•

Page Four

The Drum's Bursting Point

As the Editor
Views the News.
New Colonial Secretary

Jews everywhere naturally are curious as
to the position the new British Colonial Sec-
retary, Arthur Creech-Jones, will take on
the Palestine question.
Mr. Creech-Jones has a pro-Zionist back-
ground. He was among those who led the
fight in support of Zionism within the Labor
Party and as a Laborite MP member of the
House of Commons.
His appointment was described by the
Manchester Guardian as being "wide," and
this liberal newspaper commented that—"if
only he is not broken on the stubborn rock
of Palestine."
Since his present views on the Jewish Pal-
estinian ideal are not known, all we can
do is hope that he will not follow previous
precedents set by those who support us when
out of office and oppose us the moment they
gain power.
The fact, however, that he already has
met with Zionist leaders and is negotiating
with them on a friendly basis gives us hope
that he will be a power for veater good
than his predecessors.

Facts You ShOulti Know

Questions

.

most important.

USO Carries On

Considering it essential that the 1,500,000
men still in uniform should have the same
care, when off duty, as was given to those
who participated in the war, the Army and
Navy as well as the Federal Government
have requested that the USO should serve
for at least another year—until Dec. 31, 1947.
It has therefore become necessary for USO
to as for a sum of $19,000,000 from Ameri-
can communities to make this service pos-:
bible.

Detroit's share in the $19,000,000 USO goal

is $523,000 and responsibility for raising it

has been assumed by the Community Chest
as part of its over-all quota of $5,800,000.

This provides another important reason for

assuring the raising of the entire sum asked

in this year's COlrimunity Chest appeal. In-
clusion of the leading social service, recre-
ational and educational community agencies,
representing Jews, Catholics and Protestants,
in the Chest's objectives retains for the com-
munity agency the position of great leader-
ship it has held for more than 25 years.

Continuation of the USO services has spe-
cial significance to the Jews of America. The
Jewish Welfare Board is one of the six USO
service agencies and its activities have be-
come fully integrated into the USO program.
During the war, JWB operated 220 USO
installations in many communities, including
Detroit. It recruited 40,000 USO volunteers
and created 660 Army and Navy committees.
It has worked harmoniously in behalf of
servicemen with its non-Jewish partners. and
its work recorded a brilliant interracial and
interfaith achievement.

For at least another year, this activity
remains a major American responsibility
and provides an important reason why we
should all join in making a great success of
the current Community Chest drive.

THE JEWISH NEWS

Member Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Independent Jewish
Press Service. Seven Arts Feature Svn(lleate. Religious
News Service, PaIcor News Agency. Ming Features Syndi-
mite, Central Press Service. international Sounciphotos.

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.. R.A. 7956.
Subscription, $3 a year; foreign. $4. Club subscription.

every fourth Friday of the month, to all subscribers to
Allied Jewish Campaign of Jewish Welfare Federation of
Detroit, 40 cents per year.
Entered as second-class matter Aug. 6. 1542 at Post Of-
fice. Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, IS79,

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Maurice Aronsson
Philip Slomoviti
Fred M. Butzel
Isidore Sobelori
Judge Theodore Levin Abraham Srere
Maurice H. Schwartz
Henry Wineman

PHILIP SIA)MOVITZ, Editor

OCTOBER 18, 1946

Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the twenty-fourth day of Tisbri,
11707: the following Scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Gen. 1:1-6:8.
Prophetical portion—Is. 42:5-43.10.
On Friday, Oct. 25, first day of Rosh Hodesh
Heshvan, Num. 28:1-15 will, be read during morn-

an services.

,

Friday, Ocfotier IS, 1946,

Answers to Reade,,

In the meantime, Jews seontinue to be re-
sponsible for firm action to encourage strict
adherence by the various governments of the
world to the pledges made to our people.
American Jewry's duty in this respect is the

VOL. 10—NO. 5

ItAtt

"!
=?
'"," =Z
THE JEWISH NEWS

? •474

• • •

Why is the term "Bar Mitzvah" applied to
a boy reaching the age of 13? When did the
Bar Mitzvah ceremony originate?'
Rabbi Samuel J. Fok, writing for the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency, replies:
According to Jewish tradition a boy who has
completed his 13th year has reached the age of
religious duty and divine responsibility. The actual
name "Bar Mitzvah" means literally "son of corn-
, mand." This term appears in the Talmud (Baba
-Metziah 96, A), where it refers to every grown
Israelite. Other rabbinical terms for a lad reach-
ing this psychological and psysiological age of
puberty are "Gadol" (big, grown) and "Bar
Onshin" (Son of Punishment). Whatever term is
used the idea is carried that a boy reaching the
first day of his fourteenth year of life automat-
ically carries upon himself the new responsibility
of the commandments and is considered a full-
fledged male inasfar as making vows, being con-
sidered part of a religious quorum (Minyan), etc.
Today it is customary for a boy when he reaches
such age to be "called up" to the Torah and have
a portion of the laW read before him; usually the
"Maftir" (prophetic portion) is given him to read
or at least to make the accompanying blessings
thereto.
- There are writers like Leopold Low (Die
Lebesshalter in Judische Literatur) who claim
that the Bar Mitzvah ritual has been a fixed
ceremony only as early as the fourteenth century
in Germany. Apparently he has overlooked many
sources which indicate quite plainly that the cere-
mony of Bar Mitzvah seems to be of much earlier
Heartless political issues are being injected in the prob- origin. Samuel Ha-Katon in the Baraitha (1st
century A.D.) explicitly states the age of 13 as the
lerh affecting the Jewish position in Palestine. --
Contrary to all humane considerations, men like West- age for commandments. The writer of the "mag-
non Obot" (commentary to the Baraitha) quote§
brook Pegler are speaking of the demands made by both a
Midrash interpreting the Hebrew word "ZU"
Democratic and Republican leaders as involving appeals to from the prophetic passage in Isaiah, "This people
have I formed for myself; they shall pronounce
"the Jewish vote."
my praise" as referring to its numerical 13 as
The fact that both President Truman and Governor the age of responsibility of God's commandments,
Dewey of New York have committed themselves for years and consequently is entitled to the privilege of
to the Zionist program does not seem to matter very much publicly pronouncing God's praise, i.e., making
to columnists who desire to make capital of the latest de- the beneditions over the scroll. Consequently it
is evident that there must have been some such
mands that pledges made by American leaders, on the basis ceremony at the time of the Midrash. Other re-
of an agreement with the British government dating back marks may be found abundantly in the Midrash
to the Anglo-American Convention of 1922, should be ad- which claims in the words of Rabbi Elezar, "Until
the thirteenth year it is the father's duty to train
hered to.
the boy, after this he must say, "Blessed be he
Governor Dewey went farther than PreSident Truman. who has taken from me
the responsibility for
He not only demanded that 100,000 homeless Jews be ad- punishment for this lad." The latter phrase is now
mitted to Palestine at once, but declared: "No one can say recited by the father of the Bar Mitzvah after
that a final solution in Palestine is easy. But the right of the son makes the first blessings over the scroll
on his day. It is also interesting to note the
large and immediate Jewish immigration is fundamental to Midrashic claims that Abraham rejected the idol
that solution and it must be an immigration of not 100,000 worship of his father, Torah, and became a wor-
shipper of God at the age of 13. Also the claim
but of several hundreds of thousands."
Had Governor Dewey issued this statement at this time, that Jacob and Esau did not assume parting ways
but that both studied together until the age of
on the eve of another election, as a convert to the Zionist 13. Most of the traditional authoritative writers
aspirations, it would have been more difficult to disavow of the Rabbinic literature claim that the decisive
the charge that he "played politics." But he has spoken age of 13 was handed down from God to Moses
Mount Sinai (Halochoh Lemoshe Misinai) and
.as firmly for years and his views should be accepted in his on
thereafter was passed on by tradition to the con-
expression
case, as in the case of our President, as an honest
sequent generations.

Heartless Game of Politics

-

of a man who feels the needs of the dispossessed
Unfortunately, men like Pegler have not learned the
true extent of the Jewish tragedy. Their arguments sound
cruel when they refer to Jews as being only a religious
group and as being "American, English, Polish, Italian," etc.,
overlooking the fact that in some countries Jews are merely
outcasts. Similarly they have not learned the sentiments of
the displaced Jews who refuse to be treated as outcasts, who
will not return to pogrom-ridden Poland, who insist upon
the "same freedom that the Peglers have enjoyed uninter-
ruptedly.
The result of the heartlessness with which the Jewish
issue is treated is the raising of the old cry of the existence
of a "Jewish vote."
Knowing full well that the claim of a "Jewish vote"
is a myth, that Jews vote as Americans and in proportion
to the rest of the population, we prefer to believe that most

of our fellow citizens concur with the humanitarian views
of the President and the Governor of NeW York and that
their just demands will bring the fruit we have been waiting
for, in behalf of Jewish claims in Palestine, in spite of re-
actionary sentiments and the opposition of bigots and pledge-
breakers in the present British government.

Our Community's Cultiiral Program

American Jewry's outstanding scholars are scheduled
to appear at various cultural programs arranged by local

organizations.
Our synagogues, their Men's Clubs, the Jewish Com-
munity Center, the Community Council, the Hebraists, the
Landsmanschaften and the women's groups already have
planned series of lectures which are certain to react cred-

itably to our community.

In addition, some of the organizations have arranged
for lectures by outstanding Christians. Notable among the
philo-Semites who are coming here are: Edgar Ansel Mow-
rer, who will address the Jewish National Fund next Tues-
day evening, and Dr. James G. MacDonald, American
member of the Anglo-American Inquiry Committee on Pal-
estine, who will speak on Oct. 29 before the Men's Club of
Bnai Moshe.
Dr. Stephen S. Wise will open the interesting series of
lectures arranged by the Men's Club of Shaarey Zedek.
The appearance here next Monday of -Robert Nathan, one
of America's leading economists, at the dinner of the Detroit
Mbar Zionists, is an occasion of great importance . in view
of the noted speaker's intimate study of the situation in
Palestine. Men of great eminence will follow them in other
local lecture series.
Detroit Jews should respond enthusiastically to these
programs, so that their encouragement may assure continu-
ation of the community's cultural undertakings.

FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE 1

Dear Boys and Girls:
Now that the holidays are at an end—concluding

with today's happy observance of Simhat Torah—
we again settle down to the ordinary routine ways
of Jewish practices.
An interesting celebration that will claim our
attention during the coming month will be the
annual observances of Jewish Book Month.
We observe this month annually, just before
Hanukah, in order to stimulate the purchase of
Jewish books and to encourage writers and pub-
lishers in their work.
The National Committee for the Observance of
Jewish Book Month has selected some interesting
quotation about Books, and I am devoting this
column to some of them.
My best wishes to you for a pleasant Sabbath.
UNCLE DANIEL.
•
•
•

Quotations About Books

"A book and a, sword descended from heaven.
Said the Almighty, 'If you will abide by the oral
law of the Book you will be saved from the
sword.' "—Sari, 138-Ekeb.
"Wear 'the Old coat and buy the new book."--.
Austin Phelps.-
"A book is a. garden. A book is an orchard. • A
book is a storehouse. A book is a party. It is com-
pany by the way; it is a counsellor; it is a multi-
tude of counsellors."—Henry Ward Beecher. .
"Medicine of the soul"—Inscription over the
door at the Library at Thebes.
"We are the People of the Book,
The written page is our salvation;
This only from the wreck we took
When conquerors crushed our nation.
—Jessie Sampter
•
•"Books are keys to wisdom's treasure;
Books are gates to lands of pleasure;
Books are paths that upward lead:
Books are friends. Come let us read."
--Emilie Poulsson •
"Books are the treasured wealth of the world,
the fit inheritance of generations and nations."

—Thoreau
"Let your bookcases and your shelves be your

gardens and your pleasure grounds, pluck the
fruit that grows therein."—Judah Inn 'ribbon.

"Make every effort to buy books for your druid.

rex' and provide them with a teacher from their
—Hai Gaon
youth."
"It is chiefly through books that we enjoy inter.
course with superior minds, and these invaluable
means of communication-are in the reach of all
In the best books great men talk to us, give us
their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls

into ours."—William-Ellery Charming.