Purely Commentary Purposeless Overlapping: The aftermath of the annual Federation meeting is 'cloaked in an unhappy mood. It was. understood at the outset that a triumph for either side would not solve the problem, that it would not relieve the existing tensions, that it would not end the feud. A mere vote on an amendment is not sufficient to establish genuine cooperation. All the preachments in the world will not create harmony as long as we speak—to quote the five concluding words of the defeated- Council-sponsored amendment — of "these two central community bodies." If we perpetuate two central bodies, we will remain in danger of con- stantly ,speaking of 'we and they and of postponing the day when there will be genuine amity and peace in our midst. It is purposeless to refer back to the defeated, amendment. At this point we are obligated to our own self-respect to settle down to the business ahead of us. The community is agreed on a program of action through the Allied Jewish Campaign, and we must carry it through to success. We can not afford to squabble endlessly, to carry. on petty disputes, and to be gathering brickbats for use in public debates. The annual Federation meeting was valuable as a town hall for the discussion of our problems. It was saddening to the degree that tactless errors were committed by spokesmen who stepped out of their roles to compare giving and working—matters which were extraneous to the issue at the time—and in arousing bitterness and personality issues. For An Undivided House: Even some of our most level-headed men went haywire in their reactions to the Council-Federation controversy. In the feverish heat of debates over assumed Federation hegemony and Council claims, it is natural that people should take sides, that pre- judices should be absorbed in the course of discus- sions. Unfortunately, the main issue remains clouded, to the exclusion of the possibility of molding Detroit Jewry into a more perfect union. Rabbi M. J. Wohl- gelernter alone, of all the discussants at the Federa- tion meeting. pointed to the need for study of exist- ing problems in the year ahead with a view of merging Council with Federation into a single com- munity organization. Otherwise we seem to be acting in the spirit of the words that were attached to the Council amendment: to continue to function as these two central . community bodies. We believe that it is necessary to eliminate this condition, that we must unify our community, that we should abandon divisiveness-.and introduce genuine—not lip service— harmony. *; Ninety years ago there were two national capitals in this country. Their existence was the result of a civil war.the battle of brothers ensued to end such a state of affairs because a house divided can not stand. We are today engaged in a virtual civil war in our community. We are divided. We do not have one community organization,' but claim's to the 'exist- ence of two central communal bodies. This can not go on in wholesome fashion. We propose, therefore, that all our efforts should be exerted towards unify!- Approaches to Our Community Planning Sotomovitz Conflicting Issues: • - Many conflicting elements enter into the con- troversy. The Council's defense of its budgetary re- quirements does not necessarily fall into a single un- disputed category. There undoubtedly are arguments for and against some of its claims. Federation, too, can be and is wrong in some of its contentions. Let us examine two of the matters issue: the community o policemen who have calendar and the fellowshi uman relations work- been sent on scholarships shops. It is our firm belief that the fellowships are justified, that the policemen selected to study at uni- versity workshops return here with healthy view- points on important racial issues and that the Fed- eration should not have objected to that item in the Council's budget. The Council was organized for the specific purpose of advancing human rela- tions. of improving Christian-Jewish neighborliness. The fellowships for policemen represent a whole- some approach to community needs in spite of the point that has been made that Jews alone — not Catholics and Protestants — sponsor such programs. We differ, however, on the question of publishing bulky and expensive community calendars which ob- viously are intended to list as many organizations as possible—for the sake of satisfying organizational vanity of mentioning names. The calendars to which the Federation takes exception often list meetings of half a dozen or less people that are of interest only to the handful involved. There is no community value to such listings which, it is claimed by those objecting to such an expense, involve a cost of several thousand dollars a year. The preparation of such a calendar calls for the gathering of facts by an office staff, it requires mimeographing, it necessitates city- wide mailings. While Council denies that the ex- pense approaches the $5,000 mark, there is no doubt that economies can be effected through a proper community calendar that takes in the major functions in our midst and is not angled towards soothing van ities. By the same token, however, if the Council's cal- endar is unnecessary, why should it be necessary for other agencies to resort to similar expensive vanities? Why is it necessary for an agency like the Home for Aged to publish its own calendar of events, its distinctive holiday bulletins. its own journal? Perhaps, on this score, other costs should be consider- ed—the excessive printing of agency bulletins and other unnecessary material. There is nothing new in this protest. We have indicated on numerous occasions that many national movements go overboard in miblishing expensive Members of the, special gifts board of the Junior Division bring up to date the 'invitation list for their opening dinner. Pic- tured are, stnnding, left to right, IRWIN T. HOLTZMAN, AVERN 'COHN, ARTHUR J. RUBINER; seated: Mrs. IRWIN T. HOLTZ- 'MAN, ALMA FOX and NATHAN PETERMAN. • * S • More than 500 young adults members working in the cam- will receive invitations this week paign. Mildred Fox, assisted by to attend the opening dinner of Penny Isaacs, is in charge of ar- the Junior Division for the 1952 rangements for the party_ Sec- Allied Jewish Campaign set for tion chairmen serving as hosts 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 30, at and hostesses include Alvin the Belcrest Hotel, Avern Cohn, Eichler, Eleanore Goodman, Junior Division chairman of spe- Henry Lonnerstater, Dora Man- cial gifts, announced this week. delbaum, Samuel Ross, Bernice Members of the special gifts Alper, Rayetta Harris, Ann Ma- board in charge of dinner ar- gid, Willie Shanfield, Lil Bartlett, rangements include Mrs. Irwin Myrle Farber, Jody Ornstein, Holtzman, Ruth Kahn, Mrs. Mary Saltzman and Eve Zaret- Graham Landau and Mrs. Mar- sky. vin Rollins. Other Special Gifts Board members are Bnai Brith Organizes Irwin Holtzman, counselor, Herbert Aron- son. Stanley Caplan, Peter Copeland. New Lodge in Oakland County A new lodge 'of Bnai Brith has been organized in the South Oakland County area, as the Jewish community there is wit- nessing rapid growth. An organ- izational meeting held Thursday made plans for obtaining a A Junior Division cocktail charter from the national office, party will be held at 8 p.m., Sun- and elected temporary officers. day at the Detroit-Leland Hotel, for all - captains, section chair- 2 THE JEWISH NEWS Friday, March 14, 1952 men and • special gifts , board — By Philip ing the community, in order that it may have one democratically-functioning organization which should act and speak for Detroit Jewry. Let us examine the issue, in order that misunder- standings should be avoided. Let us come to an un- derstanding of basic differences. Let us admit that there is no monopoly on righteousness, just as there is no monopoly on wisdom or on claims of priority in aspirations to guarantee the survival of Jewish values. Junior Campaign Workers Send Invitations to Opening Dinner Meeting William Ellmann, Bartley Feinberg, Norman Feinberg. Alma Fox, Marvin Frenkel, Mrs. Marvin Frenkel, Jack Fromm, Hugh Greenberg, Ronald Green- berg, Richard Kahn, Marilyn Hopei, Gra- , ham Landau, Mrs. Ronald Kottler, Max ,a' Lapides, Charles Levin, Seymour Lichter, ,ro , • Nathan Peterman, Dorothy Prentis, Rich- ard Prince, Marvin Rollins, Ronald Roth- stein, Arthur James Rubiner, Edward / Schreiber, Jared Schubiner, Alfred She- ,vin and Gerald Sklar. The Need for Practical and Rational Campaign Sendoff Kasle to Leave On Israel Trip Leaders in the Allied Jewish Plus Campaign will gather at a bruncheon at 10:30 a.m.. Sunday. at the Davison Jewish Center for a combined progress report and sendoff for Abe Kasle, cam- paign chairman. On the eve of his departure for Israel—his first visit in a lifetime of work for Zionism- Kasle delivered a local message concluding the first 1952 United Jewish Appeal broadcast, and urged plus support for the 1952 Allied Jewish Campaign. whose major beneficiary is the _UJA. ''Detroit is about to embark on the 1952 Allied Jewish Cam- paign—a plus campaign to help meet Israel's needs and at the same -time to provide for 50 other great Jewish causes local- ly, nationally and overseas," Kasle said. "This year's campaign is a plus campaign - in many ways," he added. "For -the first time Sinai Hospital, soon to be com- pleted on Outer Drive, will be included in our primary philan- thropic driVe. Our contributions this year must be plus contribu- tions, in order-- for , our local health and welfare community relations agenclet -)6- -maintain the same level or service in the face of rising costs, and, they mu-4- be plus if we are to expand our local recreational or cultural facilities into new areas. "Let us all join together for plus giving and plus working in the 1952 Allied Jewish Plus Cam- pa.ign," he concluded. Chairmen in pre-campaign and the trades and professions will hear a report from Kasle on the spirit of the recent UJA meeting in Miami, where gifts approximating $876,000 from De- troiters launched contributions for causes here at home, as well as overseas and in Israel. • • brochures. There is no excuse for UJA issuing per iodicals for men and for women; or for the bon organization's campaign material not only for men's and women's divisions but- also for different parties; or for certain groups to sponsor not only national but also "district" propaganda material. There are numerous fields in which economies can be effected, That can be done only through examination of the needs of all agencies—including Federation itself: But there is the danger of becoming petty in these matters and all such items should be treated dis- passionately by responsible committees. Under One Roof: There are scores of issues that enter into the question of community unity and the need for bud- geting and for effecting economies. In the years to come we shall undoubtedly be faced with the question of consolidating our schools, many of which are so alike that they could function under one roof — obviating the need for conflicting systems and building programs—but which are today carrying on their own programs because differing parties are in- volved. Let us, for the moment, deal with one other opportunity for economy: the housing of all com- munity agencies under one roof, in a building that stands open for all who are associated with Federa- tion. We refer to the Butzel Memorial Building in which them undoubtedly is ample room for the Con cil offices. But Council apparently refuses to live u der one roof with. Federation. Therefore Council p: the extra rent in a private building. Is this justi We pose the question in the hope that an eventually will come forth in the best inten community unity. The Federation has been democratized i markable fashion in recent years. Its 28,500 co: - tors have equal rights in balloting for their pr- choices for membership on the bol.- rd of go and any 25 contributors to the Allied Jewish paign who have mace payments on their p have a right to nominate a candidate of their c The Federation has gone a long way in embrac every important Jewish cause—including educatio. Israel. health. recreation and rehabilitation. There fore Federation meets Council on equal ground ix many of its claims. It should not be so difficult to merge all objectives into a single community organ- ization. The solution to the existing problem. as we see it, lies in - the merging of conflicting bodies and in the creation of a single community organization. Drop the term Welfare from the name of the Jewish Welfare Federation and remove the term Council from Jewish Community Council, form a unified Jewish Community Federation, and you have a chance for amity among neighbors and fellow-citizens. In such an organization, if we follow Cleveland's pattern, we can have popular elections, a democratically-function- ing Delegate Assembly that will have a voice in the conduct of community business—not unlike the exist- ing Council Delegates Assembly—and unity that will make it possible for our house to stand undivided. The alternative is chaos. Between You and Me By BORIS SMOLAR (Copyright, 1952, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) Reparations Talks: The money spent by American Jewish communities and or- ganizations on aid to victims of the Nazi regime will not be in- cluded in the claim which will be presented to Germany by the Conference on Jewish Material claims Against Germany ... When the talks with Germany start March 17 in Brussels, the Confer- ence representatives will present a bill primarily for heirless and private Jewish property ... The Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds conferred with the praesidium of the Conference regarding the nature of the claims and decided to support the Conference . • . Both agreed not to include in the claims the cost to the American Jewish community of rehabilitating victims of the Nazis . . . The negotiations in Brussels are expected to last between four and six weeks . . . Moses A. Leavitt, JDC executive vice-chairman, will be the executive head of the Conference staff, and will remain in Brussels during the entire period of the nego- tiations .. Members of the praesidium also will be in Brussels, but not all of them will remain for the duration of the talks .. . Jewish organizations from Britain and France, which are not rep- resented on the praesidium of the Conference will have observers in Brussels who will be kept informed on details of the talks by praesidium members . . . The Conference staff will include number of excellent legal and economic experts who have • • • working for some time on the preparation of documents essentlai to the presentation ofthe Jewish bill to Germany ... The nego tions between the Conference and germany will be conduc • independently of the negotiations which will simultaneously place in Brussels between Israel and Germany . . There is g reason to believe that Germany will not do much bargaining dh Israel's bill for a billion dollars ... And it seems that Germany may be prepared . to provide Israel with 25,000 pre-fabricated houses as part of her reparations payment . • . This is what Israel 'needs most urgently, now . .. Israel also will get from Germany ships and machinery for electric stations. Jerusalem Talks: The problem of the status of the Jewish Agency is about be finally solved ... The Jewish Agency executive now meeting • plenary session in Jerusalem is putting the finishing touches to • • agreement on this subject to be concluded with the Israel gover • ment .. The details of this agreement, which form the basis f. legislation by the Israel parliament, have not yet been release. ► for publication . . . But its general lines are, according to Je • Agency sources, fairly clear ... The agreement will recognize t World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency as an offic • body charged with the duty of ensuring the participation of th - Jewish people in the upbuilding of Israel . . . This will not affect the work of the other Jewish bodies engaged in assisting in the development of the Jewish State ... But the agreement will give an official status to the Zionist Organization to enable it to carry' out its vital tasks through the Jewish Agency . . . After agree- ment is reached between the Jewish Agency and the Israel gov- ernment on general lines, the Israel parliament will be asked to pass appropriate legislation .