Help, Mr. Fireman
As the Editor
Views the News ...
Dr. Solomon Goldman, one of American
Jewry's most brilliant scholars whose contribu-
tions to Jewish culture are mounting, has made
another gift with his explanatory notes, com-
ment on and synopsis of Maimonides' "Letter to
the Jews of Yemen" ("Igereth Temon"), which
has just been published by the Histadruth Ivrith
of America on the press of the Jewish Publica-
tion Society of America.
Rabbi Goldman's new
book—Volume 6 in the
S if riah Lemislamdim
series— has great his-
torical value. It not only
reproduces the Hebrew
text of the famous Mai-
monides Letter, with
explanatory notes and
an extensive vocabulary
—which forms a minia-
ture Hebrew - English
dictionary—but gives a
history of the Maimon-
ides era and evaluates
the 11th century saint
and scholar on the
Dr. Goldman
question of Messianic speculations, Israel and
Islam, and other problems that arose at that
time.
A statement of policy by the United He-
brew Schools, appearing in this issue, indi-
cates a new and very wholesome trend in
community relations.
The United Hebrew Schools, for more
than 30 years the dominant factor in Jewish
educational efforts in our community, ac-
companies the announcement of the expan-
sion of its facilities by the inclusion of ad-
ditional courses in Yiddish and Talmud with
a call to other schools to join with it in
sponsoring unified school facilities in new
areas where it will be necessary to erect
new school buildings to care far the edu-
cational needs of our children.
When the Farband and Sholem Aleichem
schools were merged recently, we pointed
out editorially on June 23:
- •
The invitation of the United Hebrew
Schools to other existing school systems "to
cooperate with them in creating a single
school program" in new areas requiring ad-
ditional educational facilities, "in the best
interests of efficiency, economy and expand-
ed service to our people" is in line with the
policy which is advocated in the above-
quoted editorial.
By means of sincere and wholehearted
cooperation, and by striving for economy,
all of our schools will better be able to serve
Detroit Jewry. The new trend evident in our
educational ranks deserves wide acclaim
and emulation in other quarters where uni-
fication of community efforts would lead
to greater accomplishments while effecting
economies in time, energy and money.
* * *
This by no means summarizes the entire
problem of Jewish education. The additional
point must be made that through a coordin-
ated system of Jewish education we should
be in better position to enroll many hundreds
of additional pupils who now are without a
thorough Jewish training, or whose educa-
tion is limited to preparation for Bar Mitz-
vah. Instead of splitting our energies on
numerous fronts, we should be in position,
through centralized activities, to offer the
best service without incurring duplication of
expense in supervision, office management
and a multiplicity of organizations.
If it is accepted—as it should be—that
duplication of effort should be eliminated
from community programs, then it also
should be understood that in a coordinated
educational system only the functioning
organizations should be responsible for
the publication of school directories and
for direct contact between the schools and
the community. There is no reason, for
instance, why the Community Council
should duplicate this activity by publish-
ing a school directory of its own.
' During the observance of Hebrew Educa-
tion Month, which is annually conducted in
the interest of advancing our educational
activities and of enrolling more pupils in our
schools, it would be well that these issues
should be considered seriously and that the
movement towards unification of communal
efforts should be further encouraged.
•
JIM" Ta‘EGRA ► S" "VW.
`Gloomy Dean' Censors Psalms
Dr. W. R. Lige, the 90-year-old former Dean of St.
Paul's Cathedral in London, England, was a stormy petrel
in the heyday of his career. He was known as "The Gloomy
Dean" who was famous for his sensationally pessimistic
statements. Apparently he remains the sensationalist of old,
judging by a Jewish Telegraphic Agency cable from London
quoting a recent sermon.
The JTA report states that in a sermon at the opening
service of the Modern Churchmen's Conference at Cam-
bridge, England, on Aug. 14, Dr. Inge said that the services
of the Anglican Church are "terribly clogged with Judaism"
and proposed a considerable reduction in the use of Old
Testament teachings. He quoted in particular the Sixty-
Eighth Psalm which he called "gibberish." Since the first
verse of this Psalm, beginning with "Let God arise, let His
enemies be scattered ; and let them that hate Him flee be-
fore Him," is recited whenever the Holy Ark is opened, at
synagogue services, Dr. Inge's new proposal may create
confusion and calls for re-evaluation of the value of the
Psalms and the verse he refers to.
The verse referred to by "the Gloomy Dean," used upon
the opening of the Holy Ark, ("Vayehi binesoa ha-Aron")
reads:
"And it came to pass, whenever the Ark started, Moses
would say, 'Arise, 0 Lord, and let thy enemies be scattered; let
those who hate thee flee before thee.' Truly, out of Zion shall
come forth Torah, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem."
The quotation as used here is taken from the Book of
Numbers (10. 35), and if Old Testament teachings were to
be reduced, Dr. Inge would have to censor not only the
Psalms but also the Pentateuch.
Dr. A. M. Hershman, Rabbi Emeritus of Detroit's Con-
gregation Shaarey Zedek, makes the interesting point that
the "enemies" referred to in the Psalm and in the quotation
from the Book of Numbers are not human enemies but the
enemies of truth ; that the majestic statement represents a
struggle of truth against error.
Leading theologians, Christians as well as Jews, have
singled out the 68th Psalm as an outstanding example of
superb poetry, of Messianic idealism. In his commentary on
"The Book of Psalms," published in 1938 by the Union of
American Hebrew Congregations, Dr. Solomon B. Freehof
states with reference to Psalm 68:
"A majestic Psalm describing God's work in the life of
Israel and in the history of all nations. It visualizes God 'mani-
festing Himself on earth, leading Israel to Canaan, choosing
Mount Zion as His dwelling place, accepting the homage of
all peoples."
But "the Gloomy Dean" has become a censor of the
Psalms, one of the most august portions of Holy Scriptures,
which form the basis of most of the prayers in Christendom,
not to speak of Judaism. Truly, the "gloomy" one has aged!
Make Use of Absentee Ballot
Rosh Hashanah—and the Primary Election—are draw-
ing closer and the challenge that faces the Jews of Michigan
emerges more serious daily.
On account of Rosh Hashanah—Sept. 12—Jews will be
Member: American Association of English-Jewisb News-
ps,pers. Michigan Press Association.
prevented by tradition from casting their ballots on this
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing
Election Day.
Co. 708-10 David Stott Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich., WO. 6-1166.
Subscription $3 a year; foreign $4.
Through the grace and wise action of our State Legis-
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Office,
Detroit. Mich.. under Act of March 3, 1879.
ture and Governor Williams, the Jewish citizens are given
the special privilege of using the absentee ballot.
PHILIP SLOMOV1TZ. Editor
SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager
Applications for absentee ballots must be filed IMMEDI-
RUTH L. CASSEL. City Editor
ATELY.
These applications are available from the Jewish Com-
Vol. XVII—No. 24
Page 4
August 25, 1950
munity Council, at the office of City Clerk Thomas Lead-
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
better and from The Jewish News.
This Sabbath, the thirteenth day of Elul,
We urge our readers not to delay, to apply for their
5710, the following Scriptural selections will be absentee ballots, to be sure to vote by mail and to indicate
read in our synagogues:
to the State's authorities that we are loyally making use of
our franchise and that we are appreciative of the special
Pentateuchal portion—Deut. 21:10-25:19.
privilege
extended us by our non-Jewish fellow-citizens on
Prophetical portion—Is. 54:1-10 or 54:1-55:5. account of Rosh Hashannah.
THE JEWISH NEWS
-
Letter to Jews
Of Yemen Analyzed in New
Book by Dr. Solomon Goldman
Unifying Our Schools
"The economy effected by the merger
ought to be considered of minor importance
in relation to the major issue involved: that
of joining all our schools under single super-
vision, in one unified community education-
al system. Perhaps the merger of the Labor
Zionist and Sholem Aleichern schools is the
first step in the direction of merging, in the
years to come, the United Hebrew Schools,
the Workmen's Circle Schools and the new-
ly-unified United Jewish Folk Schools. This,
at any rate, should be the aim of a communi-
ty concerned not with splintering our efforts
but in uniting them in the best interests of
the educational needs of our children."
Maimonides'
Maimonides' "Letter to the Jews of Yemen"
was composed in Arabic but "owes its preserva-
tion to thme Hebrew translations." Samuel ibn
Tibbon translated it in 1210 but it first was
printed in 1873 by David Holub at the request
of Dr. Jellineck. The second translation was done
by Nahum Ma'arabi (the Maghrabi, western or
Moroccan). Dr. Goldman informs us that it ap-
peared in Basel in 1629 under the name "Petach
Tikvah." "Abraham Halevi ben Hasdai of Bar-
celona, a prolific translator and energetic and
enthusiastic champion of Maimonides," was the
third. translator, in the middle of the 13th
century.-
Rabbi Goldman reveals that "one section of
the Letter, recounting the experiences of several
false Messiahs, was omitted for various reasons
by all three translators and was first rendered
into Hebrew by the late Dr. Jacob Mann in
1928. The present text follows the Arabic orig-
inal rather closely and reproduced it in its en-
tirety."
In his introduction, Dr. Goldman treats his
readers to an interesting chapter in Jewish his-
tory and to a biographical resume of an impor-
tant era in the life of Maimonides.
His synopsis of Maimonides' Letter contains
many illuminating facts. We learn about the
condition of the Jews in Yemen 800 years ago,
their sufferings, a wave of apostacy among them
and the causes of anti-Semitism. The battle
against Jewry was described by Maimonides as
doomed to failure because it was a fight against
God.
Maimonides, who spoke of imperishable Is-
rael, told of the harm -done to Judaism through
the sowing of doubt and confusion. In his syn-
opsis, Dr. Goldman states, explaining Maimon-
ides' viewpoint: "The first to have devised this
plan was Jesus. He represented himself as hav-
ing been sent to resolve the perplexities in _the
Torah and as being the expected Messiah. In
reality he interpreted the Torah in a manner as
to invalidate it altogether. The Rabbis however,
having guessed his purpose, made it impossible
for him to gain many followers among us. So
it was with the founder of another religion, who
sought to emulate Jesus. The intention of all of
them is to compare their religion to Judaism.
• But a chasm yawns between Judaism and
the other religions."
Maimonides pointed out, Dr. Goldman ex-
plains, that "Islam is a cheap superficial imita-
tion, the work of the vainglorious Mohammed,
who would be a prophet, but whose folly and
deceit were apparent . . . But Daniel predicted
the fall of all persecutors. Their triumphs would
be temporary as was anticipated by David.
Nebuchadnezzar perished, Daniel and his friends
were saved . . . The apostates' claims that Mo-
hammed is mentioned in the Bible and his proofs
are anticipated are ludricrous."
Astrology and Messianic speculations are de-
cried and those who posed as Messiahs in Ye-
men were called insane.
The Letter served to strengthen the Yemen-
ite Jews in their faith and to carry them through
their worst ordeals.
Dr. Goldman did an admirable job with his
new book.
Facts You Should Know .. .
What is the derivation of the term "Sanhe-
drin?"
It is generally claimed that the term "San-
hedrin" has its origin in the Greek language. It
is not found in Biblical literature. Etymolo-
gists claim it means "seat." Sanhedrin thus
means a group of people who "sit together."
Traditionalists like to feel that the term "San-
hedrin" is an abbreviation of the Hebrew sen-
tence "they despise the (preferential recognition
of) appearance of dignity at the trial" (sonin
hadras ponim badin). This term would be an
abbreviation of the description of the integrity
of the body in rendering legal decisions.