As the Editor
Views the News .
With Their Big Hatchets
Analysis of UNESCO Statement
Exposes Fallacies and Myths
B-G's Wise Move
Israel's Premier David Ben-Gurion acted
wisely in forcing the issue in the Knesset
with his resignation, which undoubtedly will
lead to another general election.
While the "no-confidence" vote of 49-42
was on the question of the education of chil-
dren in immigrant camps, the fact to be con-
sidered is that lined up with the Mizrachi
orthodox faction on this question—in oppo-
sition to Mr. Ben-Gurion's Mapai labor party
—were the extremists : Mapam, "the roman-
tic pro-Russians," as Dr. James G. McDonald
described them in his address in Detroit on
Feb. 15; the right-wing Herut (the former
Irgunists) and Nathan Friedman Yellin the
one-man Freedom party. If any one chooses
to judge the situation harshly against Mr.
Ben-Gurion, he should first take a broad
view of the situation by takino note of the
additional fact that General Zionists
and
b
Communists lined up with the opposition.
Only the three Progressives abstained from
becoming parties to the Cabinet's defeat.
Under the circumstances, Mr. Ben-Gurion
acted realistically by offering his resigna-
tion. There has to be a show-down in matters
of state. Struggling economically, pressed to
the wall by surrounding enemy states, Israel
is fighting to retain status internally as a
sovereign state and externally to retain the
respect and confidence of the entire world.
This will be unattainable if the extreme-
parties will line up against their government
every time some one objects to • a school
matter, or to an issue involving kashrut, or
to a score of minor issues.
Given a fair chance, Israel will win the
battle to live honorably as a free nation. We
are confident that Mr. Ben-Gurion, whom Dr.
McDonald called one of the world's greatest
living statesmen, will be returned to leader-
ship. But such return, it is sincerely to be
hoped, ought to be accompanied by an ex-
pression of great confidence and support.
Perhaps the proposed new elections will
make that possible.
'Statement on Race'
BROTHERHOOD WEEK
Sponsored by The National Conference of Christians and Jews:
Israel Bond _Issue's Good Terms
Israel was given timely encouragement in Detroit on
Feb. 15 when a group of responsible leaders unanimously en-
dorsed the inauguration of the bond drive for the Jewish
state. The citizens of the new state would have been thrilled
by the messages that were brought in their behalf by the
eminent Christian leader, Dr. James G. McDonald, the first
U. S. Ambassador to Israel; the brilliant executive vice-
president of the Israel bond drive, Henry Montor, and the
able chairman, Max Osnos, who rose to new heights of lead-
ership at the initial Detroit bond meeting.
The Ford Gift
"Statement on Race" by Prof. Ashley Mon-
tagu of Rutgers University, published this week•
by Henry Schuman (20 E. 70th, New York 21),
was timed properly for appearance during
Brotherhood Week. The volume—."an extensive
discussion in plain language of the UNESCO
Statement by Experts on Race Problems"—helps
the cause of reaffirming the principles and high,
est values of democracy and presents in t h e
simplest terms the fallacies of racists and the
ideals of men of justice.
The Myths and misconceptions of race are
exposed in this volume in the manner of an
analysis of the UNESCO (United Nations Edu-
cational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
statement, paragraph- by paragraph. Present-
ing the most advanced thinking and incontro-
vertible decisions on the subject, this volume
presents the latest scientific findings on the
subject. Prof. Montagu, one of the U. S. repre-
sentatives on the committee, who wrote the first
draft of the UNESCO statement before it went
through its many revisions, develops the decis-
ions at length. The original statement was of
necessity brief, and the Montagu book amplifies
every point advanced.
Prof. Montagu asserts that the term "race"
"designates a group of population character-
ized by some concentrations, relative as to fre-
quency and distribution, of hereditary par-
ticles (genes) or physical characters, which -
appear, fluctuate, and often disappear in the
course of time by reason of geographic and/or
cultural isolation."
One of the most significant chapters in his
book deals with the misconceptions about a
"Jewish race." "It should be clear," he states,
"that any person who subscribes to the tenets
of the Jewish religion and practices them is a
Jew by religion. That fact, however, tells us
nothing about his race. There are Mongoloid
Chinese who are Jews, Abyssinian and American
Negroids who are Jews, and in Italy there is a
whole village of ex-Catholic Mediterranians who
are Jews .The Jews are not anything ap-
proaching a homogeneous, biological entity, nor
are they a race or an ethnic group. Many from
all over the world have recently joined in form-
ing the Israeli nation, but neither race nor re-
ligion is identifiable with the Israeli nation, for
there are numerous Israelis who are not Jews by
religion, and are certainly not Jews by any bio-
logical or racial standard. A member of the
Israeli nation should, therefore, be called aiA
`Israeli' and not a 'Jew'."
On the latter point there surely will be dif-
ference of opinion, although many Israelis may
agree with it. The fact that a Jew has become
an Israeli does not end his being a Jew, although
it is true that a Moslem or Christian citizen of
Israel must be referred to exclusively as an Is-
raeli. But this doeS not minimize the strength
of the argument regarding misconceptions about
a "Jewish race."
In its entirety, Prof. Montagu's "Statement
on Race"- is an excellent treatment of the sub.
ject. Its importance is emphasized by one of the
concluding sentences in the book: "Man is bound
to his fellow men by an unbreakable bond—by
The messages alone would have been insufficient. The
manner in which the bond issue is being proposed, as it was
outlined by Mr. Montor, inspires confidence and encourages
The $1,000,000 gift from the Ford Motor all-out effort by every one of us in defense of the position
Company Fund to the National Conference that Israel must-be helped in a sound economic way, to the
of Christians and Jews for the construction eventual exclusion of philanthropy.
of a "World Brotherhood" headquarters for-
*
*
the NCCJ, near the permanent headquarters
of the UN in New York, is a strong indica-
Briefly stated, the terms of the Israel bond issue are as
tion of the desire of the Ford family to be follows:
partners in the effort to advance the cause
(1) Bonds will be of two types: (a) coupon bonds, interest
of good will among all faiths in this country.
In recent years, the Ford Family -has _ payable semi-annually through the chain of banks handling the
in association with the Chase National Bank of New
played an important role in the inter-faith operation,
York as fiscal agent; (b) capital appreciation or savings bonds,
movement. The addresses and public state- on which interest will -be -compounded semi-annually until the
ments of Henry Ford II have stimulated good date of maturity. Coupon bonds will mature in fifteen years
will. The magnificent gift—one of the larg- and capital appreciation bonds will mature in twelve years.
est philanthropic contributions on record—
(2) Interest of both types of bonds will be at the rate of rife itself."
proves the sincerity of the great automobile 3% percent.
The State of Israel will pay interest and principal
firm in its support_ of the National Confer- in legal tender currency of the 'United States, except where
ence of Christians and Jews. Locally and on other options are exercised by the purchaser.
the national scene, the Fords have rendered
By THEODOR H. GASTER
(3) Coupon bonds will be issued in the following denomin-
an important service in this field. In welcom-
ations:
$500,
$1;000,
$2,500,
$5,000,
$10,000
and
multiples
of
the
(This article is an excerpt from "Purim and Hanukah,"
ing the new gesture, we wish to hope that it
book in the Great Religious Festivals Series of Henry
The savings bonds will start at $50 with other denomin- recent
Schuman, Inc. This new work on the Feast of Lots and the
will encourage all Americans to follow the latter.
ations being $100, $250, $500, $1,000, up to $10,000 and multiples Feast of Lights follows Dr. Gaster's "Passover, Its History
path of true brotherhood, eventually ending of the latter. All bonds will be sold at the face value of the and Traditions," also in the same series. The author is noted
for .his monumental work, Thespis, published by Schuman.
all traces of bigotry and inhumanity.
bond, and in the case of capital appreciation bonds the $50 Purim this year occurs on March 22.)
The Date of Purim
bond becomes worth $75 at maturity, etc.
Nazi Commutations
Congressman John D. Dingell of Detroit
has rendered an important service by de-
manding a Congressional investigation of
"pressures and influences" which have led
to the commutation of sentences of Nazi war
criminals in the American zone in Germany.
Whether or not his request that a five-man
commission be appointed to determine the
"cause and reaons" for the commutations
is fulfilled, the stand he has taken should
awaken public opinion to the injustices of
letting loose the people who were respon-
sible for mass murders.
-
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 StottAlldg.. Detroit 26. Mich., WO. 6-1155.
Subscription $3 a veer: foreign $4.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Office,
Detroit. Mich.. ander Act of March 8. 1879. ,
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
SIDNEY SHMARAK. Advertising Manager
(4) The Israel government will undertake to redeem bonds
on the death of the original purchaser, thus assuring liquidity
to estates.
(5) The bonds will be non-transferable for three years and
thereafter, they may be converted into bearer bonds. It will
be emphasized that the purpose of this clause is to assure dur-
ing these three crucial years the flow into Israel's economy of
the maximum amount of dollars to create the productive enter-
prizes which will enable Israel to reduce imports, expand ex-
ports and create jobs for hundreds of thousands of her citizens.
(6) At the option of the purchasers of these bonds, they
will be able to convert theminto Israel currency at any time at
the prevailing rate of exchange, with no restrictions on the man-
ner in which these funds may be used in Israel.
Every point listed here—without exception—indicates
that the best brains were put to work to prepare the terms
of the bond issue; that the most efficient financial experts
had a share in the creation of an idea which. is aimed at plac-
ing Israel on a sound economic footing; that one of the chief
aims of the entire undertaking is to provide security for the
investors in the bond issue.
The drive for the sale of Israel bonds won't begin until
May
1. The UJA efforts throughout the country, it is hoped,
Vol. XVIII—No. 24 Page 4 rebruary 23, 1951
will have been completed 'by that time. The Detroit meeting
of.-Feb.
Feb. 15 was, in great measure, the opening move in the
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
establishment of the b bond 'drive organization. From this point
This Sabbath, the . eighteenth day of Adar
on it is imperative that every Jew should think in terms of
5711, the. following Scriptural selections will be making the bond drive a great success. Every man, woman
read in our synagogues:
and child should have a share -in the bond issue.
Pentateuchal portion—Ex. 30:11-34:35.
The 'greatest undertaking in the • history of pro-Israel
Pip ht t c -P9iltiPP -4AIVY./V-
6 c, ,F,
62Cf4q47,P. activities. begins imitilat the 'boncl7ciai -ve.
The date of Purim falls, as a rule, within the
week of the vernal equinox. This has been the
case, for example, no less than 20 times during
the past 50 years. Now, in ancient and primitive
calendars, equinox and solstice, or the new moons
nearest them, are often regarded as the begin-
nings of the year. It is for this reason that the
Babylonians and the Jews reckoned their years
from the months of Nisan (Mid-March to mid-
April) or Tishri (mid-September to mid-Octo-
ber). The original Roman year, in use before
the Julian reform, likewise began on March 1;
and it is significant that the vernal equinox was
the regular beginning of the year in European
countries until comparatively recent times. Un-
der Charlemagne, the year began on March 25,
and it was not until 1575 that Philip II of Spain
instituted Jan. 1 as the official date. In Holland,
Protestant Germany, and Russia, the latter date
was approved only in 1700; in Sweden, in 1753.
In England, although the historical year begins
on Jan. 1, the Civil year is reckoned from March
23. Moreover—and this is especially important...-.
the ancient Iranian year began at the vernal
equinox.
As for the meaning of the name Purim, it IS
noteworthy—as several scholars have previous-
ly noted—that in modern Arabic the New Year
is indeed called phur. The name has, apparently,
no satisfactory etymology in the Arabic lang-
uage. It must therefore have been borrowed; and
a reasonable conjecture would associate it with
the ancient Persian word for "first," when it
would have meant something like "first days of
the year," or, indeed, "first season," like the
French printemps (literally, "first season") 'or
the Italian and. Spanish primavera, meaning
"spring.",- "