The New 'Haman' THE JEWISH NEWS Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20. 1951 Member: American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 708-10 David Stott Bldg., Detroit 26. Mich., Subscription S4 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 and Publisher Vol. XXII—No. 25 WO. 154155. StIDNEY SHMARAK FRANK SIMONS Advertising Manager City Editor February 27, 1953 Page 4 Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the thirteenth dav of . Adar, 5713, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Es. 27:20-30:10: Prophetical portion, Ezek. 43:10-27. Licht Benshen, Friday, Feb. 27, 5:23 p.m. Purim: A Lesson for Anti-Semites of All Ages There is magnificent truth in the Mid- rashic admonition, that in days to come all Jewish festivals may be abandoned, but Purim will be observed endlessly. Perhaps the meaning of this augury is to be found in the world events we are ex- periencing in our own generation. Less than 10 years ago, we thought we had witnessed the end of Hitlerism. We imagined that Ham- anism had disappeared, that prejudice was evaporating, that discrimination was on the downgrade. But in the last few months we were giv- en warning from Moscow not to expect the apparently impossible. We learned that Hit- ler's "Mein Kampf" still exists, that Joseph Stalin has taken some of its most tyrannical ideas and has adopted them for use by Com- munist countries whose rulers are under his thumb. * * * We had asked: how is this possible in our enlightened age? But the impossible is a non-existent term in the vocabulary of bigots and tyrants. Our sages knew it. They sensed the recurrence of human hatreds. They were not guessing when they predicted that the one festival that will survive in Jewish life will be Purim, whose basic greatness—albeit it is a minor festival—lies in its celebration of Jewry's triumph over bigotry. When Stalin's ugly anti-Semitism made itself felt in recent weeks, first in Czecho- slovakia, then in -Hungary and Romania, and in Russia proper, where fantastic charges were hurled at Jewish doctors who were ac- cused of plotting to destroy the lives of Com- munist leaders, the Detroit Free Press' able columnist and editorial director, Malcolm W. Bingay, warned the Soviet tyrants that they are doomed for destruction, since no one who has sought to destroy Israel has ever sur- vived. This may well be read into the Purim lesson and the Midrashic prophecy: bigotry may always exist, but the bigots who seek to exterminate the _Jews will themselves perish. * , * * The Soviet myths that have been put into play as weapons against Jews, although they prefer to speak of Zionists and Israelis who are fantastically accused of espionage, are indications that Stalin's intention is to put into practice Hitler's maSor aspiration: the extermination of Jewry. These dictators have overlooked a basic historical fact: that the Hamans never triumph; that while they may have temporary victories, they are doomed by the inevitable: the indestructibili- ty of Israel. There is added tragedy for Jewry in the fact that Jewish renegades, men like Ehren- burg. and Rakosi, played the Communist game for the destruction of their own kins- men. Most of these renegades were them- selves purged. And in the end, Stalin's castles are certain to crumble. That is the verdict of history. * * * This idea heartens us this Purim, as it did in the Purims of yesteryears. We are faced with tragedies, but we shall overcome them as we have those of Haman and Chmielnicki and Petlura and Hitler—with Stalin next on the list of the repudiated bigots. It is well to remember this unwritten law in history as we exchange "Happy purim" greetings this week-end. A Literary Contribution to American Democracy One of American Jewry's major cultural projects, the Jewish Publication Society, has been enriched by the $150,000 fund for the establishment of the Jacob R. Schiff Li- brary of Jewish contributions to American Democracy. Long delayed, the publication society now will be in position to publish biographies of great Jews and the histories of Jewish corn- mtmities whose backgrounds are not too well known but whose gifts to American democ- racy are indelible marks in the creation of our way of life. Judge Louis E. Levinthal, president of the society, justifiably rejoiced over the es- tablishment of the new fund. Every publish- ing effort, whether private or public, strug- gles most regrettably in this land. In spite of some optimistic claims, too few of our people—undoubtedly not unlike the number among other groups—are book purchasers, and too few read Jewish classics, as they should. While the establishment of a new fund does not necessarily guarantee an increase in the categories of book readers and buyers, the new areas that this fund is to invade should serve to encourage increased interest in American Jewish history and in American Jewish leadership. The Jewish Publication Society has earned the support it is receiving from new quarters. It is worthy of a larger member- ship than it enjoys today. The new fund es- tablished by the Jacob R. Schiff Charitable Trust Committee should encourage similar gifts from other quarters. It is well to remember that the Jewish Publication Society has made it possible for the Graetz History of the Jews to appear in an English translation that was prepared more than 40 years ago by the late.Henrietta Szold; that the society pioneered in publish- ing outstanding Jewish classics; that it un- dertook to introduce to the world the genius of Israel Zangwill, whose "Tragedies of the Ghetto it published more than 50 years ago; that it undertook the gigantic task of pro- ducing an important translation of the Bible by outstanding Jewish scholars. All of the efforts of the Jewish Publica- tion Society are in a sense contributions to American democracy, by the very nature of their literary significance and their creative- ness. It is urgent that support for the Jewish Publication Society should be considered a basic part of Jewish constructive efforts in this country. The 'Cold War' : The Time for Action The "cold war" is on in full force and once again Jews as a group, feel impelled to protest against injustice, to call upon the civilized world to rise up against prejudice, to mobilize the sentiments of democratic peoples against oppression. It is discouraging to be admonished that we must again cry out in protest against tyrants before it is too late. We are told that unless we raise our voices in protest we may fail in our task of saving Jives. We had come to believe that the rebirth of Israel has put an end to the need for protest meet- ings. But Israel herself is in danger and our responsibilities are staggering. Charm of the Animal Kingdom Dr. Konrad Z. Lorenz's book, "King Solomon's Ring," is a intriguing as the sound of the title. Translated from the German, illustrated by the author, published by Thomas Y. Crowell Co. (432 4th, NY 16), this book about birds, animals and fishes has the merit of instruction in a generally little-known field, of en- tertainment, of moral lessons. There is genuine charm on every page of this volume, and if it were only for the very many of the author's illustrations alone, the book would stand out as a fine contribution to animal lore. A deserving tribute to the author and his work is contained in Julian Huxley's foreword. Dr. Lorenz appropriately commences his studies with Rud- yard Kipling's- "There never was a icing like Solomon Not since the world began • Yet Solomon talked to a butterfly As a man would talk to a man." Asserting with assurance that the truth about nature is even more convincing than the poets see it, Dr. Lorenz introduces us to the subject of understanding birds and animals by quoting I Kings • iv. 33, where we are told that Solomon "spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes." The author states that the misreading of the text "has given rise to the charming legend that the king was able to talk the fanguage of animals." Yet, he writes, "I feel inclined to accept it as a truth; I am quite ready to believe that Solomon really could do so, even without the help of the magic which is attributed to him by the legend in question, and I have good reason for crediting it: I can do it my-, self, and without the aid of magic." His knowledge of the "vocabulary" of birds and fishes and animals is traceable to his knowledge of the animals themselves, their ways of living, their habits. He resents people visiting zoos and aquariums who laugh at animals whose bodies deviate froth the usual. "The public then is deriding things which, to me, are holy: the riddles of the Genesis, the Creation and the Creator," he states. "King Solomon's Ring" possesses charm, it is factual, it $ heart-warming in the lessons it offers to mankind. • " Commentary s Noted Essays na- tionwide interest in Commentary Magazine, the publication spon- sored by the American Jewish Committee, forms the text of a fascinating book, published recently by Knopf under the title A - portion of the wealth of material that has attracted "Commentary on the American Scene," The portraits of Jewish life in this country included in the 20 selections were edited by Commentary's editor, Elliot E. Cohen. David .Riesman wrote a scholarly. introduction in which he shows the rapid changes in American Jewish life and the new conditions .that_ are replacing old ones. Readers of Commentary who were intrigued. by Ruth Glazer'' "West Bronx: Food, Shelter, Clothing" and "The Jewish Delicates- sen" will be pleased. to see the two essays incorporated in this book. The other' selections are .valuable as studies of the Jewish scene and conditions in this country. Especially noteworthy is Morris Freedman's "The Jewish College Student: New Model." Freedman's "The New Farmers of Lakewood" is equally valuable. All the essays are instructive, some entertaining, many of them possessing great value for the historian and man of research. • • `Modern Jew ish Life in Literature' • "Modern Jewish Life in Literature" by Dr. Azriel Eisenberg, executive vice-president of the Jewish Education Committee New York, has been republished in a revised edition by the United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education (3080 B'way, NY27). As explained by Dr. Eisenberg, this volume is a. combination. of a literary anthology and a source book. It is an integration of modern Jewish history through a presentation of dramatic selec- tions by Jewry's outstanding writers. Included are the works of the noted writers and scholars of a.iI times, including the present era. Sholom Aleichem, I. L. Peretz, Bialik, Solomon Schechter, Schneour, Henrietta Szold, Chaim Weizmann, Solomon Goldman, Cyrus Adler, and two score other notables are included in this work. The five parts of the book begin with "The Old World" and end with the optimistic "Looking Forward." Sandwiched in axe "The New World," "Tragic Years" and "The Promised Land." The bibliographies in each section, the biographical sketches, the selected material, combine to form a truly fine work that It is necessary that all who are concern- ed about the security of peoples should act together against the gathering foes of hu- manity. Proper action by our President and our Congress and the expression of all Americans against the Communist Threats, the Moslem menace and other dangers may avert tragedy. Now is the time to act. Later invaluable for home reading and for classroom work. it may be too late. e