As the Editor
Views the News ...
U. S. Jewry °s Future
- Bernard Baruch's comment on current
critical conditions in this country, made last
week on his 81st birthday, was:
"Don't bellyache, we'll come out of this
present crisis all right."
That's how most Americans, of all faiths,
feel.
-
At the World Zionist Congress in Jeru-
salem, however, spokesmen for the two ex-
treme groups in Zionism—the left-wing Ma-
pam and right-wing Herut—were skeptical
about American Jewry's future. Mapam's J.
Bar-Yehuda warned American Zionists that
"in 10 or 15 years now, you, too, may be
faced with the need for sanctuary." Meir -
Grossman, whose residence for many years
was in this country, reportedly sounded a
similar warning.
But there were contrary viewpoints. Israel
Mapai leader Eliezer Kibneh- stated that Israel
would be doomed if the Jews of the United
States were to be subjected to persecution. Dr.
Chaim Greenberg, the eminent American Labor
Zionist leader, asserted that there is a vast
difference between Iraq and the United States,'
just as there was a vast contrast between Me-
dieval Spain which expelled the Jews and Hol-
land which gave them refuge.
Dr. Greenberg stated that American
Jews, "rightly or wrongly, do not regard
themselves as candidates for mass emigra-
tion in the near future. They cannot be per-
suaded to accept the fate of German Jewry
as their own fate."
It is regrettable that an unrealistic is-
sue should have been injected into World
Zionist Congress debates. While no one can
predict whether anything approximating
Nazi-fascism ever can gain root in a free
land like ours, it is unwise to resort to what
Berl Locker, chairman of the Jewish Agency
Executive, referred to as "scare propagan-
da." Mr. Locker pointed out that such scare
measures can not possibly convert American
Jews to large-scale migration to Israel.
Apparently there is much confusion
on this subject. Dr. Nahum Goldmann
asserted: "Galuth (exile) does not cease be-
ing Galuth because Jews are happy and well
treated there. Galuth is not measured by
good_or bad treatment. Galuth is a mystical
Concept. If you deny that America is Galuth
you might as well deny the need for Israel."
While Dr. Goldmann's viewpoint has been
applicable to all European and Middle East-
ern countries, we can not agree with his
conclusion that the Galuth concept fits into
the American way of life. The very idea of
persecution by governments is foreign to our
way of life. If ever it should come to pass
that Jews or any other groups will be sub-
jected to persecution by government decree,
the American idea will be destroyed. We can
not agree that this idea is destructible.
The United States has had many crises.
There were times when bigots came forth
with - movements inimical to Americanism.
Their efforts were short-lived. The Know-
Nothing and similar movements could not
survive. Coughlinism perished. Present-day
anti-Semitic movements are looked upon
with suspicion by right-thinking Americans,
and we like to believe that the right-thinking
people predominate. True, there are many
evidences of anti-Semitism. But we doubt the
ability of bigots to spread their movement
and to make it live.
It is unfortunate that this issue was in-
jected in the Zionist Congress. • Those who
envisioned trouble for American Jewry are
unduly panicky. We are inclined, on the
question of Jewish rights as well as all other
crises in American life, to say with Bernard
Baruch: "Don't bellyache, we'll come out of
this present crisis all right."
JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle
commencing with issue of July 20,1951
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., W0.5-1155.
Subscription $4 a year; foreign $5.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Office,
Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
SIDNEY SHMARAK, Advertising Manager
FRANK SIMONS, City Editor
Vol. XIX—No. 25
Page 4
August 31, 1951
Sabbath Rosh Hodesh Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the thirtieth day of Ab—first
day of Rosh Hodesh Elul—the following selec-
tions will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portions — Dent. 11:26-16:17;
Num. 28:9-15.
Prophetical portion—Is. 66.
On Sunday, second day Rosh Hodesh Elul,
Num. 28:1-15 will be read during morning
services,
Robbery!
DiscRIMINKroM PRAcTicES
CosT -T- NE` U. S
030,000,00 0 , 000
EAcH "(EAR SURVE`?
SHOWS
Fear Aids Renazification
If an analysis of existing conditions in Washington by
one of our correspondents in the nation's capital is correct,
then we are facing some trying times in efforts to prevent
renazification.
Our correspondent's story is based on the 378 to 0 vote
in the House of Representatives on a resolution introduced
by Rep. John Rankin providing for the termination of the
technical state of war with Germany as a preliminary step
toward that country's remilitarization.
Rep. Rankin and his associates had said that "only a
communist" would oppose Germany's remilitarization. Never-
theless, even the severest critics of German rearmament pro-
grams voted with them. The Jewish members of Congress— .
Emmanuel Celler, Earl Chudoff, Isidore Dollinger, Sidney
A. Fine, Louis B. Heller, Arthur G. Klein, Abraham J. Mul-
ter, Abraham A. Ribicoff, Adolph J. Sabath and Sidney R.
Yates—voted Rep. Rankin's way. Only Rep. Jacob K. Javits
refrained from voting on the measure _and went on record as
"present" to the call of his name.
Our correspondent makes this analysis of Jewish reac-
tions to pressure from those who seek to inject fear in the
hearts of men with the term "communist":
Before the vote was taken, Rankin spoke long and loudly
about a "racial minority" of "long-nosed communists." Repub-
lican Representative Walter H. Judd of Minneapolis joined with
Rankin by saying that "the real intent of the Morgenthau plan"
was to make it "impossible for the Germans to recover, or for
anything to develop in Germany, except the cause of com-
munism."
In Washington the major Jewish "defense" organizations
such as the American Jewish Committee and the Bnai Brith,
are so afraid of being accused of aiding communism that they
have virtually withdrawn from their fight against the renazi-
fication and remilitarization of Germany. Since President Tru-
man and the administration consider it "expedient" to re-arm
Germany as a "bulwark" against communism, it is very difficult
for the JewiRh organizations to oppose this policy without risk-
ing McCarthy-like attacks. Some of the •nti-defamation ex-
perts were so anxious not to displease the McCarthyites they
were upset when Israel took such a strong stand against Presi-
dent Truman's request for Congressional action toward the
restoration of German independence.
Although American Jewish organizations • were once staunch
opponents of the fascist dictatorship of Spanish Dictator Fran-
cisco Franco they were rather meek when the U. S. government
decided to ally itself with Spain. This was another instance in
which the "defense" agencies were afraid to make a vigorous fight
in Washington because of the fear of being accused of aiding
communism. The Jewish organizations knew very well that
Franco sought American aid to perpetuate his dictatorship. To
• gain this end and to prove that he differs from Hitler, Franco
since World War II has bragged about the "good treatment"
of Spain's handful of Jews (about 5;000.) This was one step in
Franco's quest for "respectability."
A Jewish congressman, Rep. Abraham J. Multer of New
York, visited Spain not too long ago and later reported to Con-
gress that he found the Spanish Jewish community happy and
unpersecuted. He said, "It is the only place in the Eastern Hem-
isphere, outside of Israel, where I observed Jews proudly wear-
ing in their lapels the gold Mogen Dovid, the Shield of David .. .".
Franco's propagandists, the same people who advanced
Nazism, used Multer's quotations to good advantage in their
campaign to show that Spain is really a "democratic" country.
Everyone seems to have forgotten that in a radio broad-
cast on New Year's Eve, 1940, Franco expressed thanks that
the Spanish Jewish problem was liquidated by the InquiSition.
This is not a' pretty picture. When fear and panic take
hold of men, even the best of them descend into a pitiful
position. We are not unmindful of the sad situations that
arise from time to time in Congress. Some of the vilest anti-
Semitic sentiments have been expressed by members of
Congress. Their Congressional immunity seems to have given
some of them the right to be abusive. Jewish members of
Congress have courageously resisted attacks. But as soon
as the term "communist" is uttered fear -dominates the
scene.
No other group has suffered as much from Communism
as world Jewry. The Jews of Russia are virtually becoming
extinct as a result of a new type of oppression which has
thrived on false claims of "outlawing anti-Semitism." In Rus-
sian satellite countries the Jewish communities always are
on the defensive and are gradually disappearing through
emigration which is tantamount to flight. Yet the anti-Serniti-
cally inclined Congressmen dare to use the term "commu-
nist" in relation to Jews! And Jewish spokesmen are fright-
ened! That's the tragedy:
'No People Like Show People'
Fascinating Study of the
Great Names in Acting
Maurice Zolotow certainly knows the enter•.
tainment field. As a reporter in show busi-
ness, he is superb. His new book, "No PeoplE
Like Show People" (Random House, 457 Madi-
son, N.Y.) proves it. Jack Benny Oscar Levant
Jed Harris, Fred Allen, Ethel Merman, Tallulah
Bankhead, Jimmy Durante and Frank Fal
appear in interesting light in these studies.
"Are. actors people?" the author asks. The
answer is a clear one. Each of the studies re-
veals the human elements of the group. Some
of them, in the author's analyses, emerge a.!
morose, bitter, disturbed. Nevertheless, they are -
human. Most of them are warm-hearted, anxious
to be of service, liberal—even kind.
Tallulah Bankhead and Jimmy Durante lead
off. The first is the endearingly outrageous wo-
man who continues to conquer her audiences;
the second is the great entertainer who has
risen to great heights in spite of a bitter child-
hood.
Oscar Levant, "making enemies by acting
surly, insulting, bitter and utterly egocentric,"
nevertheless rose to great heights as a pianist
and as a wit. He was in,
the Gershwin orbit ancl
became George Gershwin'
"major satellite." In fact,-
he -became completely de-
pendent upon Gershwin.
Then came a steady in-
come at the piano and'
fame on the "Information
Please" program:
Zolotow believes: "There,
is a streak of sadness some--
times mixed in with the'
sadism of Levant's humor..
But the sadism is always .
there, always irrepressible.
Oscar Levant
Recently, somebody said to Billy Rose, 'Billy, I
think success has really mellowed Oscar Levant.'
`Yeah,' replied Rose, 'Oscar has mellowed—like
an old pistol!' "
Jack Benny, comedian of the airways, who
makes so many people laugh, is not such a
happy person, either. "He is a nail biter and a
thumb rubber." Nevertheless, he is radio's out-
standing success. Born Benny Kubelsky, in
Waukegan, Ill. Benny had an interesting career
before his rise to fame. His
Violin helped him a great deal:
So did his wife, the former
Sadye Marks who became the
radio-famous Mary Living-
stone. They adopted daughter
Joan in 1935. It is a happy
family—and is hard-workin
to retain its well-earned status
in the entertainment world.
"Benny is not discontented
with his success and with the
life he leads, a life that con-
sists almost entirely of
scheming • and sweating to
make his radio show consist-
Jack Benny
ently popular." Will he make good in TV?,
Zolotow doubts it.
Jed - Harris, born Jacob Horowitz in Vienna,
is introduced as the great producer and director
who "is closer to the childlike temperament of
the actor than he is to the more placid nature
which most Broadway producers possess." But
Harris has a "hot and violent temper, and fre-
quently has more fire than his actors."
"No People Like Show People" is, in its total-
ity, a very good book—interesting, informative,
entertaining.
,
Einstein on Science and Religion
A Literary Achievement
By Famous Physicist
•Dr. Albert Einstein's essay, "Are Religion and
Science .Irreconcilable?" in the Beacon Press
volume "Voices of Liberalism," will remain .an
outstanding contribution to the subject. As is
his habit, Prof. Einstein is brief. His entire essay
consumes only four of
the 272 pages in the
book. But there is punch
to it. Dr. Einstein makes
this significant observa-
-i:
tio“iw
"While it is true that
scientific results are en-
tirely independent of re-
ligious or moral consid-
erations, those individ-
uals to whom we owe
the great creative ach-
Aevements of science
were all of them imbued
with the truly religious
conviction that this uni-
Dr. Einstein
verse of ours is some-
thing perfect and susceptible to the rational
striving for knowledge. If this conviction had not
been a strongly emotional one and if those
searching for knowledge had not been inspired
by Spinoza's `amor dei intellectualis,' they would
hardly have been capable of that untiring devo-
tion which alone enables man to attain his
.greatest achievements."
. Prof. Einstein's evaluator-is both Of science
and religion makes his essay stand out as a truly
fine literary accomplishment.
,