Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Senator Humphrey Is Guest Speaker at
Pisgah Lodge 95th Anniversary Banquet
Following on the heels of a banquet is scheduled this Sun- Rosengard, baritone; and Harry
civic night celebration, last day at the Sheraton Cadillac Goldstein, narrator.
Prof. Albert Einstein had some interesting things to say in Monday, which marked the be-
Last Monday's event was greet-
Hotel.
his declination of the flattering offer that he accept the Presi-
ed by Mayor Albert E. Cobo, who
Since
Pisgah
Lodge
was
the
dency of Israel. Declaring that he found it impossible to accept
has proclaimed the -week Bnai
the post recently vacated by the death of Dr. Chaim Weizmann,
first Bnai Brith Lodge in Mich- Brith Week in Detroit, and
Dr. Einstein wrote to David Goitein, Minister at the Israel Em-
igan the program will also com- other prominent local officials.
bassy in Washington:
memorate the 95th anniversary
Principal speaker was Sidney
"Since all my life I have been dealing with the world of
0. Kusworm, national treasurer
of the order in this state.
objects, I have neither the natural ability nor the experience
Hubert H. Humphrey, United of Bnai Brith and a leader in
necessary to deal with human beings and to carry out official
the Ohio Jewish and civic com-
functions. For these reasons, I do not feel -able to fulfil the re-
States Senator from Minnesota, munity.
The Pisgah Lodge de-
quirements of this great task, even were my advanced age not
a long-time champion of civil gree team presented an initia-
to limit my strength to an increasing extent.
rights legislation, will be guest tory ceremony for new members
"This situation. is indeed extremely sad for me, because my
speaker. A member of the Sen- of Bnai Brith.
relation to the Jewish people has become my strongest human
an original membership
attachment ever since I reached complete awareness of our
ate's committee on labor and of Froth.
13 when the Bnai Brith was
precarious position among the nations.
welfare and
introduced in Michigan. there
"After we have lost in recent days the man who among
chairman of the
are now 14,000 members of
3 u b - committee
adverse and tragic circumstances bore on his shoulders for
lodges,
chapters and youth
many years the whole burden of leadership of our striving for
on labor a n d
groups in the city and many
independence from without, I wish from all my heart that a
labor manage-
more out-state. Pisgah Lodge,
ment, S e n.
man be found who by his life work and personality may dare to
itself, has grown to 2,200 men,
Humphrey will
assume this difficult and responsible task.
and is the second largest Bnai
This is a most interesting statement. It is a deeply moving SEN. HUBERT H. HUMPHREY discuss the cur-
Brith group in the world.
r
e
n
t
political
declaration of "human attachment" to the Jewish people. It is
Among the ranks of Pisgah
characteristic of the eminent scientist that he is humble in treat- ginning of festivities in cele- scene.
Lodge members have come many
The
Lodge
ing an offer which surpasses other honors accorded him.
bration of the 95th anniversay
community leaders. There are
Perhaps it is well to have it on record that he was given - an of Pisgah Lodge, Bnai Brith, a will, at this
also five past presidents of Dis-
time,
honor
its
opportunity to succeed Dr. W4izmann, with whom he shared Zion-
trict Six Grand Lodge No. 6,
oldest
member,
ist burdens during their joint visit in this country in 1921 and in
which comprised eight states
Louis Jam es
later years. We venture the opinion, however, that it may have
and three Canadian provinces.
Rosenberg with
been unwise to make this offer.
In recent years, Aaron Droock,
an
honorary
Rosenberg
Dr. Einstein mentioned in his message of declination his "ad-
Yudkoff and Samuel W.
presidency. A member of t h e Harry
vanced age." He did not refer to his American citizenship. While
Leib have been elected to the
Lodge
for
50
years,
Mr.
Rosen-
Dr. Weizmann, too,. had to abandon citizenship in the land of his
highest regional honor in Bnai
Harry Levine, president, Com-
adoption—England--we must take into account the fact that the monwealth Plastics Corp., Leo- berg is a former American vice- Brith.
consul
to
Spain,
and
has
been
first President of Israel assumed the great post immediately upon minster, Mass., and the Winer
Until 1935, Pisgah Lodge was
the creation of the State of Israel. This is a new era, and it is our Brothers, National Plastic Prod- an outstanding Jewish leader in the only Bnai Brith group active
the
community
for
many
years.
belief that from this time on the Presidency of Israel should go ucts Co., Odenton, Md., an-
The Jewish Center Choral So- in Detroit. Nineteen additional
to an Israeli.
nounced the formation of the ciety, under the baton of lodges have sprung up in only
We thought it was utterly foolish to mention Dr. Nahum United Saran Corporation, Ltd., Julius Chajes, will perform the 17 years, and Pisgah helped to
Goldmann, also a naturalized American citizen, for Israel's Presi- of Rehovoth, Israel. The newly cantata, "The Promised Land." found most of them.
dency. We believe it to be equally unwise in Dr. Einstein's case. formed corporation has been Soloists will be Alice Shaw and
There are many outstanding leaders in Israel who should granted a license by the Dow Joan Erman, soprano; Elayne
2 THE JEWISH NEWS
be considered for the post. Let the Presidency go to an Israeli, Chemical Company, Midland, Sonnenfeld, contralto; Irving
Friday, November 28, 1952
obviating the need for another to give up citizenship elsewhere. Mich., manufacturers of the
• • •
basic material from which saran
The Rosenbergs and the Israeli Rabbis' Plea for Clemency
fibers are Made.
A JTA cable from Jerusalem reveals that on the day of the
The granting of this license
U. S. Supreme Court's rejection of the request of Ethel and Julius marks the beginning of a new
Rosenberg for a new trial, 22 leading Israeli rabbis cabled a plea basic industry in 'Israel. The
By BORIS SMOLAR
for clemency to President Truman, stating: "Your unchallenged plant is nearing completion in
(Copyright, 1952, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
renown throughout the world • as a ruler of noble humanity and Rehovoth, and machinery for it
deep religious conviction prompts us to make this humble appeal will be shipped from_the United Communal Trends:
in the ardent hope that it will be granted."
States in the near future. Jo-
An interesting picture of the financial situation facing Jewish
The Israeli rabbis' plea does not offer reasons for their re- seph Jacobson, managing direc- communities in the United States is emerging from a study made
quest. Opposition to capital punishment may be one of them. We tor of the new company, is a by the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds . . .
The
share such an opinion. There are, however, other reasons to justify native of Israel and former As- study establishes that funds raised through central philanthropic
sistant Minister of Defense.
a request for clemency.
campaigns have been declining since 1949 . . The drops have
Let it be understood in advance that the Rosenberg case is
been fairly gradual from year to year, and this year they will be
not a Jewish case. Any attempt to turn it into a Jewish cause Dr. Weizmann's Widow about 10 percent below 1951. . . The cuts have taken place pri-
celebre would be a misrepresentation of facts.
marily in large gifts; giving at intermediate and lower level has
But the Rosenbergs are the first on record to be given the To Appear in New York declined less sharply . . . There are no striking differences in this
death penalty for treason in time of. peace. No one else, in this
respect among cities in relation to the size of the Jewish com-
country or England, has been treated so harshly. They have been
munity . . . The trend is similar throughout all population group-
proven guilty, but there is doubt in many quarters whether they
ings . .. City-by-city variations appear to reflect individual local
should have been sentenced to die.
conditions rather than general factors . • . The total number of
"The Rosenberg Case" was the title of a lengthy review of the
contributors to central Jewish campaigns — which increased about
issue recently, in The Nation Magazine by Arthur Garfield Hays,
65 percent from 1945 to 1948
remained about the same ... There
general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. Mr. Hays
has been a decrease of only ten per cent in the number of con-
does not entertain doubts as to the guilt of the Rosenbergs. But
tributors during the last four years . . . Campaigns for funds to
he questions the penalty. He reaches these conclusions:
erect new buildings for Jewish institutions may have drawn some
/_t is allegM that the concept of treason was emphasized
funds away from the central, federated drives . . . The Israel bond
during the trial, although that was not the crime charged.
drive appears *3 have only slight effect on fund-raising cam-
The answer is that the term "treason" was used in a general
paigns conducted by federations and welfare funds . . . Nothing
not in a technical sense.
is known about the extent to which Jewish contributions to non-
The jury has spoken. The Appelate Court has spoken.
sectarian campaigns have affected Jewish campaigns . . It is
In view of all this, why the fuss about the Rosenbergs? The
considered possible that when Jewish contributions to federations
answer lies in the penalty, the sentence of death. Julius and -
and welfare funds, giving to capital funds and non-sectarian
Ethel Rosenberg are lodged in Sing Sing awaiting execution.
drives and Israel bond purchases are totalled, the funds made
As the trial court said, it is hard to conceive of a crime which,
available by American Jewry in 1952 may be even larger than in
as events have transpired, could have more vicious conse-
the peak year of 1948 . . The impact of the decline in funds
quences. Yet we cannot forget that Klaus Fuchs, the scien-
raised by the federations and welfare funds has fallen heaviest
tist and chief conspirator in this whole business, was tried in
MRS. CHAIM WEIZMANN will on allocations to the United Jewish Appeal . . . National agencies
England and sentenced to only fourteen years in jail, and that
have been cut to a lesser degree, and local services still less, if at
in the Canadian spy trials the sentences were relatively light. be the guest of honor at the all.
We may try, but we cannot forget the two young Rosenberg memorial tribute to her late
husband, President Weizmann of
children.
Zionist Issues:
So far as I know, there is no precedent for a death penalty Israel, at the Waldorf Astoria
By_the time this is published the results of the talks between
Hotel,
Dec.
17,
under
auspices
in a case like this. We cannot help feeling that giving informa-
Premier David Ben-Gurion and leaders of the American Zionist
tion to an ally (we must bear in mind, however, that the Rosen- of the American Committee for parties whom he summoned to Israel will be known .. . It
bergs continued to give information when Russia was no longer the Weizmann Institute of Sci- therefore, be revealed that Louis Lipsky, chairman of the Ameri-
an ally and was in a sense an enemy) is not so serious as giv- ence. Mrs. Weizmann will arrive
can Zionist Council, refused to attend the discussions which con-
ing information to the enemy and that if this is a lesser crime in this country on Dec. 14.
cerned proposals for the unification of the American Zionist
the penalty ought to be less.
movement . . . In a formal explanation of his refusal, Mr. Lipsky
It is the damnable death penalty that causes the uneasi- Israel Envoy Hails
said that he was convinced that the objective of the parley could'
ness. To avoid this horrible killing by the state, argument is
best be served by holding the discussion in New York rather thatt ,•!
made that the trial was unfair, and some people, mostly leftists Dulles Appointment
in Jerusalem . . . The issue under discussion was a proposal to
I take it, are claiming that the Rosenbergs are innocent. If this
To State Department
merge
all Zionist groups in the 'United States into a "TerritoriaI -
judgment is carried through, we shall make martyrs of the
Union," with one address, one membership, and with a systeth of
Rosenbergs, perhaps not to many people in the United States,
UNITED "NATION S, N. Y., proportional representation nationally and locally ... Mr. Lipsky
but to millions in- other parts of. the world. You can imagine
(JTA) — Appointment of John expressed the view that such a merger was even more impossible
what would be our own emotional response if two Russians were Foster Dulles as United States to
achieve now than some years ago, when Mr. .Ben-Gurion
sentenced to death for supplying information to us while we Secretary of State was hailed first
brought up the idea . . The Zionist groups in the United -
were allied with Russia. SoMehow, I cannot help feeling that by Israel Ambassador Abba. S.
States,
he warned, are unprepared to accept basic alterations in =
the British treatment of Fuchs shows a higher degree of civili- Eban.
their structure . . . And he expressed the belief that should any
zation than the sentence in this case.
Mr. Eban described Mr. Dulles attempt be made now to force a Territorial Union upon them
The final verdict now is in the hands of President Truman; as "a formidable advocate of through
the government of Israel, the present structure of Zion-•
or, should sentence be deferred again, it may be placed in the lap close
American - Israel friend-
of President Eisenhower after Jan. 20. As in the instances of the ship." He added that "I have ism in this country would be shattered . Any new set-up would
Dreyfus Affaire and the Sacco-Vanzetti Case, Israel's rabbis are been privileged to have cordial be fought tooth and nail by the Zionist parties in the United
following earlier precedents in which non-Americans and non- contacts with him in the United States, he stressed . . . His suggestion was that instead of talking
French pleaded the cause of American Italians and a French Jew. Nations. In the United Nations about a "Territorial Union," the scope of the American Zionist
What we have said is not intended as a defense of the Rosen- session .of 1948 he played an im- Council—which represents all groups in American Zionism—should
expanded ...He revealed that the American branch of the Jew-
bergs, whom we believe to be guilty of a most damnable crime portant and helpful role in the be
ish Agency is committed to the transfer of some of its activities to
against our country. It is, however, a defense of the right of Israel-Arab controversy and a
people—even criminals — to plead for clemency. It is for this close relationship of mutual re- the Council, and that in principle, all groups in the Council are
agreed to its expansion . . At the same time, he urged that Dr.
reason, and no other, that paid advertising has been accepted gard developed between him and Nahum
Goldmann return to New York -"without delay"
in behalf of the clemency plea for the Rosenbergs, that . Mr. our Foreign Minister, Mr.
since the Council will-have to readjust its public relations policy
Bays has spoken and that we concur in his argument.
Sharett."
in view of the change in the Administration in Washington,
Prof. Einstein and the Israel Presidency
Dow Chemical Co.
Backs Israel Firm
—
Between You and Me
—
•