Fearful Stench
As the Editor
Lionel Gelber's Realistic
View of World Issues
'iews the News ...
Arab-Israel Amity
During the recent observance of the
Moslem Holy Month of Ramadan by Israeli
Arabs, appeals were sounded by Arab chief-
tains for peace with Israel. From other
quarters, including Lake Success and Egypt,
some Arabs recently have dared to speak
in favor of peace—for the good of both
Israel and the Arab countries.
It is a deplorable fact that Arab politic-
ians and landowners stand in the way of
wholesome relations between Jews and their
Arab neighbors. Correspondents from the
Middle East have indicated time and again
that peace is possible but that power-seeking
politicians are stirring up trouble.
Our able Jerusalem correspondent
George Marcia, a Detroit Christian who has
been watching the developing scene in Israel
for more than a year, has pointed out on
several occasions that Jews and Arabs do
live well together and that they can meet on
common ground. It is unfortunate that there
has been mishandling of the issue by United
Nations commissions and it is no wonder
that Israel's diplomats, in session in Jeru-
salem recently, should have recommended
that their government urge the UN Concili-
ation Commission to discontinue its at-
tempts at conciliation in view of its record
of failure.
World Maccabiah
From Sept. 27 through Oct. 9, the Third
World Maccabiah Athletic Games will be
held in Israel and among the participants
will be some of the world's outstanding
Jewish and other athletes. Prominent Ameri-
can Jewish stars in numerous sports will
take part in these games which are attract-
ing worldwide attention. As co-chairmen of
the National Committee for United States
Participation in Maccabiah, Col. Harry D.
Henshel and Charles L. Ornstein already
have brought together a large group of
American athletes.
With the cooperation of the Jewish Wel-
fare Board, such U. S. participation should
bring added glory to the sportsmen and
should help cement good relations between
this country and Israel. Planned for Sukkot,
the 1950 Maccabiah undoubtedly will en-
courage an increased number of American
Jews to visit Israel during that period of the
year which is one of the most pleasant for
tourists. American Jewry will await reports
of the Maccabiah with a great deal of in-
terest.
Israel and Romania
It is fortunate that Romania continues
to release thousands of her Jewish residents
for settlement in Israel. Reports of arrests
of Zionist leaders in that country point to
the danger that emigration from that land
may end at almost any time.
Of particular interest in the reports of
the arrest of Romanian Zionist leaders is
that they are limited to the representatives
of the General Zionists and the Mapai and
that Mapam and Mizrachi leaders have not
been detained. This is understandable, in
view of Mapam's leftist attitudes, Mapai's
anti-Communist stand and the assumption
that the General Zionists are the bourgeois
spokesmen. It is hard to explain the leniency
of the Communist-controlled Romanian gov-
ernment towards the religious Mizrachi
leaders.
The situation in Romania serves as a
warning to world Jewry to make it possible_
for those who are able to emigrate now to
get out of Romania as quickly as possible. In
a very short time, it may be too late and
Romanian Jewry's position may be frozen in
Russian fashion.
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. 6-1155.
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 .3LOMOVITZ. Editor
SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager
RUTH L. CASSEL. City Editor
Vol. XVII—No. 21
•
Page 4
August 4, 1950
Sabbath Scriptural Lessons
This Sabbath, the twenty-second day of alb,
5710, the following Scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Dent. 7:12-11:25.
Prophetical portion—Is. 49:14.-51:13.
'Reprieve From War'
Council's 'Bar Mitzvah Report
The mere fact that 266 organizations are affiliated with
the Jewish Community Council gives the organization status
in our community. But this is not the only recommendation
the Council has in reporting on the past year's activities to
Detroit Jewry.
A study of the annual report, just released, reveals that
the Council continues to work effectively on many fronts.
It has assisted in easing tension situations created by racial
conflicts; it is fighting prejudice wherever it becomes evi-
dent; it strives to assist all interested groups in defending
the civil rights of our population ; it interests itself with
consumers' problems; it cooperates with the Zionist Council
in behalf of Israel in matters involving community relations
in defense of the Jewish state ; it sponsors a cultural pro-
gram, encourages arbitration in the settlement of disputes
in the Jewish community-- and is prepared to act in other
matters for the good of Detroit Jewry.
The Council's 1950 report- throws light on many issues.
It calls 'attention to the success with which the Council's
efforts have met in removing "select clientele" references in
advertisements of the state tourist councils. The council
continues to lend support to movements for the adoption of
state FEPC legislation. It considers "the church-state issue
as one of the principal focal points to which the attention
of the Jewish community relations will, of necessity, have to
be directed."
In his detailed report, Boris Joffe, the Council's execu-
tive director, outlines various "incidents" which call for ac-
tion, as follows:
To an important extent, the pulse of our community is
measurable in terms of the incidents that are reported to
the Community Council and acted upon as part of the day to
day operations of the office. They are one of the measuring
rods, we believe, because they reflect the relationship between
Jews and non-Jews and because they indicate the areas in
which tensions are present, or point out the trouble spots that
deserve consideration.
Manifest discrimination against Jewish job applicants , by
employers is a significant source of these incidents, and appears
with the greatest frequency in the clerical and sales field. In
housing, too; instances of discrimination are reported. The
character of these incidents, in general, is the refusal to rent
or sell to prospective Jewish tenants or buyers, on the basis of
their religion. /
So called "anti-Semitic incidents," or the individual ten-
sion and friction situations which occur, reflect the expression,
apparently, of isolated instances of prejudiced behavior. There
is no visible evidence that incidents of this type are directly
attributable to the activities of organized groups. While an
incident, in and of itself, may not be an important event in
the life of a community of two million, it is in their totality that
their significance must be judged. An undue number of them,
or a concentration in one geographical locality, or in a particu-
lar industry, are factors to be considered in assessing the extent
to which they warrant the consideration to the community.
Each incident that is reported to the Council office is handled
to the extent possible under the circumstances. The handling
may involve a visit to an employer, a contact with a landlord, a
discussion with the police; or it may mean an analytical nota-
tion of the incident, for future reference and guidance. For
whatever action is taken, we regard it as important to have as
full and complete reporting as possible on the incidents that
occur from day to day in our community. Only with this infor-
mation at hand can we begin to evaluate and to select the
remedial action that ought to be undertaken.
This report clearly outlines the need for concerted ac-
tion in the numerous fields to which the Council directs its
attention. Its program has met with a great measure of
success and it can be further enhanced through community
cooperation. It is possible that the Council is more success-
ful in dealing with tensions outside Jewish ranks than it is
with internal problems. When we learn to work together
and to eliminate the reasons for internal tensions, we shall
better be able to advance our cultural activities and the
creative side of Jewish life. We wish the Council well in at-
taining such a goal,
Lionel Gelber, who was one of the political
advisors to the Jewish Agency for Palestine,
has written a timely book. His "Reprieve From
War: A Manual for Realists" (Macmillan) is
exactly what Its title implies: it is a realistic
approach to the situation which has led to the
troubles in Korea.
Mr. Gelber reviews
the numerous prob-
lems which face
mankind today. He
exposes as short-
sighted the interna-
tional political ac-
tions of the past few
years and he makes
the charge that the
tactics of recent
times have helped
the East more than
the West.
L. Gelber
His solution is offered through a world gov-
ernment. "As the alternative to submission,
peace by power remains a cosmic safeguard,"
Mr. Gelber writes. Admitting that "peace by
power is no recipe for peace of mind," he nev-
ertheless places emphasis on the "stoic power of
endurance and self-renewal," the will to live
which free peoples display invincibly. He ex-
presses the hope that the UN "may yet steer
between two absolutes" and that "it is as the
highest common denominator between systems
and sovereignties that the United Nations has
its work cut out for it."
His chapter dealing with Palestine is an ex-
cellent resume of the Zionist endeavors and of
the events which led to the establishment of
Israel. Well qualified by his experiences in
Zionist ranks to deal with this question, his ap-
proaches in this issue are as realistic as the rest
of his able work. He exposes the British anti-
Zionist maneuvers, shows the sad position of
Zionism in Russia and "the secret weapon of an
indestructible faith" that conquered opposition.
"Reprieve From War" is a well written book
the contents of which may serve as a guide to-
day in the anti-Communist world struggle.
Dr. Stein's Expose of
Wagner's Anti-Semitism
A rather surprising opinion has been expressed
in some quarters that it was not entirely neces-
sary at this time to Once again expOse the
bigoted; anti-Semitic character of Richard Wag-
ner. This reviewer, however, is inclined to agree
with Dr. Leon Stein, directer of the graduate
division of De Paul University School of Music
in Chicago, that Wagner and those who, like
him, spread'venom against entire groups, should
be exposed in every generation. We therefore
commend Dr. Stein's "The Racial Thinking of
Richard Wagner" (published - by Philosophical
Library, 15 E. 40th St., New York 16) and urge
its wide distribution.
Dr. Stein points out convincingly that "Wag-
ner's racial thinking culminates and reaches
it apogee in Hitler, Goebbels, Rosenberg and the
Third Reich. Under no circumstance, is it sug-
gested that Hitler and Nazi Germany owe their
existence to Wagner. But only in Fascist Ger-
many, and not until then, dO the racial tenets
of Wagner finally achieve their logical destina.
tion and .conclusion."
Wagner's anti-Semitism and anti-Mendels-
sohnisnl is exposed in this important book by
means of a thorough analysis of the German
musician's ideas which also include vile anti-
Christian expressions. In this connection, Dr.
Stein makes another interesting point: "A
Protestant might be attracted by Wagner's anti-
Catholicism and yet not accept his anti-Christian
agirmations. Vegetarians might agree with
Wagner's dietary theories, and animal lovers
with his stand against vivisection. Despite the
fact that the ideas may seem separable in their
respective categories, they are inseparable in
their interelationship. Even vegetarianism is
mixed with attacks on the Old Testament and
with anti-Semitism."
Is it possible that Wagner's intense anti-
Semitism was "increased by a desire to antici- .
pate and nullify any suspicion of a Jewish 'ra-
cial' content in his own music?" Dr. Stein makes -
mention of the story that Ludwig Geyer, who
was of Jewish descent, was Wagner's real father.
Wagner's hatred of Mendelssohn and numer-
ous fallacies in his thinking are exposed by Dr.
Stein by means of extensive quotations- of the
anti-Semite's works. We learn that "Tewish"
became a kind of expletive for Wagner, an ad-
jective which he prefixed to every condition or
thing he foUnd evil or undesirable." His empha-
sis on "Volk" and "Kultur" made everything other
than his own German idealogies unpala-
table. - Opposed to what he termed Judaic-
Christiananity," Wagner became a follower of
Brahmin Buddhism and of the notion of
"Selenwanderung," transmigration of souls,
but "he did not know, of course, that this was
also an essential tenet of Cabbalistic lore and of
the 18th century creed of Hassidism."
By exposing Wagner once again, Dr. Stein
puts the younger generation on guard against
misleading idealogies, and renders a real service
in the fight against bigotry.