`You Don't Need the Gun or
The Load on Your Back'
THE JEWISH NEWS
Member Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent Jewish
Press Service, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Palcoi
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-
tee, Detroit, Mich.. under Act of March 3 1879.
VOL. XIII—No. 25 Page 4 September 3, 1948
Sabbath Rosh Hodesh Elul Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the thirtieth day of Ab, 5708, the
following Scriptural selections will be read in our
synagogues:,
Pentateuchal portions—Deut. 11:26-16:17; Num.
28:9-15.
Prophetical portion—Isaiah 66.
On Sunday, the first day of Elul, second day of .
Rosh Hodesh. Num. 28: 1-15 will be read during
morning services.
Fantastic Slander
"Publication of the true position is deemed
necessary to frustrate this clear attempt to
disturb the good-will between the Israel Gov-
ernment and the Catholic clergy in Israel.
Soon after the war broke out, when it was
clear that the Holy Places might figure in
battle zones, strict orders were issued to Is-
rael troops enjoining the utmost respect for
places of holy contents and association of all
religions and directing that every possible
measure be taken to safeguard the lives of
ecclesiastic personnel.
"It is a source of deep gratification that
these orders have been substantially fulfilled.
"One instance is the looting of sacred ob-
jects front the Greek Catholic Church in Jaffa.
This incident received wide publicity abroad.
Publicity, however, was not given to the fact
that the persons responsible were arrested,
court-martialed and sentenced to six months'
imprisonment and that the stolen property
was restored to the church. The restoration
was acknowledged in a letter of thanks from
the curate to the military commander in Jaffa.
"Other cases of looting in the Galilee area
are now subject to investigation. Deliberate
exaggeration of such minor occurrences tends
to overshadow the basic fact. that, in six
months of warfare, Israeli military operations
have not directly caused the destruction of
any church or sanctuary or death or injury
to any ecclesiastic. Nazareth is at present
out of bounds to Israeli troops and apprecia-
tion of this gesture of respect for Christian
feeling has been conveyed in person to the
Minister of Religious Affairs by the Christian
clergy."
.
While newspapers throughout the land
gave prominent space to the outrageous
charges against the Jewish people • by the
Italian accuser, little attention was paid to
the Israel explanation and denial. Much
was made of a letter which the Catholic
Near East Welfare Association in New Yoi-k
addressed to UN Secretary General Trygve
Lie asking that the UN should investigate
the charges of the desecration of Catholic
Holy Places, but the Israel declaration was
ignored. Similarly, little attention was given
to the offer made by the State of Israel
welcoming inspection by any Christian re-
ligious sect of its churches in Jewish ter-
ritory. Evidently sensationalism continues
to overshadow truth in some quarters.
Israel and Diaspora
American Zionists had taken the lead to
demand complete seperation of the new Jew-
ish State from the movement which created
it. But Dr. Itzhak Greenbaum, member of the
Israel Cabinet and of the Jewish Agency ex-
ecutive, in his appeal against the separation
of the Israeli Government and the Zionist
Organization, at the meeting of the Zionist
Actions Committee in Jerusalem, had a good
argliment. "You cannot separate a father
from a son," he said. "Who is it, if not the
Zionist Organization, which brought about
the establishment of the Jewish State?"
The internal battle is an, unpleasant one,
but, in the long run, the decision will be
reached not on public platforms in this
country, but by the People Israel in - the
State of Israel.
A Boy Who Climbed a
Roof to Get Knowledge
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
A Palcor cable from Jerusalem makes
known the following: The Spanish Consul
General in Jerusalem expressed thanks to
the Israeli Government and to its Minister
of Religious Affairs, Rabbi J. L. Fishman,
for the treatment of Spanish clergy in Arab
towns now-in Jewish possession. The Consul
met with Spanish clergymen in Jaffa, Ram-
leh and Nazareth, paid a visit to Jacob Her-
zog, son of Chief Rabbi Itzhak Herzog and
director of the Christian Communities Divi-
sion of the Ministry of Religious Affairs
and expressed complete satisfaction with the
arrangements made by the Ministry with
regard to the Spanish clergy and churches.
This cable assumes importance by virtue
of the slanderous report submitted to the
Vatican secretary of state by Msgr. Anthony
Vergant, an Italian citizen residing in Jeru-
salem, who accused the Jews of pilfering
churches and Catholic hospices. These
charges have been denied in a statement
by the Israeli Ministry for Religious Affairs
which declares:
School Days Here Again
•
a.as“ -re LEcavoroc A4•004
Israel—and Its Parent: the UN
In a strona editorial, the Toronto Globe and Mail stated:
"How can UN,
b the legal parent of Israel, decline to receive
its own child into the association? A vote against admission
will amount to a repudiation of last year's verdict for parti-
tion at New York which Canada supported. It is time the
Canadian Government made up its mind to accept the ob-
vious facts of the situation and to act accordingly."
This is one 'opinion by a great newspaper whose edi-
torial also asserted that "Israel has unquestionably estab-
lished itself."
Even in England, sentiment is rising in favor of recogni-
tion of Israel and the admission of the Jewish State into the
United Nations. The Manchester Guardian, one of the great-
est British newspapers, stated that "the recognition of Israel
by Britain (and one would expect many other countries to
follow the British lead in this respect) would be a substan-
tial success to set against the disappointments of a settlement
falling short of the ideal. . . . Rightly timed (and the right
time is surely near), it would give firmness and definition
to what has been achieved and make it easier for the forces
of realism and moderation to retain their leadership. . . . Not
less important than its effect on Israel would be the effect
of recognition on the Arab states. . . . The position has been
changing in the last few weeks. It has become clear that
Israel is not to be driven into the. sea. And the Arab states
are no longer of one mind. . . . The time is coming when the
recognition of Israel by Britain will seem to them not a
perverse eccentricity but a confirmation of what in their
hearts they know to be the depressing truth."
In our country, the New York Herald-Tribune made the
-following editorial declaration: "The government of Israel
does, in fact, exist and has shown itself capable of exercising
authority within the territory it controls. It has done nothing
whiCh should bar it from the family of nations. A decision
by the Security Council to admit it would facilitate the
peace-making task the UN has taken upon itself in Palestine."
Here are three opinions which reflect the attitude of
the clear-thinking elements in the world. They endorse in
principle the views advanced by Aubrey S. Eban, Israel's
representative at the UN, in his outline of reasons for. Israel's
admission as a member nation in the UN. In the interests
of Arab-Jewish peace and world stability, Israel belongs
within the UN and it is inconceivable that either Great
Britain or any other force in the world may undertake to
stand in the way of world progress on this score.
Anti-Semitism in Argentine
In spite of assurances given the Argentinian Jewish
community by President Juan Peron that his government
will not permit the spread of anti-Semitism, anti-Jewish
propaganda is being spread in the province of Santa Fe, an
organization that is fomenting hatred in the style of the Nazi
newspaper "Der Stuermer." Membership in this anti-Semitic
organization is composed of the followers of the Argentine
dictator Rosas, who ruled about a century ago and was re-
garded as the most reactionary despot in the country's history.
Literature issued by these anti-Semites includes a -vicious
attack upon Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the State of
Israel.
The official Zionist newspaper, "The Jewish State,"
warns that this anti-Semitic movement may spread to other
parts of the land and calls for timely action to stop the rise
of bigotry, in accordance with the assurance given by Peron
when he appeared at the dedication ceremonies of the pro-
Peron "Organization Israelita Argentina." At that gathering,
Senora Peron joined her husband in condemning race hatred
and stated that she made no distinction between Jews and
non-Jews. These statements were taken as assurance that
anti-Semitism will he checked by Peron. The anti-Jewish
movement in the Santa Fe district puts him to the test.
Mrs. Alpert looked at her son, Danny, and then
heaved a sigh of relief. "In a few days school will
start again," she said to me," and how thankful I
am. My son just wears me out. He never rests, he
climbs everywhere, climbs on trees";` he'd climb
on the roof if I would let him—
"Come here, Danny," I said, "I'll tell you a story
about a boy who climbed a roof."
"Yes," said Mrs. Alpert. "Tell him a story about
a boy who climbed a roof and broke his neck."
"No, no," I said, "this is not going to be a story
like that. This boy didn't break his neck at alL
Quite the contrary. He owed his success in life
to it."
Mrs. Alpert looked at me questioningly.
"Don't put any ideas in his head. He's got too
many already." Danny, I could see, was inter-
ested. He saw an adventure story ahead. He sat
down beside me, impatient for my story.
"This story," I began, "happened in ancient
Babylon, about two thousand years ago. You know,
after the fall of the Jewish state, many Jews lived
in nearby Babylon. You know those very large
books you see your grandfather studying, the
Talmud—that was written in Babylon, at least one
section of it was written there."
"The Jews in Babylon had many schools, but
they were not altogether like our own schools.
Our schools are completely free, but in those
schools, you had to pay a small fee, as you entered,
to the janitor."
"But you said you were going to tell me a s tory
about a man who climbed a roof," Danny com-
plained. "Instead you are telling me a story about
schools."
"Hold your horses, Danny, I'm coming to that.
One day, in the Babylonian school, one of the
teachers looked at another teacher and said,
`Brother Abtalion, it seems very dark this morn-
ing.' They couldn't understand it."
"Why didn't they turn the electricity on?" asked
Danny.
"In those days, they didn't have electricity."
"But then Rabbi Shamai looked up and saw the
cause of the darkness. He saw a human figure
covering the window in the roof. It was this which
was obstructing the light."
"I guess it was a burglar," said Danny. "A bur-
glar 'once climbed . up our fire escape and got in
through the kitchen window."
"No, Danny," I said, "this was no burglar. The
teachers found no burglar. They found instead a
little boy."
"It's a good thing his mama wasn't around,"
said Danny. guess the teachers wrote a note to
his mother."
"No," I said, "you're wrong again. The teachers
took him into the class and held him up as an
example and said that some day he would be a
great man."
"Those were funny teachers," said Danny. "I
wish I had them. I betcha today, if they found
him, they'd call the cops. I climb lots, too. Will
I be a great man?"
"I don't know, Danny," I said. "It depends
what you do your climbing for. You know the
reason this boy climbed to the roof was that
he didn't have the money to pay the janitor
for his schooling, but he was so eager for knowl-
edge, that he climbed to the roof and lay on
the skylight, in order that he might learn.
"That boy, when he was discovered lying on
the skylight. was taken into the class and given a
free scholarship. He grew up to be the great HMO,
of whom so much is written in the Talmud. It was
he who first enunciated what is today known as
the Golden Rule.
"And this, Danny, is a true story."
(Copyright, 1948, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
Israel's Unsung Heroes
Tales of Courage of Jews
Who Fought for Freedom
"Unsung Heroes: A Collection of Tales of
Haganah," published by Hakibbutz Hameuchad
Publishing House, 1368 50th St., Brooklyn 19, N.Y.,
is a small book but a very impressive one. In 109
11/.2x6 pages, the paper-covered brochure contains
stories, essays and poems which collectively relate
the saga of Israel's battle for freedom and the
determination of Jews to get to Eretz Israel.
Most of the writers who contributed to this
booklet are anonymous, but all of the accounts
are of eyewitnesses who had personally exper-
ienced either fighting at the front, or shared in
helping Jews get to Zion, or were passengers on .
the Exodus 1947.
A question from Y. C. Brenner—"Bravery
bravery is not momentary, but continuous, a per-
manent quality expressed in daily deeds and
life"—appropriately opens up the book which has
several significant quotations from the writings
of Berl. Katznelson. The late labor Zionist lead-
ers statement on " 'Illegal' Aliyah" is especially
significant.
There is a poem, "Shalom!" by Ephraim
Talmi, which is followed by Yaakov's "The First
Night in Our Homeland." Z. Gal's "On the Sea-
shore" is a poetic description of the joy and
reverence with which a newcomer "bent down to
the ground and whispered with fevered lips 'Eretz
Yisrael.' "
"Exodus from Europe, 1947" gives an excellent
view of the battle. for their rights by those who
were prevented from entering their homeland
by the British. The Rev. John Grauel's part in
the fight is told in this story, written by "S., a
seaman on the Exodus." Then there are stories
by settlers who returned from Cyprus.
There is the story of the . Battle Yagour,
impressions of the search for a settlement in the
Emek, the fight for the construction of Biriya.
There also are stories about anti-Nazi fighters,
Avraham Lidovsky's "With a Partisan Group in
the White-Russian Forests" V. Grossman's "The
Revolt in Triblanka" and the description of the
historic Warsaw Battle, "Through the Sewers," by
the famous young Zionist fighter for freedom
against the Nazis, Zivia Lubetkin.
In the main, "Unsung Heroes" is a splendid
little book and is an excellent portion of the
record of the Israeli fight for liberty.