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., WO. 5-1155
Subscription 84 a year, foreign S5.
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. XXIII, No. 17

On the Fourth of July: Retain Your
Liberty Through Eternal Vigilance

`YOU HAVE A REPUBLIC
... IF YOU CAN KEEP ITT

FRANK SIMONS
City Editor

SIDNEY SHMARAR
Advertising Manager

July 3, 1953

Page 4

This Sabbath, the twenty-first day of Tammuz, 5713, the following Scriptural selections will
be read in our synagogues:
Prophetical portion—Jer. 1:1-2:3.
Pentateuchal portion—Nun'. 25:10-30:1.

1-

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Licht Benshen, Friday, July 3, 7:11 p. m.

A Lesson in Freedom for Independence Day

In one of their classic opinions, Supreme Court Justices Holmes and Brandeis made
this important declaration on freedom of assembly and petition:
"The right of a citizen of the United States to take part * * * in the making of
federal laws and in the conduct of the government necessarily includes the right to speak
or write about them; to endeavor to make his own opinion * * * prevail; and, to this end,
to teach the truth as he sees it. Were this not so, the right of the people to assemble for
the purpose of petitioning Congress * * * would be a right totally without substance."
The Fourth of July in our era of uncertainty over the meaning of the Constitutional
principles of liberty and justice is an ideal time to quote this judicial gem. Not that a
particular day should be singled out for emphasizing our freedoms:
while exercising eternal vigilance over our rights we must not
permit a day to pass without giving thought to the basic founda-
tions of our liberties and the need of being on guard that they
should not be sacrificed. Yet, Independence Day is a time for re-
evaluation of American principles of justice.
This is the day on which once again we repeat the First
Amendment—the Cornerstone of our Bill of Rights:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right
of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Gov-
ernment for a redress of grievances."
As long as this Cornerstone of Liberty remains indestructible,
our rights as human beings remain secure.
Benjamin Franklin summed up the ideal of free speech well when he said: "Without free-
dom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty `The Oldest Stories in the World'
without freedom of speech." This formula is applicable to all freedoms. Practiced well, it
leads to wisdom as well as to freedom, to liberty and to the joy of living as human beings.
Blessed be this land whose Independence Day spells hope for all mankind, whose basic
ideals make us humanity's Chosen: Americans.
An American Jewish Press Feature

T.H.Gaster's Enchanting Collection

Menace to Liberalism: Leftists' Labor Infiltration

A Committee to Combat Anti-Semitism
and Intolerance, set up by the Jewish Labor
Committee, under the chairmanship of
Charles S. Zimmerman, vice-president of the
International Ladies' Garment Workers
Union, this week called attention to what it
considers to be "plainly an abominable at-
tempt to transplant the methods of the
Prague trial and of Soviet anti-Semitism to
the United States and the American labor
movement."
Mr. Zimmerman was referring to an arti-
cle in the June 1953 issue of Political Af-
fairs, which is described as the "official theo-
retical organ of the Communist party" in
this country. In this article, according to
Mr. Zimmerman:

"the anti-Semitic strategy of the notorious
Prague trials of last December is taken up in
all of its viciousness and used by the Com-
munists as an instrument with which to at-
tack a number of Jewish labor leaders whom
they want to discredit. The same denuncia-
tion of 'Zionism and Jewish bourgeois nation-
alism,' the same calculated appeals to the
crassest anti-Jewish prejudices, the same pil-
lorying of Jews as responsible for all sorts of
alleged evils and abuses; in short the very
same methods that aroused the horror and
indignation of the civilized world when em-
ployed in the Soviet Union and satellite states,
have now been taken up by the American
Communists and are being made use of for
the very same purposes. This onslaught of
Communist anti-Semitism right in the United
States at this time casts a rather peculiar
light on the assurances that have recently
come out of Moscow that a 'reversal' of the
Stalinist anti-Jewish policy is under way."

Mr. Zimmerman makes the charge that
the article in question, "Lessons of the
Struggle Against Opportunism in District
65" (Distributive Workers, CIO) , "leaves no
room for doubt" that the union leaders—
"David Livingston, Arthur Osman and other
leaders of District 65, Distributive, Process-
ing, and Office Workers Union, who after
years of collaboration recently broke with
the Communist Party in order to bring their
union back into the American labor move-
ment"—have been selected for attack "as
Jews, because they are Jews, and on account
of their Jewishness."
To the charge, in the Communist period-
ical, that the Jewish labor leaders had "re-
jected the path of struggle against the ideol-
ogy and policies of the big capitalist elements
who administer the 'aid to Israel' and Jewish
Charity Funds and drives," Mr. Zimmerman
asks potent questions:

What are the Communists doing here? They
are condemning Jewish labor participation in
general Jewish philanthropic community and
humanitarian undertakings. They are con-
demning unions for contributing money to
such causes. They are condemning the co-
operation of Jewish labor leaders with Jews

in business and industry in joint efforts to

help the State of Israel raise funds for char-
ity, and the like. That is what they call
"Jewish bourgeois nationalism" and that is
what they denounce as a crime. In their eyes,
any Jew who acts like a human being and is
willing to cooperate in Jewish, or general,
philanthropic causes is regarded as a crim-
inal to be dealt with as such: behind the Iron
Curtain, to be railroaded to death; here, where
their power is fortunately limited, to be abused
and slandered in the most unscrupulous fash-
ion. But in the one case as in the other, the
gist of the matter is the same: IT IS A CRIME
TO BE AND ACT LIKE A JEW.
Just as in Prague last year the Jewish de-
fendants were "exposed" as Jews and charged
with a "Jewish conspiracy" to undermine and
sabotage the welfare of the people, so in this
article Osman, Livingston and their colleagues
are carefully "revealed" to be Jews and accused
as Jews, of having used their power to dis-
criminate against non-Jews in their Union.
The Jewish leaders of District 65 are here
being charged with monopolizing power in
"Jewish" hands and excluding non-Jews from
leadership. But there have always been non-
Jews in the leadership of District 65. These,
we are now told, are mere "window dressings,"
without "any real responsibility or leadership;"
what is worse, they have been the victims of
a sinister plot through which they were cor-
rupted and "encouraged to degenerate." Here
we have all the ingredients of the familiar
Goebbels "Jewish conspiracy" stereotype.
There is just one additional touch, character-
istic of the Communists: the Negro is particu-
larly pinpointed as the victim of the wicked
Jewish "White chauvinists."
The absurdity of these charges should not
blind us to the full viciousness of their pur-
pose. They are a deliberate attempt to incite
non-Jewish workers in District 65 against the
"Jews," to stir up anti-Semitic passions for
the sake of using these passions against Jew-
ish leaders of District 65. This is the whole
burden of the article, and it makes abundantly
clear the purpose, policies and tactics of the
Communist Party. There is no dirtiness, no
indecency, to which they will not stoop in
order to achieve their ends.

Theodor Herzl Gaster, son of the eminent London Haham,
who has acquired respect in scholarly circles for his erudition, has
rendered an interesting service to the literary world with his new
book, "The Oldest Stories in the World,"
-which, incidentally, are among the most
Nentertaining and attention-holding. This
book, published by Viking Press, includes
the myths and legends which were re-
cently deciphered and which represent
:;revealing evidence of the existence of a
civilization among ancient peoples of
.3,500 years ago.
. The legends are from Canaanite,
1Babylonian and Hittite sources. T h e
translations are so excellently done that
they add a great deal to the already en-
viable reputation of Dr. Gaster, whose
series on Passover, Purim and other
Jewish festivals are valuable, although
they also have become controversial,
Dr. Gaster's background comments
are equally as valuable as the stories
Dr. Gaster
themselves.
As a folklorist and orientalist, Dr. Gaster has caught the spirit
of the tales and has been able to present them to a reading public
5,000 years younger than those. for whom they were written—and
our generation will thrill in them As much as those for whom
they were narrated originally.
The very first tale, for example, "The AdventUres of Gilga-
mesh," reads like an adventure story. It would make a good movie
in our 20th century era of excitement. This applies to the other
tales.
At the same time, the illustrations and the comments pro-
vide material suitable for collegiate studies of the Babylonian-
Hittite-Canaanite folklore.
We find in these tales incidents analogous to Biblical stories.
Dr. Gaster draws upon Ginsburg's "Legends of the Jews," the
Bible and other source in offering his comments.
The fact is these are not legends in the ordinary sense of
the term. They are narrations with motifs, with plots, with se-
quences. Once the reader has taken hold of the book and has
started to read the tales, he is certain to tontine unto the very
last page: that's how interesting Dr. Caster has made them in
his retelling.
In brief, "The Oldest Stories in the World" combine to make
a very interesting book.

H1STOR I ETTE

Leon Blum and Papal Blessing

The call issued by Mr. Zimmerman for
protection by the labor movement and de-
There is a famous story about the late Leon Blum, who was
mocracy "against this evil thing"—"this foul
of France, a noted Zionist in whose honor Kfar Blum
Premier
attempt to infect our democratic society
(Blum Colony) was established in Israel, and the
with the poison of Communist anti-Semit-
man who defied the Nazis.
ism"—is a serious matter. It is an unwar-
When he first became Premier, he visited his
ranted attempt by extreme leftists to infil-
predecessor as Prime Minister, M. Sarraut. As he
trate into the American labor movement.
entered the latter's office, M. Sarraut had just
concluded an audience with the Papal Nuntius.
Unless we stay on guard against such intru-
An animated conversation followed as M. Blum
sions, there may be irreparable harm to true
and the Catholic dignitary were introduced.
liberalism and to the position of Jews in this
Greatly impressed with the new Prime Mirt-
country who have enjoyed the friendship of
ister's personality, the Papal delegate wished M.
the labor elements. Labor is among the
Blum good luck in his responsible work as head
strongest supporters of the Zionist cause. It
of the. French government.
is a factor in liberalism and we should strive
Leon Blum thanked him for his good wishes
to retain this friendly relationship. It can
and said: "I am sorry that since I am a Jew
be done provided we reject the infiltration
you cannot also give me your blessing."
At which the Papal dignitary replied : "lit
of those who would impose the conditions
does not matter. I shall ask the Lord Our God
that existed during the Prague trials upon
to tie lit tor me."
Leon Blum
this country.

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