Page Forty

THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, April 23, 1948

THE RETURN TO THE SOIL LOCAL VERSION

Michigan Jews Find Success in Faiming.:

Butzel, Other Detroiters, Aid
Agriculture Society's Work

By JUDAH GILEADI
— -Michigan is one of the most important and most pivotal
States in the - mOvement that wa.S begun by Jews throtithOut
the world to return to farming. • - •

Dr. Davidson said: 'Cautious as
the Society must always be in
sifting human material it must
be even more discriminating now.
The mechanized farm requires a
man who can do more than simply
walk behind a plow. Fortunately,
Jewish farm seekers of this day
have potential qualifications.
They are Americanized and
Younger, better educated, more
rugged than those of an earlier
period.'
505 Families Settled
"Dr. Davidson presents this
summary of the Society's work
with refugees—now referred to
as new Americans. 'By the end
of 1946 approximately 5,000 ref=
ugees had come to the Society's
offices, 11,259 individual con-
sultations had. been held and 505
families settled on farms in Cal-
ifornia, Connecticut, Florida, Ill-
inois, Indiana, Michigan, Mis-
souri, Massachusetts, New Hamp-
shire, New JerseyaNew York,
North Carolina, Maryland and
Virginia. Of these families 429
are, according -to the report, still
on their farms, a showing which
speaks for itself. Loans in the
amount of $616,898 were made
directly by the Society; $69,153
was lent by other agencies,
mainly by the Central Loan Trust.
Of the $686,042 aggregate $485,800
has already been paid back—
much of it before maturity."
Sponsor 476 Lectures
"During the past 35 years the
Chicago office of the Society
received 8,234 loan and farm
settlement applications, out of
which 1,769 loans were granted
for an aggregate amount of
$1,040,000. During the same
period this office made about 13,-
300 miscellaneous investigations
and placed more than 2,000 men
at work on farms. It held 17,740
consultations in connection with
its various activities.
"During recent years the Mid-
Western office held 476 lectures
and meetings among farmers in
the Middle West, with an ag-
gregate attendance of 24,600.
"For the past nine years the.
Chicago office has maintained an
agricultural night school, at the
Jewish Peoples' Institute, offer-
ing a series of lectures and dis-
cussions on various phases of ag-
riculture with specific emphasis
given to the needs of the Jewish
prospective farm seekers and
Jews who are interested in back
to the land movement in this
country. Successful Jewish farm-
ers from Michigan and Wiscon-
sin were guest speakers.
- "The report concludes: 'Surely
there is romance in the return of
American Jews to the primal
calling of ancient Israel. We must
remember that for two thousand
years agriculture was a proscrib-
ed occupation, that for the two
millennia Jews had become hab-

Jest for Passovee

By. I. ZAAC

(Copyright,

1948, 'Jewish Telegraph Agency, Inc.)

Soldier:on • Leave

• , "What's • his trouble?" asked his

•

children. •
-•
• "It's that `afikomen, 3 " replied
the doctor. •
. .
"Afikonien," replied . his ' son.
"How could that little piece of
matzoh, which is 'eaten for a -mo,
ment at the conclusion of the
Seder, hurt anyone?" • •
"Yes," replied the doctor, "but
end. • •
•When he started to return it you forget he has *eaten close to
occurred to , him that he had for- 200 of them, at two Seders every
gotten the . password. He was year."
•
coming back at night, he would
be challenged by the sentry.
Fifty Per Cent Success.
Finally he hit upon What he
The rabbi's wife was • unable
thought was an idea. The chances for some reason to go to 'Syna-
were,. since his company's per- gogue . on the Saturday before
sonnel was so largely Jewish, Passover, so • naturally when her
that if he used any well:. known husband returned from the syn-.
Jewish word; the sentry on guard agogue, she was curios about the
would *realize that he could be no theme of his sermon.
enerety and would pass him.
The rabbi told her that he had
Soon he : had had the oppor- preached on the importance of
tunity to try out his theory. As the rich providing for the poor
the man on guard perceived a on Passover. •
"Do you think your effort was
soldier approaching in the dark,
he called out: "Halt, who goes a success?" asked the wife..
"I think it was about 50 per
there?"
The Jewish GI called back: "A cent successful," said the rabbi.
"You see the poor. all agreed with
member of the 'camp."
"Advance and give the coun- me. I don't know abotit the
rich."
tersign," returned the sentry..
* *
"Matzos," said the Jewish sol-
dier.
The Wrong Lesson
"Pass over," said the sentry.
"Yeshuvnik" is the . Jewish
* * *
term for countryman. Jews like
to tell stories about "yeshuvniks"
Too Many Afikomens
just as many other people like to
An old Jew, in his nineties, regale themselves with stories of
.
became ill on Passover. A phy-
sician was called and the old man the ignOrance of the so-called
"hayseeds" and "rubes."
was examined.
This "yeshuvnik," of, which I
"I am afraid the old man will
am talking, decided one 'Passover
not survive." .
to observe the holiday in the ac-
customec! style, but the fact of the
ituated to city life . . . that the matter was, he had never
seen a
majority came here without pos- Seder. So he sent his
on
sessions, fugitives from persecu- the4irst night of Passover wife
to wit-
tion; that the transmutation of a ness the Seder of one of
her
"luftmensch" from a confined
friends, and find out just how
pale of settlement into a free you
"make" a Seder.
farmer on American soil entails
The Yeshuvnik's wife .chanced
a dual orientation—a change from
Europe to America, a change from to come to her friend's house 'at
an inept "Yeshiva Bahur" or an unhappy time, when the hus-
petty tradesman to a skilled band was beating his wife.
She returned to her own home
craftsman. And let us not forget
that the present Jewish farm and her husband, asked: "Well,
movement is not more than 50 now, how do you- make a seder?"
years old, that it grew during The wife closed her mouth and
the very period in American hist- wouid say no word.*
ory when the trend was in the - "Tell .me!". insisted the yeshuv-
•
Opposite direction—from farm to nik.
But his wife remained ada-
city.
"Keeping all these things in mantly silent.
Infuriated, the "yeshuvnik" be-
mind, we shall agree that a hun-
dred thousand Jews on farms de- gan, beating her.
riving their sustenance from this
"If you know how you make
nation's fertile acres is the real a seder," finally blurted -the hap-
romance of Jewish farm life in less woman, "why did you send
the United States."
-me to find out?"

...A company-of . American
soldiers, most of whom. were
young - Jewish GI's frorri Brook-
lyn,' was entrenched in the very
heart of the combat area. During
a lull'in the fighting, one Jewish
GI received permission' to visit
a nearby village for the week,

- The historical background of Jewish farming in Michigan com-
menced with the interesting experiment of the settlement in Bad
Axe that was called the "Palestine Colony." The late Martin Butzel
Was the leader in thearnovenient to secure the help of Detroit and
Other leaders in encouraging this group -of settlers. It was a short-
lived experiment which died in 1903 after a seven-year, struggle.
A much larger experiment was*.
Undertaken in the early 1930's, Jewish people of Chicago as the
near Saginaw, when the Sunrise only Jewish Agency for agricul-
Colony was established by several tural information. It is the center
hundred :Jews from Detroit, of all Jewish agricultural. activi-
New York and other communities ties in the Middle West.
- "The back-to-the-land- move-
throughout the country.
ment among the Jews of Chicago
Internal Dissention
Political differences, the hard- dates..back to the founding of the
ships incurred by the settlers and Jewish Agriculturists' Aid Soc-
internal dissention mused the dis- iety by the leading pioneers of
solution of this settlement. It fin- Chicago, under the-guidance and
ally was taken over as a govern- leadership of* the . late Dr. Abra-
ham R. Levy, Rabbi of Cong. Bnai
inent project.
Abraham. Soon after the death of
Fred M. Butzel, Dr: Leo M. Dr. Levy the Chicago office of
Franklin, Judge Theodore Levin, The _ Jewish Agriculturists' Aid
Saul R. Levin, Rabbi Leon Fram, Society liquidated its affairs and
Herman Jacobs are among the surrendered its interests to the
Detroiters who have shown a deep Jewish Agricultural Society, Inc.,
interest in the work of the Jew- of New York City.
ish -Agricultural Society in the
Office Founded in 1912
Michigan area.
"The Chicago office was estab-
Long before this society be-
Carrie active. in Michigan, Mr. lished in 1912, with • the late
Butzel single-handedly help e d George W. Simon in charge. It
many Jews who turned to farm- served as headquarters for the
ing: He also assisted many boys Midwest.
who were interested in farming
"The 47th Annual Report tells
with scholarships. He sought to of the growth and expansion of
inculcate a new agricultural spirit American Jewish farming. The
among Detroit Jews.
report states that during 1946
veteran activities increased, -ref-
Education M
_ eeting
A year ago, Mr. Butzel helped ugee interest rose, more farm-
organize an education meeting in minded people of all classes came
Detroit, at the Jewish Center, in to the Society, and more families
behalf of the Agricultural Society, were settled during the war years.
of which Gabriel Davidson is the The report deals with the Soci-
national director and Samson ety's work to strengthen and en-
Liph is the midwestern manager large the American Jewish farm
with offices in Chicago. Mr. Liph class.
spoke at that meeting.
'The report discloses the Jew-
The most interesting fact about ish Agricultural Society has
the trend to a return to agricul- granted more than $10,000,000 in
ture is that there are more JeWish loans to Jewish - farmers in 40
farmers in Michigan than in any states since the Society's found-
other midwestern state. Michi- ing in 1900. It has secured farm
gan's Jewish farmers are largely employment for 20,055 Jewish
to be found in the southwestern young men since the setting up
area, including Berrien, Van of. its farm employment depart-
Buren, Allegan, Cass and Kala- ment in 1908. During the past 10
years more than 10,000 persons
mazoo Counties.
-
In eastern Michigan they are sought its settlement guidance.
to be found in Wayne, Macomb, The Society was directly instru-
Oakland and Washtenaw Coun- mental in establishing on farms
1,100 families, and indirectly
ties.
many more.
Pay Off Obligations
"The report says 105 families
In Berrien County, Jewish farm-
ers are primarily engaged in fruit out of 740 who sought settlement
growing. Several prosperous years advice were established on farms
have enabled the fruit growers to in California, Connecticut, Flor-
pay off their obligations on their ida, Illinois, .Michigan, New
farms and most of them today are Hampshire, • New Jersey, New
on a sound footing, owning farms York and Pennsylvania. Concern-
ing the type of men seeking farms,
without mortgages.
Jewish farmers in Van Buren
ba NORMAN and SOL N0Dft
LIVES OF OUR TIMES
County largely are engaged in
ISRAEL ROKACH
;at ti -RHODA B. SIMON
poultry- raising, in addition to
general and dairy farming. While
BORN OF PALESTINIAN PARENTS Hi
THE CITY OF TEL-AVN, WHICH CON-
Ill I
11E SOON BECAME ACTIVE IN THE TEL-
they are not as prosperous as the
JAFFA IN 1896, ROW GREW UP
STITUTES ONE THIRD Of THE JEWISH
AVIV cOMMLINITY. IN 1922,HE WAS
NOT
fruit growers, they have made
AMIDST BOTH JEWS AND ARMS,LEMN-
POPULATION OF PALESTINE, IS HEADED
ELECTED TO DIE CITY COI/NOLAND RI-
considerable progress and are in
MG FROM 01011000 THE MI OF CO-
BYA MAN WHO CAME UP FROM THE
CA* DIRECTOR Of SEVERAL DEPART -
OPERATION.
RANKS
—
a better financial position'than
it
MENIS:d11111111111 I I
••
they have been in some. time.
I
Farmers in other areas are en-
gaged in general farming, some
M HO
turning to truck and small fruit
i111
farming.
Trend to Farming
G DIE NEXT RVE MILNE WAS A
AMR COMPLETKN1 OF HIS STUDIES AT LAUSANNE
Mr. Liph reports that a number
MEMBER OF THE CITY PLANNING
AND
ZURICH,
SWITZERLAND
IN
1920,411CACH
COMMISSION ,PRESIDENT OF THE BUILD.
of recruits to farming have"been
CAME BACK TO PALESTINE TO CONTIN-
INC COMMITTEE OF THE HABIMAH
enlisted from Detroit in recent
UE HIS CAREER AS AN ELECTRICAL EN-
THEATRE
GROUP AND MEMBER OF
years. In the past few years, a
GINEER.
TI4E ORANGE SYNDICATE.
number of business men have
bought farms, many of them
spending considerable time in
IN 1927, ROKACH WAS CHOSEN VIC•ANYOR,ANP IN I936,WAS APPOINTED MAYOR OF TEL -
`t—'4" ',TOURING DIE %LON saw orwmvasi
i"--
their rural homes.
AVIV BY THE HIGH COMMISSIONER . ROKACH DEVOTED Mt OF HIS ACTIVITY AND INTERESTS TO
NATIONAL FUND, HE HAS BEEN WELCOMED BY MAYOR
In an analysis of the progress
MAKING TEL-AMIV WHAT HE CALLS 'THE FINEST aroNTHE WORLD". HE IMPROVED ITS WATER
O'DWYER OF NEW YORK, WHO ACCORDED RA EvERY
made by Jewish farmers in the
AND SANITARY SYSTEM, ITS GDUCADONAL,CULTURAL AND SPORTS FACILITIES.
HONOR GIVEN A HIGH-RANKING VISITOR. ,
middle west, Mr. Liph made the
Ifigr -1`
-
ILRIff
r
rff
::
11.111 I '= 4
following statement to this writer:
a.a aa
_as
"The Jewish Agricultural Soci-
ety was, established by the Baron
de Hirsch Fund in 1900. The mid-
western office, with headquarters
in Chicago, was opened in 1911
This office has completed 35 years
) 1)4V01
of Service to the cause of Jew-
IN KV, MAYOR ROKAtH WASSENT TO A CONCINTRA-
farming,
to
Chicago
and
Mid-
ish
DON CM. W(DiE UMW MONO WIRI OILIER PIMA-
western Jewry. .
a
NMI JEWS IN REIMWOU FOR IPSIX ACTIVITIES.
•
"During the past '35 years the
Chicago office has served the

-

gindemi

:./
4

1111111

1.101,7

-

••••"'

ft,11 1. 11

'I

