As the Editor
Views the News • •
Her Precious Children
By DR. NOAH E. ARONSTAM
Independence Day
On Independence Day, the people of this
great land once again will have occasion to
review the basic principles of Americanism
and to the cause of "one nation indivisible,
and to rededicate themselves to the cause of
"one nation indivisible, with liberty and jus-
tice for all."
We would be blind to reality if we were
to become complacent and if we were to
believe that our ideals are secure, that Ameri-
canism is impregnable. This is far from a
fact. In every generation some new forces
arise to threaten our liberties and to strive to
undermine the foundation of our democ-
racy.
That is why it is so important that
Independence Day should be utilized for the
mobilization of all democratic forces for the
defense of the truest libertarian ideals. On
Independence Day it is imperative that we
should repeat the declaration of Benjamin
Franklin, made on July 4, 1776, at the sign-
ing of the Declaration of Independence: "We
must all hang together or assuredly we shall
all hang separately."
By holding fast to our faith in democracy
we can be factors in perpetuating freedom.
By being united in this great task, we serve
the cause of liberty not only for ourselves
but also for the entire world.
Israei—DPs' Only Hope
Practically at the same time that the
United States Congress adopted the shock-
ingly discriminating displaced persons bill
a special United Nations report revealed that
the entire world has set up obstacles to pre-
vent the entrance of the Jewish survivors
from Nazism anywhere on earth—except in
Israel.
A special mission appointed by UN Sec-
retary General Trygve Lie to study the
problems of refugees reported that hopes
for the settlement of 130,000 Jewish DPs
anywhere—outside Israel—is "very poor at
the moment." While the 58 member nations
of the UN have been called upon to open up
their gates to the Jewish survivors, thereby
indicating that their oft-repeated sympathy
for Jews is sincere and is not lip service, it
is clear that the Jewish DPs' position is hope-
less, unless they are taken immediately to the
State of Israel.
The UN report, prepared by Dr. Carlo J.
Hambro of Norway and Pierce Williams of
the United States, in collaboration with the
International Refugee Organization, states:
"The hard facts remain that, unless govern-
ments can be prevailed upon to open their
doors, Jewish immigration from the camps
and areas outside the camps to countries
-other than Palestine will be a mere trickle
(not even sufficient to offset the number of
births in the Jewish camps). It would not be
inappropriate if the organization should make
a special effort to try to bring home to the
large majority of nations which in the Gen-
eral Assembly of the United Nations pro-
fessed their - sympathy for the Jews the
desirability of expressing it in action, and
not only in words—words that so far have
had little appreciable result."
Practically all of the 58 UN member
nations share in the disgrace, and the U. S.
has become a party to indifference to the
plight of the Jewish DPs by action of Con-
gress which was characterized by the N. Y.
Times as "A Shameful DP Bill." The Times
stated editorially: "It is to their honor that
four of the Senate-House conferees refused
to sign the bill—Senators Ferguson and Kil-
gore, and Representatives Boggs and Celler."
By the same token, it is to their disgrace that
the vast majority in Congress made a shame-
ful bill possible.
As we have indicated on numerous occa-
sions, Israel remains the sole hope of the
Jewish DPs, and Israel therefore will have
to be built and protected in the best interests
of the highest humanitarian considerations.
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.
Entered as second-class matter Aug 6. 1942, at Post Of-
fice, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
VOL. XIII—No. 16
Page 4
July 2, 1948
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the twenty-sixth day of Sivan,
5708, the following Scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Num. 13:1-15:41.
Prophetical portion—Joshua 2.
On July 7 and 8, Rosh Hodesh Tammuz, Num.
28:1-15 will be read during morning synagogue
services.
To Chaim Weizmann
[First Nassi of the New Commonwealth of Israel)
Blessed be thou who comest
In the name of the Lord,
Nassi of Israel!
Conceived in hope
With unity of purpose,
Thou hast achieved and won.
Israel, phoenix-like
Arose from its ashes
Rejuvenated, with intent to live;
And with a will to carry out
The eternal mandates
Of its history.
And as such it shall live,
It shall prosper and endure.
Its standards forever are
The twain of justice and mercy,
Tidings to the world to emulate,
Tokens of unity and peace.
Welcome thou who comest,
A living" symbol
Of Israel's perpetuity.
..m ■ ammir'
BOOK OF BOOKS
A Bible Quiz With Answers
By Dr. Solomon Goldman
McDonald: U.S. Envoy to Israel
Our Government was first to recognize Israel. It was an
acknowledgement of the de facto existence of the Jewish
State. Hon. Eliahu Epstein immediately was named Israel am-
bassador to the U. S. Last week President Truman selected
Dr. James G. McDonald as his special representative to Israel.
The strong Republican Party plank in support of Israel and
the certainty that the Democratic Party platform also will
support the Jewish State are encouraging signs that Israel
is on the road to international recognition as a nation among
the nations of the world.
This, indeed, is fulfillment of prophecy. When, a genera-
tion ago, many of us spoke of the validity of Zionism and the
inevitability of Israel's becoming a nation among the nations,
we were like dreamers. Our opponents thought we were
insane even to dream it. But the vision has become a reality.
Let it be said to the credit of the great Christians of our
time, who are traditionally referred to as "hasidei umoth
haolam"—the most saintly among the nations—that they did
not let us down. Dr. James Grover McDonald was among the
most consistent defenders of Israel. Only a week ago, he,
together with Bartley Crum and Frank W. Buxton, who were
his fellow members on the Anglo-American Committee of
Inquiry on Palestine, assailed former Ambassador to Italy
William Phillips, another member of that committee, for
joining the pro-Arab Gildersleeve-Lazaron group.
Dr. McDonald is well known to Detroiters. He has ap-
peared here on numerous occasions and his lectures have
been landmarks as brilliant interpretations of the Jewish
position in the' world. His selection for the neo-ambassadorial
post to Israel meets with acclaim and with the endorsement
of the entire Jewish people. He remains an outstanding
symbol of genuine good will among all faiths.
A Record of Poor Judgement
Congressional action on the admission of displaced per-
sons in no sense reflects the sentiments of the American
people. Editorial opinion has rejected the disCriminatory bill
and there is deep-rooted resentment against a Congress which
should have known better than deliberately to insert a clause
in the adopted measure to keep Jewish DPs out of this
country.
What do you know about the
Bible, its history, its people,
and its influence on the world?
Test your knowledge in this
quiz by Rabbi Solomon Gold-
man, author of the new thirl
teen volume commentary, "The
Book of Books." The answers,
from Dr. Goldrnan's monumen-
tal project in Biblical scholar-
ship, are printed with special
permission of the publishers,
Harper & Brothers.
What American play, which was a great suc-
cess in the commercial theater, was written by
the author "as a consideration of man's search
for the divine in himself"?
The play, probably the most successful of the
many plays derived from the Bible story, was
"Green Pastures," written by Marc Connelly. It
was an idealization of the southern American Ne-
gro's conception of heaven.
*
*
What great work of Tennyson has a direct
biblical derivative?
Lord Tennyson himself has said: "What is my
`In Memoriam,' on which so much of my continu-
ing recognition rests, but the Bible used to de-
scribe the death and memory of my dear friend,
Arthur Hallam."
On what were the original books of the Bible
written?
The original books of the Bible were written
variously on stone, clay, wood, leather or skin,
and papyrus. Parchment was a comparatively later
development. The implement of writing for stone,
clay or wood was the stylus and for the others,
the reed; ink was obtained most probably from
the juice of the cuttlefish. A book took the form
of either a table or tablet or a roll or scroll (me-
gillah).
*
*
To what does the - Bible owe its unique place
in the world's literary history?
Only the utmost nobility of theme could have
created so powerful a sequence of universal meta-
phors. It is to its theme that the Bible owes its
unique place in the world's literature. Its authors
were not poets of dalliance, weaving out of the
scenic beauty of the c_ ountry and the strong lan-
guage of their people charming and gracious pat-
terns. They were not concerned with tropeS and
rhetoric. They spoke under compulsion and poured
themselves out with unevenness and impetuosity
of a torrent. They had a cause and they pursued it,
or were driven by it, relentlessly, breathlessly.
The Bible is a by-product of the ultimate purpose
and of the theme it develops; it is, thanks to the
theme. that the Hebrew Bible. even in translation,
fans the imagination into a flame and remolds to
its spirit languages unborn at the time of its Writ-
ing.
The shocking thing about the entire hurried action in
Congress is that men who should have known better followed
a very bad line of thought. Congressmen Dingell and Sadow- -
ski are the only representatives from the Detroit area who
voted against the bill and thereby they upheld the honor of
America. Congressmen Coffin, Youngblood and Lesinski of
this area voted in its favor and have marred their records.
Where is Palestine first mentioned as "Eretz
Men who have fervently supported the Zionist cause
Israel" (The land of Israel)?
have turned against the survivors from Nazism the moment
The term "Eretz Israel" is first noted in the
it became a square issue of welcoming refugees to this Bible, during the period of King Saul. In the Pen-
country. Apparently - too many of the expressed sentiments tateuch, the expression for Palestine is usually
"Ha-Aretz," which means "The Land."
on Zionism have been mere lip service.
* * *
Naturally we are shocked at the action of Congress and
What is the derivation of the term "Zion-
ism?"
the. lack of judgment of Representatives from Detroit area.
The term "Zion" is an interesting word. Tech-
Congressmen Dingell and Sadowski have proven that they nically, it is said to come from a root meaning "to
arid" or "to be sunny." In early days, dryness
are consistent in their actions and to them we extend con- be
and exposure to the sun were thought of together.
gratulations on having refused to be swayed by bigotry.
As a geographic 'location "Zion" is used to refer
to the southwesternmost and highest of hills on
There is a lack of judgment on the score of the DP bill which Jerusalem is built. It was on this hill that
in other quarters. A representative of the Chamber of Com- the Temple was built and it was also on this hill
merce, speaking at the Central High commencement, went that Abraham. brought Isaac to be sacrificed. Con-
sequently, both the promise and the fulfillment of
to great pains to commend the DP bill. We wonder whether the
Land of Israel is tied up with this spot and the
he has read it, whether he has any information at all about Biblical literature refers to the people of Israel
as
the
"sons" and "daughters" of "Zion." The
it, whether he,, too, was motivated by deliberate prejudices
or whether his sentiments were fathered by ignorance of the height and the exposure of this hill made it dry
and sunny and consequently it was called "Zion."
facts.
The word "Zion" is also believed to be associated
In any event, lack of judgment plus deliberate discrimi- with a root meaning "to mark" or "to symbolize."
This, too, fits the term in our usage since Zion
nation have dealt a severe blow to very sacred American has been a landmark and eternal symbol to Israel's
traditions. Perhaps the next Congress will be able to correct future. The coinage of the term, Zionism, has been
attributed both to Dr. Theodore Herzl and to Dr.
the shocking errors of the session that has just ended.
Nathan Birnbaum, one of Herzl's colleagues.
Answers to Readers
Questions ...