Detroiters Named Directors of JDC'
Five Detroiters were elected
to the board of directors of the
Joint Distribution Committee, at
the JDC annual meeting in New
York City.
Elected for his first term on
the board was Louis Berry, gen-
eral chairman of the 1949 Allied
Jewish Campaign. Other De-
troiters, re-elected to the board
include Judge Theodore Levin,
Nate S. Shapiro, Mrs. Joseph M.
Welt and Henry Wineman.
Local representatives continu-
ing to serve are Maurice Arons-
son, Julian H. Krolik and Abe
Srere.
Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
What's An the Fuss About Israel?
Every once in while, some one will ask, "What's all the fuss
about Israel? Why do you ask for priority for that little land?
The country is established, isn't it?" Then, once in a while, spokes-
men for local movements come with new ideas, such as creating
a "balance" between local and overseas needs.
We pose the question: Who is right, the fellow who wants a
balance of power and propounds the idea that "no longer shall
our service at home be sacrificed while rendering service to over-
seas and Israel causes"; or those who would like the Israel job
guaranteed and honorably adhered to?
In the first place, this Commentator denies that at-home
activities ever were sacrificed. Whether such ideas come from
a local . cause or a national social welfare agency, it must be
branded as a cock-and-bull story and must be relegated to the
area it belongs: to poppycock. No American Jewish community
has ever "sacrificed" itself on the altar of Israel. Many com-
munities have given nobly, but none has made sacrifices to a
degree of abandoning interest in our schools or centers or local
philanthropies.
Fortunately, Henry Morgenthau Jr., prior to his present trip
to Israel, hit the proper note in the discussion when he pointed
out to a New York audience that the manner in which American
Jews have responded to the call from Israel has raised them in
the eyes of their fellow Americans and has helped them rise
somewhat from the social "ghetto" in which the majority of the
Jews still' live in this country. He cautioned that if American
Jews fail Israel now, they may slip back to the position they
held two years ago.
This is calling a spade a spade. A bit of elaboration is
necessary at this point. Mr. Morgenthau's frankness in caution-
ing against the social "ghetto" needs the additional reminder
that if Israel—Heaven forbid—had failed in her war against
seven aggressor Arab nations, the defeat would not have helped
American Jews in the least. Instead of the respect that came
as a result of a people pulling itself up by its bootstraps, there
would have been derision. Now, the well-earned respect must
be protected.
—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, January 27, 1950
Federation Council
President Speaks
At JWF Meeting
Stanley C. Meyers of Miami,
Fla., president of the National
Council of Jewish Federations
and Welfare Funds, will be guest
speaker at the 24th annual
meeting of the Jewish Welfare
Federation at 8:30 p.m., Wed-
nesday, Feb. 15, at the main
building of the Jewish Corn-
munity Center, 8904 Woodward.
Nine members-at-large of the
Federation Board of Governors
will be elected by Federation
members attending the meeting
and an amendment will be pre-
sented for approval.
Proposed for the board by the
Federation's nominating com-
mittee are: • Rabbi Morris Adler,
Irving W. Blumberg, Mrs. Jo-
seph H. Ehrlich, Dr. B. Benedict
Glazer, Mrs. Charles Lakoff,
Milton M. Maddin, Samuel H.
Rubiner, Rabbi Joshua S. Sper-
ka and Mrs. Henry Wineman.
In accordance with the pro-
vision in the by-laws permitting
nomination by p e t i t i o n, four
people have been so nominated:
James I. Ellmann, Mrs. Samuel
A. Green, Sidney M. Shevitz and
Harry Yudkoff.
All contributors to the 1949
Allied Jewish Campaign are
members of the Federation and
are invited to attend the an-
nual meeting.
Cantors' Concert
Jan. 31 Ushers in
Music Celebration
Dr. Max Lerner recently made the following interesting state-
ment on this score:
Detroit's Cantors' Association
will usher in the local observ-
ance of Jewish Music Month at
their annual concert Tuesday
evening, Jan. 31, at Bnai David
Synagogue.
The 27-year-old association
sponsors these
presentat ions
each year to
help perpetuate
traditional Jew-
ish music. All
p articipants
contribute their
services, a n d
proceeds of
Cantor Sonenklar ticket sales are
What is the situation today? I. Schen, Israel writer, in an used for music purchases and
article on "The Second Round," as an indication that -a new charity.
crisis may arise on Israel's war front, states that the arguments
Among the Jewish composers
that an Arab n
might use probably run in this vein: whose works will be represented
"We are n ow
ow stronger than ever before. We learned valu-
on the program are Zavel Sil-
able lessons in the Palestine war. We shall apply them in the bert, Cantor Boruch Schor, A.
'second round,' and shall not repeat the mistakes we made the Lewandowski and Detroiter Dan
last time. The Zionists are in a tight spot. They are flooded Frohman.
with immigrants. They have a housing and food crisis. There
include Cantors
is unemployment and discontent. Most of the immigrants want H. Participants
J. ,Adler, N. Adler, H. J.
to go back. The population is war-weary. The Jews in other Blank,
R. Boyarsky, M. Fenakel,
countries are . getting tired of eternally paying for the upkeep
Dan Frohman, S. Glantz, D.
of the Zionists in Palestine. The Zionists are now at a *disad- Katzman,
A. A. Rosenfeld, H.
vantage: the time to strike is nearing. Or should we wait till
J. Silverman, J.
we are even stronger, and the Zionists even more entangled in Schulsinger,
Skolnick and J. H. Sonenklar.
their difficulties?"
Cantor Rosenfeld is chairman
These are the lines along which Arab leaders are believed
to be thinking today. On this score, Mr. Schen asks us some of the concert. Cantor Sonen-
klar is president of the associ-
questions, as follows:
"It is to be hoped that the Jews of the Western world, who ation.
Tickets are available at Jew-
have the means and the ability, will realize the urgency of the
situation and make up for the inadequacy of their efforts dur- ish bookstores of from any can-
ing the past eighteen months. Upon whom does it reflect, if not tor, and also will be sold at the
door.
upon them, that despite all eforts over 80,000 new arrivals have
"Anti-Semitism is a very real problem.in our country and
in our world. It is still part of our society. But I say to some
of my friends who are so worried about my interest in Jewish
problems, 'Have we lost or gained even on this score from the
way in which the Jews have in the past decade really stood
up and. fought?'
"I remember some of my friends used to say, 'Just look
at what is happening. We are so obsessed with Israel. Think
of what this will do to us!
"And I say to them, 'Now, even in terms of your own pre-
cious skins, what has it done?'
"I have traveled around the country a bit and I say there
has not been any increase in anti-Semitism because of Israel.
Oh, they are still hostile to us, they still hate Jews, but their
hostility is no longer mingled with contempt for our weakness.
It is mixed with admiration for our strength. And what a dif-
ference that makes!"
still to be accommodated in camps? Those months in camps,
and the loss in production and adaptation that they entail,
may make all the difference in relation to the possibility of
another war. .
"Should the 'second round' begin, for the reason that the
State of Israel did not achieve sufficient power to cause. the
Arabs to desist, the Jews of the world will find it no easy mat-
ter to face their conscience. The Yishuv is alive to the dangers
ahead; but there is as yet no tangible sign that the sense of
awareness has penetrated to the Diaspora. Is the Yishuu to
undergo all the rigors of war again because the rest of the
Jewish people sat back and let it do their work? How will the
fruits of victory taste next time in the mouths of those who
did not so much.as put a hand to the plough?"
Suppose, therefore, another war does break out, contrary
to Israel's hopes and aims? Will the Jewish state be let down or
will Israel receive the support that is due a small nation that is
fighting for its life? And if a war can be prevented by giving
Israel the help she needs now and by protecting her position, is
it worth our granting the small state a position of _priority until
it becomes fully self-sustaining after absorbing the newcomers
who are our responsibility?
The mere fact that these questions must be reiterated sug-
gests an appalling condition. We hope • that rumors • of setbacks
for overseas needs and Israel will remain sheer talk and that
experience will teach Jewry—especially American. Jewry—that a
stitch in time will save many more afterwards. We have begun
a job. Let's finish it. People who feel the great responsibility will,
we are confident, continue to give priority to Israel until the job
of repatriating homeless Jews and making their position secure
is completed.
PTA Gives JFS Projector, Victrola
PEC Establishes
Mid-West Office
To open further channels for
those interested in helping build
Israel, the Palestine Economic
Corporation has established a
mid-western office in Chicago, at
220 State St., following upon the
PEC's recent registration in Illi-
nois, where it is currently offer-
ing 100,000 of its 600,000 shares
of $25 par value common stock
at $28 a share.
PEC is sole or part stockholder
in such enterprises as land de-
velopment, banking, housing,
chemical factories, textile and
food processing plants in Israel.
One of the PEC's most recent
projects is the construction of a
7 1/2 story office building in Tel
Aviv, which it is financing in
conjunction with Joseph Levy of
New York. •
Senator Herbert H. Lehman is
honorary chairman of the PEC's
board of directors. Robert Szold
is board chairman. .
The sound film projector and automatic record player
displayed here were presented to the Jewish Folk Schools by
the Parent-Teachers Association. Inspecting the gift are,
left to right, M. GOLDOFTAS, representing the school; stu-
dents ARTHUR BIRKCER and RENA SHRODECK; and PTO
officers I. SHERMAN, treasurer; MRS. A. SALINGER, secre-
tary; L. KRUGER, chairman, and MRS. R. KRUGER, vice chair
man. The presentation was made a a program last Sunday
evening.
Community Leaders Slated to Head
NCRAC Sessions at Center Feb. 4-5
Program details have been
announced for the Michigan
Regional Conference of the Na-
tional Community Relations Ad-
visory Council which will be
held in Detroit Feb. 4 and 5 at
the Jewish Community Center
on Woodward.
The conference will open at
8:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, with
a panel discussion on religion
in the public schools. Partici-
pants will,. be: Rabbi Morris
Adler, Norman Drachler and
Rabbi Leon Fram.
The sessions on Sunday morn-
ing will be opened with a dis-
cussion on the impact of Israel
on the American Jewish com-
munity. Julian Krolik will be
chairman, and the speaker will
be Sidney M. Shevitz, president
of the Zionist Council.
Prof. William Haber of the
University of Michigan will
speak at 11:15 on Sunday, on
the democratization of Ger-
many.
Speaker at the luncheon ses-
sion will be Bernard P. Kopkind,
a member of the NCRAC execu-
tive committee and president of
the Jewish Community Council
of New Haven. The conference
.
will be concluded with a panel
on civil rights and civil liberties,
with Louis Rosenzweig, Prof.
Boaz Siegel of Wayne University
Law School, and Abe Zwerdling
participating. -
Representatives from Jewish
communities in outstate Michi-
gan have been invited to at-
tend, as well as from Toledo
and Windsor.
Dr. Shmarya Kleinman and
Bernard Kopkind will serve as
conference co-chairmen. Head-
ing the program committee are
MOIT1S
' Lieberman
and Mrs.
Grahm.
Berry, Mrs. Cohane
On Board of USNA
Election of Detroiters Mrs.
Regene F. Cohane and Louis
Berry to the board of United
Service for New Americans was
announced by Walter H. Beir-
inger, newly-elected president
of the agency, following a two-
day USNA national conference
in New York City attended by
several hundred American Jew-
ish community leaders.
Between You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1950, Jewish Telegraphic .Agency, Inc.)
Domestic Affairs
A process of retrenchment is now going on in all major Jew-
ish organizations in this country ... Staffs are being reduced and
projects are being curtailed . . . The Joint Distribution Committee,
the American Jewish Committee and a number of other organiza-
tions have eliminated from their programs a number of publica-
tions which they published, or planned to publish . . • JDC. has
closed its regional offices in Cleveland, Chicago and Los Angeles,
thus reducing personnel of its department of community service
and information . • . The American Zionist Council and the ZOA
are similarly losing members of their staffs ... The United Serv-
ice for New Americans is contemplating a drastic reduction in its
staff . . The Arrierican Jewish Congress and the office of the
World Jewish Congress long ago undertook staff reductions —
In the JDC, the 40 staff memebrs of the community service and
publicity departthents have been reduced to 16 ... In general the
JDC headquarters staff in New York, formerly numbering 299
(including the staff of SOS), has been decreased to 106 . . . The
JDC overseas staff—Americans, South African and Canadian wel-
fare workers, doctors, educators and other specialists—numbering
243 in 1948, now stands at 177.
*
*
*
Israel Affairs
Now that Jerusalem has practically been proclaimed the capi-
tal of Israel in .a resolution presented by the Israel-government to
the parliament, it can be revealed that the decision to move to
Jerusalem was not taken lightly by the Cabinet ... It was the
outcome of a short crisis in the government . . . . Premier
David Ben-Gurion had always advocated a return to Jerusalem,
but other Cabinet members desisted The three religious Min-
isters and Dov Joseph, Minister of Supply were in favor of mov-
ing from Tel Aviv . . . Minister of Finance Eliezer Kaplan opposed
it on economy grounds . . • Minister of Justice Felix Rosenblueth
advised caution.
The role which the Soviet delegates played at the United Na-
tion.s in insisting on the internationalization of Jerusalem has
brought a clarity into what had been for a long time a heavy
strain of doubt in Israel-Cominform relations . . . Israel's policy
of neutrality toward . the East has, because of the hostile Russian
move, been displaced by a considerable freedom to attack and
criticize Russia . ... The period of cautious rope-walking between
East . and West is nOw over in Israel, and no one except the Corn.-
munists is very sorry about it .While Russia has thus lost vir-
tually all goodwill in Israel, and a great deal of official friendli-
ness, she did not gain the goodwill of the Arab governments she
supported . .. These governments can never be pro-Russian and
in fact are continuing as before to receive arms from the West.