Son, They Go Hand in Hand
THE JEWISH NEWS
incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20 1952
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers. Michigan Press Association.
rublisbed every Friday ny The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VE. 8-9384
tubseription S4. a year foreign S5.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6. 1942. at Post Office, Detroit. Mich.. under Act of March-3. 1879
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
Page 4
Vol. XXIV, No.15
.
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
December 18, 1953
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the thirteenth day of Tebet, 5714, the following Scriptural selections will be read
in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 47.28-50:26. Prophetical portion, I Kings 2, 1-12:
Licht Benshen, Friday, Dec. 18, 4:33 p.m.
Arabs Make a Dirty Word of PEACE
Lebanese UN Delegate Chafes Malik!s
conditions for peace with Israel represents
one of the major mockerieS in the record of
the United Nations. Resortinc, to a weapon
which must be making his fellow-delegates
sick, Mr. Malik, constantly repeating the
libels he and his Arab, associates have been
hurling at Israel, now makes the interna-
tionalization of Jerusalem a major issue. He
wants the Palestine armistice agreement ob-
served. He asks for the return of the 850,000
Arab refugees.
He does not acknowledge the truth of
Israel's readiness to assent to the interna-
tionalization of the Holy Places and he fails
to state that Jordan, the party really 'af-
fected in the issue, had consistently—until
recent pressure from the Arab League, re-
fused to consent to Jerusalem's internation-
alization. If the Holy Places are to be in-
ternationalized, all of the Old City, now in
the hands of Jordan, would fall under in-
ternational rule, whereas only two or three
spots in the New City, - held by Israel, would
be affected.
Mr. Malik failed to state that Israel was
ready to take about 100,000 Arab refugees
but that her offer was rejected because tlit
Arabs who had fled from Israel at the insti-
gation of Arab politicians who assured them
they would be brought back to take every-
thing away from the Jews are now held as
hostages by the Arabs themselves who are
using them as weapons in the battle against
Israel. Should their number be reduced the
weapon would become less effective. Nov,
however, the return of large numbers of
Arabs -to Israel would mean suicide for - the
Jewish state and any sensible person must
rule against it. Infiltration of fifth colum-
nists, - the crowding of Israel with people
whom their own kinsmen refuse to help and
have thrown on the mercy of United
Nations—mostly United States—funds, the
unwillingnes of Moslems to open up neglected
lands for the settlement of the unfortunate
Arab refugee-hostages have created not an
Israel but an Arab problem—to the disgrace
of the Arabs.
These facts reveal only a portion of the
actual elements in a ,situation which lends
little credit to those who are in a position to
effect peace in the Middle East but are sit-
ting idly by, their hands folded, rendering
lip service when they seek sanctimony, but
in reality serving as tools for those who fail
to create amity among peoples.
Especially shocking is the attitude of the
Arabs themselves who have made a dirty
word of the term Peace. A series of letters
in a recent issue of- the Christian Science
Monitor, presenting arguments "On Both
Sides of the-Jordan," reveals the true nature
of Arab aims.
In this exchange of letters; Senator Owen
W. Brewster of Maine, co-chairman of the
American Christian Palestine Committee,
dispassionately explained Israel's Jordan
Valley water projects, to indicate that the
intentions of Israel are to bring water to the
Negev, but that the digging of a canal "does
not facilitate military aggression to the area
but, in fact, imposes obstacles to the ma-
neuverability of armed forces entering the
demilitarized zone."
The Arab statements are in a different
tone. The president of the Canadian Arab
Friendship League, M. S. Massoud, speaks
of "Zionist terrorists," and demands restora-
tion of refugees to their homes. He is at least
partially controlled, although his demand
presents only one side of the issue which has
become aggravated over the refugee prob-
lem by the Arabs themselves. But another
correspondent, Wael El-Miqdadi, who shouts
"no peace with Israel," emphasizes that
"cooperating with the Jewish state means
that we Arabs are helping to strengthen
that state. A He expresses the fantastic fear
that "eventually this will lead to their com-
pletion of their plans to have a state from
the 'Euphrates to the Nile,' which is their
final goal in the Near East"—a goal, about
which only the adamant anti-peace Arabs
seem to be informed. He then declares: "The
West must understand that we have not
reconciled ourselves to the loss of Palestine,
because Palestine is an Arab country and
must remain so, and sooner or later we will
have it again."
It is the latter threat that - seems to be
in back of every Arab move. It is the mo-
tivating force behind the anti-Israel argu-
ments—an aim to destroy Israel. It certainly
makes the task of peace-seekers more diffi-
cult, but it also should make them more de-
termined to bring the issue to a head in the
interests of peace, in order that there should
be an end to strife in an area of the world
wherefrom a spark of war may ignite the
entire world.
The Arabs are bent upon making Peace
an undesirable term, an ugly word, an aim
to be shunned. But the United Nations,
whose ideals have helped give birth to the
Jewish state, and its peace-loving members
can not permit the antagonism to amity to
survive. A grave responsibility rests upon the
UN leaders, upon our own Government, es-
pecially upon the Big Three and those who
associate with them in making UN policies,
to speed efforts for the enforcement of peace
in the Middle East. It is their duty to re-
store the term Peace to an honorable status,
no matter how bitter the Arab opposition.
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Dr. Jung's 'Jewish Leaders'
A Knowledge-Enriching - Volume
Few Jewish literary creations of our time are able to match
the impressive new volume edited by Dr. Leo Jung under the title
"Jewish Leaders." This powerful collection of biographical essays
about great orthodox Jewish leaders is, in the effect it leaves, an
irrefutable argument for orthodoxy — cer-
tainly for' traditionalism in Jewsih life—
and a severe condemnation of assimilation
and irreligiosity.
Published by Bloch, "Jewish Leaders"
has most unusual merit. It includes excep-
tainly for traditionalism in Jewish life--
and the Hafets Hayyim; on the eminent
Rabbi Isaac Jacob Reines (founder of Miz-.
rachi) and Akiba Eger; on Hildesheimer
Benamozegh, Moses Sofer, Ezekiel Landau
and a number of other very important
leaders of preceding generations.
The scholarly introduction ."attempts
Dr. Jung
to give a picture of the contributions of
'Jewish life and law to today's general code of practical ethics" and
asserts that "the magnitude of these contributions can best be
Understood if we first examine an underlying and unique concept,
first - developed by the ancient Jews—the concept of KEDUSHA."
.
The able editor then proceeds to describe "Kedusha" as the
Hebrew word meaning "holiness"—"the keyword to Judaism.
All teachings and judgments of Jewish scholars stem from it."
Dr. Jung's "Jewish Leaders" is, indeed, permeated with "ke-
duslia"—with holiness—and the personalities selected for the
biographical essays in this book emerge as the giants in world
Jewry of the past and early part of the present centuries.
This reviewer is especially intrigued by the able editor's pref-
ace. The first two paragraphs deserve quotation in full. They are:
"Almost 100 years ago, Isaac Reggio emphasized the fact
that the neglect of the Mitsvoth Maassiyoth (the so-called cus-
toms and ceremonial laws) would lead to religious anemia,
communal assimilation and ultimately to national destruction.
The history of our people since has shown how true his state-
ment was. Dissidents of all sorts have chosen the Mitsvoth as
their favorite target of attack, with devastating results to Juda-
ism and Jewry alike.
"The term assimilation has been used to describe the tend-
ency of some Jews to become like their West European neigh-
bors, to shed-_ their religious characteristics, water down and
eventually lose their religious heritage. It was identified origi-
nally with the salons of Jewish women in Germany—during the
18th and 19th centuries—in which everything but Jewish topics
was welcome; then, with exclusive Jewish clubs and their fran-
tic attempts to prove themselves 100% Teutonic or American;
with similar eccentricities in France, England and elsewhere.
The impact of the New Israel and the Hitler horror have driven,
this type of assimilation from practically every Jewish conznzuni-
ty, It leads a precarious existence in the 'American Council for
Judaism' which is un-American, un-Jewish, and has no counsel
of significance to offer."
In this spirit, Dr. Jung has chosen the .great minds whose tre-
mendous contributions to Jewish life, have enriched our history.
The grandson of Rabbi Reines, Prof. Hayyim Z. Reines, re-
lates how even a man like the Hafets Hayyim tried to dissuade
him from following Dr. Theodor Herzl's Zionist path. Rabbi Reines
program would nevertheless be unconstitu- followed the dictates of his conscience.
Rabbi Eliyahu Klatzkin's story is told by his son, the late Dr.
tional . ."
Jacob Klatzkin, one of the great philosophers of our time.
Unconstitutionality of Bible Distribution
A unanimous decision by the New Jersey
Supreme Court has ruled that Bible distri-
bution in the public schools is unconstitu-
tional. Pupils in the Rutherford, N. J.
schools, with the consent of their parents,
and by authority of the school board, had
been presented with pocket-sized editions of
the King 'James version of the New Testa-
ment, the Book of Psalms and Proverbs. The
seven Supreme Court Justices ruled against
this policy.
A statement by the Synagogue Council
of America and the National Community
Relations Advisory Council • has properly
evaluated the court ruling as an important
step forward in the "long struggle to keep
inviolate the traditional • and constitutional
principle of separation of church and state."
The American Jewish Congress haS ren-
The court, in rejecting the argument of
the Gideons that the Bible is not a sectarian
book, declared:
"We are here concerned with a vital ques-
tion involving the very foundation of our
civilization. • Centuries ago our forefathers
fought and died for the principles now con-
tained in the Bill of Rights of the Federal
and New Jersey ,Constitutions. It is our sol-
emn duty to preserve these rights and to
prohibit any encroachment upon them. To
Special mention must be made of the essay "Britain's Three
Chief Rabbis," interestingly written by Dr. Cecil Roth.
There is another good essay, "The Leaders of the Jews of
Bokhar4," by Prof. Walter J. Fischel.
Space prohibits more extended comment. "Jewish Leaders" is
a book to be studied, a volume immensely enjoyable and instruc-
tive. Our commendations go forth to Dr. Jung and to his fellow-
essayists who have enriched our knowledge.
Biography of Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland, whom many consider America's outstanding
composer of our time, is the subject of an ably compiled biographi-
cal sketch, under the title "Aaron Copland," written by Arthur
Berger and published by Oxford U. Press (114 5th, N.Y. 11).
The composer is fortunate that his biographer not only knows
and understands his life but also can be considered an authority
on his type of music.
Copland's background, his father's arrival in this country and
his settlement in Brooklyn, the fact that music is the last thing
that could have been connected with his family's interests, his
genius at the piano and his subsequent triumphs in the musical
world are told in interesting fashion, by Mr. Berger.
Musicians will derive special satisfaction from the extensive.
explanations of Copland's compositions. The list of Copland's,.
works is most impressive, and the reader .will learn with amaze—,
ment that the number of articles and books by Copland nearly]
match the large number of his compositions which run into manr.
,
scores.
,tAls..blograrVo*,
Musicians will .be especially :
permit the distribution of the King James
version of the Bible in the public schools of
this state would be to cast aside all the prog-
ress made in the United States and through.;
out New Jersey in the field of religious tol-
and freedom. We would be renewing
dered a great service by providing counsel , erance
ancient struggles among the various re-
to the complainants—a Catholic parent and the
a Jewish parent—and by drafting the brief ligious faiths to the detriment of all. This
in the case which laid stress on the fact that we must decline to do."
While the ruling of a court in one state
"even if the Gideon Bible were to be ad-
judged a non-sectarian religious work or is not binding on courts in other states, or
even if, being sectarian, the Rutherford on the country at large, the New Jersey de-
Board of Education allowed the Catholic and cision is of great significance in establishing
Jewish religious authorities to distribute a precedent which should lead towards the
their sectarian literature to the public school prevention of similar actions elsewhere in
which the average layman also will find Much satisfaction.
i • the the fut-Ure.
children" . . in the same manner