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Attitude of USSR to Jews
Told in Interesting Book

Word to Obstructionists

A major responsibility in time of crisis is
to assure internal unity. Most regrettable in
the present critical period in Jewish history
is the injection of notes of disunity by several
disruptive elements.
The Council for Judaism is as guilty of
destructive practices as are the dissident
groups in Zionism., The former has raised a
false issue of a conflict between Judaism and
Americanism; the latter are dividing Jew-
ish ranks in matters involving the pooling of
all resources in defense of our position in
Eretz Israel.
Several weeks ago, our Commentator's
column carried a significant story which de-
serves reprinting at this time. Referring to
the obstructionists in Jewish ranks, the Com-
mentator recalled an incident in the career
of President Abraham Lincoln who was
taunted by members of his own Cabinet.
Thereupon Mr. Lincoln told this story:
"Gentlemen, suppose all the _property
you were worth was in gold, and you had
put it in the hands of Blondin to carry
across the Niagara River on a rope;
would you shake the cable, or keep shout-
ing out to him—Slondin, stand up a little
straighter—stoop a little more—go a little
faster—lean a little more to the north—
lean a little more to the south'? No, y ou
would hold your breath as well as tongue
until he was safe over. The Government
is carrying an immense weight. Untold
treasures are in our hands. We are doing
the very best we can. Don't badger us.
Keep silent and we'll get you safe across?
Those who are attempting to disrupt Jew-
ish unity would do well to read this appeal,
made by a great President in an hour of crisis.
The story applies to us in the present chal-
lenging era for Jewry. By badgering recog-
nized Jewish leadership, the obstructionists
are responsible for a serious blot on the pages
now being written in Jewish history.

Boredom Cure: Hurt DPs

Chicago Daily News' correspondent, David
M. Nichol, reports from Heidelberg that out
of sheer boredom and an eagerness to pile
up a record of vigilance against Crime, the
U. S. occupation forces in Germany are
hounding the 300,000 displaced persOns.
Mr. Nichols states that every incident of
crime or disorder is blamed on DPs and con-
tinuing raids on DP camps are regiiar head-
line material "although it is almost longer
than anyone can remember since a German
village was cordoned off, or a block search
of. German homes was carried out." Mr.
Nichols reports: "For a year now, Allied pol-
icy has been 'be kind to Germans.' Under
the new code, Germans can't do any wrong.
Trouble of course pops up from time to time.
But the Germans had the answer. It was the
DPs, they said. German police records have
been a factor in building the myth of refugee
crime. If a German is arrested his case is
not 'completed' in the records until he has
been tried and freed. -If a DP is held, his
case is 'completed' immediately." In one
locality, Mr. Nichols writes, American sol-
diers took to beating up DPs "whenever
there was nothing more interesting to do,"
This report corroborates earlier charges of
rough treatment of DPs by American sol-
diers. It is tragic that boredom must be dis-
pelled through inhumanity, and some way
should be found by responsible authorities in
Washington and in the armed forces to avoid
injustice. Our occupation forces are faced
with grave responsibilities, but these can not
be discharged through discrimination. Unless
there is a change in such practices, the blot
upon our record will become inerasable.

THE JEWISH NEWS

Member Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent Jewish
Press Service, 'Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Palcor
Agency, King Features, Central Press Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publish-
ing Co., 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich., WO. 5-1155.
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
Detrbil. 40 cents per year.
Entered as second-class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Post Of-
fice, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879.

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

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor

VOL.

7 Page 4 APRIL 30, 1948

Passover Scriptural Selections
Pentateuchal portions—Seventh Day of Pass-
over, Friday: -Ex. 13:17-15:26, Num. 28:19-25;
Eighth Day of Passover, Saturday: Deut. 14-22-
16:17, Num. 28:19-25.
Prophetical portions—Friday. II Sam. 22; Sat-
urday, Is. 10:32-12:6.

Russia kfi Trux,

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OIJIMMIA •rtillelEIPPOL

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Priority for Allied Campaign

A number of weeks have passed since the first call went
out to the Jewish community to raise the minimum goal of
$6,200,000 for the 1948 'Allied Jewish Campaign.
The total, as reported raised up to the present, offers
considerable encouragement. However, many pledges are
being withheld because of uncertainty as to the amount to
be given by prospective contributors. " In some instances, sol-
icitors have refused to accept pledges which they considered
inadequate.
In the main, a serious -responsibility devolves upon all
Detroit Jews. Haganah gets all of its funds from the United
Jewish Appeal, the major beneficiary in our Allied Jewish
Campaign. The future of the DPs hangs in the balance and
only the aid that comes forth from JDC, a UJA agency, can
save them.
Upon. his return from Palestine, Dr. Israel Goldstein
stated that $30,000,000 a month is needed for defense. If
the Yishuv is to survive, it is plain that the major fund for
defense must be strengthened and that any effort which
might militate against it must be postponed.
Our honor as a community can be maintained or lowered
during the present drive. If we do not 'come forth with all
our energy as workers and as contributors, the campaign may
fall short of its goal — to our discredit.
All other efforts in the community should be cancelled
for the duration of the Allied Jewish Campaign in order that
all of us should be free to work for the drive. It is an elemen-
tary duty and it MUST lae filled.
* * * * *
Our honor as a people demands that we should never
forget the Biblical lesson:
"And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand,
that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Ama-
lek prevailed . . . and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands."
We, the fortunate Jews of America, are in the position of
holding up the hands of the fighters for freedom and those
who are battling for survival. If we fail to keep their hands
up, they will be doomed and we will be seriously hurt in
defeat. To avert defeat let there be an all-out effort for
total success for the Allied Jewish Campaign.
* * * * *
Thus far, an unprecedented achievement has been regis-
tered for the Allied Jewish Campaign under the leadership
of the able general chairman, Maurice Aronsson. All indica-
tions are that within a week the 1948 campaign contributions
will exceed the total raised in 1947.
This means that during the coming few weeks it will be
necessary to exert all our efforts towards the raising of an-
other $2,000,000—to reach our goal—and to strive for a sum
far in excess of that if we are to oversubscribe the minimum
campaign objective.
* * * .* *
By pooling forces and resources and by abandonina com-
peting activities, this objective can be attained and our b honor
as a people responsible for Haganah and the welfare of the
survivors from Nazism will be redeemed.

* *

The all-out military effort in Palestine has been forced
upon Jewry. The declarations made by High Commissioner
Cunningham and Sir Alexander Cadogan indicate clearly
that the acts of violence in Palestine were instigated by in-
vading Arab forces. It is regrettable that the implementa-
tion of the Jewish State could not be achieved peacefully,
in accordance with the wishes of the Jewish people.
Under existing conditions, the responsibility for hold-
ing the forts in Palestine—in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem,
Tiberias and other Jewish centers—devolves not upon
Palestinian Jewry but upon the Jewish People everywhere.
It is our duty as well as Haganah's. All-out efforts are needed
not alone in Palestine, where unity is inevitable under try-
ing conditions, but also in the Diaspora. Detroit Jews can
attain it through the Allied Jewish Campaign. Let it be made
a reality at once.

Sir John Maynard's "Russia in Flux", a Macmil-
lan publication, is one of the most informative
books available on the hot subject of the Soviets.
Although the data is quite old—the author died in
December 1943—the historical facts remain signif-
icant and the author's views are most valuable.
It would have been interesting to know what
Sir John would say today to the Russian situation,
in view of his comment in his book that: "The long
isolation of Russia from the West, and of the West
from Russia, has kept the two halves of Democracy
apart from one another. Are we to witness the
coming together of the two in a complete whole?
Only wishful thinking can answer, with convic-
tion, Yes."
From the Jewish point of view, "Russia in Flux"
is highly interesting. The author, refers to the for-
mation of the Jewish Bund in 1897 and to the
assassination of von Piehve—at the instigation of
the Jewish revolutionary Azev—as an act of ven-
geance for the Russian minister's instigation of
the Kishinev pogrom in 1903.
Sketches of revolutionary leaders — many of
them Jews—are interesting. There is the story of
the Governor to whom a landowner complained
about persecution of Jews and who commented that
he'd get credit as an energetic official if his work
were reported to St. Petersburg.
The attitude of Communists on anti-Sem-
tism is described as follows: "The Communist
Party has always set its face against anti-Sem-
itism. In April, 1938, the Central Committee
issued instructions to the Party to proceed
against anti-Semitic agitators, but discreetly,
and in such a manner as not to give the im-
pression that Communists are the particular
champions of the Jews, or that the Govern-
ment is a Government of Jews. This was an
evident recognition of the survival of anti-
Semitism among the people."
What was the Soviet attitude to Zionism? Sir
John wrote: "Freed by the revolution from all
their civil disabilities, they have fallen into a new
religious disability, along with the followers of
the other cults. Hebrew, which is to them what
Arabic is to the Mohammedans, because it is the
language of the Bible and the Talmud, but not
the vernacular in use in their homes, was discour-
aged as being a vehicle for the teaching of re-
ligion. But the appearance of a secular literature
in Hebrew has destroyed the basis of this unfav-
orable discrimination, and the works of Mayakov-
sky and of Pushkin have been translated into it.
Zionism is frowned upon for political reasons.
There is a particularly prosperous Synagogue. at
Moscow, with paid seats and an income of 800,000
roubles. There is no anti-Semitism in the Soviet
Government, but it occasionally shows itself in
the people."
An interesting section dealing with the back-
ground of the Pale of Settlement contains the fol-
lowing comment:
"There is a special irony in the persistence
of anti-Semitism in Russia, because of the
enormous influence which Judaism has had
upon popular habits of thought. Possibly in
consequence of the presence of the civilized
tribe of the Khazars, who were Jewish con-
verts, in southern Russia, Judaism greatly
affected the Russian masses in the I1th and
12th centuries, and the Church was obligated
to combat it, as it combated Catholicism in the
13th century. In later times we find the doc-
trines of Count Leo Tolstoi far closer to Jud-
aism than to Christianity: and Rozanov was
powerfully influenced by the Old Testament
outlook upon life."
The voluminous facts related by the author tell
of the functioning of Jewish regional Soviets, of
Jewish courts and businesses conducted in Yid-
dish. We are told:
"The Soviet Government encourages Yiddish, as
the actual vernacular of Russian Jews, and the
Jewish - theater in the USSR makes use of this
language. The large number of Jews employed in
the public offices—it is particularly marked in
White Russia and the Ukraine—and in such in-
stitutions as those of socialist retail trade, is re-
sponsible for some growth of anti-Semitism in the
USSR, and also perhaps for the fancy that the
Soviet Government is predominantly one of Jews.
The Soviet Government has set its face firmly
against anti-Semitism, and punishes anti-Jewish
outrages with severity. It is itself charged with
anti-Semitism, because of its repression of the
Zionist movement: but is, in fact, neither pro nor
anti-Jew; but gives to the Jewish the same en-
couragement which it gives to other nationalities,
while discouraging the separation which appears
to be involved in Zionism."
"Russia in Flux" is a volume eminently worth
reading.

The Great Release

By DR. NOAH E. ARONSTAM

He sendeth His beloved sleep (Ps. 127:2)
O coveted release most tranquil,
O peace transcending time:
There is nothing that can equal thee,
Thou guerdon, sweet sublime.
O soft repose surpassing
All earthly urge for rest,
Beyond all space, beyond all time,
Beyond all human , quest.
O sleep, which freed from dreams
And incubi of spectral gloss,
From twisted skeins of poison web,
How immaculate thy vestments are
As crystalline and snowy white
As the legendary albatross.
"Thou sendest Thy beloved sleep!"
Hear my prayer, oh God, and send
To me a sleep profound,
Fathomless, sans pain and end!

