As the Editor
Views the News , .
A Barrier to Be Avoided
Weissberg's 'The Accused'
Tells of Horrors in USSR
German Skin-Changing
If there is a person who doubts the cruelty
inherent in the Soviet witch-hunts, let him read
the shocking expose of Alexander Weissberg's
personal story of his imprisonment in Russia
which Simon & Schuster have published under
the title "The Accused." We especially recom-
mend this important volume to the reviewer of
"Darkness at Noon" who found the story boring
—apparently out of a lack of vision or under-
l sitfae.n ding of something terrorizing in modem
While negotiations are proceeding to se-
cure reparations from Germany for the
crimes committed by the Nazis, it is im-
portant that the Germans should be watched
and that the democratic nations should
be on guard against the rebirth of Nazism.
Writing in a recent issue of the French
periodical Le Monde, George Penchenier
cited an imaginary German who was ex-
plaining as follows what it means to a
German to be a soldier:
"You should not have opened the box of
Pandora. Now that it is done, it is too late to
despair. You cannot go back. So the German
will again don a uniform. He did not want
to, but you wanted it. But do you know what
happens when a German puts a helmet on his
head? He simply changes his skin.
"For you, military service is a disagreeable
incident against which one cannot revolt, but
which one has to get through with as quickly
as possible. Even in war, you remain dis-
guised civilians. For you, it is provisional; it
does not touch your soul. With the German,
it is different; on putting on a uniform, he
says goodbye to civilian life. He becomes an-
other man. What is provisional for you is final
for him. He always wants to click his heels.
That is not an artificial attitude, but a meta-
physical one. On entering the Army, the Ger-
man pledges his life. What I mean is that he
immediately thinks of death and not like you
of sooner or later returning to civilian life. And
this permanent idea of death moulds him,
which means that to a German an army im-
plies fighting.
"You have again p'ut Germany on a road
with which she is only too familiar. The con-
sequences are fatal. From now on, it is ridic-
ulous to employ any longer your old terminol-
ogy of victors and vanquished. There are no
more vanquished. There are only potential
Warriors for new wars. And your Frenchmen
will not have much to say in that affair. You
have no troops and you have no war spirit.
Neither have we at the moment, but once the
machine has started it will roll on by itself
and nobody will be able to stop it."
Expose of Communism
Lack of Vision in the UN
Arthur Koestler, whom we meet in Weissberg's
volume—Koestler also having been in Russia as
an avowed Communist before - he abandoned the
creed—in a lengthy preface to "The Accused"
outlines Weissberg's life story and makes this
telling comment.: "It is a tale which brings closer
to the reader than any published before the
inner mechanism of the most extraordinary ter-
ror regime in human .history."
Naming names, giving dates, referring to ac-
tual places and prisons, there is no doubting
Weissberg's story. It is a horrifying record of
an attempt by the G.P.U. to force confessions
out of a man whom they accused of counter-
espionage. Weissberg held out. He refused to
sign confessions. He was flogged and tormented.
He lived to tell the tale. -
Weissberg, while exposing the terror of
Sovietism, asserts that there was no anti-
Semitism in the Soviet Union and relates an
interesting incident. He tells of having inter-
ceded in behalf of a girl who made an anti-
Semitic comment and got her off merely with
a severe rebuke. A Communist official called
Weissberg . an anti-Semite in spite of his Jew-
ishness because he felt that intercession for
the girl anti-Semite meant encouraging a
deep-rooted hostile attitude.
We are told about two young Jews who were
arrested on the charge of being Zionists. They
had never heard the term and Weissberg wanted
to explain it to them, but was advised by a Red
Army captain for their good not to enlighten
them, thus keeping them in ignorance and giv-
ing them a better chance to be freed. He proved
right.
There are scores of other details about Jews
against whom fantastic charges were made by
Communists in the course of their campaign to
purge every person under suspicion. Zionists
were regarded. as• participants in a "pro-British
imperialist movement" and were on the con-
demned list.
While Weissberg speaks. constantly of his be-
ing a: Jew, it is doubtful whether he. had much of -
Jewish background. He speaks, for instance,
Of Talinudic 'ObSti:nacy, as if study of the Tal
Mud were a criterion for being obstinate; or: "He
was really a. naive man,. which is an unusual
thing fOr a':.TeW."3 .rWhich proves how little Weiss-
bergAtn.owS about Jews—being .himself so naive.
But oil the. iduestion. he treats in "The Accused"
he has a. s quired authority as a result of bitter
United States delegates to the United Nations joined the
delegations of Great Britain, France and "Turkey in sponsor-
ing a resolution for the continuation of the Palestine Con-
ciliation Commission. Israel, opposing the move, pointed to
the Commission's previous failures. The Arabs took advan-
tage of the situation not only to endorse the resolution but
insert in it provisions for the Commission's enlargement and
to rebuke the last UN General Assembly for 'failure" to im-
plement earlier decisions on Palestine. . -
There is something horribly oppressing
The irony of this newly-developed situation is that the
in this description which, to the survivors
from the cauldron that was kept boiling in original resolution was changed s6 . - drastically that the four
sponsors voted against
aainst it - and the Soviet bloc joined
Europe by the Nazis, will appear - very real
and not at all visionary and the creation of Israel and the Western Powers in opposing the plan.
The Arab delegation to the UN was even, more
fancy. That's how we have learned to know
irreconcilable on the question of resettling the refugees in
the German through two wars: as clicking
whose behalf it was proposed-to raise a $250,000,000 fund:
his heels, abandoning the human elements
On this score, too, any. attempt at compromise has failed.
in man as soon as he dons a uniform, saying
Which goes to prove the damage that is threatened .bk
goodbye in his military attire not only to
civilian life but to whatever vestiges of re- a lack of vision. Israel continues to offer to negotiate
spect for life itself and for human beings the Arabs for peace, to finance the refugees, to cooperate
there may have lurked in his heart. It is solving the problem. If the UN were to take a..strong. 'stand ekperience, -
against this militaristic demon, who becomes for direct action, the solution could. be solved speedily, But
•
the incidents repOtted by the . former
transformed by the proximity of a gun and poor vision continues to create new international collisions, Austrian Marxist who escaped death to expose
the. Soviet persecutors is: :the story of -;three
a uniform into a beast, that the world must to Israel's detriment.
different religions who- used a synagogue.:for
be on guard. And it is this dangerous phe-
religious services. The Man - who told the story,
nomenon, that so ably offers the appear-
after being placed in the same jail with WeiSs-
ance of a human being, whom the democratic
berg, made the comment that "Jews are cun-
powers are appeasing so soon after the whole-
ning," because "they made us pay. as Much as
sale murders by the Nazis! The man who
Detroit's quota of 75,000 trees in the Forest of the Mar-
they did" although Jews used the synagogue
retains the consciousness that he was made tyrs being planted in the Jerusalem Corridor in Israel may twice a day while Christians utilized it only
in the image of God has much to pray for in be filled speedily as a result of the current effort of the La- once a week. Because they had to take what
they could get they went to the synagogue,
viewing the future for which so uncertain a dies' Auxiliary of the Jewish National Fund in behalf of this
path is being made by misguided statesmen. project to honor the memory of the 6,000,000 victims of the Pavel Andreyevitch Gonsharov reported, add-
ing: "Jews are clever. They've got their people
Nazis.
everywhere. We had to be thankful they. let
For more than two decades the JNF women have played
pray in their place." And so, in Soviet R us-
us-
sia they prayed—and not unlike the capitalists
an important role in the historic task of redeeming the soil sia
During the entire year 5711, 381 Ameri- of Israel. The JNF, through its afforestation program, con- considered Jews clever! .
His concluding chapter offers an explanation
can, Halutzim settled in Israel. Now comes tinues to fulfill a very important function in soil reclamation
a report from Toronto that during a 14- as well as in providing means for employment and rehabilita- for Stalin's brutal attitude. He exposes the ty-
rant's desire to dominate at all costs, his wish
month period, from October 1950 through tion for the hundrels of thousands of newcomers to the to
socialize the productive forces of the world
December 1951, 60 Canadian Halutzim left young state.
as a means of attaining his own unlimited
for Israel. This is the extent of Israel's "in-
Sunday's annual event of the JNF Auxiliary calls at- power. His book is a serious warning against All
gathering of the exiles" power over the Dias- tention anew to its splendid uninterrupted effort which, over evidences of Communism and the terror that it
pora. Yet people become frightened over the a period of 21 years, has helped make a reality of the JNF inevitably imposes upon its own followers, as in
requests of Israeli leaders that western Jews policies. Now, by participating in the planting of the Forest the instance of Weissberg himself.
should assist .with their know-how in the of the Martyrs, the women are re-emphasizing an important
upbuilding of the Jewish state. Don't fear, function in behalf of Israel. All these efforts have earned Facts You Should Know:
ladies and gentlemen, the few departures for the JNF women the commendations they are receiving
What does the term "Bar-Mitzvah" actually
from our shores need not - disturb your peace locally and nationally.
mean?
of mind. They certainly are not sufficient to
, The term "Bar-Mitzvah" is accepted as mean-
help advance Israel's economic position.
ing that a boy has reached the age where he is
JNF's Forest of the Martyrs
Limited Ingathering
THE 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 Publisning
Co. ':98-10 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. XX—No. 20
Page 4
January 25, 1952
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the twenty-eighth day of Tebet,
5712 the following Scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Ex. 6:2-9:35.
Prophetical portion—Ezek. 28:25-29:21.
On Monday, Rosh Hodesh Shevat, Num. 28:1-
15 will be read during morning services.
Licht Renshen, Friday, Jan. 25, 5:15 p.m.
Our Rabbis' Justified Appeal
The appeal of the Orthodox Rabbinate of Detroit that
celebrations of Bar Mitzvahs, engagements, marriages and
other family events should be conducted in a manner that
will indicate respect for Jewish traditions should be studied
by the entire community. It is sincerely to be hoped that the
plea of the Vaad Horabbonim will be adhered to and that tra-
ditional affairs will be conducted with dignity ; adhering to
the laws of kashruth.
There is a great deal of truth to the statement of the
rabbis, published in this issue, that many of the events which
have been hallowed by tradition are conducted in a spirit of
"ordinary merry making:" While injection of a spirit of joy-
ousness must not be begrudged the celebrants referred to, it
must be recognized that Jews must avoid "turning into a
travesty" celebrations that should be marked by "sanctity
and spiritual enrichment."
Detroit's orthodox rabbis declare in their statement that
they will refuse to participate in functions where the "mini-
mum of Jewish tradition is not met." It is within the power
of our rabbis, throtigh such action, to train celebrants to
honor our traditions and our heritage.
directly responsible for the upkeep of religious
obligations and the Commandments. Technical-
ly the expression is 'made up of two words.
"Bar" means a "son" and "Mitzvah" means
"Commandment." The implication is that the
lad is mature enough' to accept responsibility for
the CommandmentS of the Lord. The date of
the origin of this term is assigned by some critics .
to the 14th century. The Mishnah (Aboth ch. 5)
states that one who is 13 years old is liable fot
Mitzvoth. The statement reads "Ben Sholosh
Esray Lemitzvoth." This might be taken as an
indirect reference. At any rate the Mishnah is
much older than the 14th century.
Sothe claim the origin of the term is found
in the Midrash. Others trace it back to the 13th
century to the famous author of the "Or Zorua."
Interesting is the fact that some early Rabbinic
masters used a term "Bar-Onshin" which means
a "son of Punishment." This would indicate that
a son of that age is liable for punishment if he
violates the Commandments. It is easy to see
why the Rabbis preferred the term "Bar-Mitz-
vah" in later years. Evidently its terminology
was more appealing than a similar term which
would mention "punishment."