May You Be

Inscribed in the

Book of Life

For a Year of

THE JEWISH NEWS

A Weekly Review

Contentment, Peace

and Prosperity

1E1

of Jewish Event s

Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper—Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle

VOLUME 22—No. 3 708 David Stott Bldg.—Phone WO. 5-1155 Detroit,

Michigan, September 26, 1952

7

$4.00 Per Year; Single Copy, 10c

2 Orthodox Resignations Create
Another Cabinet Crisis in Israel

Jews as 'Loyalty' Targets

Psychologists' Analysis of
Anti-Semitism and Behavior

By MILTON FRIEDMAN

Copyright, 1952, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.

WASHINGTON—Loyalty and security programs have
caused Jews to be "frequently" singled out as victims of
unfounded suspicion. This was revealed hi a scientific anal- N
ysis of the impact of measures aimed 'against subversives.
The analysis was based on a series of intensive inter-
views of federal employees and university professors. Find-
ings were published in the Yale Law Journal by two of the
nation's leading psychologists. They are Dr. Stuart W.
Cook, chairman of New York University's Graduate Psy-
chology Department, and Dr. Marie Jahoda, who has done
research on anti-Semitism for the American Jewish Com-
mittee.
-
In one of the interviews, a university professor was asked
to think of one of his colleagues of„whose loyalty he was con-
vinced, but to assume that this colleague had learned that his
loyalty was doubted. The professor selected a colleague who
. was Jewish and foreign-born. He explained that his selection
seas guided by a desire to keep the situation as "natural" as
possible: "He assumed," the report said, "that a foreign-born
Jew was more likely to be the target of an unfounded accu-
sation than anyone else among his colleagues."
The report told of a man who Was charged with hold-
ing CommuniSt meetings in his home—a charge of which
- -hl was finally cleared. "In the course of the investigation,"
the psydhologists reported, "it came out that a neighbor
had heard songs in a strange language from a man's house.
Curious about this, he looked through the window and
saw what he considered strange behavior: a group of people
were sitting in a circle on the floor and singing. He con-
cluded that since Communists were strange and the scene
observed was strange, the two strange elements must be
identical. The result was that what was in fact a Zionist
meeting was reported as Communist."
This taught, said the psychologists, that the present
atmosphere in Washington is such that one may be sus-
pected of Communism and subjected to the tortures of in-
vestigation merely because people sing songs in a foreign
language.
in talking to the government workers, psychologists as-
sured them of anonymity. Some feared to cooperate. Others
condemned the entire security program with such phrases as
'"gestapo methods," "just like in. Germany," and "in fighting
totalitarianism in Russia we are becoming totalitarian our-
selves." Fear of McCarthyism was widely admitted. One fed-
eral worker said, "If Communists like apple pie, and I do, I
see no reason why I should stop eating it. But I would."
The report indicated that many federal employees
live in terror of being found with the "wrong" literature in
their homes. Some admitted reluctance to express their
thoughts on such topics as equal rights for Negroes. One
man said quite seriously that, in view of the situation, a
government worker should join nothing but "the Knights
of Columbus, and perhaps, the Masons." Another withdrew
from the American' Veterans Committee because he was
afraid it might develop in a "radical direction." It was
found that "informal pressures" were "enforcing conform-
ity to the new climate of thought."
Not only Jews but Negroes and the foreign-born were
frequently named as targets of unverified accusations.
Other groups considered by those. interviewed to be some-
times falsely accused as pro-Red included: "people vitally
interested in problems such as racial conflict, reduction of
poverty, and furtherance of human rights . . . intellectpals
0 , . liberals • . people with foreign-sounding names."
Interest in the loyalty program is mounting because
millions of Americans and resident aliens will be required
after Dec. 24 to meet the vaguely-defined requirements of
the McCarran-Walter Omnibus Act.
The victory of Sen. McCarthy in the Wisconsin pri-
mary indicated an endorsement of McCarthyism by a ma-
jority of Republicans in that state. The psychologists have
just . begun to measure the erosion of freedom caused by
McCarthy-inspired thinking which blurs the vital difference
between Communists and liberals. Dr. Jahoda is undertak-
ing, with the approval of the American Psychological As-
sociation, a more intensive research project to study the
loyalty program to evaluate a development described as an
increasing tendency toward suspicion of minority groups.

–

JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Israel's parliamentary crisis, following the withdrawal of two
of the religious parties from the government coalition, simmered through the Jewish
High Holy Days.
The government announced receipt of the resignations of Rabbi I. M. L.
Min-
ister of Social Welfare, and of Rabbi Kalman Kahane, Deputy Minister of Education,
members of the Agudath Israel and Agudath Workers parties respectively, but indi-
cated that no immediate action would be taken on them.
. Parliament is now in recess so the question of a parliamentary majority does not im-
mediately arise and the Cabinet held its regular weekly meeting Wednesday. A govern-
ment spokesman said the situation was not considered a "crisis" since the government
can muster 60 votes in the 120-man Parliament "while it. is not certain that there will
be 60 against us."
The remaining two components of the Religious Bloc, the Mizrachi and the Mizrachi
Workers, have not yet determined their position and are continuing efforts to achieve
a compromise between Premier Ben-Gurion and the Agudist factions.
Withdrawal of the two groups deprives the government coalition of a majority of
the Full Parliament.
A surprise development was the refusal of the Mizrachi and the Mizrachi Workers
parties, which with the two Agudah groups composed the Religious Bloc, to follow suit
and leave the government. As a result, the bloc is split.
Political circles ascribed the new devel opment to three factors: The determination
of Premier Ben-Gurion to conscript Orthodox girls for national service along with all
other girls of conscription age; the fear that the Premier's Mapai Party, dominant ele-
ment in the coalition, would seek to upset the present "trend" system in the schools;
refusal to permit the Agudah to conduct separate fund-raising campaigns abroad.
Rabbis Lewin and Kahane were said to have been reluctant to resign and insistent
that they could reach a compromise with Premier Ben-Gurion, but other elements in
the party insisted. Rabbi Lewin appealed to the Mizrachi groups to intervene with Pre-
mier Ben-Gurion to seek a compromise formula. Minister of Interior Moshe Shapira met
the Premier but failed to reach any compromise.
The Agudist elements failed to obtain'support of the other religious groups, it was
said .here,..hecaiise.-Orthodox girls were not being called up for military &ties but were
laelig assigned to work in the immigrant camps or in Orthodox settlements.

Eddie Cantor Dinner
To Boost Bond Drive

Joseph Holtzman has accept-
ed the chairmanship of the
committee for the Eddie Can-
tor dinner here Oct. 6 at the
Sheraton-Cadillac Hotel, in
behalf of the Israel Bond
Drive. Israel bond drive lead-
ers have expressed the hope
that a minimum of $1,000,000
in bonds will be sold to those
planning to attend the dinner.

Detailed Story on Page 20

NCRAC Battles for Existence

Official announcement of the withdrawal of the Ameri-
can Jewish Committee and Briai Brith from the National
Community Relations Advisory Council (NCRAC) place
the national community organization on the defensive. The
battle over the NCRAC decisions accepting the Maciver
Report—the immediate cause of the new struggle within
American Jewry—is reflected in the statements appearing
on page 3 of this issue. The controversy will be discussed
here by Dr. Maurice Eisendrath at a luncheon today, at-
ranged by the Jewish Community Council.

.

Sel i • c • l iot and 'you
. 'y ou Ai l ure

Ai •

L

.

This engraving is reproduced from a rare
volume, "Jewish Ceremonials," publ i'thed in 1730 in Nuremberg, It shows the Selichot
and Kol Nidre observances in an early 18th century German-Jewish synagogue. This rare
volume, one of a very few of its kind still in existence, is part of the library of Charles
E. Feinberg,, Detroit collector of rare volumes and ceremonial objects_