THE JEWISH NEWS Bottled Up? 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 $4 a veer 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. XXIII, No. 20 SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager FRANK SIMONS City Editor Page 4 July 24, 1953 Sabbath Nacb am u Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the thirteenth day of Ab, 5713, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentatenchal portion, Dent. 3-23-7:11. Prophetical portion, Is. 40:1-26, Licht Senslten, Friday, July 24, 7 p.m. 'Cordiality' and Eagerness' in Reparations Talks Talks with the Austrian government for compensation to Jews for damages suffered under the Nazi regime have been adjourned until September.- While the postponement has resulted from an agreement reached by Dr. Nahum Goldmann with members of the Austrian Cabinet, it is disappointing to know that a friendlier attitude was not pursued by the responsible leaders of the Austrian government. Jewish representatives who met with the Austrians described the meeting as "cordial." When Dr. Goldmann and Moses Beckelman met with Chancellor Julius Raab, Foreign Minister Karl Gruber and finanCe Minister Reinhard Kamitz, they were told that Aus- tria is "eager" to find a solution to the prob- lem of settling the claims - made by Jewry. In the meantime, however, Austrian spokes- men in the United Stated denied the "moral" obligation, thus complicating the issue and creating doubts as to the sincerity of some of Austria's leaders. The most effective way to just action is to settle due claims without delays, and with- out giving opportunity to obstructionists to place obstacles in the road of proper solu- tion of an issue that is recognized as involv- ing morality as well as a debt for destruction of property, robbery and murder. -. While Austria may have a rightful ar- gument in asking for time to study various aspects of the problem, it is vitally important that delays in negotiations should be dis- 'The Seeking' for Genuine Americanism couraged in the future. Every delay means Negro's Search for His ileritaae not only a loss of time in effecting compen- sation but also threatens interference by neo- Will Thomas helps restore faith in America with his fine Nazis and Communists who have stood in the autobiographical book, "The Seeking" (published by A. A. Wyn, 23 W. 47, NY36). His life story is a tale of soul-searching as well way of a just agreement. New Type of ,anti-Semitism: Communist-Arab-Nazi scapegoats and are the sufferers from dis- Two recent news reports give indication of. the new type of anti-Semitism that is seminated falsehoods. Only the seething re- rampant in the world today. While the pat- bellions can possibly bring relief to humanity tern is not a new one, the twists resorted to from the scourge of Communism which prac- by pro-Arabs, Nazis and Communists reveal tices anti-Semitism when it suits its purpose determined efforts to discredit Jewry and to and out of convenience puts on holy cloaks of friendship to our people. harm Israel. * * One of the reports quotes the Warsaw Then there is another stupidity: the prop- Yiddish 'Folkstimme as charging that the aganda of the neo-Nazis who seek to make Rosenbergs, whom the periodical calls "two great Jewish heroes," were murdered, that capital out of the Arab anti-Israel campaign. the murderers were "the allies of the Israeli World. Jewish Affairs, the information bu- reau of the World Jewish Congress, brings government, of the World Zionist Organiza- tion and of the World Jewish Congress," and this story from London: "The allied states are about to kindle a new that "Ben-Gurion and his Socialist govern- .conflict on the still smoldering ruins of the ment did not utter one word of protest." The last war—a conflict in which they give their text of this article, which was braodcast to support to a new Hebrew empire," Damascus North America by Warsaw Radio's Yiddish radio said in a German language 'broadcast to Israel, quoting a letter allegedly addressed Service, charges that the Israelis kept silent "froth Germany to General Shishikli himself." while the progressive world fought for the The tension existing between Israel and its Rosenbergs' lives, and asserts: "But Jews in Arab neighbors, the German writer continued, Poland knew, and - were proud of it, that was more than the strain normal between ad- their government had offered asylum to the jacent states. The Jews were interpreting the the Jewish heroes. The Jews in Poland knew Bible as their authority to establish a world that Ben-Gurion's allies, the American im- empire, employing for this purpose their no- perialists, had burned to death Julius and torious capacity to pervert the realities of a Ethel Rosenberg." situation. The attention of the world should be called to the new Jewish danger; and as a These utter stupidities are typical of first step in this direction, the International Communist propaganda. They drug the peo- Court of Justice should consider the way in ple into ignorance. They lead them to be- which the Jews had broken international peace lieve that an official murder had been com- and give a final ruling on the "Jewish-Arab mitted, without informing them that, unlike question." procedure in Iron Curtain countries, the ac- For lack of genuine arguments against cused were given not one but many fair Israel, the Arabs are resorting to charges hearings; that they had many chances to that Israel has aspirations to become an em- appeal against the verdict; that public opin- pire, that the Jewish state seeks territorial ion was sounded properly. expansion. All guarantees to the contrary, The Folkstimme's lies are apparent. It is offered to the United Nations and in solemn common knowledge that Israel's outstand- statements made recently by David Ben- ing citizens appealed for clemency for the Gurion, are to no avail. It is impossible to Rosenbergs on the same grounds advanced argue with those who seek war and continue by this newspaper: not that any one of us to reject possibilities of effecting peace. doubted their guilt but because we are op- While Israel is singled out for attack, it posed to capital punishment. But those who is the entire Jewish people that is the target read Communist propaganda only know of the anti-Semites. Neo-Nazis, Arabs and what is fed to them by the disseminators of Communists are linked in this unholy alli- lies within the Soviet Union, where the Rus- ance. Unfortunately, some world statesmen sians have been led to believe that all Ameri- are blind to these facts. While Jews must cans are starving, that democracy spells carry the banner for truth in the struggle doom, that there is no hope for human be against anti-Semitism, there is the added ings except under dictatorial rule. duty of dispelling the lies of the bigots and Fortunately, the oppressed are beginning the spreaders of hate so that they may not poison the free nations of the world. The to rebel. Unfortunately, in the process of fdr mulating public opinion Jews are used as struggle for truth is endless. - - The Jerusalem Issue: Israel's Position Israel's drastic step of establishing her Foreign Ministry in the capital city of the new state has inspired protests. Our own, the British and French governments are re- fusing to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to conform with Israel's desire to con- centrate all her depdrtments in Jerusalem. Israel's position has been outlined on numerous occasions. The Jewish state has not objected to the internationalization of the Holy Places. But Israelis have protested against the cutting off of the city's Jewish population of 150,000 from the rest of the state, and in order to establish the unity of the Jewish portion of the young nation Jeru- salem was included in the state's boundaries. Spokesmen for Israel have shown how a "corpus separatum" status for Israel is impossible not only from historical, cultural and national considerations, but also from economic viewpoints. The official Israel pos- ition is: "Devoid of a central position as the capital of the State, Jerusalem would fall into decay as it did during the period between the Hasmoneans and the Mandate." Israel's position is clear. We believe it is logical and that the justice of this position soon will be conceded by the nations of the world, including the United Sttaes. as of the seeking for a home which he felt he could not adequately have in his native United States. Will and his wife, both college-bred, both- suspicious of their white neighbors, lost faith. They planned to go to Haiti, to a land peopled by colored folks like themselves. But Will, the able writer, tried Vermont and the experiment worked. Even his wife, Helen, the more suspicious, learned the lesson taught her by good neighbors. After they had become rooted in Vermont they had a setback; a neighbor innocently referred to "niggers"; they were hurt and they learned anew that even their best neighbors must • be taught to be Dnscious of language that is offensive. But the main lesson was effective: the freedom perfected. Unfortunately-, there is an inconsistency even in this great tribute to Vermont; those who accepted the Negroes continued to display anti-Semitism; and the Negroes themselves were not strong enough in their denial of anti-Jewish prejudice. The introduction by the eminent writer, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, is valuable for an understanding of the Will Thomas autobiography. Mrs. Fisher pays tribute to Vermont as the first state to proclaim that wherever its flag was flown "no man, woman or child could be held as a slave." Mrs. Fisher related an experience at a board meeting of HoWard University at which the Negro educators spoke of taking vacations in many lands but not in this country, where resorts are barred to them. Her story re- mainS a rebuke to prejudice. But Vermont came through for the Thomases in their search for freedom. Several * times, however, Will Thomas refers to anti-Semitism and relateS experiences of its existence. At one point he speaks of it as being on the increase in this country. We referred to the unfortunate inconsistency of Vermonters' attitude toward Jews and the reaction of the Negroes themselves. Helen Thomas is quoted several times by her husband as be- lieving that Jews were friendly to Negroes because they wanted their money in business deals. True: Will argued with her; but even his arguments sound weak. He admits there are some Jews who are anti-Negro but so many are on their side. He should have, as he could have, offered a much stronger argument: it is this: that Jews always are in the lead in the fight for freedom and in defense of the Negroes. When Will was stranded in California, a Jewish couple took him in, in North Hollywood. In Chicago, the Goldfarbs were among his family's closest friends. But he did not have to look for personal experiences: the records of the National Association for the Advancement of the Colored People should convince him that Jews are in front ranks of fighters for his race's 'freedom:. As we said, he could have been stronger in his repudiation of anti-Semitism. But his wife's bias is understandable: if she was so suspicious. of every gesture of good will upon arriving in her Vermont home, why not also of the Jews who also are whites? Helen Thomas learned a lesson in true brotherhood, and her husband must be given commendation for the earnestness with which he searched for justice and acquired it. His "Seeking .' is an effective book. It is convincing in its sincerity and it holds the reader's attention because it proves from the very first lines that a man of vision and action had set out to reject oppression and to find a free life for his family. The prejudice against his native land is admitted, but the atonement is just as complete, With its few shortcomings and our personal protest on the score of the author's approach to anti-Semitism; even with its proof that the oppressed can harbor prejudices, as Helen did—"The Seeking" emerges as a good book, with a good story and a- good moral. Anti - Semites Find Themselves Jews One of the world's most fascinating studies is genealogy, but it has a way of uncovering skeletons that many countries would prefer to keep hidden. The Nazis discovered that, to their embar- rassment, when the working of the Aryan law caught in its net some of the most aristocratic families of Germany. It is certainly no exaggeration to say that if an Aryan test were applied, too, in other countries, the results would be equally amazing. Determined to free Spain from the "mala sanguis" (bad blood) of the Jews, King Joseph ordered. Pombal, his prime minister, to issue instructions that all Jews should wear yellow caps. A few days later the prime minster appeared before the cabinet with three yellow caps and said to the King: "One for myself, one for the Grand Inquisitor and one for Your Majesty." Notwithstanding the fact that the Jews of Spain were ex- pelled in 1492, during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the patrons of the Inquisition, Ferdinand himself had Jewish blood. His mother was a grand-daughter of the beautiful Jewess Palo= of Toledo. A granddaughter of Ferdinand married one of the sons of Alfonso Cabelleria, vice-chancellor of Aragon, who was the great-grandson of a Jew. She in tun became the aunt of the future Kaiser Karl V.