Plan SOS Drive Here on Oct. 31

2—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, September 10, 1948

American Legion
Honors Joe Jones

Veterans' Leader to Be In-
stalled Monday as District
Vice-Commander

Preparing for the SOS drive Oct. 31, NATHAN KOLB, Temple
Israel; MRS. MURRAY SCHRIEBER, Jewish War Veterans Women's
Auxiliary; MRS. LOU FIELDS, Bnai Brith, look over a map of Israel,
checking colonies where displaced persons were settled. Clothing and
food raised in the SOS drive is used for. European survivors about
to embark for Israel.

Jewish Folk Schools Start
Classes for the New Term

The Kindergarten and the Jew-
ish Folk Schools of the Labor
Zionist Organization opened on
Tuesday, Sept. 7.
New afternoon classes for be-
ginners and advanced students
were organized and registration
of new applicants will continue
during the next three weeks.
The Kindergarten is function-
ing in two separate sessions, one
from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, the other
from 1 to 4 p.m.
Special bus service is furnished
for transportation of children

from the public schools and resi-
dences at a great distance from
the school.
The afternoon classes include—
Hebrew, Yiddish, Bible, Jewish
history, customs and traditions,
holidays and current Jewish life,
particularly in Israel.
Special classes are being ar-
ranged for pupils of Bar Mitzvah
age.
The office is open daily except
on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
at the school, 13722 Linwood.

Purely Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

An Editor's Bad Manners
For more than two decades, Commonweal, the liberal (?) Catho-
lic weekly, was our model for good journalism. We liked the way
they approached the Negro issue in America. We admired the maga-
zine's forthrightness. We could have proven its liberalism on a
thousand fronts.
Something has happened to Commonweal in recent years. The
magazine that boasted friendship for the Jewish people continues to
claim that "the Commonweal's long record of devotion to the cause
of defending the Jewish people of all the world against persecution
speaks for itself." Nevertheless, to this avowal of friendship is
appended the amendment: "The immediate question of Palestine
which has produced so many consequences entirely unforeseen by
the Zionist movement seems to us a debatable question and one which
cannot be solved by a blanket identifiCation -of the State of Israel
with the state of the Jewish cause."
Exactly what does it mean? Why does Commonweal muddle
the issue? What's wrong with the present editorial staff of a
magazine whose record, so brilliant in the past, is marred by a
policy of muddling? Why beat around the bush about "the state
of the Jewish cause?"
One must incline 'to the belief that Commonweal would have
been happy to "defend the Jewish people" as long as Jews would
be downtrodden under the heals of Nazis and would be the objects
of persecution. Can't the same paper adopt an attitude of good sports-
manship to a people that has, through its own powers, smashed the
chains of serfdom to assume a rightful place among the nations of
the world? Must "the state of the Jewish cause" be recognized only
in the form of inferiority and of begging for mercy? •
For many months, Commonweal has been picking on Israel. It
did not permit a single opportunity to go by without criticizing
Jewish aspirations in the Land of Israel, always making issues of the
negative occurrences in Jewish ranks and paying no heed to the
positive attainments of the Jewish people and of Israel's political
and military gains.
As a reader of Commonweal for many years and as a one-time
contributor to its columns, your Commentatorfound it necessary,
on July 26, to call to the attention of Commonweal inaccuracies which
crept into an editorial in its issue of July 23 on the question of
desecration of Palestinian holy places. The letter was not published,
but a personal letter, full of inaccuracies, received in reply to his
statement, concluded with this paragraph: "I do hope you will print
this letter on the front page of your journal, as it is doubtless the
only way of informing your readers of the damage done by their
co-religionists to a city that they also admit is holy. "
The poor taste in which that letter was written did not call for
a reply. Your Commentator sincerely believed that an irresponsible
employee of Commonweal had seen fit to use Coughlinite language
on stationery of a journal which was in the front ranks of the
fighters against Coughlin's ,"Social Justice." Since then, however, in
the Aug. 27 issue of Commonweal, a page and a half was devoted to
a letter from Harry Zinder, Press Attache, Mission of Israel to the
United States, who also took exception to the Commonweal's July 23
editorial, and to a reply by Commonweal which incorporated the
same misleading "facts" in the letter addressed to us, with the above
affirmation of "friendship" appended to it.
We are beginning to wonder whether there is any use in trying
to send Commonweal any additional data on the questions at issue
at a time when its editors see fit to muddle the issue. A great maga-
zine has gone the way of the bigots. We could even excuse them for
their errors, if only they had refrained from resorting to bad manner-
isms in admonishing us about the sanctity of Jerusalem—the City
of Peace—(for Commonweal's information—that's the Hebrew for
the Holy City)—the City of David—historically the City of Israel;
if only they would not affirm their friendship so much after display-
ing ill temper toward us for months: if only they would be less
taunting about our "crimes," about the "damage done by (our) co-
religionists."
Commonweal could have done well by itself—if it is sincere
about its "long record of devotion to the cause of defending the
Jewish people,"—if it had chosen a few good words in behalf of
the 4,500 passengers on the "Exodus-1947" who were kept from
Palestine's shores after reaching the Holy Land on a broken-
down vessel; if it had raised its voice against the detention of
Jews on Cyprus; if it had supported Israel's proposal for direct
. peace negotiations with the Arab states—a proposal that has
been acclaimed by the leading American newspapers. It has done
none of these things. It is not too late to make amends. We shall
be the first to atone for our criticisms when we see a change of
heart in Commonweal from its present attitude which is border-
ing on bigotry.

At a ceremony to be held at
the American Legion Memorial
Hall, Cass and Lafayette, Mon-
day, Sept. 13, 8:30 p.m., Joseph
Jones will be installed as a Vice
Commander of the Detroit Dis-
trict, American Legion. The De-
troit District comprises the 110
American Legion Posts in this
area.
A charter member of the Jew-
ish War Veterans in Michigan,
Mr. Jones is past commander of
Learned Post of the American
Legion, the largest Legion post
in the state. He is likewise a past-
commander of Lawrence H. Jones
Post of Jewish War Veterans, a
post named in memory of his
brother.
As a Legion District Vice Corn-
mander, Mr. Jones also serves as.
a member of the executive com-
mittee of the American Legion,
Department of Michigan. He
served in the Army in World
War I, has been active in veteran
and military affairs and during
the last war served as appeal
agent of his draft board. He re-
cently was reappointed to this
position for the present conscrip-
tion. He lives at the Lee Plaza
Hotel.

6 Michigan Zionists

Named to National
ZOA Administration

Morris M. Jacobs, president of
the Michigan Zionist Region, an-
nounces that six prominent
Michigan Zionists have been ap-
pointed as members of the
National Administrative Cdm-
rnittee of the Zionist Organization
of America.
Mr. Jacobs also made public
the appointment of David J. Ross,
of the Berrien County Zionist
District, as membership chair-
man of the Michigan Zionist
Region.
The six appointed as members
of the National Administrative
Committee are: H. B. Shaine,
vice-president of Michigan Zion-
ist Region, president of the Zion-
ist organization of Grand Rapids;
Abe Riskin, president of Zionist
organization fo Flint, member of
board of directors of the Michi-
gan Region; Rabbi Leon Fram,
Temple Israel, Detroit; Leon Kay,
member of board of directors of
the Michigan Region, prominent
Detroit industrialist; Philip Slo-
movitz, editor of The Jewish
News; Lawrence W. Crohn, well-
known Detroit Zionist leader.
Those appointed, as Well as
David J. - Ross and Harry Cohen,
prominent Detroit businessman,
who was named a member of
the national membership com-
mittee, and Saul Gottlieb, direc-
tor of the Michigan Region, ZOA,
will attend an extraordinary ses-
sion of the ZOA's National Ad-
ministrative Committee in New
York Sept. 19, when Dr. Abba
Hillel Silver, chairman of the
American Section of the Jewish
Agency ,and Dr. Emanuel Neu-
mann, ZOA president, will report
on the Actions Committee meet-
ing held in the State of Israel.
Abe Riskin, of Flint, who also
was appointed a member of the
ZOA national membership com-
mittee, was responsible for , ob-
taining more than $75,000_ worth
of equipment which was recently
forwarded to Israel from Flint
through the ZOA Israel Equip-
ment Project. He is continuing
the project and has received
additional medical equipment,
including a donation of a hos-
pital X-ray machine and a large
quantity of hospital cots and
supplies. ••

Present AMbUlances To Israel
TEL AVIV, (JTA)—Twenty-
one ambulances given by United
States sources to the Israeli Red
Mogen David, were turned over
to Mayor Israel Rokach at a cere-
mony in 'Municipal Square - in
Tel Aviv.

Israeli Constitution Pledges
National Income Equity to All

TEL AVIV (JTA) — A three-
point pledge of peace, justice and
security for all is contained in
the preamble of a draft of the
Israeli Constitution which . has
been accepted here by a consti-
tutional committee as a basis for
discussion. The pledge provides:
L "To build our common-
wealth in accordance with the
ideals of peace and justice of
the prophets of Israel.
2. "To open our land to
every Jew who seeks entry and
to maintain the rights of the
strangers within our gates.
3. "To promote the peace of
the Holy Land and the security
and prosperity of all who dwell
therein."
The pledge will be carried out
through a sweeping program that
will provide guarantees. to all
Israeli citizens of cradle-to-the-
grave insurance, "an equitable
share" of the national income
and adequate education. Under
the provisions of the constitu-
tion "everyone has the right to
work" and the national govern-
ment must ensure a decent liv-
ing standard, regulate wages and
hours, protect women and chil-
dren and keep watch over labor's
right to organize and strike.
The eight-man constitutional
committee is already working on
the preparation of laws based on
the. provisions of the constitution.
Dr. Leo Kohn, deeply religious
advisor to the Israeli Foreign
Office who wrote the draft con-
stitution, and the committee's
members, representing ever y
point of the political compass,
drew their inspiration from the
Bible, particularly from such
Prophets as Amos who railed
against those who "oppress the
needy and crush the poor." A
memorandum which Dr. Kohn
wrote to explain the constitution
is full of references to parables
like the story of King Ahab, who
paid for the sin of seizing the
vineyard of an humble neighbor.
Dr. Kohn crystallized the Bib-
lical teaching into this sentence
which opens the section on social
rights: "The economic order of
the state shall be based on the
principles of social justice."
Another pr o b l e m stemming
from the right to work clause is
if the citizen has the right to
work, does he also have the duty
to work?, On this question there
is general agreement that Israel
—a pioneer country with deserts
to irrigate, swamps to drain and
cities to build—must oblige its
citizens to work. The Labor Party
put it this way in its draft clause
submitted to the constitutional
committee: "Labor is the basis
of Israel's existence, the source
of its being, happiness and
wealth. It is a matter of honor

for all citizens to do productive
work."
Dr. Kohn has proposed that
provision for the health of - all
citizens should be one of the
"prime responsibilities" of the
state which also should be dedi-
cated to providing state insur-
ance against accidents, illness,
disability and unemployment in
old age. Mapai, which controls
the Jewish Labor Federation,
Histadruth, agrees that these
things should be done but feels .
the state is not rich or secure
enough to finance old age insur.
ante by itself.
Text of Preamble
The preamble to the constitu-
tion reads:
"Humbly giving thanks to the
God of our fathers for having
delivered us from the burden of
exile and brought us back to our
ancient land,
"Recalling the tenacious en-
durance and the heroic sacrifice
of countless generations for the
survival of our people and the
preservation of its spiritual
heritage,
"Gratefully remembering the
faithful remnant which main.-
tamed the continuity of Jewish
settlement in Palestine_ through-
out the centuries and the inspired,
efforts of the national revival,
"Resolved to build our com-
monwealth in accordance with
the ideals of peace and justice- of
the Prophets of Israel, to open
our land to every Jew who seeks
entry, to maintain . the rights of
the strangers within our gates,
and to promote the peace of the
Holy Land and the security and
prosperity of all who dwell
therein,
"Have adopted the following .
constitution:"

Bnai Brith Women Set
$75,000 Campaign Goa!

Mrs. Robert A. Coggan, vice.
president of Greater Detroit Bnai
Brith Women's Council and gen-
eral chairman of fund-raising
announces that the goal for the
annual Bnai Brith fund-raising
affair is $75,000.
Assisting Mrs. - Coggan are
Mesdames Sol Bloom, Sam Gold,
Stanley Yates, Samuel Gutter-
man, Louis H. Manning, Kalman.
Bruss and Miss Fay Zager. Par-
ticipating are the following Bnai.
Brith Chapters:
Pisgah, Louis Marshall, LouiS
Marshall B. & P., Pisgah B. & P.,
East Side, Louis D. Brandeis,
Detroit Lodge Chapter, Ivan St
Bloch, Theo. Herzl, Downtown.
Detroit Chapter, Henry Morgen-
thau, Harry B. Keidan, Tikvab,
Geo. Gershwin, and the Rabbi
Mandel M. Zager Chapter.

-

Between You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR.

(Copyright. 1948, Jewish .Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Zionist Affairs:
American Zionists emerged victorious at the Actions Committee
in their fight against having the members of the Israeli Cabinet
remain as members of the World Zionist executive and of the Jewish
Agency executive . . . The political leadership of the world Zionist .
movement will, as a result, now pass from Jerusalem to New York ., .
Not so the financial control, since Eliezer Kaplan is the only member •
of the Israeli Cabinet for whom an exception was made . . . Despite
the fact that he will officially not hold any portfolio, he will,. no
doubt, have the strongest say in matters affecting the allocation of
funds raised by the Zionist movement throughout the world . . In
poliical affairs, Dr. Abba Hillel Silver and Dr. Emanuel Neumann •
will be the top leaders . . . Dr. Silver's influence will equal that of
the president of the World Zionist Organization . . . He will, most .
probably, be elected president of the world Zionist movement at the
forthcoming World Zionist, congress
. The Laborites at the Actiong
Committee, who are now no longer represented in the Jewish Agency,
executive by such men as David Ben Gurion and Moshe Shertok,
want Hayim Greenberg, the American Zionist leader,, to become the
chairman of the executive of the World Zionist Organization to take
the place held by David Ben Gurion . . . However, Greenberg is not
keen on again becoming active in political work.

0

•
UN Moods:
The eyes of the Jewish world will now be concentrated on Paris
and the United Nations General Assembly . . . A major factor in the
kind of action which the Assembly will take with regard to Israel
will be the report submitted by UN mediator Count Folke Berna-
dotte .. .That report is being formulated in Stockholm where top
members of the UN staff are in continuous conference with the
Count . . . In Israeli circles the prestige of Bernadotte has been
sinking ever since he made the false step of suggesting that Jerusalem
be handed over to the Arabs ... It is felt that as matters now stand,
peace between Israel and some of the Arab countries can be achieved
by direct talks much quicker than through Bernadotte's mediation...
Nevertheless, it will be the recommendations of Bernadotte which
will form the basis for the UN decisions in Paris on various aspects
of the Palestine situation ... His word will particularly be taken .
most seriously on the question of the status of Jerusalem, which will ,
be one of the most crucial issues at the Paris session . . . The Israeli ,
Government is determined to seek revision of its borders and of the
UN decision that Jerusalem be placed under an international adnain-' •' '
istration . . . One of the reasons for the Zionist Actions Committee
decision that-the next World Zionist Congress be held as late as next .
summer, is because the belief exists that by,then life will be•restored . '
to complete normalcy everywhere in Israel, including Jerusalem,.