Page Eighty
Friday, September 20, 1946
. THE JEWISH NEWS
Our New Spirit of Unity
Detroit Jewry, Discovers Its Place in the Community of
Action Embracing the Totality of Jewish Needs on All
Fronts — Overseas, Nationally and on the Local Scene
By ISIDORE SOBELOFF
Executive Director, Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit
ISIDORE SOBELOFF
W
HEN Detroit Jewry met with
unprecedented generosity the chal-
lenge of the 1946 emergency Allied
Jewish Campaign for the relief of
Jews overseas, leaders and workers
alike felt pardonable pride in the
responsibility exhibited by every
group in Detroit Jewish life. The
entire community had compre-
hended the desperate need and was
determined to help alleviate the
suffering which touched the hearts
of everyone.
Leaders in this community have
noticed something even greater
emerging from this Year's cam-
paign. For years our Jewish com-
munal life involved only a portion
of our population. Instead of a uni-
fied community, we had small
groups living their own lives with
only a vague idea of what other
groups were doing. In joining to-
gether to meet the post-war emer-
gency among our people overseas,
Detroit Jews discovered a new
spirit of unity among themselves.
For the first time in many years,
the Jews of Detroit felt themselves
to be part of Jewry, in this city, in
the nation, in the world.
have found that it is no longer a
Recognizing the value of mem-
bership in a community, we are
case of givers and reeeivers. Rather
able to channel our efforts most
u'e are now doing things for our-
constructively. We can get a local,
selves. We have realized that the
a national, a world perspective on
condition of Jews in an) , corner of
the situation of the Jewish people.
the world is an indication of the
We can see how we should best re-
condition of ourselves and our chil-
late our communal activities to the
dren. When we work for better con-
local, national and international
ditions for Jews in Europ4 we are
scene. Thus. through internal de-
helping ourselves as much as when
velopments within the Jewish
group and through external pres- • we contribute to build a better park
in Detroit or a better school for our
sure we have come increasingly to
children.
recognize our common stake and
our common destiny. There has
At present the only way we give
been developing a community of
concrete example of this renewed
feeling of kinship to our people in
interest, a community of responsi-
Europe is by sending financial and
bility—a community of action.
In achieving this community
spirit. we owe much to the people
u'e have been trying to help. We
material aid. In return, they keep
alive the traditions of Judaism
throughout the world. This reci-
procity gives us an opportunity to
evaluate the condition of our world
Jewish community, an opportunity
to see what we must do next to
keep this circle a strong one and
our people healthy and progressive.
Through their suffering and in
our drive to help them, our people
overseas have proven to the Jews
of\ America that their interest is
our interest, that we are members
of a world Jewish community, and
that we are ready to assume the
responsibilities of keeping the Jew-
ish traditions alive. We all hope
that the coming year will be a hap-
pier one for Jews everywhere, and
we also hope that in better times
we will not lose the most construc-
tive thing that has come out of the
tragic years—the renewed identi-
fication ot..American Jews with
their people everywhere.
1,n11 nit,
CI flew Page of Hove in Me iiewgears707
People today, all elements. are
deeply concerned with the broad
Jewish problems which affect
them all. They want to participate
in the action to meet these prob-
lems. During the past Allied Jew-
ish Campaign, many thousands of
people helped to raise the funds
that brought—Detroit to its high
mark of $2,750,000. These •thou-
sands learned, while they became
acquainted with the work of vari-
ous Jewish agencies, that they all
have something to bring to the life
of the community.
Men who previously took only
a superficial interest in Jewish
affairs now are organizing -year-
around' trade divisions; young
people proved themselves alert
to the crisis and responsible
enough to do an excellent cam-
paign job.
The Junior Service Group and
their younger brothers and sisters
in the school campaign project
have learned the importance of
Jewish communal activities, an
education of primary importance
to those who must be the leaders
of tomorrow's community.
Detroit Jews have a better pie- -
ture now of what is involved in
building an even stronger com-
munity. They are acquiring new
understanding of the necessity for
case work, group work, Jewish ed-
ucation, health services. vocational
guidance, care of the aged and
other local services, in addition to
the philanthropic work of overseas
relief. In other words, we are learn-
ing to deal with matters of gen-
eral concern to all Jews. We are
learning to coordinate all of our
activities. We are learning that we
'cannot separate these activities
from the social and economic fac-
tors affecting Jews everywhere.
Clearly the problem of Europe
and of Palestine are related, and
Certainly the questions of building
more Jewish schools in Detroit and
creating services to preserve Jewish
family life cannot be separated from
She larger picture which involves
Palestine and Europe.
TELEORAPHIC 4011ENGY