`Z-Day' Termed Challenge to Jewry; Rabbi Fram Has National Shekel Post Ben WeisS, membership chair- man and planning and opera- tions chief for the Detroit Zion- ist Organization's "Z - D a y," termed the coming operation as a "challenge to Detroit Jewry" at the Zionist-Hanukah festival held last week at the Northwest Synagogue. With "Z-Day" only two weeks off, plans have been completed for a kick-off brunch on Sunday Jan. 8. Rabbi Leon Feuer, of To- ledo, will be the speaker at this opening, of the 1950 member- ship mobilization drive for the Zionist Organization of Detroit. The "Z-Day" brunch will be held at the Mayfair, 13305 Dex- ter, at 10 a.m. All participating members are invited without charge. Deadline for reserva- tions is Friday, Dec. 30. For in- formation, call WO. 5-1484. Word has been received from the headquarters of the Zionist Organization in New York, that Daniel Frisch has appointed Rabbi Leon Fram of Temple Is- rael, national co-chairman of the Shekel campaign: Rabbi Fram has for many years been a national leader in the Zionist movement. He served on the national executive com- mittee of the Zionist Organiza- tion of America. He will head the shekel drive in this section of the country, one of seven na- tional sub-divisions. 2—TH E JEWISH NEWS Friday, December 23, 1949 Judge Simons Speaks at UJC 50-Years Fete Judge Charles C. Simons, of the United States Court of Ap- peals will address the 50th an- niversary celebration of the United .JeWish Charities at a Workmen's Circle Cooperates with Norwegians in Israel Village Project The Workmen's Circle an- nounced that it would cooper- ate with the Norwegian Labor Party in the building of an en- tire village in Israel dedicated to the memory of the 28 Jewish children bound for Israel, who died in an airline crash 20 miles south of Oslo on Nov. 21. Ephim H. Jeshurin, president of the national executive com- mittee of the Workmen's Circle, reported that the project origi- nated with Haakon Lie, secre- tary-general of the Norwegian Labor Party, whose members To express its appreciation for the Norwegian Workers' project of creating a 30-bui/d- ing- colony in Israel, the Is- rael Histadrut has launched a drive to send 1,000 cases of oranges to Norwegian school children. Purely Commentary By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Grumbling Tourists ,.? So many tall tales are being told about- Israel that one begins to wonder whether some American Jews have not been bewitched into either a skinflint or panicky state. There is no other way of explaining the fright with which people are heard to say, "busi- ness is getting worse, we can't give as we did in the past"; or "we already have exceeded our capacity for giving." Since these are uttered as advance notice with relation to the approaching 1950 United Jewish Appeal (in Detroit UJA is a part of the Allied Jewish Campaign), we should not be accused of being too sensitive if we interpret such comments as being directed against Israel. Therefore it is high time -to sit up and to take notice of what is happening in our midst. Israel unfortunately is being afflicted by rumors—practically all of them false—and by shortsighted observations which mis- represent the true state of affairs in the Jewish state. All sorts of nonsense is heard from tourists who, after a two or three week visit in Israel, find themselves incapable of writing a book and therefore must let loose vituperative gossip in order to at- tract attention. The Jewish state, being a genuine democracy created out of the trials and tribulations of a people that has been tested by many fires, can stand its ground, through the emergencies it is plunged in by international complications, provided it is not burdened unduly with the duties of caring for tens of thousands of newcomers who must be assured of homes and economic se- curity. The new settlers—must the obvious be repeated?—are the obligation of all Jewry and not of Israel alone. But tourists—so many among them become such experts through wealth!—find fault. They don't like the Histadrut, they accuse—unjustly!—the government of being a tool of Histadrut, and because foreign exchange must be registered upon arrival and departure and. food must be rationed, they are unhappy and seek to penalize Israel for their own temporary irascibility. We Must . Not Shirk Responsibility There is a famous Mark Twain story which may have some bearing on the advance warnings given to UJA by those who would like to shirk responsibility in the coming campaign. In a set of Twain's works was found a letter in which the famous humorist wrote: "I can do no literary work the rest of this year because I'm meditating another lawsuit and looking around for a defendant." That's what the unfortunate attitude of some of the grumblers amounts to: they are contemplating shirking responsibility and are looking for a defendant. Since they are having a tough time proving that they should dishonor an American-Jewish tradition of living up to the responsibility of completing the historic job in Israel, they are resorting to false claims that they had already done more than they should have,' or that business is bad. We can't help thinking that a little more faith in America would be helpful to those who already anticipate that they won't be able to give. The privilege of Americanism is so great that it ought not to be minimized by panic. And there also is the equally great privilege of building Israel. Our generation is blessed with being the witness of Israel's liberation and rebirth and it must prove its worth. Israel can't wait for financial miracles to keep her wheels of reconstruction moving. In defense, in the people's determina- tion to keep the state strong, Israel is replete with miracles. But in the resettlement of tens of thousands of new settlers practical effort is required to prevent setbacks. Another famous Mark Twain story is applicable to the situation in Israel. The humorist was sitting opposite a nervous woman on a train from Hart- ford, bound for New York. As the train approached New York's suburbs, she asked him: "Will the train stop at Grand Central Station?" To which Mark Twain replied: "I hope it will, madam. I do hope to heaven it will, for if it does not there will be a devil of a smash." Our Honor At Stake In Israel's instance, if American Jewry does not increase its gift for the speedy upbuilding of the Jewish state—in whose rise we played a big role—there may be a devil of a smash right here, in our midst. Our own morals and honor is at stake, and we had better guard it zealously. Those who hear rumors about Israel, from the false prophets who report ill tidings about the self-sacrificing building of the infant state, should first run down the gossip before believing it. When they get the true facts they'll know that Israel is better and more inspiring than some misled reporters would lead us to believe. And having arrived at the truth, we had better make up our minds that we won't let Israel down in order that our own honor should not be soiled. The sooner we• make up our minds on both these scores, the better for American Jewry's self-respect and the respect we await from our neighbors who know the role we played in Israel in the past and expect us to pursue it until the job is done. JUDGE CHARLES S1MONS dinner Wednesday, Jan. 4, in the Michigan Room of the Hotel Statler, Judge Theodore Levin, president of the UJC, announced this week. "A no more appropriate speak- er than Judge Simons, who has given .,magnificent legal, religi- ous and communal services to his native city, could have been chosen to speak at this occasion, which marks 50 years of phil- anthropic workfin Detroit by the United Jewish Charities," Judge Levin added. The United Jewish Charities is now the property holding cor- poration of the Jewish Welfare Federation and its purpose is to support the Federation program and that of its member agencies. Federation By-Law Amendment Slated For February Vote A proposed amendment tathe by-laws of the Jewish Welfare Federation providing for the election tcothe Federation Board of Governors of all former presidents of the Federation and former chairmen of the Al- lied Jewish Campaign has been submitted by Morris Garvett, chairman of the committee on by-laws. Members of the Federation— all contributors to the 1949 Al- lied Jewish Campaign—will vote on the amendment at the Fed- eration's annual meeting, at 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Jewish, Center. The amendment, is an addi- tion to provisions calling for election to the board of 27 mem- bers-at-large, selected by the general membership; one board member each designated by the institutional members of the Federation; and not more than 25 members designated by "the Detroit Service Group, the Jun- ior Service Group, the Women's Division and such organiza- tional groups as may be desig- nated from time to time by the Board." Nine members-at-large will be selected at the Feb. 15 meeting. Nominations may be made by petition, to be signed by not less than 25 members of the Federa- tion and filed with the execu- tive director of the Federation not less than 10 days prior to the meeting. Deduct CARE Packages Off Your Income Tax The U. S. Bureau of In- ternal Revenue has ruled that any amount spent on CARE "general relief" food and tex- tile packages is deductible from taxable incomes, wheth- er they be individual or cor- porative, like other charitable contributions made by the taxpayer. will finance the village through their contribution of one hour's pay. This was made known in a cable sent by Mr. Lie to the Jewish Labor Committee with which the Workmen's Circle is affiliated. In this cable, Mr. Lie asked American Jewish labor support for the building of two of the homes, as well as contributions for the other homes of scarce materials, unobtainable in. Eu- rope, such as plumbing supplies. Mr. Lie revealed that the Dutch Labor Party would underwrite the cost of three homes, in the name of the three Dutch crew members who also died in the crash. The memorial village in Israel will include a community cen- ter, a school and a hospital, as well as the 34 homes dedicated to the dead children, nurses and crew. The Norwegian government, in which the Labor Party plays the leading role, has committed itself to aiding an unlimited number of young Jewish DP's preparing for life in Israel. To date 600 youngsters have been trained under this program. Farband Branch 114 To Install Leaders Branch 114 of the Farband will hold installation of officers at 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 25, at the Labor Zionist Institute. Dele- gates to the January national convention will be elected. New officers of the branch are: M. G-oldoftas, president; J. Domowitz, L. Jacobs, vice chair- men; A. Cirlin, T. Krashin, B. Naimark, secretaries; S. Kane, treasurer; J. Newman, Pffefer- berg, M. Gelfand, Mrs. Domo- witz, hospitalers; Mr. and Mrs. L. Rasnick, Mr. and Mrs. A. Beitner, Mr. and Mrs. J. Burn- stein, Mr. and Mrs. M. Gelfand, Mr. and Mrs. S. Kane; Mr. Kar- bal, B. Kumove, H. Hearshen, J. Chaetz, J. Lawson, executive. A talk on Hanukah, a reading from Sholom Aleichem by Nach- man Drachler and refreshments will complete the program. ADL Gives Award To Probe Prejudice LOS ANGELES, (JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith has awarded a $1,000 Sig- mund Livingstone Fellowship to the University of California at Los Angeles for the academic year 1949-50 to carry on experi- mental research into problems of prejudice and intergroup re- lations. Between You and Me By BORIS SMOLAR (CniaYWright, 1949, Jewish Telegraphic Agency -Inc.) Diplomatic Notes • There is a silver lining in every cloud . And there is also a silver lining in the decision adopted by the UN General Assembly to place Jerusalem under international trusteeship . .. This de- cision, it is believed by many experts, will lead to an early and separate peace between Israel and Transiordan- . Much is already being done behind the scenes to achieve such a peace between the two countries which are directly interested in Jerusa- lem . .. Once an Israel-Transjordan. peace is achieved, the entire Arab "united front" will collapse — And the United Nations will similarly realize that it was not to its credit to adopt a de- cision which cannot be carried out against the- will of Israel and Transj ordan. A poll taken at the UN General Assembly 24 hours before the internationalization resolution was adopted showed that it would not _receive the necessary two-thirds: majority of votes . However, it is now established that the Catholic Church made an overwhelming last minute effort which succeeded in complete- ly reversing the picture . . . Gen. Romulo, of the Philippines, who presided dyer the UN Assembly. session, received_ a telegraphic plea from none other than Cardinal Spellman, • The Soviet stand for internationalization of Jerusalem was, according to Israel diplomats, aimed more against Britain than against the Jews . . . The implication is that Russia regarded the Transjordan regime as British . . . However, sitting at the historic session of the UN Assembly and listening to the argu- ments there of the Soviet delegate, Smyon Tsarapkin, I did not gain this impression ... In his speech advocating internationaliza- tion of Jerusalem he blasted the United States no less than Britain .. There is no secret that the United States has at pres- ent a great interest in the development of Israel: and practically no interest in Transjordan. Washington Trends Vatican circles are now concentrating on Washington with regard to the Jerusalem issue . They know that with America's opposition to the internationalization of Jerusalem, little will be achieved in implementing the internationalization decision adopt- ed by the UN General Assembly Vatican officials speak open- ly of the fact that implementation depends primarily on America's attitude . . . Their talk is intended to pressure the United States into changing its negative attitude toward internationalization , However, all indications show that the U. S. Government will not yield to Vatican pressure . . Neither the U. S. nor Britain want Soviet Russia to have a foothold in Palestine, and if Jeru- salem were placed under international trusteeship, Moscow would insist on becoming, one of the trustees inasmuch as the U.S.S.R. is a member of the UN Trusteeship Council. Communal Affairs `Immigration experts expect that the year 1950 will see the peak and the beginning of the decline of the emergency program for bringing Jewish refugees to the United States ... It is esti- mated that about 25,000 Jewish immigrants will enter this coun- try in 1950 . . . Of this total, approximately 21,000 will come during the first seven months of the year .. .However, should Congress amend favorably the present DP Act, which expires June 30, 1950, then this estimate will have to be revised upward . . . The United Service for New Americans, in anticipation of a decline in immi- gration, will begin a retrenchment program in the summer of 1950 . .. By October of that year its staff will be about one-third of next June . In December, 1950, over-all USNA expenditures will approximate a small fraction of the estimated expenditures for January, 1950.