sea
Page
Friday, November 15, 1946
THE JEWISH NEWS
Four
As the Editor - - -
Views the News
Property Restitution
Concern over the plight of the survivors
from Nazism in Europe is not limited to the
displaced persons in Germany. The pitiful
status of Jews in Czechoslovakia and else-
where is equally as disturbing and adds to
the responsibilities of Jewish communities
which are called upon to provide necessary
relief.
One of the major problems that has arisen
from the war is that resulting from the loss
of property by Jews. Czechoslovakia pro-
vides the best example of the difficulties that
are encountered by Jews in regaining their
economic rights. While the Czech govern-
ment has adopted a Restitution Law, we are
informed that the basic situation remains
Unchanged insofar as the dispossessed Jews
are concerned.
A correspondent for the Christian Science
Monitor, writing from Bratislava, declaring
that "the Restitution Law itself appears to
be of no great help," writes that he "has fre-
quently come across cases where Slovak
Jews did not dare press their claims. They
were plainly afraid lest a court sentence in
their favor would result in mob attempts
on them."
The correspondent, in a lengthy analysis
of the situation, points out further: "In a
number of other instances, Slovak Jews are
barred from access to their former property
by local authorities classifying them as either
Germans or Hungarians. By that simple ex-
pedient restitution is virtually rendered im-
possible. Discrimination is evident in all
spheres of public life in Slovakia. Many
articles of anti-Semitic tendency are being
published in the Slovak press."
Here we have a clear explanation of the
sad position of our people who continue to
suffer from the after effects of six years of
fascist education and propaganda. As the
Monitor's correspondent points out, "the very
on
fi nitude of the crime committed
ope's Jews proves to be an obstacle for
1,..,cmnification."
How is this problem to be solved? Who will
step in to rectify the great crimes committed
against Jewry? Will it be the United Nations,
or will firm steps be taken by individual
governments?
The tragedy is that we must again resort to
an old escape: that only time will tell the
tale and will provide an answer to the tragedy
of Israel.
Palestine as a Football
Palestine is being used as a football by
Soviet Russia in her grievances against Great
Britain, and the homeless Jews, meanwhile,
remain the sufferers.
The Russian demands for "independence"
for Palestine apparently represent the latest
trick of stirring up trouble in the Middle East
and of holding out "an Arab threat" to the
British.
The "holier than thou" attitude suddenly
adopted by the Russians certainly will not
help any one. "Independence" for Pales-
tine would mean freezing the Jewish posi-
tion in the land and would for all time shut
the country's doors to Jewish immigration.
It also would freeze the Arab position and
would prevent introduction of progressive
methods of developing the country through
Arab-Jewish cooperation.
Unless Palestine's doors are opened for
large-scale Jewish immigration, both Jews
and Arabs will suffer from stagnation as well
as despair. The Russian demand is a po-
litical trick. Only a change in Britain's de-
structive policies and the establishment of a
strong Arab-Jewish cooperative bloc will
solve the problem.
THE JEWISH NEWS
Member Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent Jewish
Fiess Sel.ice, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Religious
News Service. Paicor News Agency, King Features Syndi-
'ent r al Press Service. International Soundphotos.
Member American Association of English-Jewish News-
rape. s and Micnigan Press Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publish-
Ing Co.. 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich., RA. 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
Detoit. 40 cents pet year.
Entered as second-class matter Aug. 6. 1942. at Post Of-
*ire, Detroit, Mich.. under Act of March 3, 1879.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Maurice Aronsson
Philip Slomovitz
Fred M. Mittel
Isidore Sobeleff
Judge Theodore Levin Abraham Srere
Maurice H. Schwartz Henry Wineman
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
VOL. 10—NO. 9
NOVEMBER 15, 1946
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
•
This Sabbath, the twenty-first day of Heshvan.
5707, the following Scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Gen. 23:1-25:18.
Prophetical portion—I Kings 1:1-31.
Still on His First Lesson
Oils and Etchings Worth Seeing
Artistic Maturity Shown
In Marco Zim Exhibit
By MAXINE R. LEVIN
Courtesy Appreciate Axperica. lac.
Road to Amity in Palestine
Release of the Jewish Agency *leaders in Palestine has
served to ease existing tension and is believed to be leading
to the restoration of amicable relations between the Jews
and the British.
It is regrettable that the British authorities should have
waited more than three months, since the leaders' arrest
on June 29, to effect their release, and that they should
have indicated at this late hour, after ignoring all established
principles under habeas corpus rights, that the move came
as a result of the determined stand taken by the Jewish
community to curb terrorism.
Statements made in Jerusalem and in London by Rich-
ard Subbs, public information officer, and Arthur Creech-
Jones, Colonial Secretary, that the freeing of the Jewish
leaders was a gesture in return for declarations by the Inner
Oils and Etchings, by Marco Zim, at the Jewish
Center this week, are the work of a competent
artist, whose main theme is the quiet enjoyment
of things beautiful. Here are paintings to be
lived with as good decoration and pleasant sub-
ject matter, the work of a mature artist, painting
with unmuddied color and well balanced design.
Outstanding is his oil, "Woodpile," with a skill-
fully handled sky and woods in the late after-
noon; there is real majesty of atmosphere to this
canvas. "Backwoods Man" is excellent portraiture,
with the values of light handled in a direct and
fresh. manner, with easy and satisfying color.
The still life section of this oil contributes much
to the story of the portrait and is well integrated
into the composition. A portrait of his wife. en-
titled "Orla has the fresh and restrained
quality of an Eakins.
Zim's etchings, which have won many awards,
are, to my mind, his best contribution. New
England in the summer time, with tall trees, dis-
tant hills, - and quiet rivers, compose one group.
It would be hard to select any one etching for
particular review. All have excellent values. space
relationship, and within the well-knit composi-
tion, is the quiet poetry of the artist who loves
and reports the reality and beauty of the summer
time. "Auction Bidding" is particularly well done.
with its moving figures and solid drawing of
men and horses in front of a barn. Included in
this group of etchings are able portraits of old
Jewish men and women, done with simplicity
and good study of character.
Zim was born in Russia in 1882 and came to
this country in 1891. At- a young man he was a
student at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, and later
studied with George Barnard and Augustus Rodin.
While Zim reaches no great emotional height,
and is in no way sensational, his able observa-
tion and the strength of his black and whites,
prove his natural good taste and his honest con-
tribution to good American art.
The exhibit will continue until Nov. 29 at the
Jewish Center in the adult Lounge and Confer-
ence Room, and should attract much favorable
attention.
Facts You Should Know
•
Answers to Readers
Questions
Zionist Council and the Jewish Agency Executive condemn-
ing the terrorists, sound like bitter irony, in view of the
fact that not only responsible Jewish leaders but also the
• • •
Haganah consistently condemned terrorism.
Are any special midnight services ever
Nevertheless, the removal of tension, the steps taken
observed by Jews?
to assure continuation of negotiations between Jews and
There are three midnight services in the
the British leading towards the . restoration of amity and Orthodox Jewish ritual: the night of Sheruoth
and
of Hoshanah Rabba, which do not take place
the settlement of the Palestine problem, and the gestures
in the synagogue; and the night of the Atone-
for greater cooperation are most encouraging signs.
when the pious remain all night at prayer
From this point on, we may hope that we shall soon ment,
in the synagogue.
• • •
see an end to despair and the resumption of gigantic efforts
Is the benediction beginning "The Lord
for the settlement of large numbers of Jews in Palestine
bless thee and keep thee" taken from the
on peaceful terms both with the British and the Arabs.
Bible?
Yes. The threefold benediction or blessing
Restoration of peaceful negotiations must lead to the is found in its entirety in Numbers 6:24-26.
abandonment of shameful practices of unlawful searches of
Jewish colonies, deportations to Cyprus and various other
abuses of Jewish rights. The Jewish Agency must gain the
right to regulate immigration and there should be an end
to curbs imposed upon Jewish industrial expansion. When
these things are accomplished we surely shall see the begin-
ning of a new era of progress in the Middle East for the good
not only of Jewry but of the Arabs as well.
Realization of these objectives which are so necessary to
peace depend in great measure upon the approach the British
authorities plan to make to the entire problem. In his cabled
report to his newspaper of the release of the Jewish leaders,
George L. Cassidy, foreign correspondent of the New York
Post, writing from Jerusalem, stated in part:
Among these 20 Arabs are at least 10 who spent most of the
war in Germany or Vichy France as followers of Haj Amin,
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who began his career as a fomenter
of unrest more than 20 years ago and ended during the war as
the leading Arab enemy of the United Nations.
Many thoughtful Jews and Arabs alike today are regretting
this attempt to appease the Arab extremists and to make the
release of Jewish leaders appear to be the result of a balanced
policy. The fact that one Arab granted amnesty is Haj Yussef
Sharafa, wanted in connection with the murder of J. H. Starkey,
archeologist, since 1938 has led some of the more fearful and
imaginative to discuss the possibility that the Mufti himself may
later expect forgiveness.
What the result of permission to these Arab extremists to
return to Palestine may be nobody will venture a guess. By an
unfortunate coincidence, their release came only a day after
the first Arab attack in years on a Jewish settlement in which
several were killed, and an unpleasant stoning incident. They
came also while the Arab military bodies; Futuwa and Najada,
were increasing their recruiting campaign so successfully that I
saw at least two companies of Najada wearing what appeared
to be American summer uniforms and drilling in a field beside
the Lydda-Jerusalem road.
The situation now is that Jewish leaders are free to resume
their representation of the Jewish Agency. But the past four
months have stimulated Arab leaders to anti-Jewish activity
and the British government has shown no sign of allowing
Jewish immigration into Palestine. More than 5,000 Jews from
Europe are still behind barbed wire in Cyprus.
These observations, which we are impelled to quote in
full in the interest of truth, indicate that we are far from
utopia; that attempts to placate Arab extremists will not help
the cause of peace; that the British MUST adopt a firm
policy, else there will be no end of trouble.
The fairest and most impartial observers insist that peace
can be enforced in Palestine without delay, provided the
British show that they are determined to be 'firm in their
decisions and that they undertake to follow a line that will be
tantamount to justice in accordance with the pledges made
in the Palestine Mandate. It is the sincere hope of all right-
thinking men and women that the British will see fit to stop
vascillating. Then, amity will become
a
reality.
FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE
•
Jewish Tales for All Children
To help children of all faiths understand the
meaning of the traditions and customs of Judaism,
the National Women's League of the United Syn-
agogue of America publishes the third in its
series of children's books--"The Singing Way"
by Sadie Rose Weilerstein — as an outgrowth of a
program inaugurated 15 years ago. It is a collec-
tion of poems reflecting the joy of Jewish living
as seen through the eyes of a growing child.
Surveying literature, particularly for children,
available in 1930, the Women's League decided
Jewish and Christian youngsters needed books
from which to learn abotit Judaism. Mrs. Barnett
E. Kopelman, president of the Women's League,
says, "Only through interracial understanding can
intolerance and bigotry be conquered."
• Friday Night Stories
The first booki published to fill this need in-
cluded "Friday Night Stories"—tales from the
Talmud charmingly told for children. This series
of small books by Dora Melamed represented
the first attempt by the League to put the tales
of Judaism in the language of youngsters. It
has resulted in the sale of 100,000 copies. Such
stories as Noah's Ark, The Fox and the Grapes.
and the Beginning of the World are simply told
for the primary grader.
Five years ago, the League Press introduced
into the field of children's books another com-
pletely new type of story with the publication
of "The Adventures of K'Ton Ton," also by
Sadie Rose Weilerstein. K'Ton Ton is a little
Jewish boy no bigger than his father's middle
finger. The adventures of this Tom Thumb in .
learning Jewish lore, in celebrating the Jewish
festivals and in growing up into wise under-
standing of Judaism have delighted the hearts of
the 20,000 children and adults who have bought
copies of the book. It is now in its seventh edition.
Books for Adults
The League Press has in addition published
"The Three Pillars" and "The Jewish Home Beau-
tiful," for older boys and girls.
The first, a handbook of thought, practice and
worship, now in its seventh edition, is being
translated into Spanish and into Hebrew Braille.
"The Jewish Home Beautiful" describes the
many Jewish festivals, their background and
meaning and ritual Written by Mrs. Morris Sil-
verman and Mrs. Simon. Greenberg, it contains
photographs of table settings appropriate for the
holy days, as well as recipes for traditional dishes
served at these times.