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Purely Commentary Detroit's UJC Is 50 Years id; Present

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Security in Jerusalem
It was natural for the non-Jewish Detroit woman who has
a son in Jerusalem to call us for a word of encouragement about
his security. It was a privilege to be able to tell her that—in our
experience—one feels as free in Israel as he does in the U. S..
Wherever one visits in Israel, in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Naza-
reth, Tiberias, all the Jewish settlements, in the Arab villages—
everywhere, without exception—he feels as if he were in these
free United States. It was good to be able to tell George's mother
that she can feel at ease abOut him, barring an unforeseen con-
flagration which can affect anyone, anywhere. And it was equally
as encouraging to know that the Detroit Christian is happy in
Jewish Jerusalem, that he is studying Hebrew, that he is selling
his articles, that he is translating important books.
Of Course, They Dance in Jerusalem!
Naturally, it is upsetting to know that a new problem has
arisen, that the Vatican is leading the fight for an internation-
alization 'Program which would rob 100,000 Jews in Jerusalem
and thousands of new settlers in the 26 new settlements that
have been established for newcomers to Israel of their rights to
citizenship in the Jewish state. Catholic dignitaries have be-
grudged Jews the right to political freedom in their ancient home-
land. They were frightened by the reality of conomic reconstruc-
tion which presented a challenge to their own desire to perpetu-
ate the ancient city as a shrine and museum. It stands to reason
that Jews come to Israel to build homes, to create a new economic
existence for themselves in addition to benefiting from the spirit-
ual values inherent in Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land.
How else can Jewish homelessness end?
On Sept. 17, 1948, this column carried an item which has
some bearing on Catholic attitude in our time. We reprint it here
for what it is worth, as an explanation of the current battle for
economic and political freedom against the aim to make a mu-
seum of Jerusalem and Israel:
JERUSALEM `GAY AGAIN' . .. WITH DANCING ON STREETS
New York Herald Tribune's Jerusalem correspondent, Dr.
Ruth Gruber, tells an important story about the restoration of
gayety in Jerusalem. In a recent cable she stated : "Tonight Jeru-
salem's citizens will be dancing on the streets, winding up Jeru-
lem's biggest shot in the arm, 'the week of embattled . Jerusalem.'
Mishmar Ha'Am, the home guard, through its section of educa-
tion and culture, planned a week of festivities whose sole pur-
pose was to bring the people out on the streets and get more
cheer and liveliness into the air."
Dr. Gruber's reference to the "dancing on the streets" of
Jerusalem serves to recall a most interesting story, to be found
in "The Land of Promise" by Edmond Fleg, the eminent French-
Jewish author, which was translated from the French into Eng-
lish by the late Louise Waterman (Mrs. Stephen 'S.) Wise and
published in 1933 by Macaulay. Fleg had gone to Palestine to
retrace the steps of Jesus preparatory to writing his "Life of
Jesus." The planned work on Jesus was postponed and was pub-
lished two years later by Dutton. Meanwhile, enchanted by the
historic efforts of' the Jewish pioneers to rebuild Eretz Israel,
Fleg wrote his "Land of Promise." In this book the readers will
find the revealing story which has significant bearing on the
situation in our own time. Here is the episode as recorded by
Fleg:
Before leaving Jerusalem, we wish to take leave of a Dom-
inican scholar, who had promised to give me advice as to my
voyage in Galilee. He received us in his monastery with his
usual graciousness.
How many questions I might haire asked him, how many
confidences I might have reposed in him! But it seemed to
me he did not seek big themes of conversation. He deplored
the invasion of the cinema into Jerusalem, the new quarters,
the new houses. He did not say JEWISH quarters, JEWISH
houses; but was not that what he meant to say?
"Now people dance in Jerusalem! Yes, my dear sir, dancing
is still forbidden in the old city, but in the new City (in the
Jewish City?) it is tolerated. What do you thing of it, sir?
They dance now, they dance in Jerusalem!"
He had prepared a chart, on which he indicated to me the
places I should see. Was I to confess to him, that until now I
had sought in vain for Jesus in this land? Possibly after all, he
would reply to me, as did that other great Catholic:
You will not find our Lord in Palestine. God does not wish
him to be found there. Today, dear sir, Jesus is in Rothe!
"Go to Emek," said our Dominican sweetly, "to Emek south
of Lake Tiberias. Do not fail to see Gerasch : they are the finest
ruins of Transjordania . . . You desire to know Arimathea?
.Arimathea is Rentis not far from Lydda . . • At Tabgha near
Capernaum, there is an Austrian Father who will give you
lodging."
The revelations inherent in this story contain the shocks that
go with the incredible in the aspirations of Israel's antagonists to
stop . the growth of the Jewish State. In the early days of Jewish
achievements in Palestine, there was an element—what a tragedy
that these people were to be found in the churches of Christ
which should have been the first to wish Jewry well in efforts to
attain national rebirth!—that would have given anything to have
Israel transformed into a mummy for museums. This element
desired to see Zion perpetuated as a ruin. Dancing on the streets
of Jerusalem was looked upon by these churchmen as a sacrilege,
as irreligious profanity. "Now people dance in Jerusalem!" said
the Dominican scholar.
Fleg's story reveals another obstacle that had been placed in
the path of Israel's efforts. Those who prayed for our destruction
did not refer to Jews, but hinted their accusations at us. They
directed the pilgrims to the ruins but not to the progressive Jewish
colonies. They sent the tourists in search of Arimathea and
Tabgha and Transjordania but not to Emek Jezreel and Rishon
LeZion and Har HaCarmel and Tel Aviv. But the latter have
triumphed—and with this triumph came a victory for justice and
for progress and for life and security.
• Yes, there is dancing on the streets of Jerusalem. The tunes
used for the pioneers' Hora are resounding throughout the Holy
Land,—a land made holier by the creative efforts of those who,
build a new life rather than perpetuate tombstones. Blessed be
the dancers of Jerusalem!

Self-Explanatory Addendum—Dance in Rain
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Four thousand members of the
Gadna youth batallions arrived here Dec. 21 from all parts
of the country to welcome the traditional Hanukah torch
runners who, for the first time in Jewish history, carried
torches to Jerusalem from Elath in the south and Dan in the
north by air, sea and land.
Heavy rains poured and strong winds blew as the youths
danced and sang near Herzl Hill, but they were prevented
from proceeding to Herzl's tomb by the torrential downpour.
Among those who participated in the ceremonies were Pre-
mier David Ben Gurionand Chief of Staff Brig. Yigal Yadin.

Capttal-Holding Position 13egan in 1926

Continued from Page 1

Fund-raising, to maintain the
program of the United Jewish
Charities, was always a prob-
lem. In 1904, the first general
collection in behalf of UJC and
its member organizations was
conducted. A few national in-
stitutions, such as the Cleveland
Orphan Asylum and Old Folks'

Judge Theodore Levin

Home and the Denver Hospital
for Consumptives, were includ-
ed. Although done on a small
scale, this collection set the pat-
tern for future organized fund-
raising in the Jewish communi-
ty.
The 'Jewish-American'
For several years, the UJC had
an unsolicited publicity outlet,
the ‘"Jewish-American." Begun
as the organ of Temple Beth El
it became a regular newspaper
in 1901 a n d continally pub-

Plans for celebration of the
United Jewish Charities' 50th
anniversary at a dinner Jan.
4 were indefinitely postponed.
Federal Judge Charles C.
Simons, son of the UJC's first
president, the late David W.
Simons, was to have been
principal speaker at the din-
ner.

lished news of UJC activities,
appeals for support and lists of
contributors. The paper was
discontinued in 1909.
Continually expanding pro-
gram demanded larger facilities,
and in 1907 a new wing was
added to the Hannah Schloss
Bldg., more than doubling its
floor space. Funds were con-
tributed by Bernard Gisnburg.
The enlarged building was
thenceforth known as the Jew-
ish Institute.
In the second decade of this
century, the Jewish population
began its. gradual move north
and westward. The functional
services of the UJC continued,
and trained staff persons were
employed to serve the needs of
the community. In October, 1920
Mary Caplan was employed to
supervise educational and recre-
ational activities; Miss Caplan
is now director of the Mothers'
Club work at the Jewish Com-
munity Center. In 1922 clinic
quarters were opened in the
Oakland district, and in 1925 a

327,000 Jews in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, (JTA) —
There are some 327,000 Jews liv-
ing in 3,402 Argentinian cities,
towns and villages, it was esti-
mated by Yedidio Efron, noted
Zionist educational leader, in an
article published here in "Di
Yiddishe Zeitung."

Special Deadline
For Next Week

Due to the legal holiday on
Jan. 2, the deadline for the
Jan. 6 edition of The Jewish
News has been advanced to
12 noon Friday, Dec. 30, for
all copy and photographs.
Contributors are reminded
that copy must be mailed
particularly early this week,
due to the holiday pressure
on the mails.

group work and case work
branch of the Jewish Institute
was opened at 579 E. Philadel-
phia.
Early Finances
Supporters of community
agencies today are familiar with
campaign prospect slips in the
t h o u s a n d. s and quotas in the
millions. It is interesting to note
that from 1900 to 1905, less than
300 givers contributed about
$10,000 a year for UJC projects.
Until 1901 there were 450 givers,
contributing less than $20,000 a
year. In 1915, UJC had a bud-
get of $43,261, and from 1920 to
1925 its needs ranged between
$84,000 and $110,000.
The fund-raising picture was
altered in March, 1918, when
United Jewish Charities became
a part of the Patriotic War Fund
of the Dettoit Community Un-
ion. One campaign was conduct-
ed for all local charitable needs,
but there was no provision for
overseas aid. Until 1926, all
budgetary requirements of the
UJC were met through the De-
troit Community Union's annual
campaign.
After World War I it became
clear that a new plan would
have to be evolved for social
service work in the Detroit com-
munity. In 1923, a bequest from
Leopold Wineman made possible
a survey of the local situation
and the following year Morris
D. Waldman, who had succeed-
ed Blanche Hart, was empower-
ed to plan a comprehensive fed-
eration which would embrace
all local philanthropic agencies.
Three, Agency Divisions
The plan evolved divided com-
munity agencies into three di-
visions: The\ UJC, the first unit,
was to become the property-
holding organization, to retain
assets and liabilities and to re-

icceeivs.e capital gifts and bequests,
but to perform no actual -serv-

The second division was phil-
anthropic work, to inchide
Family Welfare service, the
Children's Bureau, legal aid, de-
linquency work, mental hygiene
work, the Jewish Social Service
Bureau. Jewish Welfare Centers,
education and recreation activi-
ties and the YM-YWHA's came
under the third division.
Fund-raising and community
planning were designated as the
function of the new Jewish Wel-
fare Federation, whose member
agencies were each to remain
autonomous and to render spe-
cific functional services to the
community.
Reorganization on these lines
was completed in September,
1926. Walter M. Fuchs became,
first president of the United
Jewish. Charities in its new ca-

pacity. general pattern of com-
munity structure is still follow-
ed.
Present Board Members -
Today's UJC board is compos-
ed of Judge Theodore Levin,
president; Edith S. Heavenrich,
treasurer; Isidore Sobeloff, sec-
retary, and Anna W. Chapin,
Mrs. Joseph H. Ehrlich, Clarence
H. Enggass, William - Friedman,
Waiter M. Fuchs, Julian H.
Krolik, Abraham Srere, David
Wilkus and Henry Winernan, di-
rectors.
The first comprehensive his-
torical record of the United
Jewish Charities, from which
•these facts were taken, has been
compiled by,Mrs. Chapin and- is
to be published in the near fu-
ture.

2 — THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, December 30, 1949

Between You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copywriglit, 1949, Jewish Telegraphic A gency, Inc.)

New Year Prospects
The coming year will definitely be a decisive one for Israel
as well as for the World Zionist movement . . . There is good
ground to believe that the year will see the conclusion of a per-
manent peace between Israel and Transjordan . . . There is also
the expectation that the UN decision to place Jerusalem under
international trusteeship will be basically modified . . . On the
other hand, economic conditions in Israel may become extremely
serious should there be a drop in industry because of a lack of
dollars to import raw materials . . Clarification of the status of
the Jewish Agency vis-a-vis the Israel Government should also
be found this year . .. Clarified will also be the question .as to
whether the world Zionist movement should be replaced with
"Friend for Israel" movement; as some have suggested . . . And
determined also will be the fate of the World Zionist Congress s. .
The Congress is scheduled to meet in .Jerusalem and some are
wondering whether this will not be the last World Zionist Con-
gress . . . The fate of the Jewish National Fund and the Keren.
Hayesod will be determined in the course of the year . . . Those
opposing the merger of these two funds are mobilizing forces for
the fight which will reach its culmination point at the forthcom-
ing Zionist Congress.

The Year Past
The past year has witnessed changes which are indiCative of
what is to be expected for the year now starting ... An average
of 18 percent less was budgeted by Jewish federations and welfare
funds in 1949 than in the previous year . . But local allocations
have increased . .. The largest decreases occurred in allocations
to the United Jewish Appeal and other overseas agencies . • A
detailed study of figures submitted by 20 cities, grouped into three
categories, reveals that the UJA received from these communities
$18,790;045 in 1949 as compared with $26,827,984 in the previous
year . . . This means a reduction of about 30 percent . . . In 1948,
the UJA received from these 20 communities more than 71 per-
cent of their total budgeted resources .. . This was reduced to 61
percent in 1949 . . . Other overseas agencies received from these
communities 23 percent less than in 1948.

Art Notes
American Jews noW have a chance to acquaint themselves
more intimately with the art of Issachar Ryback, one of the most
gifted Jewish artists . . . Devoting his talent primarily to depict-
ing Jewish life and character through art, Ryback has acquired
an international reputation as a painter of Jewish types in the
small towns of Czarist Russia and in the Soviet Ukraine . . .
French art critics said about him that he is a visionary of the
ghetto who transforms rags and tatters into brocades . . . And
in Paris he was acclairried as one of the outstanding painters of
our generation . • . Unfortunately, he died at the untimely age..
of 38 . . . But shortly before his death he decided to immortalize
Jewish customs and dances through little decorative sculptures. -
. . . Some of these statues, which masterfully depict the Chassidic
dance, the folk dances and other Jewish dance forms, are now in'
the Sevres Museum, in Paris, the world-renowned ceramics mu-.
scum . . . But quite a number of them have been brought to the•
United States by the artist's wife, together with a collection of
his paintings . . A committee has been formed in New York to
assist her in the sale of the statuettes . . . A collection Of them
has been presented by Edward M. M. Warburg to the Jewish .
Theological Seminary of America . . Another collection- was
sent to the Israel Museum in Tel Aviv . . A third was presented
to the Jewish Scientific Institute—YIVO • . Every Jew interested
in art will find these statuettes an inspiration inasmuch as they
artistically express Ryback's love for Jewish folklore. -

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