Jones Receives JWY. Citation
vasson
2
—
THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, July 21, 1950
War Veterans
Plan Department
Activity for Year
.
Post No. 190 of the Jewish War Veterans presented JO-
SEPH JONES (right) with a citation commending him for his
active work in the affairs of JWV and the furtherance of Jew-
ish welfare among non-Jewish groups, at a meeting at Max
Elkin's Colonial Hotel in Mt. Clemens. COMMANDER NOR-
MAN BERKLEY (left) made the presentation. Elkin, also of
Post 190, was presented with a past commander's medal. At
the far left is SAMUEL RHODES of JWV.
Purely Commentary
The Department of Michigan
Jewish War Veterans, has an-
nounced the completion of plans
for the coming year for •adtivi-
ties on the Departmental level.
These will include mass initia-
tion nights, combined with
Americanism and sports nights.
Plans have been made for
joint meetings with other vet-
eran organizations for closer in-
tegration of policy.
A huge program has been
planned for the "Give A Gift
To The Yank Who Gave" drive
in December. . There will be
Hanukah and Purim parties for
veterans' children and - the Mili-
tary Ball in February. The De-
partment will participate in two
regional conventions, one na-
tional convention, the first Me-
morial Home convention and a
constitution revision convention.
Plans have been set up for
Poppy Day, Memorial Day, and
Decoration Day parades.
The department was repre-
sented at the fifth regional con-
vention in Minneapolis, July 1 to
4, by Commander Norman Berk-
ley and senior vice commander,
Ben Desen berg.
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
We Wonder—About Israel and Hine! Foundation
Rabbi Maurice B. Pekarsky, until last week the director of the
Hillel Foundation at the University of Chicago, has been given a
new assignment: the directorship of a new Hillel Foundation at
the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. And that sets us to wonder-
ing:
ISn't it a departure from previous policies of the Bnai Brith
Hillel Foundation Commission?
Wasn't the Hillel Foundation idea intended for Jewish stu-
dents, at American universities, who were to be given Jewish at-
mosphere away from home?
If the Hillel idea was to serve all Jewish students, why weren't
Foundations established at the Jewish Theological Seminary and
at Hebrew Union College? Isn't it true that Jewish students at
Jewish schools are considered as having the facilities which are
lacking at non-Jewish schools and Hillel Fouhdations therefore
were considered unnecessary at Jewish seminaries? Doesn't this
principle apply with even greater force to the Hebrew. University?
Surely, the Hillel idea does not need another publicity boost
to justify its existence by an "invasion" of Israel—or, does it?
It will be interesting to watch the reaction of Hebrew Univer-
sity students to the new "invasion."
To Meyer Levin: 'Look to Jewish Quarters for Faults`'
Meyer Levin, able novelist and movie producer whoSe latest
book, "The Search," is reviewed elsewhere in this issue, was un-
duly provoked by reviews of his self-searching autobiographical
work by. non-Jewish writers—as we indicated in our last week's
Commentary. He should have waited for reviews by Jews to realize
that assimilationist tendencies are to be found in greater 'promi-
nence among "fleeing," "self-hating," "uninformed" Jews.
Had Levin waited for the review of "The Search" by Peter
Levin, a namesake but not a relative, in the Saturday Review of
Literature, he would have realized the futility of complaining
against Lewis Gannett of the New York Herald Tribune (see Pure-
ly Commentary in The Jewish News of July 14), when a Jewish
writer can express himself as follows (quoting Peter Levin in
SRL): '
"Perhaps. I'm no more objective than Meyer Levin. But I
submit that there is no historical, emotional scientific, or so-
ciological evidence tying every Jew to every other. Mr. Levin
himself knows the broad gulf between the so-called 'Eastern'
and 'Western' Jews. More important, I think, is the American
experience where, under the aegis of freedom and the chance
of peisonal choice,. Jews are in the long run gradually splitting
apart, losing with each generation much that is traditionally
Jewish, gaining instead a feeling of diversified American roots.
That historical process goes on, I am convinced, despite any out-
bursts of anti-Semitism or the emotional pull of Israel resur-
gent."
Where have we heard these confusing expressions before?
Since when does "gaining a feeling of diversified American roots"
interfere with Jewish loyalties? The best Americans we know are
loyal both to the American and Jewish principles—and they are
better Americans because they are such good, traditional Jews.
Peter Levin should try to offer his silly argument to men like
Reinhold Niebuhr or James G. McDonald. They'll laugh at his
fears—and a state of panic is the only psychological explanation
we can offer for his attitude.
Peter Levin proves one thing: that in certain quarters Jews
are "splitting apart" and are abandoning the splendid traditional
qualities which have made the Jewish people great in the eyes
of the non-Jewish world. There is some cause for concern, as long
as the Peter Levins advocate—as the SRL reviewer does—the dis-
integration of Jewry. Fortunately, Jewry is stronger than the
Peter Levins. But all of us, together with the Meyer Levins, have
a duty to check the dangerous tide evidenced in Peter's attitude.
We have a job to do—to create a well-informed Jewry which will
understand that Jewish values are worth perpetuating.
Report Drop in Land
Planted in Oranges
In order to maintain the flow
of cash' to the United Jewish
Appeal through' the summer, the
board of governors ...of the Jew-
ish Welfar Federation has de-
cided to renew its $500,000 loan
with the National Bank of De-
troit. -
Of the 51,238,628 collected on
1950 pledges, nearly $1,000,000
has been sent to UJA to ease its
cash emergency.
Two of the budget and plan-
ning divisions of the Federa-
tion—health and welfare, edu-
cational and cultural—presented
their recommendations to the
board and received approval on
their respective allocations for
local services. • -
The 11 local agencies - under
health and welfare • will receive
$623,288 for their 1950-51 bud-
gets, while four of the educa-
tional- and cultural agencies will
get $153,891; the other three
have not submitted their bud-
get requests.
More than $155,000 of the
$875.000 available for local agen-
cies in 1950-51 has been turned
over to them, while $11,000 has
been sent national services.
A/Tilton K. Mahler is chairman
of the health and welfare di-
vision. Henry Meyers heads the
educational and cultural group.
Rabbi Adler, Dr. Fauman to Direct
Absentee Ballot Information Program
Rabbi Morris Adler of Cong.
Shaarey Zedek and vice presi-
dent of the Jewish Community
'Council will head a special com-
mittee to acquaint the Jewish
community with the new
passed absentee b a 11 o t pro-
visions. This law will enable re-
ligious observers to cast ab-
sentee ballots in Michigan pri-
mary elections Sept. 12, which
coincide with the first day of
Rosh Hashanah..
Dr. Shmarya Kleinman, presi-
dent of the Council, also as-
signed Dr. S. Joseph Fauman
of the JCC staff, to assist the
special committee in making
congregations and other organ-
izations acquainted with the
simple method of obtaining ab-
sentee ballots.
Dr. Kleinman warned that
the Jewish Community Council
is a non-political organization,
and does not endorse any po-
litical party or candidate. He
emphasized that the passage of
the liberalized absentee ballot
law was passed on complete by-
partisan support in the state
legislature, hailed by the Gov-
ernor.
The special Council commit-
tee is preparing a set of simple
instructions, accompanied by re-
quest forms for absentee bal-
lots. This material will be dis-
tributed to congregations, so-
cieties and organizations of the
Jewish community of Detroit.
Similar action is being taken in
the up-state Michigan areas by
the Michigan Regional Office. of
the • Anti-Defamation League of
Bn ai Brith.
German Jew Named
Brunswick Prosecutor
MUNICH (JTA)—A German
Jew has been named prosecutor
of the city of Brunswick, it was
announced in the Lower Saxony
legislature by Acting Minister of
Justice Dr. Werner Hofmeister.
Wilhelm Ellinghaus, former
Minister of Justice and a depu-
ty, declared that it was very
important to the government
that anti-Semites should not be
named either prosecutors or
judges.
The Wuerttemberg-Baden leg-
islature was informed by the
provincial Minister of Justice
that Stuttgart Judge Hans Kett-
nacker has • been dismissed be-
cause of an anti-Semitic state-
ment. Stuttgart Jews protested
that in the course of a trial,
Judge Kettnacker had said that
it was unimportant to him
whether the defendant had been
a "Nazi gauleiter or unsuccess-
fully tried three times to gas a
rabbi."
TEL AVIV, (JTA)—One hun-
dred thousand dunams (25,000
acres) of new orange groves will
be planted in Israel according
to the most advanced agricul-
tural methods.
Zvi Izakson, president of the
Farmers Association, stated that
Israel now has 120,000 dunams
planted in orange groves as
compared with the 300,000 du-
nams planted before the Pal-
estine war.
There were 648 settlements,
including . 94 Arab villages, in
Israel at the endof June, it was
announced here. Two hundred
and thirty-two of the settle-
ments were established since
the proclamation of the Jewish
state.
Sixteen new settlements were
founded in June. Five are lo-
By BORIS SMOLAR
cated in Galilee; one at Carmel
(Copyright, 1950, Jewish Telegaphic Agency, Inc.)
Beach, suburb of Haifa; three
on the Judean plains; four in Military Notes
the Judean hills; one in the Ne-
The developments in Korea are a major headache to the Is-
gev; and two in the southern rael government . . . Although Korea is .thousands of miles away
district.
from the Jewish state, the fear exists that the Korean affair *
only the first of a series of its kind . . Suspicion exists that
Moscow, in its plans to pin down American military forces in
various parts of the world, may start in. Iran something similar
to what is taking place in Korea . . . While the U. S. has air
bases in the Middle East from which it can bomb the Soviet oil
fields in the Caucasus, it has no army .there to halt Soviet a,g,
gression . . Soviet invasion of Iran opens the entire Middle East
A summer camp session for to the. Red Army, enabling the Communist forces to march into
elderly people will be sponsored Iraq and Syria . and reach Israel without any considerable mill
next month by the Golden Age tary opposition . . . Should hostilities break out in Iran, Israel
Program of the Jewish Com- will first be faced with the problem of securing food for its
munity Center at Camp Chel- population . . . . Israel's food problem will become even
sea, near Grass Lake, Michigan. more serious in case of a war in the Middle East . . . Ships reach-
ing Israel's shores and planes reaching Israel's airfields—the
Minimum age for campers at only avenues of access to Israel—will be too overloaded with
the five-day session, which be- soldiers, arms and ammunition to carry food for the civilian
gins Aug. 27 is 55 years. Regis- population . . . It is for this reason that the Israel government is
trations are being accepted at now concentrating on building up reserves of foodstUffs . .
the Jewish Center, Woodward Food for Israel is no less important than arms, since the Arab
at Holbrook, TR. 5-8400, and at countries—which have plenty of food—continue to boycott Israel
the 12th Street Council Center, and consider themselves still at war with the Jewish state —
Blaine and 12th.
Whether they will change their attitude under the impact of
new developments in the Middle East remains to be seen.
Between You and Me
Center Plans Camp
For Elderly People
UN Conciliators Regret
Palestine Peace Failure
GENEVA (JTA)—The United
Nations Conciliation Commis-
:ion for Palestine expressed re-
gret at having failed to achieve
agreement between Israel and
*
*
*
the Arab states to a plan which
Velikovsky=From Macmillan to Doubleday
would "have hastened the re-
According to Columnist Leonard Lyons, "the th-do about the mum of a final peace in the
shifting of Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky's 'Worlds in Collision' from 'fiddle East."
Macmillan to Doubleday involved a threat by scientists_ to boycott
The Commission announced
Macmillan's textbook department unless it halted publication of
1e end of talks with both par-
the book. Leader of these scientists was Dr. Harley Shapley
ies here. The three - nation
Harvard, the leftwinger who in other cases screams against cen
)ody will proceed to UN head-
Sorship of any kind."
marters in Jerusalem at the
Out of this "East versus West Publishers' Collision," Doublc
end of July in order to be closer
day will profit, with "Worlds in Collision" (reviewed in The Jewis.
the parties concerned. Before
News last week) still on top of the entire country's best non-fic
)aving Geneva the Commission
tion seller list. But Velikovsky's book—which reads like a fair
;ill submit a progress report to
tale should be given rating both in the fiction and non-fictio
IN Secretary-General Trygve
lists.
Lie..
—
Federation Renews National Bank
Loan to Assure Cash Fl®w to UJA_
*
*
*
Communal Trends
About 350 Jewish professional workers are engaged specifi-
cally in the field of combatting anti-Semitism in this country ..
They include lawyers, psychologists, sociologists, authropologists,
professional educators, foreign affairs experts, public relations
experts, journalists, film, radio writers and researchers; specialists
in work with labor unions, veterans organizations, youth groups,
women's organizations, clubs and fraternal organizations, charn-.
bers of commerce and other groups . . . About 50 of the 350 have
the title of "executive director" . .• An indication of the trend
toward "professionalizirig" this field is the formation this year
of an Association of Jewish Community Relations Workers ... The
purpose of the Association is to establish and maintain high
standards for those engaged professionallt in combatting anti-.
SemitiSm . . • The Association also aims at encouraging among
its members the fullest possible understanding of Jewish life and.
values and the application of Jewish .ideals of social justice .
In the field of Jewish community relations work, there has also
been in existence for about 10 years an organization known as
the Community Relations Conference . . This organization has
been an informal group of the executive -directors of the local
Jewish community relations agencies ; which number now elos
to 30.