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M. Levin's 'In Search'

Tisha b'Ab

Another Tisha b'Ab will be observed on
Sunday. Although • the Jewish state is a
reality, Jewish communities continue to ob-
serve the anniversary of the destruction of
the First and Second Temples as a day of
mourning. It is not an improper observance,
although the ritual undoubtedly will be
changed, prayers may be altered and new
ones added. One of the saddest days on the
Jewish calendar can not be forgotten so
easily and so quickly. It remains a landmark
in Jewish history.
But there will be less lamenting in the
years to come and greater dedication to
service for the highest ideals of our people
and in support of the Jewish state. If aband-
onment of mourning on Tisha b'Ab is to
be justified by fact, it must be rooted in
efforts to prevent the recurrence of previous
calamities and in a determination that Jews
shall never again be homeless wanderers
on the face of the earth.
Tisha b'Ab traditionally has been made
an occasion for contributions to the Jewish
National Fund. This year, the JNF also is
appealing to synagogue worshipers on Sab-
bath Chazon, in a plea for continued support
for the fund that redeems the land of Israel
to make it the prdperty of the Jewish people.
On the anniversary of the destruction of the
Temple, Jews have another opportunity to
aid in the reconstruction of the Holy Land.
The JNF remains the important instrument
for this purpose and Tisha b'Ab should be
made an outstanding occasion for the exten-
sion of American Jewry's help in land-re-
clamation activities.

Threat to Peace

Nazi criminals frequently are exonerated
by German Courts and their victims are
"treated as outcasts in present-day Germ-
any," an analysis published by the World
Jewish Congress reveals. A typical case
included in the analysis tells of the
recent trial of two Nazi police officers
who admittedly kicked, whipped and
otherwise maltreated an "Aryan" woman
in order to extort from her a false
confession that she had associated intimate-
ly with a Jew. The judge in the case, in-
structing the jury, found that although
whipping and kicking went beyond the "limit
of permissible pressure," it should be taken
into consideration that a police officer
"could not fulfil his duty if he were not per-
mitted to use certain means of coercion."
The jury acquitted the officers.
This incident typifies the arrogance that
again is in evidence in the Germany which
was to be denazified but which is today ris-
ing anew as a power in Europe. It is no
wonder that the World Jewish Congress
repudiates as unjustified the contention
of assistants of John J. McCloy, U. S.
Commissioner for Germany, that "Nazism
has been destroyed never to rise again."
It is pointed out in the World Jewish
Congress survey that of the 11 German
provinces, five already have promulgated
laws ending denazification and similar bills
are being considered by legislatures of three
other provinces. In German quarters, speech-
es are made by Germany's leaders in defense
of Nazism and openly expressing distaste
for democracy. Dr. Franz Richter of the
German right-wing Deutsche Rechts Partei
referred to denazification procedures as
"disguised thievery" and some Germans are
even more brazen in their expressions.
Is it any wonder that we continue to
be concerned over the situation in Germany?
Between the Nazi terror and the Communist
menace, the universe is in an unstable posi-
tion for peace and justice-loving peoples.

THE JEWISH NEWS

Member: American Association of English-Jewish News.
Papers. Michigan Press Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing
Co. 708-10 David Stott Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich., WO, 6-1138.
Subscription $3 a year: foreign $4.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Office,
Detroit. Mich.. under Act of Manc.13 3, 1879.

PHILIP SLOMOV IT2,. Editor
SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager
RUTH L. CASSEL. City Editor

Vol. XVII—No. 19

Page 4

July 21, 1950

Sabbath Chazon Scriptural Selections

This Sabbath, the eighth day of Ab, 5710—
Sabbath Chazon—the following Scriptural sel-
ections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Dent. 1:1-3:22.
Prophetical portion—Is. 1:1-27.
On Sunday, Tisha b'Ab, the following Scrip-
tural selections will be read:
Pentateuchal portions: Morning, Dent. 4.25-
40; afternoon, Ex. 32:11-14:34:1-10.
Prophetical portions: Morning, Jer, 8:13-9:23;
afternoon, Is. 55:6-56:8.

An Author Finds Peace

Is Epic Story of Israel

Since his first visit in Israel, more than 25
years ago, which resulted in his writing his
splendid novel "Yehuda," Meyer Levin has been
traveling and visiting in Israel. His latest work,
"In Search," published in Paris (Authors Press,
4i Quai Henri IV), and now being distributed in
this country by Horizon Press (1123 Broadway,
New York 10), is a self-
evaluation, an auto - bio-
graphical review of his
life's work, an expose of
difficulties an author has
with publishers who are
afraid to publish frank
books by Jewish authors
about Jews and a final
peace-finding as a result "
of Israel's rebirth.

Levin's work is not •
Meyer Levin limited to Israel. It deals
with Chicago, his early experiences there. his
attempt to make his mark in the literary
world, the interference of reactionary forces
and of veiled anti-Semites.

Expose of Anti-Semites

Princeton Uni -Versity's Public Opinion Quarterly, in its
current issue, exposes the work of six right-wino- propagan-
dists whom the author, Stanley K. Bigman, of 'D the Bureau
of Applied Social Research of Columbia University, labels
as anti-Jewish.
Merwin K. Hart, Gerald L. K. Smith, Grace L. H. Bros-
seau, John B. Trevor, Myron C. Fagan and Walter S. Steele
are the six anti-Semites whose writings were analyzed by
Mr. Bigman as containing references to a "world govern-
ment conspiracy" compounded of "Socialist plots, Jewish
plots, British plots and Communist plots in fascinating pro-
fusion."
Hart is the man who, more than any other person in
the group listed by Mr. Bigman, recently emerged as a
fomenter of discord. Hart, who is president of the National
Economic Council, went so far as to state that U. S. Senator
Herbert H. Lehman of New York misused the term "democ-
racy." He told the Buchanan Lobby Investigating Committee
that "democracy" is mainly a Communist idea and that Sen.
Lehman is following the Communist line by shamelessly
using such subversive terms. He advocated the erasing of
the word "democracy" from our political vocabulary.
The Christian Science Monitor, one of the great Ameri-
can newspapers, whose conservative policies are a matter of
record, took up the issue and pointed out editorially that the
attack on the term "democracy" is "no mere academic
quibble. It has motivation behind it." The Monitor's editorial
points out that "the more purposive (motivation) comes
from those who distrust the people—who believe the nation
would be better governed were the electorate narrowed by
property or educational qualifications. They can make a reas-
onable case. But let them make it directly and in the open."
The editorial proceeds to show that "there are those inno-
cently persuaded by this campaign against a word . . . These
are groups which represent, in the main, the less prosperous,
the less well educated." And the Monitor asserts:

"Not all these demands serve ' the nation by any means.
But government by the people—not by a select fraction of the
people—is here. We must learn to work with it, to make it a
better tool. It has come only in what we rightly call the free
nations."

We wonder whether the Harts and the Smiths ever will
learn the truth of this assertion. Father Coughlin, before
them, also attacked "democracy" and preferred to use the
term "republic." The Monitor had an answer for this claim
in its editorial. which we quote again on this point:

"We would like to dispose of the matter simply by recalling
that the word 'republic,' which he (Hart) prefers to 'democ-
racy,' forms part of Russia's official name—Union of Socialist
Soviet Republics .. .
"The United States is a republic. No one we know of dis-
putes it. And—the United States is also a democracy.
"The term 'republic' refers to a form of government—gov-
ernment by officials chosen by those who possess the right to
vote.
"The term 'democracy' also denotes a form of government.
But it also embraces a great system of values, a way of life.
And those who fix upon it -only its classical connotation—that
of direct legislation by the citizens themselves—ignore all the
richness of meaning with which the centuries since Aristotle
have endowed it.
"Democracy, as a form of government, means government
resting upon the consent and participation of a Large proportion
of the people governed. As Lincoln put it, 'government of the
people by the people.'
"A republic c,an be an aristocracy, an oligarchy, or a democ-
racy. And the measure of the distance between ancient Sparta,
medieval Venice, and the United States today is largely the
measure of progress toward dignity and freedom for the indi-
vidual.
"The American nation, therefore, might be said to possess a
republic,an form of government which, with all its human im-
perfections, serves a democratic way of life."

This is a magnificent interpretation. The philosophy
outlined by the Monitor amply interprets the type of democ-
racy which has made America great. But the Harts seek to
impose upon us not a new term but rather new hates and
prejudices. They stand exposed in the study made in the
Public Opinion Quarterly and in the Monitor editorial. The
exposes may not teach Hart and his National Economic
Council the truth of the ideas we have just quoted, but they
admonish all lovers of freedom to expound their ideals firm-
ly and not to yield to the type of lethargy, fright and com-
placency which caused national Jewish organizations to
"accept" an apology from the Chicago Tribune intended only
for them and the Jews but not for publication in the Tribune.

There also is a record of his battle for Loyal-
ist Spain, his share in the war—on the spot—
against Franco.
The story of the DP forms another chapter
of importiAce in this volume. Levin saw them in
their camps. He watched them during their sad-
dest experiences, saw them arrive in Israel,
watched them become settled in the Jewish
land. He saw them battle for their lives and
foi'the security of the Jewish state. While he
rebels against re-telling their story, he does it
nevertheless: it is after all a story that can not
be erased from history.

But the major theme is that of Israel. "In
Search" is, in many respects, a history of the
rise of the Jewish state. It is a record of per-
sonal experiences, of a share in the battle for
independence. Out of it came his achievement
of a "sense of peace, of self-justification. All
the embroideries, all the theories, are as noth-
ing beside the simple identification, the release
that comes in sitting of an evening among a
group of Jews, perhaps exchanging jokes about
the goyim."
In spite of its frequent notes of bitterness

because of what happened to him during his
early , days as, a writer, in his efforts to crash
the gates of the holy portals of publishing houses,
Levin emerges as an objective author, as a clear- ..
thinking evaluator of his own lot and - that of
his people. "In Search" emerges as an epic
story of all Jewry as it is reflected in the life ot.
a single Jew. It is a volume of great merit—to'
the credit of the able writer Meyer Levin and
the events which marked the rise of the state of
Israel.

See additional reference to "In Search" in .
Purely Commentary Column on Page 2.

Translator Finds Data
On 17th Century Poland

A Review by RUTH L. CASSEL

Rabbi Abraham J. Mesch of Birmingham,
Ala., has made a worth-while contribution to
Jewish historical reference shelves with his
translation of Rabbi Nathan Hanover's manu-
script "Yeven Metzulah," or "Abyss of Despair,"
the chronicle of the notorious Chrnielnicki
hacres which swept over Russia and the
Ukraine in 1648-49.

A highly scholarly piece of work, Rabbi
Meseh's book, available through Bloch Publish-
ing Co., New York, goes into great detail on the
background of the period, and the life of Rabbi
Hanover. Although much of this historical data
has had to be reconstructed from widely scat-
tered information, Rabbi Mesch has meticu-
lously annotated the entire volume, leaving little
doubt as to the authenticity of his facts.

This slim volume will be of particular interest
to Jewish history students and to descendants
of Polish, Russian and Ukrainian Jews whose
families may have been affected by the 17th
century pogroms.

In the preface, Dr. Solomon Grayzel, editor
of the Jewish Publication Society, compliments
Rabbi Mesch on "his service to those who seek
to understand the history of the Jewish people."
Dr. Grayzel points out that few chronicles exist
of the more tragic chapters of Jewish history,
possibly because the Jews of those times had an.'
unwillingness to complain against God's judg-
ment, or, perhaps, due to the conviction that
the mere recording of events did not serve to
promote piety or obedience to divine law.
One of the more universally interesting sec-
tions of the book is a description of the inner
life of the Jews of the Kingdom of Poland in
the 17th century, emphasizing the complete re-
ligiosity of their existence, and citing commun-
ity structure as well as family life. Illustrations
show the costumes of the times, as well as draw-
ings of several well-known Polish synagogues.