As the Editor
Views the News ...

'The Nine Lives of Europe'

The Climb Is Hard

Leo Lania's Analysis and
Report of Present Status

Children's Return

Lady Reading, a leader in the British
Section of the World Jewish Congress, last
week sounded a timely note in her demand
that the United Nations Economic and Social
Council should take steps to facilitate the
return of Jewish war orphans who found
refuge in Christian homes to the Jewish
community.
Retention of Jewish children by Chris-
tians has remained an unsolved problem
since the end of World War II. It is impera-
tive that immediate action should be de-
manded for a solution of this problem and,
in many instances, for the reuniting of hith-
erto separated families whose children re-
main outside the Jewish fold.
Lady Reading and the World Jewish
Congress are rendering an important service
by pressing for action in this issue.

The Great Aliyah

We call the attention of our readers to
the interesting facts and figures made public
this week by the Jewish Agency's Aliyah
Department.
The statement appearing in this issue
shows how Israel has welcomed hundreds of
thousands of Jews from all parts of the
globe and how their settlement was facilitat-
ed by the Jewish Agency through the great
Aliyah movement of the past two years.
Of vital importance is the revelation that
there still are more than a million more
Jews who desire to go to Israel. There are
350,000 Jews in Romania, the largest re-
maining Jewish community in Europe; 250,-
000 in France, 175,000 in Hungary and
80,000 in Poland, most of whom must be
settled in Israel as speedily as possible.
The romance of the rehabilitation of
Jews becomes a very real issue that contin-
ues to stare at us, demanding action : that
of rescuing the remainder of the oppressed
and underprivileged Jews in Europe, in ad-
dition to those in Arabic lands. As long as
these needs remain, we owe an obligation to
the United Jewish Appeal — to pay our
pledges and to be prepared for further action
in the months and years to come.

1, ,
Israel s Neutrality'

Israel's Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett
made a very significant statement last week
when .,he declared that the Jewish state's
foreign policy was not "neutrality," as has
been emphasized, apparently incorrectly, in
the past two years, but that in the ideologi-
cal struggle between the democratic and
communist social orders the new state defi-
nitely had chosen democracy.
While emphasizing that there has been
no change in the policy of non-identification
with either bloc in the "cold war," Mr. Shar-
ett said that, in defining the term "neutra-
lity," no authoritative person in Israel ever
had used the term ; that Israel is eager to
promote friendly relations with all nations,
regardless of their internal regimes, but
that it was impossible to ignore the fact that
Jewish communities enjoyed freedom of ex-
pression and action only in democratic
countries. He added this important expla-
nation:

"Neutrality is liable to be misinterpreted
as an undertaking to assume no attitude on
any issues on which the world is now divided,
whereas Israel considers herself perfectly free
to define her clear stand on any issue, both
on the merits of the case and in accordance
with Israel's vital interests. For example, no
attitude of neutrality is conceivable on the
- crucial question of social order."

Mr. Sharett's explanation is timely--in
view of the world crisis created by the
Korean war—and sound. It defines Israel's
position in clear terms and excludes the
danger of misinterpretation. The firm stand
taken by Israel on issues involving the
,,authority of the United Nations further em-
phasizes the reality and the soundness of
the Jewish state's policies and the strength
of character inherent in Israel's leadership.

THE JEWISH NEWS

Member: American Association of English-Jewish News-
Dupers. Michigan Press Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing
Co. 708-10 David Stott Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich., WO. 5-1155.
Subscription $3 a year: foreign $4.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Office,
-Detroit. Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879.

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

Vol. XV1I—No. 20

Page 4

July 28, 1950

Sabbath Nahamu Scriptural Selections

This Sabbath, the fifteenth day of Ab, 5710,
the following Scriptural selections will be read
in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Dent. 3:23-7:11.
Prophetical portion—Is. 40:1-26.

World's Jewish Population

Two eminent authorities have made studies of the _pres-
ent Jewish population in the world and they agree, in the
main, that since 1938 the figure has dropped from nearly
17,000,000 to a little more than 11,000,000.
Israel Cohen of London, in his inventory, points out
that "if we compare the figures (for 1949) with the corres-
ponding figures in 1938 we can see at a glance both the
catastrophic diminution of the world's Jewish population and
the striking changes in its geographical distribution," His
comparative figures are:

Europe
Asia
Africa
America
Australasia

Grand Total

1949
3,467,200
30.17%
1,401,000
12.37%
686,500
6.06%
5,779,600
51.03%
41,000
0.37%

1938
9,924,000
59.3%
868,000
5.2%
609,000
3.6%
5,286,000
31.714
33,000
0.2%

11,375,300 100.00% 16,720,000 100.0%

Mr. Cohen, who is an eminent authority on Zionism,
Jewish history and statistics, concludes:
"The present world Jewish population is, therefore,
little more than it was at the beginning of this century, for,
according to the Jewish Encyclopedia it was estimated in
1905 at 11,270,000. And if we accept 2,260,000,000 as ap-
proximately the world's total population, then the Jewish
people forms only about 0.5 per cent, or a two-hundreth
part."
Another noted authority, Dr. Jacob Lestchinsky, differs
with him slightly and presents as his estimate the following
figures:

America
Europe
Asia
Africa
Australia

5,825,000
2,800,000
1,710,000
685,000
40,000

Total

11,060,000

Dr. Lestchinsky's figures for Asia are sub-divided as
follows: Israel, 1,050,000; USSR, 400,000; Iraq, 120,000;
Persia, 70,000; Turkey, 20,000; Syria and Lebanon, 10,000;
others, 40,000. He states that "the present distribution of
the Jewish population throughout the world produces the
full impact of its significance only if one compares it with
the distribution in preceeding decades," and he illustrates
his point with the following percentages:

Continent
Europe
America
Asia
Africa
Australia

1900
80.9
10.9
4.6
3.4
0.2

1939
56.8
33.1
6.2
3.7
0.2

1950
25.3
52.7
15.5
6.2
0.3

Total

1043

100

100

Dr. Lestchinsky arrives at the following conclusionS:
"The above table reveals the organic process of Jewish mi-
gration from Europe to America and Asia, as well as the
consequences of the Nazi slaughter of Jews. During the first
39 years of this century Europe dropped in importance as
a center of Jewish population from 80.9% to 56.81/,
Within the single decade between 1939 and 1950 the loss was
still greater and from providing a home for one-half of the
Jewish people Europe dropped to the position of harboring
only one-fourth of our people. The Jewish population in
America and Asia grew at Europe's expense. But whereas
America made the greatest gains in this respect during the-
normal, pre-World War II period, Asia, primarily Israel,
made the greatest gains during the past decade. More than
half of the Jewish people now live in America. Asia, which
had only 4.6% at the beginning of the century and 6.2V)
in 1939, now contains nearly one-sixth of the Jewish people."
While they differed in small degree as to figures, the
conclusions of Mr. Cohen and Dr. Lestchinsky point to the
two main occurrences in the past decade: the tragedies that
were heaped upon Jewry by the Nazis, resulting in the death
of 6,000,000 Jews, and the new migration trends to Israel. It
is clear that the Jewish state is the one haven left for the
remaining Jews in lands of oppression who seek freedom
and security. It also is evident that all doors other than
Israel's are shut to Jewry's survivors. The figures compiled
by the two authorities emphasize world Jewry's responsibi-
lities to Israel as the great center that fulfills the prophecy
of the ingathe.ing of the exiles.

Leo Lania's "The Nine Lives of Europe" (Funk
& Wagnalls Co., 153 E. 24th St., New York 10) is,
as the author himself points out, "a combination
of a report. on the present economic and political
conditions of Europe and an analysis of its
spiritual and intellectual development since the
end of the war."
Mr. Lania, who devotes considerable space to
discussions of the Jewish problems in Europe in
his new book, is well known to American audi-
ences. He has appeared
in many communities
including Detroit
behalf of the United ,
Jewish Appeal. He has
traveled widely and un-
derstands Europe. Him-=,
self a refugee from Geri .
many, he has rebuilt his
life marvelously, to the
extent of his stating: "t.
plead guilty, I am an-
optimist."
. In an interesting re-
view of the position of
the Jews in Vienna be-
fore the war, Mr. La.nia,
recounts important his-
torical data and tells
the story of Dr. David
Schapira, blinded vet-
eran of World War II
who is .president of the
Leo Lania
reborn Juedische Kul-
tusgemeinde. While the present picture he paints
in Austria is not a very happy one, Mr. Lania
writes: "Dr. Schapira does not believe that this
anti-Semitism which today is mostly confined to
social discrimination can become a danger as
long as the big powers, West and East, stand
guard against the resurrection of a new Nazism.-
It is in Washington and Moscow where the fu-
ture of Austria and its social climate will be
decided."
Reporting from Poland, he writes: "The older
people, even those who are confirmed Zionists,
have only one goal, America. The younger
ones have already - either left for Palestine or
decided to start a new life on the spot."
It is hard to reconcile this view with the

word of a Polish Jew whose letter somehow
reached a relative in this country—in spite of
the Iron Curtain bar on self-expression. The
Polish Jew wrote (and these are his own
words, in English) : "The position here in Po-
land is so that no Jew will stay in this land.
All will go to Israel."

The story of Nazi' atrocities, reviewed by re-
miniscing Czechs, revives the sense of repulsion

which was experienced by free men throughout
the world only a few years back.
Referring to Great Britain and her attitude
towards Israel, Mr. Lania points out that men
like Smuts and Weizmann, in spite of their
"grave disappointments," "have never been will-
ing to cut their ties with Britain." He predicts
that in the end Ben-Gurion, Nehru and De-
Valera "will have to side with the British Com-
monwealth."
Mr. Lania places special faith in America and
the power of the United States to protect the
democratic ideal. He writes: "Let us beware of
the cynics and the vest-pocket Machiaveilis.
The dog-eat-dog philosophy has already tri-
umphed in Europe. The results are there for
everyone to see. No one could out-Hitler Hitler.
No one will ever be able to out-Stalin Stalin .
We must prepare for a long and difficult 'period
of political warfare . . . Our tactics are to do
what we believe to be right and to let Stalin
Worry about counteracting our offensive for
economic recovery and social reforms in order
and peace ... European youth whose trials and
sufferings were so hard can teach American
youth about self-sacrifice. But they can learn
from American youth something that is, at
present, of even greater importance—faith."

Facts You Should Know .

Why do the pious refrain from writing out
the word God in its entirety, insisting upon a
contraction of some kind by placing a dash
between the G and D in English?
Once a document contains the name of the

Lord fully written out it assumes the character-
istic of a holy document and ,cannot be discard-
ed like other scraps of paper. Since the tend-
ency is to discard and throw away written
papers, it could easily happen that the full name
of God would be thrown into the wastebasket
to be destroyed along with other material, thus
bringing desecration to his Holy name. Abbre-
viating or contracting it leaves the name of God
incomplete and therefore the paper on which
it is written does not take on the significance of
holiness.

*
Why is it customary to wash one's hands
before entering a synagogue to pray?

The priest in• the sanctuary was traditionally
required to wash his hands as a symbol of pur-
ity before starting his duties. Every Jew should
try to feel as pure as the priest upon entering
the synagogue to pray. Traditionalists trace
this custom to the statement of David in the
Psalms (Chap. 26:6) who said: - I will wash my
hands in innocence, then will I encircle Thine
altar, 0 Lord."