voiced by other members
of the delegation. Dr. Stephen S.
Wise, who was one of the prin-
cipal speakers, emphasized the
tragedy of Polish Jewry and the
sacrifices made by them before
and during the war. Prof. Oscar
Lange, Polish Ambassador in
Washington, greeted the delega-
tion on behalf of his Govern-
ment and declared that anti-
Semitism is being fought by the
present Polish regime. The dele-
gation was also greeted by
Mayor William O'Dwyer and
Robert S. Marcus of the Ameri-
can Jewish Congress.
Call
RA. 5960
ANOTHER REFUGEE FROM NAZIS
Mariette Fruchter, 14, Joins
Parents Here After 8 Years
A 14-year-old girl, rejoining Detroit parents aftet
eight years' separation by war and Nazi persecution, was
among the immigrants arriving aboard the S.S. "Drottning-
holm," at Pier 97, New York, on Monday morning, it was
reported by the National Refugee Service, principal agency
for aiding victims of persecution finding haven in the U. S.
She is Mariette Fr ucht
w h o-s e parents, Mr. and -Mrs.
Emil Fruchter, 2 7 1 5 Rochester,
saw her last in 1938. The family
are natives of Belgium. Mr.
Fruchter fled from that country
to escape the Gestapo, making
his way to the United States via
Canada. His wife followed him,
leaving Mariette with a relative
in England and another daugh-
ter, Helena, in Switzerland. They
also have a son, Seymour, born
in this country.
Mr. and Mrs. Fruchter left for
New York Friday, met Mariette
when the boat docked and re-
turned with her Tuesday.
*
Citizens Can Claim War
Damages in Poland
WASHINGTON (JTA)—A-meri-
cans 'who suffered war damages
in Poland may file compensation
claims 'with the Polish Govern-
ment, the State Department has
announced. The announcement is
especially important for Jews
who claim property in Poland
left by relatives who died dur-
ing . the Nazi occupation.
UJA Raises $70,000,000;
E. I. Kaufmann Honored
NEW YORK, (JTA)—A total
of more than $70,000,000 has been
raised to date toward the United
Jewish Appeal quota of $100,000,-
000, it was announced this week
at a dinner at the Ambassador
Hotel m honor of Edmund I.
Kaufman, national chairman for
Initial Gifts of the United Jewish
Appeal.
More than 150 Jewish leaders
joined in paying tribute to Mr.
Kaufman on the occasion of his
sixtieth birthday. Herbert Bayard
Swope served as chairman. The
principal speakers included Con-
gressman Emanuel Celler of New
York, Judge Samuel I. Rosenman;
William Rosenwald, Rudolf G.
Sonneborn, Rabbi Jonah B. Wise,
Dr. Stephen S. Wise, Isidor Coons
and Henry Montor. .
A bound NO lume containing
messages and letters of tribute
to Mr. Kaufmair was presented
to him. Among the leaders rep-
resented in the testimonial book
were President Truman, Dr.
Chaim Weizmann, Herbert H.
Lehman and others.
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