2—THE JEWISH NEWS
NCRAC Tackles Charge of
`Unethical Solicitation' of
Newspaper Advertisements
America Draws Three of a Kind
Friday, September 1, 1950
Hebrew Schools Set
To Begin 32nd Year
The National Community Relations Advisory Council, at
a meeting m New York with representatives of the American
Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, considered the
charges made by the English-Jewish publishers and editors
that a group of publications have resorted to unethical prac-
tices in the solicitatiorh of advertisements. Arriving unani-
mously at the view that this matter falls within the jurisdic-
tion of NCRAC and should not be aired in public courts,
NCRAC issued the following statement:
"In the interests of the total Jewish community, the
National Community Relations Advisory Council has taken
cognizance of the issue of the alleged unethical practice by
Jewish publications in the securing of advertisements. On
Thursday, Aug. 24, a committee of the NCRAC met with
representatives of the American Association of English-
Jewish Newspapers and at an early date will similarly confer
with officials of publications concerned with this problem."
Follow-up meetings with the publishers' association and
the publications concerned will be held in New York during
the coming weeks.
With the opening of the school
year, 1950-51, the United Hebrew
Schools will usher in their 32nd
Year of service to the Jewish
community of Detroit.
Classes in all branches will be
resumed Wednesday, Sept. 6.
Schools are located as follows:
Central branch, Central High
School, TO. 8-0063, N. Rutten-
berg, principal; David W. Sim-
ons, 4000 Tuxedo, WE. 3-5711, M.
La chover, principal; Linwood=
Hazelwood, 8849 Linwood, TY.
4-2220, I. Elpern, principal;
Northwest branch, Northwest
Synagogue, UN. 4 9210; M. Mich-
lin, principal ; „Parkside Hebrew
School, 15705 Parkside, UN.
2-0506, A. Roberg, principal;
Rose Sittig Cohen branch, 13226
-
U.S. Zionists Buy
775,000 Shekolim
Direct JTA Teletype Wires
To The Jewish News
LONDON—Zionist parties in
the United States have sold
'175,000 Shekolim in the current
campaign, it w a s announced
here Tuesday by the informa-
tion office of the World Zionist
Organization.
In Israel the campaign is still
in progress and it is expected
that over 50Q000 Israelis will
eventually purchase a shekel,
traditional symbol of member-
ship in the Zionist movement.
In Brazil, 67,000 Shekolim were
sold, in South Africa, 48,500, in
Britain, 47,000, and in France,
41,000, it was announced. Elec-
tions for delegates to• the forth-
coming World Zionist Congress
will be held on Oct. 14 in Israel
and on Oct. 29 in Britain.
United Synagogue Sets
November Convention
NEW YORK, (JTA)—The 1950
biennial convention of the Unit-
ed Synagogue. of America—the
national organization of Con-
servative synagogues in the U. S.
—will be held in Washington
Nov. 15 to 19, Judge Simon Rif-
kind, chairman of the group's
convention committee,' an-
nounced.
Results of a survey undertak-
en by the organization in coop-
eration with Columbia Univers-
ity—which will focus attention
on the problems of synagogue
attendance and synagogue youth
work, as well as on the status
of adult and primary education
within the ConservatNe move-
ment—will be made public at
the convention, Judge Rifkind
said.
Purely Commentary
By_PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Yiddish Editors' Attack: Many Flaws—But What About JTA?
The attacks upon the Federations and Welfare Funds appear-
ing in the Yiddish press have many flaws. They generalize, about
democracy—failing to take into consideration the numerous
democratic structures that have been set up in American 'Jewish
communities. They fail to take into consideration a community
like Detroit's, whose Jewish Welfare Federation has been con-
ducting democratic elections for many years and whose budgeting
procedures have been debated at public meetings.
If there is to be criticism, it must be directed at the con-
stituencies, whose members - fail to show up at election meetings.
(At the annual Detroit Federation meeting, less than 500 of the
eligible 26,000 cast their ballots.) Perhaps a deeper interest on
the part of larger numbers of contributors also would have an
effect on budgeting.
In the main—taking Detroit as an example—the national
causes are treated well. Of the $4,500,000 income in 1950, the
Allied Jewish Campaign allocated $800,000 for local causes—and
$300,900 of this sum is to be used for the settlement of refugees,
leaving approximately $500,000 for local agencies. Thus, UJA is
properly cared for with our funds. The shortage, ,compared with
the incomes of 1948 and 1949, is not the fault of the Federation.
On one point we agree with the critics: on the issue involving
the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. We consider it unwise for De-
troit's fund-raising agencies to eliminate the JTA from its con-
stituent agencies. Without the JTA, we would be deprived of the
only available source of news—from Israel, the other world Jewish
communities and the American scene. For many years JTA has
been receiving support—without which it can not function prop-
, erly—from Federations. By cutting off support suddenly from
the JTA, all Jewry is the sufferer. It is our sincere hope that
there will be a speedy- change in this attitude, especially in view
JTA's reorganization that has just gone into effect.
One important point must be made in connection with the
issue raised by Mordecai Danzis and D. L. Meckler, the Yiddish
writers: The leaders in our communities aren't dictators, and as
supporters of Jewish education, Israel and other important Jewish
causes they certainly prove that they are not assimilationists. We
should be grateful that they are willing to assume responsibility
as leaders. Local as well as national experience proves that it is
extremely difficult today to get anyone to assume an important
job. To re-create an interest in office-holding in Jewish life is
a much more serious problem
* than
* the one raised by the critics.
Interesting Campaign Facts
, Some interesting facts became known this week about solici-
tations that were conducted recently for the Allied Jewish Cam-
paign for treasury gifts from our organizations.
•
Of the 265 organizations that were contacted for membership
lists,' to facilitate total coverage of our community by solicitors,
only 21 responded by providing lists. These lists offered names
of 611 new prospects, and from this number 21 new pledges were
secured for a total of $437.
The organizations themselves contributed $42,000. Such an
income hardly warrants emphasis on treasury gifts. The figures
we have just quoted prove this: that emphasis must be placed
not on organizational contributions but rather on individual gifts.
It is possible that by a change in tactics the contributions from
the members themselves can be increased. There will be no
excuses — where they previously existed — that they had given
through their organizations. Besides, manpower will be multiplied
when organizations_ are made responsible for solicitation of their
memberships. This is an important approach worth considering
in next year's drive.
Lawton, TO. 8-0063, M. Nobel,
principal.
On 'IsuesdaN7, - Sept. 5, the en
tire staff of the United Hebrew
Schools will meet at the Rose
Sittig Cohen Bldg., for an all-
day conference on their pro-
gram. This year the Schools
are expanding the Yiddish and
talmud departments.
In addition to the classwork,
plans have been made to resume
recreational activities for the
students. Games will be made
available before and after class-
es. Milk and crackers will be
served to those who request it.
Transportation can be ar-
ranged upon request.
For further information, call
the main office, TO. 8-0063.
Youth to Plan
Participation in
Torch Campaign
America filled a good hand with three of a kind . whet
the Schwartz children (I. to r.) Gisela, Sabina and - Henia, first
triplets to be born in an Austrian DP camp, landed in New,
York with their mother and father, Joseph and Rachele
Schwartz under the auspices of H1AS, the Hebrew Immigrant
Aid Society. The triplets . were born on April 28, 1948, the
m
last one to arrive coming more
than five hours after her sisters.
On the Record
By NATHAN ZIPRIN
(Copyright, 1950, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate,
Inc.)
Heard. and- Recorded
I don't know whether it is good for Jews or not but there is g
strong possibility that a Jew may inherit. Ernest Bevin's post aS
British Foreign Minister. He is the- 39-year-old deputy Morris
Edelman, a journalist by profession. There is very strong senti-
ment for him in the powerful executive of the Labor Party. If
Bevin steps down, as rumors have it, Edelman will have the back..•
ing of Premier Atlee, who was quite impressed by Edelman's per-
formance as British representative at the recent conference of
the European Council.
Bartley Crum is out of the picture as our next ambassador
to Israel. General William E. Riley has the inside track. The.
appointment will be announced when he returns from Israel.
Torch Drive participation will
be the first project of the new
board of the Community Service
Committee, which will meet
Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 8 p.m.,.
at the Dexter-Davison Branch
of the Jewish Center.
Milton Lucow, committee
president, will serve with vice
president Avern Cohen as co-
chairmen of the Torch Drive
for the Community Ser vice
Committee.
Lucow announced that 10 dis-
trict chairmen would be ap-
pointed to direct the door-to-
door solicitation in the area as-
signed to the committee. CSC
will be responsible. for the ter-
ritory bounded on the north and
south by Clairmount and West
Grand Boulevard, and on the
east and west by Twelfth and
Dexter.
The Jewish Center on Wood-
ward avenue will be headquar-
ters for the committee during
the Torch Drive which begins
Oct. 17. Special gifts solicita-
tion will precede the general
drive.
AJC Women View
Religion in Schools
The UN Palestine Conciliation Commission is about to meet
the fate of all flesh. Unable to bring its peace efforts to fruition
the body will ask its own dissolution at the next session of the
General Assembly, Its report will say that the only road to peace
between Israel and the Arab states is through direct negotiations
Contrary to Arab expectationS the partition resolution will not be
on the agenda of the next Assembly session. American opposition
to the move will prevail. Vatican circles are -disinclined to push
the Jerusalem internationalization scheme at this time for diplo-
matic reasons. In fact it is safe to say that the UN will seek to
avoid the issue at the next Assembly session,
*
From Many Corners
A German film company has completed production of S.
Anski's famous play the Dibbuk. Jews in Germany are wondering
who permitted the company to produce the Anski play.
At a recent session of the Austrian parliament it was brought
out that over 300 Nazi laws are still on the books. Among them.
is the edict against shechitah, the decree compelling Jewigh women
to use the name Sarah and Jewish men to use the surname Israel.
Belgian anti-Semites have found a new anti-Jewish weapon.
The abdication- of King Leopold, they say, was of Jewish making,.
The fact that it was a Jewish general, A. Rosenbaum, who com-
manded the military garrison that guarded the King on his return
from Switzerland was. naturally overlooked by the anti-Semites.
It was also the same Jewish generalwho was assigned to maintain.
order in Brussels during the anti-Leopold demonstration. - The
only Yiddish newspaper in Belgium has ceased publication: The
publishers announced that most of the readers of "Unser Wort,"
our word, had left for Israel.
The report that the Senate branded Rosselini as a Fastist
again raises the question whether his wife, Ingrid Bergman, is
of Jewish origin. I have it on good authority that the famous
actress is really Jewish.
is a. paradox of our times that a Jewess
should marry a Fascist. But then again who can deny that love
is blind.
Washington Note,
The Women's Division of the
American Jewish Congress will
begin its - season's activities at
a dessert luncheon at 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, S e p t. 6, in the
Founders' Room of the Art In-
stitute.
Mrs. Harold Nelson, vice
,'president of the
Commission on
aw and Social
Action, an-
:nounces that
the subject for
consideration
.
be, "Read-
ing, 'Riting —
Religion?" There
Miller
will be a dis-
cussion of the Brady School
plan.
Byron S. Miller, midwest re-
gional director of the Commis-
sion on Law and Social Action,
will a c t as moderator. The
panel will consist of Rabbi
Joshua Sperka and the Rev.
Merrill Bates.
Members and their friends are
invited.
-
Unless certain elements prevail. there is a distinct possibility
that the present session of Congress may approve a bill authoriz-
ing the return to Jewish organizations of approximately three-
Million dollars worth of assets that had been confiscated from
enemy aliens during: the war. The money in most part came from
Jews who had the foresight to smuggle their assets from Germany
the moment Hitler rose to power. Since the confiscated property,
belonged to people who were enemies of the nation we were war-
ring, official Washington felt that there was no reason penalizing
them through permanent seizure of their belongings. As early as
1946 Congress passed a law authorizing the return of seized assets
to political and religious victims of Nazism. Some of the assets
have been returned to the original owners. Most of them however
remained untouched because there were no claimants or heirs, an
or most of them having been slaughtered by Hitler. As a result
it occurred to a number of legislators, among them Congressman
Sabbath, that a bill be passed permitting transfer of the assets
to Jewish relief and rehabilitation bodies: The Senate passed
such a bill a year ago. But somehow the House version of the
bill got tied up in technicalities though it had been approved by
a number of committees. The bill is now in the hands of the
Rules Committee where a number of objections have been raised.
The chief difficulty before the committee is the problem of speci-
fying which organization or organizations should be made trustees
of the assets, to be used for succor and relief abroad. The chief
agencies under consideration are JDC, Jewish Agency and United
Jewish Appeal. Such a move by the United States might serve
to influence other countries into similar action, particularly Swit-
zerland, where huge heirless Jewish assets are on deposit in private
banks or invested in government bonds.