Page Four

THE JEWISH NEWS

As the Editor
Views the News ...

Friday, Jiffy I I , 1947

The Lesson to be Taught

VACATION .IN THE BIBLE

Fl

Fig Clothes' Evolution
To 'Whale of a Time'

British Insults

A 12,000 word memorandum submitted
by the Palestine government to the United
Nations Special Committee on Palestine con-
tained so many insults hurled at the Jews
that it must have left those who have read
it aghast.
This memorandum referred to "Jewish
economic racial exclusiveness" which, the
British charge, make Arab-Jewish coopera-
tion virtually impossible. In the next breath,
the statement admitted that Jews helped
raise the Arab standard of living.
The record of Jewish activities in Pales-
tine shows that Jews and Arabs have been
on the best of terms in their economic rela-
tions—until the declaration of the Arab boy-
cott which, in the main, failed to accomplish
the sponsors' purpose. But the British are
trying to build up an anti-Jewish economic
case before UNSCOP!
Similarly, in speaking of the Jewish
educational system, the charge is made that
it develops "chauvinism" among the children
and that the recognition of Hebrew as one
of the official languages of .Palestine reduces
opportunities for Arab-Jewish cooperation.
The Jews are charged with introducing a cul-
ture alien and even "repugnant" to most
Arabs. Yet, students of inter-group relations
and most journalists return from Palestine
full of admiration of the manner in which
the Jews and Arabs cooperate, speak each
other's language and respect one another's
culture.
The Palestine government's memoran-
dum is, clearly, a vicious and prejudiced doc-
ument. We doubt, however, whether it will
influence the thinking of the UNSCOP. A
month in Palestine will convince the 11-nation
committee that an attempt is being made to
prejudice their minds. We refuse to believe,
however, that they will prejudge the issue.
We prefer to believe that facts will be more
effective instruments than the fiction circu-
lated by the British.

-

By DAVID SCHWARTZ

(Copyright, 1947, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) '

Musing over the thought of a vacation, a thought
so easily cherished in these July days, I said to
myself, 'This idea of vacation is something new
under the sun. I don't believe there is any men-
tion of it in the Bible." And a moment later I real-
ized that the Bible actually begins with tile story
of a vacation.
Adam and Eve in Paradise! Who could ask for

a better vacation than they had? A prolonged
vacation with, everything their heart desired at
their beck and call, gamboling without clothes
and without worries in a fairy land.

Ah, those clothes, with them began all man's
troubles. As soon as Adam and Eve had tasted of
the tree of knowledge, the first thing they did was
to make clothes. Fig leaves at first. Just a little
girdle around the equatorial line. It seemed noth-
ing really, but with that began a veritable revolu-
tion in human affairs.
Rousseau has said that all evils arose when man
first put a fence around a piece of land and said
"This is mine." There is much in this thought, but
I think the real, the deeper revolution began when
man and woman and especially the latter put that
little fence of fig leaf around the middle.
After that, man was doomed. The wife then
wanted a fancier fig leaf and later a fig leaf for
the upper part, and poor Adam then knew he had
no alternative but to go to work.
And after they got more clothes, they needed
a house to keep them in. And so, Adam had to
work harder and harder. With the donning of the
fig leaf, began the enslavement of the human race
and the end of that perpetual vacation which be-
fore had been the happy lot of man.
*
•
•
Take a look at the animal world, which does
not work, except when they have been captured
and enslaved by man. The unclothed dog does not
have to work for a living. You - can't call what
the unclothed cow does, work either. Her work
consists merely of eating. The more grass she eats,
the more milk she produces. Suppose the capital-
ists insisted that the coal miners should eat more
and more—and do only that. I do not think there
would be many strikes.
Yes, as soon as man put clothes on, goodbye is
vacation, farewell to Paradise.
I think it is only natural therefore that when
we go on vacations today, we return to some ex-
tent to the old Paradise idea of less and less
clothes.
•
•
Well, Adam and Eve had their vacation. Who
else in the Bible? Perhaps Noah might be added
to the list. You remember he took a voyage around
the world on his yacht, the Ararat.

Thank You, Senator Ferguson

A brief paragraph on Page 8298 of the July 2 issue of the
Congressional Record reads:

Mr. FERGUSON (for himself, Mr. Ball, Mr. Smith, Mr.
Saltonstall, Mr. Bricker, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Hatch, Mr.. McGrath,
and Mr. Morse) introduced Senate bill 1563, to authorize for a
limited period of time the admission of certain displaced persons
into the United States for permanent residence, which was re-
ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and appears under a
separate heading.

On pages 8315 to 8318 of the same issue appear the ad-
dresses delivered by Senators Ferguson, Cooper, Smith,
Bricker, Morse, and Hatch, outlining their deep interest in
the measure.
Senator Ferguson incorporated in his address the text
of his bill, which is the counterpart of the Stratton measure
now under consideration in the House of Representatives.
In his remarks, our Senator pointed out: "In the past,
America has been the haven for those who have been perse-
cuted for political and religious activities. They have added
both to the virility and wealth of our Nation, and the strength
of our representative government. We cannot close our doors
to those who are seeking such a refuge at the present time.
The golden jubilee convention of the Those of us who have seen displaced persons appreciate how
Zionist Organization of America proved con- important it is that we proceed with this program."
This is the spirit of humanitarianism which distinguishes
clusively that the Jews of America, speaking
through the spokesmen for the 217,000 af- Americans like Senator Ferguson as men of great stature.
filiated Zionists, desire to see the enforce- He has taken the lead, with the help of eight eminent col-
ment of a strong stand in demanding the leagues, to battle for the opening of the doors of this country
speedy establishment of a Jewish state. They for a limited period to a limited number of survivors from
want action in Jerusalem, London and Wash- Nazism. Passage of this measure will go a long way- in re-
lieving the problem of the unfortunate DPs. We are grateful
ington.
Moderates in the movement may be right to Senator Ferguson and his colleagues for their humanitarian
in believing that we should go easy, either spirit. May they be granted strength to carry their measure
in twisting the British lion's tail or in forcing to successful realization.
the issue in Washington. This, however, is
not the sentiment of the organized American
Zionists who insist upon firm action.
Dr. Julian Morgenstern, the retiring president of Hebrew
The militant attitude has even gone so far
that many Zionists are prepared to support Union College, is not an affiliated Zionist. Nevertheless he
the extremists in Palestine. The 50th ZOA often expresses sentiments which place him in a class with the
convention has repudiated the Irgun and has strongest supporters of the Zionist cause.
At the convention of the Zionist Organization of America
endorsed the Haganah, the official Jewish
Agency resistance force. But it is no secret held in Detroit in 1929 and on numerous occasions since that
that many of the rank and file are sympa- time, he issued statements which would easily win a place of
thetic to the Irgun.
eminence for him in Zionism.
At the annual convention of the Central Conference of
Dr. Emanuel Neumann, the able new ZOA
president, like his predecessor, Dr. Abba American Rabbis in Montreal, Dr. Morgenstern asserted that
Hillel Silver,•understands the attitude of his world conditions have made us "all Zionists of a kind and to a
followers and knows how to control the sit- degree, though we may differ in convictions as to the nature
uation. All who are concerned that we and magnitude of the political organization" to be formed in
should not fail in the great struggle for jus- Palestine. He added that political Zionism is "a natural re-
tice must wish him well and should be pre- action of the soul of the Jewish people."
pared to give him all the necessary assistance
Dr. Morgenstern's views are backed by the overwhelming
in attaining the most important objective in majority of Reform rabbis and by nearly all of the present
Jewish life today: an end to the homelessness students of Hebrew Union College, according to well informed
of Israel.
sources. Evidently, the time has come:motivated by condi-
tions, when "all of us are Zionists,"—even if it is necessary
to qualify it with the phrase "of a kind and to a degree." This
being the case, united effort for the facilitation of the Zionist
Member Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent Jewish
program might bring us much closer to the complete realiza-
Press Service, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Religious
News Service. Palcor Agency.
tion of Jewish hopes and therefore an end to strife and to the
Member American Association of English-Jewish News-
papers and Michigan Press Association.
tensions which are so disheartening to all Jews. Let us have
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publish.
such unity, for the sake of the peace of mind of all Israel.
Ing Co., 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich., RA. 7956.

Militant Zionism

Moses went up on the mountain. Lots of
people go to the mountains for their vacations,
but they don't come down with the Ten Com-
mandments.
But truly, I think Moses might be called the man
who did most for the vacation idea. It was he who
instituted the weekly Sabbath vacation. It is not

generally realized how significant a contribution
the Jews made to the world in the 'Sabbath idea.
Josephus in his day speaks of the non-Palestinian
cities imitating the Jewish Sabbath idea. The fact
that Horace mentions it on several occasions as a
holiday which other peoples were copying shows
the true source of the one-day-a-week vacation.

The Sabbath was a day of vacation—a day of
rest. A very significant remark is made by the
ancient Jewish philosopher, Philo, about Sab-
bath rest. He says it is not to be construed as
one of total inactivity, but rather as one of
"unlabored energy."

Dr. Morgenstern's Pro-Zionism

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MacArthur Rebuffs Fronters

Christian Fronters, having acquired a new lease on life
since
the defeat of Nazi Germany, entertained hopes of spon-
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
soring the candidacy of Gen. Douglas MacArthur for Presi-
Maurice Aronsson
Philip Slomovitz
Fred M. Butzel
Isidore Sobeloff
dent. But a cible from MacArthur to the head of the Jamaica,
Judge Theodore Levin Abraham Srere
N. Y., Progressive Citizens of America, who inquired whether
Maurice H. Schwartz Henry Wineman
he approved of the Fronters' proposed "MacArthur-for-Presi-
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
dent" rally, which was to have been held in Queens Village,
stated emphatically: "I know nothing whatever of the action
VOL. XI—NO. 17
JULY 11, 1947
you describe in your message."
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This undoubtedly puts an end to the Christian Fronters'
This Sabbath, the twenty-fourth day of Tammuz,
5707, the following Scriptural selections will be flirtation' with the World War II hero. But it does not mean
read in our synagogues:
that their dangerous activities are at an end. Experience shows
Pentateuchal portion—Num. 25:10-30:1.
that anti-Semites seldom learn right from wrong. To be
Prophetical portion—Jer. 1:1-2:8.
Next Friday, Rosh Hodesh Ab, Num: 28:1-15 will vigilant in dealing with them remains the responsibility of

be read during synagogue services.

all Americans.

You are not resting or on vacation when you
are just sitting around bored. The true vacation
idea, the true resting idea involves the idea of
energy, but of "unlabored" energy. There is a
whole book in that one word "unlabored."
I think another figure in the Bible. Jonah, might
be said to have taken a vacation. You remember
the story. God tells Jonah to go and warn the sin-
ful Niilevites about their ways. Instead, Jonah goes
off to Joppa and buys a ticket on a boat going to
Tharsis. We can't approve of Jonah, but it is not
difficult to understand his case.
Probably Jonah was something of a tea parlor
pink. He knows of all the evil going on in Ninevah
and he feels that he should go down and reform
them, but he hesitates about going: Gets to think-
ing that if he goes to Ninevah, they will probablt
call him a Red, maybe summon him before the Un-
American activities committee of the Ninevah Con-
gress. So instead of heeding his inner call, he de-
cides to take a boat ride to Tharsis and see the
sights. We know what happened. The boat carry-
Mg Jonah began to founder and Jonah is cast out
into a turbulent sea. You might say, Jonah had a
"whale of a time" on his vacation.

(Editor's Note: Mr. Schwartz, one of The Jewish
News' JTA columnists, is the author of the fascinating
book, "Bitter Herbs and Honey," which is procurable
here at the House of Books). •

•

Facts You Should Know

Answers to Readers
Questions • • •

Why is it customary for the mourner to have

a tear in his clothes?
Historically, this custom dates back at least to
Biblical times when Jacob tore his clothes upon
hearing of the supposed death of his son Joseph.
There is no law in the Bible that orders the
mourner to have it done. It is first found in the
Talmud,as a symbol of the despair of the mourner
for his beloved, to display that something was torn
away from him- Originally, the person at the bed-
side at the time of death tore his clothes. Today,
the mourners do it only at the burial ceremony.
*
•

What was the origin of the term Rabbi?

Rabbi is the Hebrew for master. It became a
title or ordination for authoritative. teachers of
Judaism in the period after the destruction of tall

Tenwle in A.D. 70.

•

