Malcolm W. Bingay's Tribute
I4—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 28, 1948
By DR. LEO M. : FRANKLIN
Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth El
In His Column "Good Morning," in the Detroit Free Press,
May 23, 1948,i Under the Heading "A Leader Passes"
On Aug. 25, 1947, there was
celebrated throughout • Detroit
the 70th birthday of Fred M..But-
zel.. This was a happy event for
thote of us who knew Mr Butzel
as the' gentlest and most selfless
citizen of our community. The
flowers of appreciation that came
to him from all parts of the world
were better than they would be
today now that death has come
to . him.
At the time The . Jewish News •
asked me, among others, to pay
my personal tribute. This I glad-
ly did. I said then:
It is dif4cult to write about a
keen legal mind that never
evinces any special interest in
the law. ,
It is even .harder to write about
a successful business man who
never pays any attention to busi-
ness.
It is impossible to tell about a
sOciolOgist Who does .not, believe
in sociology and smiles in kindly
contempt at those who designate
themselves as sUch..
You cannot say, "This man is
a philosopher" when he has never
been known to preach any philos-
ophy; he simply lives it without
saying anything about it. Beside,
philosophers are supposed to be
very solemn whereas this man is
smiling most of the time.
He. waves away all attempts to
catalog him. The most expert
writer of "case histories" will
never be able to put the personal-
ity of the man down in any social
report He cannot be labeled.
He will fascinate you with his
deep insight into music, art, litera-
ture, science, economics, goVern-
ment, but pretends to no speciali-
zation in any of these fields.
If you seek to penetrate beyond
his wall of self defense into the
man himself, his almost cynical
laughter tosses you over the moat
and the drawbridge swings shut.
Such is the modesty of the man.
But if you are dawn' and Out,
if .you are desperately in need of
money or advice, if you are torn
in mind and soul and know not
which way to turn, there is one
man in all Detroit who will never
fail you and who, for half a cen-
tury, has never failed others who
have been in trouble.
Fred M. Butzel, in a very large
sense, is Detroit's most remark-
able citizen:
This community has won world
fame for its dynamic elements in
industry, the .1-riuri-lph of Machin-
ery, the cradle of mass production.
The names of our great citizens
are household words across the
world.
But, what have we done for the'
things of the spirit?
The wordly achievements men
set their hearts upon turn to ashes
and are bitter in the mouth. These
things have we praised. But, there
wells within us always the inner
voice of Conscience asking if that
is all.
Fred M. Butzel has never
thought of worldly triumphs.
From his earliest manhood he has
labored in the fields of the inef-
> fable, the helping: of his fellow
man toward the dignity of his own
individuality.
For a half century he has had
the unfaltering Vision of a cleaner
and finer Detroit and a better
World. I know , of no other Man in
our community with such a ca-
pacity for self - effaceinent in per-
forming hiS mighty labors.
iS ,charities are so vast that it
is difficult to comprehend them
all. He was the leader in bringing
the Boy Scout movement to De-
troit, he was one of the pioneers
in organizing the Community
Chest, he was the leader in the
creation of the Ford Republic, he
has been the majestic silent power
in all the worthy movements for
the betterment of his fellow Jews,
but his good will to man trans-
cends even all these activities.
Some years ago -at Christmas
time, I wrote an essay on Jesus
for the Detroit Free Press, en-
titled, "He Who Went About Do-
Mg Good."
I asked then that others emu-
late the Jewish founder of Chris-
tianity, in seeking to bring peace
and understanding to the human
heart.
It was a Christmas message for
Christians and also for all others
with cared- 105-Vegad. ;Hulk- perfeet.7-
It
ly Fred • Butzel-'s long life fits.
that pattern of going about doing
good!
'Twas but the echo of the ages
when Israel was young.
Fred Butzel for a whole half
century has been .doing just this
in Detroit, knowing not race nor
creed in following the impulses
of his great' soul.
He ha _ s been the builder of a
city not made with hands.
He has won the heart of De-
troit because he gave his own
heart.
He is the wealthiest man in our
town because he gave away
wealth.
He is the most self possessed
of men because he always has
given himself to others.
If his mind is serene it is be-
cause he has given serenity to
others.
If his soul be exalted it is be-
cause he has given others inspira-
tion.
If there is a bit of song in his
heart it is because he has made
the hearts of thousands sing
throughout his long and busy
life.
I salute Fred M. Butzel, De-
troit's most valuable citizen, on
the 70th anniversary of his age.
Some days after this was kint-
ed, I got a brief scrawl from Mr.
Butzel) It said, as near as I can
remember it:
"Dear Bing: I suppose I should
be gratified by all- the things
you have said about me and I am
vain enough to have enjoyed your
thoughts. However, all I can say
about the matter is that you are
a poor judge of character. Again,
thanks. FRED."
It was as close as he ever came
to being enthusiastic about him-
self.
Fred M. Butzel---The Man
Special Air Mail
Service to Israel
NEW YORK (JTA) — . The
formation of a special air mail
service. to . Israel was an-
nounced iby Palestine Emer-
gency Deliveries, set up- by a
group -of Zionist organizations.
The service will provide postal
service=at the ,sender's
to Israel on the following con-
ditions:
Sealed 'letters addressed to
individuals residing in ,Israel
must be affixed with the nec-
?.ssary 'U.S. postage. An addi-
tional charge of 25" cents per
half ounce must be paid in coin
or postal money order. • The
sealed letter, phis- the service
charge, should be addressed in
another envelope to Palestine
Emergency Deliveries, 60 East
66 St., New York City 21. All
mail will be &Am. to Israel by
chartered plane. Regular mail
service with the- Jewish com-
munity- of Israel has been un-
available since May 1. .
JWB Elected Butzel
During Last Illness
The late Fred M. Butzel was
active in national Jewish affairs
almost until the moment of his
death. At the annual meeting
of the National Jewish Welfare
Board in Chicago, . May 8 to 10,
he was among those elected to
the board -- of directors of the
JWB.
Other Detroiters named to that
body are Henry Meyers, Samuel
H. Rubiner, Isidore Sobeloff and
Mrs. Joseph M. Welt.
Detroit Free Press Tribute
Editorial of May 22, 1948
IRED -4/1..BUTZEL; dead at 70,
was one of Detroit's foremost
attorneys.
Yet so steadfast and generous
was Mr. Butzel's devotion to -his
fellow man that in the qublic
mind his humanitarianism all but
eclipsed his tall stature as a mem-
ber of the bar. Detroit, through
the decades of his career, has
thought 'of him as one of its great
philanthropists and only incident-
ally as a lawyer. :
In his death, Detroit has taken
a major civic loss. Men with his
enthusiasm for every. good cause
and his will to see it through to
success come extremely far apart.
We can think of no finer, more
appropriate requiem for Fred
Butzel—and it would be a very
long one—than a recital of good
works in which he shouldered
the burden of leadership.
The rabbis of old were fond
of comparing man's earthly pil-
grimage to the voyage of 'a ship
at sea. When the great vessel
laden with passengers laborious-
ly leaves its dock to begin its
jOurney to some far off destina-
-tion the watchers on shore wave
their hands in farewell to - the
departing friends, but their
hearts are sad and their eyes
are _dimmed with tears. Will
these friends and dear ones
reach their goal in safety, they
involuntarily ask themselves.
Will their ship be strong and
sufficiently sturdy to withstand
the buffetings • of a turbulent sea,
or will it succumb to the cruel
lashing of the waves and carry
its human freight to unmarked
and unremembered graves, so
that they shall be as though they
had never been?
But when, its voyage safely
and successfully completed, the
ship returns to its home port,
with all its original passengers
well and unharmed, great and
genuine is the rejoicing of those
waiting to receive them, for their
mission has been accomplished
and the hopes with which they
set out have been fulfilled. To
them may be applied the words
of Ecclesiastes: "Better is "'the -
e/id of a thing than the begin-
ning thereof."
At the Biblical age of three
score years and ten Fred M.
Butzel has completed the jour-
ney of earthly life—a life that
a degree that is attained by
the very fewest of men in any
generation—was sanctified by
the service it, rendered to men
and • women and children with-
out regard to color, creed or ra-
cial origin and that recogriized
no test of worthiness save that
of human dignity and decency.
Fred was seldom bound by the
conventions that enslave most of
us. He had convictions to which
he dared live up, no matter
how unpopular they might hap-
pen to be in some quarters. His
thinking and his living were
shaped by the' single ideal of
human service. In the living out
of his philosophy he gave with-
V '
out stint of his material me
of his time, of his energy, b u
above all of himself.
His life touched more live
and institutions for good thai
that of any other man whom
recall. And it shall continue t
do so. Men like Fred• can neve
truly die, - for they alone ar
dead who are forgotten. And h
will never be forgotten. He wi]
be remembered as the loyal Jew
the staunch American, the grea
humanitarian—the Man—in the
finest connotation of that nobl
term. In the words of Scripture
"A Prince and a great man ha
this day fallen in Israel."
are the poorer for his passin
But we are immeasurably riche
for the undying influence fo
good that he has left upon th
hearts and minds of those wh
were privileged to know an
love him.
IRO Refuses to Aid Dps
Seeking to Enter Israel
NEW YORK, (JPS) — Whil
the United States Army assure
Jewish displaced persons in Gei
many of "continued good-wi
and assistance" while they awai
ed passage. to Israel, the Inte
national Refugee Organizatio
announced in Geneva last wee
that the absence of a regime
Palestine which has been ge
erally recognized by the Unite
Nations has forced it to suspen
the sponsorship . of refugee mov
ments to that area.
Bogota Jews Suffered
$3,500,000 Property Loss
.
NEW YORK (JTA)---LA detaile
report received by Dr. Josepl
Grutzendler, Jewish Telegraphi
Agency correspondent in Bogot
who is now visiting the U.S., r
veals that the extent of propert
damage suffered by the Jewis
community in the Columbi
capital during the recent ant
government demonstrationi wa
not $500;000, as reported la
month, but $3,500,000.
Etiahu Epstein Is
Israel's U.S. Envoy
TEIX 'AVIV (JTA)----Elialiu Ep-
stein; who has served as the rep-
resentative of the Jewish Agency
in Washington, _was= appointed the
first Israeli Minister to the United
States.
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