"Jewry Delighted to Honor This
Cbmmunities, National Leaders
Pay Tribute tb Butzel's Memory
National UJA Conference
.
Adopts Resolution Mourning
Passing of Great Leader; Death of Michigan's First
Citizen Viewed as Loss to Entire Nation
Entire communities, national
organizations and many individ.-
' uals joined during the past few
days in paying tribute to the
memory of Fred M. Butzel.
News of his death came as a
- shock to American Jewry. The
conference of national leaders of
the United Jewish Appeal, meet-
- ing in New York, adopted a res-
qlution mourning his passing.
The text of the resolution, as sent
, to • the Jewish community by
.Renry Morgenthau, Jr., general
chairman of the 1948 UJA drive,
_reads:
- "This conference has learned
.. with deep sorrow of the death
of Fred M. Butzel of Detroit.
A symbol of all that was best
in the life of America and of
the Je wish people, Fred M,
Mize' added luster to our peo-
ple not only in Detroit, but in
the nation. It is men like Fred
M. Butzel who have made this
nation great and we re-dedi-
cate ourselves in his .spirit to
make enduring 'the work to
which he contributed so much
during his lifetime. Be it re-
solved that a copy of this res-
olution be forwarded with our
expression of condolence to
the bereaved family and to the
Jewish Welfare Federation of
Detroit."
Messages in tribute to Mr. But-
zel include the following:
MAURICE PEARLSTEIN,
Council of Federations, East Cen-
tral Region, Cleveland: "Mr.
Butzel's death is a tragic loss for
the .general as well as the Jewish
community of the entire nation."
L. S. MYERS, Kansas City:
"We in Kansas City, too, feel that
he was - such a source for good
that we will sorely miss him at
national gatherings."
LOUIS B. BOUDIN, Chairman,
Board of Directors, American
ORT: "Mr. Butzel's passing is
•a great blow to good causes in
general."
SAMUEL J. GRANATSTEIN,
President, United Jewish Appeal
of - Toronto: "Mr. Butzel's loss
will be felt not only by those
groups with which he has work-
ed, but also by the many in-
dividuals who have looked to him
for his sage counsel, his always
warm interest."
• ABE L. SUDRAN, Executive
Director, Kansas City Jewish
Federation: "Butzel's death is a
deep personal loss."
ELKAN G. VOORSANGER,
Milwaukee Jewish -Welfare Fund:
"Milwaukee Welfare Fund and
his personal friends and ad-
mirers send to the Detroit Jew-
ish community our sincerest con-
dolences on the passing of Fred
Butzel, great humanitarian, sterl-
ing Jew who was an inspiration
to all whb knew him."
PHILIP R. GOLDSTEIN, Di-
rector, Fund - Raising, Jewish
Welfare Board: "I loved Fred
Butzel for his warm human .qual-
ities and for his fine understand,
ing of the common man."
HENRY A. ROCKER, Presi-
dent, Jewish Welfare Federation
of Cleveland: "Mr. Butzel Was
well-known to many of our
Cleveland leaders who regarded
him most highly not only for his
Stature as a 'first' citizen of De-
troit, but also as an outstanding
leader nationally. Cleveland joins
with the country in mourning
the loss of one who for so many
years gave of himself unselfishly
• and unstintingly to every call for
the common good."
H. L. LURIE, Executive Direc-
. tor, Council of Federation and
Welfare Puna: "Since my
earliest days in social work I had
a deep personal friendship for
Fred, and a very high esteem for
him as a devoted person. He had
become something of an institu-
tion in himself, not only for De-
,
20—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, June 4,. 1948
troit, but on the national scene.
More than any other individual,
he symbolized the awareness of
the older generation of Jews of
the modern problems of the Jew
in the United States. He was a
one-man bridge between the
American Jewish past and the
contemporary scene."
MARK . J. UVEELER, Execu-
dive Secretary, Yiddish Scientific
Institute: "In Mr. Butzel YIVO
had a friend and supporter
among the Federation leaders,
and also enjoyed his personal in-
terest and support; thus we feel
our loss a personal one."
ROBERT H. MacRAE, Secre-
tary, Council of Social Agencies
of Detroit: "A lifetime of con-
structive community leadership
has come to an end with the
death of Fred M. Butzel. His
public leadership was matched
by numberless acts of kindness
and helpfulness to a multitude
who were privileged to enjoy his
friendship. He was generous
with his life beyond measure in
the service of human need."
In his column, "May I Have a
Word With You," in the. Shaarey
Zedek Recorder, RABBI MOR:-
RIS ADLER wrote: "The num-
ber of causes 'Mr. Butzel aided is
staggering. The number of peo-
ple who are indebted to him 'is
all but infinite. He was a one
man Federation and Social Serv-
ice Bureau. He helped people
not out of sentimentality, but as
a matter of principle. His in
cisive mind, his independence of
thought, his social responsibility,
his integrity, were manifest at
every meeting, and who attended
more meetings than he? He gave
to our Jewish community na-
tional stature and served as a
center of unity. For we were all
one regardless of shade of
opinion — in our affection and
respect for Fred Butzel. To ap-
praise his service to' us is. im-
possible for the initial shock pre-
vents a calm estimate. Fred But-
zel -will live in our memory even
as his influence will remain em-
bodied in the institutions and
agencies in our Midst which are
the projections of his great
spirit."
ISRAEL' B. RAPPOPORT, Di- -
rector, Research Institute in
American Jewish Education: "I
had occasion to get to know Fred
Butzel rather well when I con-
ducted the Jeirish educational
survey of Detroit three years'
ago. His advice 'and guidance in
this enterprise were as invalu-
able as in every other significant
undertaking by the Jewish com-
munity. I was strongly impres-
sed by his courtesy, urbanity,
,
•
mastery of the subject under dis-
cussion, by the clfiversity of his
cultural interests and by his gen-
uine humbleness. A measure of
the man are the stories told about
him, factual and apocryphal. I
was 'told by Yiddish speaking
groups that Fred l3utzel took
pains to learn Yiddish' so as • to
be in a position to communicate
directly with them. I can think
of no better example of true
democratic leadership, an ex-
ample too rarely followed by
our - leaders.' Fred Butzel fully
deserved the great respect and
affection which he enjoyed in
Detroit and nationally in the
American Jewish community.,
His death is a great loss and is
deeply mourned."
IRVING RHODES, Milwaukee:
"In the death of Fred Butzel,
American Jewry has lost a great
Jew, the Jewish community ' of
Detroit has lost its first citizen
and I have lost a friend whose
friendship .1 greatly treasured."
JULIUS CHAJES, Director of
Music, Jewish Community Cen-
ter, Detroit: "Marguerite (Mrs.
Chajes) and I were the last ones
to hear him play the piano on
May 8, one day before he went
to•the hospital. Fred and I play-
ed for four hands his favorite
piece, Wagner's 'The Dusk of the
Gods,' Ziegfried's' Funeral March.
He remarked that he thought' he
never before played it as well.
Eight-year-old Robert Shulman
was the last 'person he heard
play on May 9 on the day he
went to the hcispital, when he
came to the Center for the
youngster's dress rehearsal and
applauded enthusiastically. At
the funeral service on Monday,
Jason Tickton played on the or-
gan my composition 'Zion, Rise
and Shine,' which I dedicated to
Fred in 1942. The only consola-
tion for me and his relatives and
friends should be the fact that
he passed away in the midst of
his work, not knowing how close
he was to •the end. When I talked
to him Wednesday evening, ' a
day before his passing, he told
me he -felt fine and asked that
I should visit him by the end
of the week."
CITY COMMITTEE of the
LANDSMANSCHAFTEN; Chas.
Driker, president, and Harry M.
Kaminer, executive secretary,
was the first= local group to adopt
a 'resolution mourning Mr. But-
zel's death. The resolution states
in part: "Fred Butzel was one
of the driving forces behind the
creation and development of
those institutions which digni-
fy our community by providing
added security to those among
us who might need it."
'
.
$12,000 for Yemen Victims
NEW YORK, (JTA)—The ex,
tension of a provisional grant of
$12,000 for emergency aid to sev-
eral thousand Jewish victims of
recent riots in Yemen was an-
nounced here by the Adminis-
tration Committee of the Joint
Distribution Committee.
LIVES OF OUR TIMES
IHIS IS THE STORY OF THE'COURAGEIXIS
AND FAITHFUL CHIEF RABBI OF BERLIN
VINO .THROUGHOUT THE NAZI HORROR-
FILLED YEARS OF 1933-43 REMAINED
THERE TO COMFORT HIS FELLOW JEWS...
Equipment Shipped to Israel
Left to right: MORRIS JACOBS, MAX GROSS and BENJAMIN
WEISS, president of Machinery Liquidating Corp, and vice-president
of Haifa Chapter of ZOD.
-
Max Gross of Jerusalem,
rector of the Israel Equipment obtaining a shovel valued at $13,-
Project sponsored by the Zionist 000 from , the Benton Harbor
Organization of Anierica and the Jewish community. Benton Har-
World Confederation of "`'General bor Jews raised $10,000 for the
Zionitts / last Friday supervised machine, and the Ross Carrier
the
of industrial equip- Co., makers of the machine, con-
ment for trade schools and train- trhuted the remaining $3,000 ne-
ing centers in. Israel. He was as- cessary for the title to be turned
sisted by Morris Jacobs, presi over• to Mr: Gross.
dent of the 'Zionist Organization,
Other shipments from Detroit,
of Detroit; Saul Gottlieb, re- Flint, Pontiac, Kalamazoo and
gional ZOA director, and Benja- Grand Rapids will be forthcom-
min Weiss, who volunteered his ing shortly.
services to secure the equipment.
Owner of a factory in' Berlin,
The shipment includes - machine. Mr. Gross was foreed to leave
tools, printing material, gas gen- Germany in 1935 by the Nazis.
erators, water pumps, an auto- On request of the British Minis-
matic milling machine, the two- ter, he served in Addis Ababa as
ton Ford truck — all valued at a techniCal adviser to the Ethio-
$25,000.
pian government during World
' Mr. Gross came to Detroit to War II. He is one of the original
secure additional material after members of Haganah.
•
'
Miss Janet Wender Gets Award
MISS JANET OLENDER, second from left, representing Congre-
gation Shaarey Zedek of Detroit, received one of the first 18 citations
of merit to be awarded by the National Jewish. Welfare Board-spon-
sored Jewish Rook Council of America to Jewish Community Centers,
synagogues, Jewish schools •and other groups that have Jewish libra-
ries which meet minimum requirements set forth by the Book Council.
Others pictured received similar citations for their respective agencies.
Presenting the certificates on behalf of the JWB-sponsored Jewish
Book Council is RABBI I. EDWARD. KIEV, chairman of the Committee
on Citations. Presentation took place at the Council's annual meeting
at JWB headquarters' in New York City.
DR. I_ EO
Et0R11, BRED AND EDUCATED
IM GERMANY, DR.BAECK
BECAME CHIEF RABBI IN 1912.
11(11111(
'
HOWEVER, DR. BAECKMINISELF, DID NOT FLEE . SECRETLY, NE
MANAGED TO SEND LETTERS OF COMFORT TO THOSE
UNFORTUNATES CARTED OFF TO CONCENTRATION CAMPS. NE
WAS ALSO ABLE TO KEEP A PRIVATE HISTORY OF ALL
OCCURRENCES FROM PRYING NAZI EYES BY 'STATING RE
USED THE NOTES AS TOILET pAPER/
TODAY, AT 75 YEARS OF AGE, HE SERVES AS
PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD UNION FOR PROGRESO
JUDAISM, STRIVING TO MAKE EUROPEAN JEWS
"PLACED" INSTEAD OF * DISPLACED" PERSONS...
FOR OTHERS, THOSE TERRIBLE DAYS ARE
DIMMED BY TIME, BUT NOT FOR DR.BAECK.
HE HAS CONSTANTLY WORKED FOR THE ESTAB-
LISHMENT OF GERMAN JEWS IN COUNTRIES .
OUTSIDE OP ,GERMANY. IN THIS CONNECTION,
HE HAS MADE SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE U.S. ON
BEHALF OF THE UJ A 'AND THE UNION OP
k
HEBREW CONGREGATIONS
_ .
Xhk
6
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,
• ("Lai RHODA R. SIMON Y
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY. CELEBRATED HIS 25tH •
ANNIVERSARY IN THAT OFFICE DURING THE
DARKENING DAYS OF 1937 WHEN DR.BAECK
WAS CALLED A "PESSIMIST" BECAUSE HE URGED
JEWISH-YOUTH TO LEAVE. THE COUNTRY.
„
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► eudstt.11 by NORMAN and SOL.NOPEt •
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(110(4+ 0.
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rent
egi
o ,
WELCOMED BY MAYOR O'DWYER OF
NEW YORK AFTER ARRIVING IN
AMERICA IN JANUARY,I948 ON A 3
MONTH TOUR, HE THEREAFTER CON-
FERRED WITH PRESIDENT TRUMAN.
IN 1943, DR. BAECK WAS SEIZED IN A MASS
ROUNDUP OF ALL JEWS IN GERMANY AND
SENT TO A CAMP IN CZECKOSLAVAKIA,WHERE
HE SLEPT WITH 40 OTHER PEOPLE IN
.- AN
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B FOOT SQUARE ROOM
•ay
V. 71• MP C. OF
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