Stater JWV Convention Here Sunday

11-iunity service, veteran rehabili-
; tation, Boy Scout and American-
• ism functions of the organiza-
I tion. The convention also will
elect officers for the forth-
coming season.
The conclave will be high-
lighted by a visit to Detroit of
Paul Gins b erg of Atlanta, Ga.,
Delegates and members of Memorial Home, 4095 West Davi-
national commander of the
son.
The
convention's
business
posts of the Jewish War Veter-
Jewish War Veterans. Gins-
ans from the entire state of session, to be held on Sunday, berg will address the conven-
will
hear
reports
from
depart-
Michigan will assemble in De-
tion and will welcome visitors
troit this week-end for the an- ment officers on the activities
at an open house at the Mem-
of
the
organization
during
the
nual convention of the Depart-
orial Home on Saturday night.
season
now
concluding.
These
ment of Michigan, Jewish War
During his visit here he also
will be received by community
Veterans. to be held at the JWV reports will deal with the corn-
leaders at a private reception
in the penthouse of the Vet-
erans Memorial Building.
A resolution before the Detroit
Common Council designates May
130 and June 1 as "Jewish War
By PHILIP SLOMOV I TZ
IVeteran Days" and extends the
hospitality of the city to Gins-
Humor .. Biting, Fertile, Salty
berg. The resolution also recog-
there
Jewish life is not all grim. It has its lighter side and
nizes the achievements of Jewish
are delightful stories which penetrate the tragic and bring relief 1W
ar Veterans and the leadership
!given the Department of Michi-
to the hardy.
Often, our humor is dipped in gall. But it is Mirthful never- gan by the outgoing State Com-
mander, Ben Desenberg.
theless.
Here are a few stories to illustrate the point:
Because of the coincidence
It
is
appropriate
that
this
yarn
of Shevuot and Memorial Day,
Cross-Breeding New Creature:
should come from Israel where they now say they will attempt to
graves of Jewish veterans in
Detroit and vicinity were
cross-breed a giraffe with a cow—so that they may produce an
decorated last Sunday by the
animal that will feed in the United States and offer milk in Israel.
various posts comprising the
The Greatest!—The story is told that Jascha Heifetz and Department of Michigan, and
appropriate graveside cere-
Mischa Elma were eating lunch together in one of New York's
swanky restaurants when the head waiter approached their table
monies were conducted.
with an envelope addressed: "To the World's-Greatest Violinist."
Heifetz picked it up from the tray, smiled, and passed it to
Campaign Brothers, Too
Elman, who, always the gentleman, said:
- No, Master, it is for you."
So, protesting modestly, Heifetz opened the envelope.
The note began: "Dear Fritz . .. ...

City Sets May 30, June 1 as
'Jewish War Veterans Days'

Purely Commentary

.

3rotherhood Week Chairmen, Newsmen
Given Detroit Round Table Honors

A special recognition luncheon WWJ, WWJ-TV, WKMH, WDTR,
citing past Brotherhood Week WJBK, WJBK-TV, WJR, WXYZ,
chairmen for their active par- WXYZ-TV, W E X L. Similar
iticipation and promotion of awards were given the news
1brotherhood ideals and prin- committee — Detroit News, De-
ciples was held Tuesday, in the troit Times, Detroit Free Press,
The Jewish News, Michigan
1Detroit Leland Hotel.
Those_ honored were Broth- Catholic, Detroit Teacher. De-
erhood Week chairmen of the troit Labor News, Michigan CIO
past seven years—Judge Frank 1 News, Women's City Club Maga-
N. Isbey, 1947; Hon. Harry F. zine, and Detroit Education
K e 11 y, 1948: Prentiss M. News.
Brown, 149; Win. Henry Gal-
lagher, 1950; John C. Man-
Miller Gains in ZOD
ning, 1951; Leonard N. Simons.
Battle;
Browdy Given
1952.
, Guest speaker was Louis C. Movement's Rebuke s
I Miriani, president of the Detroit
In the ranks of the Zionist
Common Council, with Sir Har-
ry Gignac, co-chairman of the Organization of America, there
1Canadian Council of Christians is an apparent revolt against
the administration of Benjamin
and Jews, as honored guest.
Merits of appreciation also Browdy. The retiring president
were given to Joseph F. Verhelle . suffered defeat after defeat on
and George W. Stark, vice- test votes that were taken at the
chairmen of this year's program. meeting of the National ZOA
along with radio committee Executive. The group backing
chairmen, Worth Kramer; tele- Rabbi Irving .Miller appeared
vision chairman, Willard Wal- 1 destined for trinmph.
A blow to the forces backing
- bridge; news chairman, Brew-1
' ster Campbell; movie chairman. Ezra Shapiro of Cleveland was
Earl Hudson; automotive chair-1 the decision of the Cleveland
man, Joseph E. Bayne, magazine! Zionist Society to back Rabbi
chairman, Hubert Elliott: reli- Miller. Dr. F. M. Falkman, one
gious chairmen, Bishop Richard of Dr. Abba Hillel Silver's right
S. M. Emrich; inside advertising • hand men, made the proposal
chairman, Joseph Wellman: for Miller.
outside advertising chairman,' Browdy drew the limelight in
Clarence Blessed; educational another field—by joining the
chairman, Dr. Eugene B. Elliott. !board of the Mapai-Histadrut-
Other merits of awards were supported AMPAL Israel invest-
presented to the radio stations ! rnent corporation. Now ZOA
t i a
r-
thafltirttihnegirwirteh
si esanyt is
participating in this year's istalwarts
president
brotherhood program as com-
mittee members: WJLB, CKLW, party other than his own.

The Bagel-Worshipping Cult: There is a new cult in Jewish
life: the bagel-worshippers who have created a big market for
the object of their love and its by-products, lox and cream cheese.
Another by-product of this idol-worship is the humor which
serves as a substitute for prayer in this new worship. In most
instances, what is here called humor really is gall.
One of the results of the new worship is the creation of a
play—and a play on words. The bagels are retained, but instead
of lox the comedy title has introduced the term yox, which, we
are told, is theatrical parlance for a belly laugh—and even if
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1952, Jewish Tetegraphic Agency, Inc.)
you don't—lIn the laugh, the belly fits the play involving belly
worship.
Israel Among Nations:
The play is touring the country. Wherever it is staged, the
The statistical year book of the United Nations reveals inter-
dramatic critics (some of them are tragic!) are "nice to the
esting
data on Israel .. You may not have known it, but Israel
Jews." In Detroit, for instance, the reviewers must have thought,
has a slightly larger population than Northern Ireland, Paraguay,
- here is a chance to be nice to Jews," and they went all out to
Jamaica, and Liberia and slightly smaller population than New
say nice things about the bagels and the yox—although, between
Zealand. . . . It is appreciably more peopled than Cyprus , or the
the lines, you suspected that tongues were in cheek and they
Saar, and has 10 times as many inhabitants as Icelanrid . . . But
were laughing not with us but at us.
take all the Jews in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and 91 the towns
We found greater satisfaction in Chicago newspapers. Three
and settlements from Metula to Elath and deposit them in Lon-
of the Windy City's papets assigned Jews to cover the bill of fare.
don, and what will you see? ... There would still be room in Lon-
In the Chicago Daily News, Sam Lesner wrote that the comedy
don for more than 80 percent of its inhabitants . • . Israel is cred-
was a "delicious dish of fun and music." Meyer Zolotareff, in the
Chicago Herald-American, liked the "speed and timing" in the
A brother team is the feature ited by the United Nationsr(rAs having a very decent standard of
of under $100 a year is credited to
- laughter jackpot." But the Chicago Sun-Times happened to send of the Machinery and Manufac- living . . . An average incdme
a
a courageous and truthful reporter, Herman Kogan, whose criti- turing Section of this year's Al- p eople in India, Ceylon , Paraguay and Ecuador; under $200
year
for
the
people
of
Brazil.
Chile,
Turkey,
Greece,
Spain,
Japan,
cism appeared under the heading "Only Bagels are Fresh." Our lied Jewish Campaign. Harold
that goes off to Herman for his blunt review which exposes a self- Kukes (left) is section chair- while in Italy, South Africa, Hungary, Austria and Egypt the aver-
the
ridiculing stage play that has found condemnation in dignified man, with his brother, Joseph, as age is less than $300 annually per capita . . In Israel—in
company of Argentina, Western Germany and the Soviet Union—
ranks but has, unfortunately, been encouraged by people who his co-chairman.
the average citizen has an income of between $300 and $450 a
must be taught that the heyday of "stage Jews" who ridiculed
year ... Above $450 a year are Britain, France, Belgium, Holland,
themselves when they happen to be Jews is over. Here is Herman
Canada, Australia and New Zeland . The United States is in a
Israel Bond Office
Kogan's review:
category by itself . . . Only Britain and the United States are
The freshest things in "Bagels and Yox" are the bagels dis-
Cancels Hushi Visit
ahead of Israel in newspaper circulation . . . In this Israel is a
tributed in the first number cf this American-Yiddish revue
little ahead of the most advanced countries, such as France, Hol-
and available also, with cream cheese, at intermission.
Detroit Israel bond leaders an- land, Finland, Austria and Canada. . . . In cinema attendance,
The gimmick of passing oza free these tasty doughnut-
nounced cancellation of plans to
.. While the inhab-
shaped hard buns is something new in the theater. But this honor' Abba Hushi, mayor of Israel occupies one of the foremost positions
"la ff riot," as Al Beckman and Johnny Pransky label their loud Haifa, at a dinner on June 4, itants of India and Turkey see films once a year and those of
Bolivia and Egypt twice, the Israeli figure is 38 films a year per
borscht-circuit production, isn't.
which was to have opened the capita, as compared with 29 in Britain and 22 in the United States.
I won't go along with George Jean Nathan, the wise old
1952 Israel bond drive in Detroit.
Opening of the campaign
titan of our business, in rapping "Bagels and Yox" as the year's
worst musical. But its stale jokes, gutter humor, double-meaning here has been postponed to Domestic Developments:
The story behind the dissolution of the joint campaign in the
Yiddish colloquialisms, routine dance acts, and tasteless monot- June 22.
Bond leaders cancelled the United States on behalf of the Hebrew University, the Weizmann
ony spur me to get into the spirit and call it, without rancor,
June 4 dinner to avoid conflict Institute and the Haifa Technion has come into "theopen . . .
"chazerei," which, freely translated, means "junk."
with meetings planned for June After two years of joint campaigning each of the three institutions
This is not to say that Sunday's opening night audiences
to
3 by the Allied Jewish Campaign will conduct its own drive this year and will apply separately
at the Blackstone agreed.
The customers, eager to be pleased in a way they have to honor Moshe Sharett, Israel's welfare funds for allocations . . In New York, the American
Friends of the Hebrew University will be included in the United
missed since the days of the old Glickman's Palace, laughed, Foreign Minister.
Haifa
"We are cancelling our June Jewish Appeal drive, while the Weizmann Institute and the
screeched, guffawed at every joke—the old ones, the cheap ones,
4 meeting so that everyone may Technion will conduct their own campaigns locally • The disso-
even the rare good ones.
of the joint campaign came after a long period of disagree-
There were, in my elusive esteem, two runners-up to the be able to hear Foreign Minister lution
Sharett's address," Edward H. ment among the institutions . . . Each of them was dissatisfied
delicious bagels themselves.
with the amount obtained from the joint drive . .. The original
Rickie Layne is a clever young ventriloquist whose wooden Singer, city manager of Bonds
concluded by the three institutions in 1950 was subject
partner, a brash fellow named Velvel, is probably the only Yid- for Israel, wrote to those invited agreement
to frequent re-negotiation . In 1950, the agreement provided
dish-speaking dummy in existence. Mary Forrest, a blonde and to the planned dinner on June that the Haifa Technion was to receive 15 percent of collections,
buxom Italian-born shiksa, sings surprisingly well in Yiddish, 4. "In view of the urgent im-
a minimum of $340,000 .. < The balance was to be divided 60
especially a montage of religious and folks songs by Sholom portance of the Israel Bond with
percent for the Hebrew University and 40 percent for the Weiz-
drive,
we
request
everyone
in
the
Secunda.
mann Institute ... The formula was revised in 1951, and the new
The story-tellers are Lou Saxon, a bush-league Lou Holtz, community to set aside Sunday percentages were made retroactive to the beginning of the agree-
evening, June 22, for the meet- ment ... Under the new formula, the Technion was to receive 25
and Larry Alpert, a skinny comic with a rubbery face and some
ing which will launch our 1952
evidence of a talent for mimicry.
percent, the Weizmann Institute 28 1/2 percent and the University
Their material deals with Miami and mink coats, nagging campaign."
4612 percent . . . The amount granted in cash to the three bene-
wives, overbearing bosses, harassed husbands, shlemiels, cloaks
ficiaries totalled about $485,000 in 1950 and about $617,000 in 1951.
and suits, Miami and bathing suits, mothers-Lin-law, the Cat-
Lourie Sent to Cuba
. . The factors which led to disagreement among them were
skills, and portions of the anatomy.
NEW YORK, (JTA) — Arthur primarily the result of dissatisfaction with percentage arrange-
We reproduce Kogan's complete review out of fairness. But Lourie, Israel Consul General, ments for the division of funds, - even after the formulae were
even his complimentary references point to insults: the summon- left for Havana to represent agreed upon. ... . One of these factors was the serious failure of
ing of the buxom shiksa to sing religious songs, the mink coats Israel at the 50th anniversary the joint campaign in New York in 1950, when it was independent
and nagging husbands and the portions of the anatomy! - celebration of Cuba's inde- of the New York United Jewish Appeal ... This drastically reduced
No, we did not go to see this play! We knew what was in pendence.
the income of the agencies ... At the end of two years of joint
store for us if we did, and we decided that bagel throwing, the
campaigning, it became apparent that the beneficiaries had en-
dishing out of "chazerei" and gutter humor must not be en-
much better results in 1948-49 when they conducted sej:.,
joyed
THE
JEWISH
NEWS
2
couraged. Unfortunately. the seats we might have occupied were
arate campaigns . . . Hence the divorce.
Friday,
May
30,
1952
not empty! Therein you find the gall!

Between You and Me

.

—