Separation of
Church and State

Reaffirmed:
Story of an
Exciting Debate

Read Commentator's
Column on Page 2

E JEWISH NE S

Best Wishes

to the

Entire

Community

of Jewish Events

A Weekly Review

for a

Happy 1951

VOLUME 18—No. 16 708 David Stott Bldg.—Phone WO. 5-1155

Detroit, Michigan, December 29, 1 950

•0!)..7

$3.00 Per Year; Single Copy, 10c

Rearming of Germany Is Called
Threat to Israel; Stassen in Zion

U.S. Grants New $35,000,000
Loan to Expand Agriculture

Direct JTA Teletype Wires to The Jewish News

JERUSALEM—The arming of either East or West Germany'
is a grave threat to Israel, Premier David Ben-Gurion'declared here
Monday during a debate. in Parliament. He insisted that the "Ger-
mans of both the East and the West shed Jewish blood and it would
be a shame to protest the arming of only one part of Germany."
He 'spoke during a discussion which arose when the Mapam
and Communists introduced a resolution condemning the recent
Brussels conference decision to rearm Western Germany. This
move was followed by the introduction of a resolution by Rabbi
Nurok, of the Religious Bloc, protesting the arming of both parts
of Germany. During the Premier's statement, Mapam and Com-
munist deputies interrupted frequently with shouts.
The entire matter was referred to the foreign affairs commit-.
tee for further study.
Finance Minister Eliezer Kaplan on 'Tuesday welcomed
Harold Stassen, Republican party leader and former governor of
Minnesota and now president of the University of Pennsylvania
who is on a tour of Middle and Far Eastern Countries. The Israel
leader outlined to Mr. Stassen the background of Israel's present
economic problems in a one-hour meeting.

Israel Gets New Export-Import Loan -

, ea ears C arry. on for I7 JA

.

More th;n800 Jewish leaders from all parts of the country, assembled in At-
-
campaign : for-:t49: United Jewish Appeal, drafted ED-
lantic City to 'launch the
WARD W. M. WARBURG (top, left) outstandingAmerican , Jewish Wader, to the
UJA general chairmanship, following the retirement of HENRY MORGENTHAU,
(top, right) from that post after four years of distinguished' service. At the same
time, the UJA national conference confirmed the appointment of. DR. - JOSEPH J.
SCHWARTZ (bottom left) , JDC director-general, as executive vice-chairman of
the UJA, replacing HENRY MONTOR (right in photo bottom left, 'taken with Mr.
Morgenthau) , who resigned after 12 years 'of service to direct a bond issue for Is-
rael. The photo on the lower right shows Israel Foreign Minister 'MOSHE SHARETT
lleft) , who was principal speaker at the conference, with JULIAN B. VENEZKY,
chairman of the UJA national Campaign Cabinet.

WASHINGTON—The Israel government Tuesday announced
the successful conclusion of negotiations with the export-import
bank for a credit of $35,000,000 for the expansion of Israel's agri-
culture and the production of fertilizers.
Ambassador Abba S. Eban expressed thanks for the attention
with which the bank examined Israel's needs. Mr. Eban said: "Ap-
proval of the credit testifies both to the highly cordial nature of
United States-Israel relations and the conference felt by the high-
est financial quarters in the productive potentialitieS of Israel's
economy."
It is contemplated that the new credit will provide essential
dollar financing for equipment and materials to be used for Israel's
agricultural 'expansion in 1951 and 1952. The new loan follows a
previous $100,000,000 bank loan granted sn January, 1949. Con-
tracts have been signed for purchase of equipment covering . all of
the 100,000,000 credit. Oscar. Gass, economic adviser to the Israel

(Continued on Page 3)

Two Sonhedrins: Key to Jesus Story

JewiSh, Answer to Challenging
Question: "Who Killed Jesus?"

previous to , the Maccabean period, the high
priest held complete civil and religious au-
. thority. He was the pontifical head of both re-
ligion and state. He derived his religious authori-
ty from sanctions within the Pentateuch. And his
high position was considered hereditary. His civil
authority he received at first from the Persian
_kings and later from the Ptolemean and Seleu-
cidean rulers.
After the Maccabean revolt, with the emer-
gence of the Commonwealth, the position of the
high priest was radically transformed. Simon was
elected the first ruler with full authority over
. the Jews. He also was elected to the high priest-
hood by the Great Synagogue, although he was
-not of the high priestly family. He was given
authority, however, only over the Temple and
its services. His power did not extend beyond
the. Temple and its concerns into the wider re-
ligious life of the people, such as religious law.
To deal with matters of religious law, an in-
dependent institution was created, a court of
justice, called in the Hebrew Bet Din, but better
known by its Greek name Sunedrion—Sanhedrin.
• The Religious Sanhedrin was made up of dif-
ferent branches. One was composed of 71 - (or 72)
judges and was a legislative body whose function
was to interpret the Biblical law and fix the
lialakah (the law). This Sanhedrin held its ses-
sion in the Hall of Hewn Stone (a compartment
in the Temple.)
The Sanhedrin. of 71 never" tried cases which
involved capital punishment, since it was only, a
legislative body. In certain cases, however, the

Condensed from the Scholarly Book

By PROF. SOLOMON ZEITLIN

In this second installment of the condensa-
tion of Prof. Solomon Zeitlin's Who Crucified
Jesus?" we are introduced to the religious and
political Sanhedrin and to thq parties, sects and
philosophies which shaped Jewish political and
religious action at the time of Jesus. Publication
of Prof. Zeitlin's book in these columns is
through courtesy of the author and the publish-
er, Harper and Bros. Condensation is by Ruth
L. Cassel.
0OF

Sanhedrin acted as a trial court, in such cases as
the trial of the head of the state, the high priest,
for offense against the state or the Temple. But
these were merely ;theoretical, constitutional
rights of the Sanhedrin, which had never actually
been exercised.
A Sanhedrin composed of 23 members tried
cases involving religious offenses such as homi-
cide, incest and profanation of the Sabbath
publicly, for which punishment incurring death
was meted out. The Sanhedrin which tried
capital punishment cases held their sessions
every day of the week, except Saturdays and
holidays and on the days preceding them.
They never conducted sessions at night. A per-
son who stood trial could be acquitted by the
court on the same day, but the law forbade
that a conviction should take place on the day
the trial began. A verdict of guilty must he
postponed until the following day. This proce- _
dare was recognized by the Roman authorities
even outside of Judea.

While the Sanhedrin of 23 had the authority,
to inflict either corporal punishment or death
upon the offenders, the Bible permits the employ-
ment of only four modes of capital punishment::
stoning, burning, decapitation and strangling.
Besides the religious Sanhedrin, there was
another Sanhedrin whose main' function was to
try offenders against the state. The political San-
hedrin did not have to have scholars as its mem-
bers. The state, through its .rulers, appointed the
members of the court. And the head of the state,
it may be presumed, appointed such men as mem-
bers who he believed would render verdicts
according to his wishes. Since the political San-
hedrin was not guided by statutes, it had no defi-
nite place to meet, and it tried its cases any time,
day or night, Saturdays, holidays or weekdays.

*

*

*

Parties, Sects and Philosophies

In a people religiously nurtured as were the
Jews, theological and religious conceptions pro-
vided the forms and instrumentalities for vital
forces of challenge to the existing social order,
and for change and revolt. The heavy oppression
of Rome, worked through her greedy and short-
sighted procurators, and the sharp social and
economic tensions within Jewish life inevitably,
gave birth to different political parties, philoso-
phical faiths and religious sects. In the time of
Jesus, these growing forces came to their ma-
turity and met in open and violent conflict.

(Continued on Page 16)