Purely Commentary By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ There Is Yet Time to Prevent Religious Bankruptcy Jewish attitudes on Christmas have changed considerably. We are happy to have opportunities to greet our Christian friends on the occasion of their sacred festival. We entertain hopes, on the occasion of the strictly Christian holy day, that old hatreds will be forgotten, that, while preaching brotherhood, sensible Chris- tians will refrain from undermining good will by repeating the old crucifixion libel. By the same token, greetings to our Christian friends are sent in a spirit of friendship but by eliminating any direct Jewish affilations with the festival. Thus, we believe it was utterly foolish on the part of the rabbi of the largest Jewish congregation in America to undertake to censure Christians for the commercialization of Christmas by advising them to put Christ back into Christmas. It really wasn't any of his business, because there: is so much reproving to be done in our own ranks. Let us correct our own mistakes, and let the Christians attend to their religious needs and duties. .•.* There Is' Yet Time to Oreiterit.Religious Bankruptcy. There is, indeed, 'much to be done towards guiding our own people towards paths of devotion and loyalty. Some of us are straying from the right paths too rapidly, and some parents are permitting their children to adopt ways which must lead to our own destruction; Here is one bit of evidence: . On the eve of the New Year, a columnist in • one of our daily newspapers spoke of "Christmas carolers" who "are gallant kids." He named seven youngsters, all obviously Jewish, who "made $12 by their Christmas caroling. They sent their money to the March of Dimes, With this note: `On'behalf of our friends who have had polio, we want you to have this money.' " This is a mighty nice sentiment—but it was bought at a price approaching defection from faith—and we are confident, that none who was involved, directly or indirectly, children or their' parents, wishes to see Jews flirting with another religion. If we were Christian, we would resent Christmas caroling by Jewish youngster& In truth, this whole business may be a mockery. It is possible that some of the "gallant kids" involved in this enterprise could easily have provided the magnanimous sum of $12 out of indi- vidual allowances spent for movies, candy and personal vanities. But that might not have gotten the notoriety that comes out of Christmas caroling—a new. and shocking threat to religious bank- ruptcy in Jewish ranks. Your Commentator entertains the hope that parents will be more cautious in the future to guide* their children away from such defections. But it is - possible that teachers in our religous - schools are equally as guilty. It wouldn't hurt to have stronger influence upon the child's religious feelings from our communal and religious schools. « • A.1.A V.' 'Irq".“.`r 3 ^l . a * fi`k Mrs. Shiloah to Address; Luncheon in Honor Of Mrs. Theodore Bargm an Next Thursday Mrs. Reuven (Betty) Shiloah. wife of the Israel Minister to the United States, will be the guest speaker at the Mina Barg- man testimonial, on Thursday, at Cong Shaarey Zedek, it was announced by Mrs. Milton Mah- ler and Mrs. Joseph Katchke, testimonial chairmen. With a degree from the Grad- will honor Mrs. Theodore Barg- sored by the Detroit Israel Bond, man for her many communal Women's Division. These - in- a n d philanthropic activities. elude: Besides serving as chairman of Women of Rlpha Omega Dental Frater- C m Congress; eo nn ; Greater r :tero American the . Detroit Women's Division nity; for State of Israel Bonds since ter of Hadassah; Hebrew Cultural I St Infants Service Group; Ladies' the drive began in 1951, she is ciety; Auxiliary of Jewish National Fund: Jew. 1 active in the United Foundation, Hadassah, Jewish Welfare Fed- eration and the Jewish Social Service Bureau,. which she now heads_ as president. Mina Bargman recently gained national prominence by being singled out, „Along with three other women throughout the United States, to receive the "BIG Wheel" Award in Wash- ington, D.C., for leadership in the Israel bond drive. A group, of outstanding local and national figures has been selected to serve as honorary sponsors of the tribute, accord- ing to Mrs. Samuel B. Danto, honorary committee chairman. Those listed are: I • AIRS. REUVEN SHILOAH uate School for Jewish Social Work in New York, American- born Mrs. Shiloah attended the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. from 1933 to 1934. She took up permanent residence in Israel in 1936, working first as a social worker 'for the Vaad Hakehillah (Jewish Community Council) in Jerusalem, and later as a med- ical social worker in Hada.ssah Hospital. Mrs. Shiloah is presently the Women's Editor of the Jerusa- lem Post, English language daily, a position she has held since 1946. She has also worked for Youth Aliyah. She married the Israeli Minister in 1936, and is the mother of two children. The testimonial, which will be in the form of a noon luncheon, SR World Travel Calendar Lets Israel Down The distinguished literary magazine Saturday Review has pub- lished an impressive World Travel Calendar. Various folk festivals, in this cou,Ary and throughout the world, are given consideration in the advice. offered to travelers for every day in the new year. - Israel appears to be limited to the following note for April 20: "Passover, Jerusalem. Second seder for tourists. Apr.. 18-24." There isn't even the reference here to the Israel part of Jeru- salem, in view of the fact that Jerusalem—undoubtedly the Arab portion—is mentioned for Palm Sunday. Saturday Review could have done better by Israel—the land that represents the greatest miraculous occurrence of our time. SR's editors should have known better. Fortunately, the El Al Israel Airlines advertisment in this issue at least calls attention to Israel—a term otherwise conletely overlooked in SR's World In a community-wide call for Travel Calendar. all Detroit Jews to honor the * * 3,000th anniversary of the found- Nashville Observer's 20th Anniversary: Its Eminent Editor ing of Jerusalem, an initial The size of a community does not necessarily decide the planning conference has been eminence of its citizens or the prominence of its newspapers. While scheduled for 10 a.m., Jan. 17, New York City's. immense growth has influenced the values and at the Woodward Jewish Center. the great advances of its daily newspapers, it is not alone in - Phillip Stollman, chairman of journalistic distinction. There are many small cities which have the planning committee. for the developed truly great• -newspapers and which have produced celebration of the anniversary, brilliant editors. said in a letter This is applicable to the Jewish field. There are large Jewish t 0 community communities with mediocre periodicals, and in some areas with leaders that this small Jewish populations there are writers and editors whose event will take genius surpasses those who reside and function' in very large place at Mason- cities. ic Auditorium, It is an error to place emphasis on New York and Chicago Sunday evening, and Los Angeles and Philadelphia and Detroit and Pittsburgh in thinking of the cultural centers in this country. While the larger Feb. 14, and will cities have better opportunities to attract scholars and have the feature such means of building libraries and schools out of proportion to those world renowned which the small communities are able to afford, it is wrong to artists as Jan Stollman ignore the historical fact that the growth of American Jewry Peerce and oth- er internation-ally known fig- emanated from many small Southern communities, and that the , spread of Jewish organizational efforts, which developed loyalty ures. Presidents of participating or- and devotion to Jewish causes, commenced in this great land with a few Minyanim in small cities— Minyanim that served as the ganizations are asked to bring two additional delegates to the bases for an expanded American Jewry. This Commentator takes these basic facts into consideration conference. Breakfast will be on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of a periodical published served preceding the meeting. Stating that the seriousness by a distinguished colleague—the Nashville, Tenn., Observer, which is edited very ably by Jacques Back. The Observer, under Mr. and semi-religious character of Back's direction, has consistently encouraged the advancement of t h e forthcoming celebration the highest Jewish ideals. The Observer is not a heavy advertising would demand the thinking and periodical, it is not loaded with classified ads, but it is- a falsehood- cooperation of all organizations and sections of the community, defying, truth-loving, liberty-defending newspaper. Jacques Back represents the type of editor whose thinking Stollman predicted that 5,000 and life's work was never measured by population numbers or persons will attend the Jerusa- factory • smoke stacks. Few in our field have expressed the highest lem presentation, sponsored by ideals of Judaism and Americanism as ably as he has. He is facing the Detroit Committee for. State issues fearlessly. He defies advertising pressures in the battle for of . Israel Bonds. truth and justice. He possesses the quality of judgement which Germany Extends Courts makes him stand out as a peer among men. We acclaim him as WASHINGTON, (JTA) — The our type of editor because no one can possibly hope to dictate to a person of his courage and his strength of character whose ideals State Department announced are so rooted in the finest principles of Our Land and Our Faith. that the United State High Commissioner in Germany sign- We salute him - on the 20th anniversary of his. Observer. ed two laws, extending the juris- diction of German courts over • Our New Common Pleas Court Judge Judge Nathan J. Kaufman, the latest judicial appointee, who persons in Germany, including took office on Monday, has the good fortune of looking forward Jews, who are not United States to 15 months of service before the expiration of his term of office personnel or dependents. The new laws had been under under appointment by Governor Williams. Until April of 1955, when he must run for election, he has an opportunity to establish study for several months and a record that should assure him the community's vote confidence. "are the latest in a series of We congratulate him on his appointment . and we _Wish him steps taken since 1951 with the a successful term-in .are. confident that ,he aim of eventually inactivating will succeed in his earnest efforts to set the type of record which_ the HICOG courts," the . an- no. unceinent said. must assure iIPl1 ketation in office by the voters of Detroit. 3,000th Jerusalem Anniversary Event Is Set for Feb. 14 Rabbi and Mrs. Morris Adler, Mrs. Philip A. Adler, Miss Mary V. Beck, Louis Berry, Clark W. Blackburn, Mrs. A. E. Chesler, Miss Laurentine B. Col- lins, Mr. and Mrs. Israel Davidson,. Mrs. Dora B. Ehrlich, Samuel Feldstein, Mrs. Fred A. Ginsburg, Peter S. Goldstein, Joseph Holtzman, Mrs. William B. Isen- berg, Mrs. Harry L. Jones, Miss Myrtle Labbitt, Mrs. Joseph M. Markel, Miss Esther Beck McIntyre, Miss Mary Mor- gan, Miss Mary Morris, Miss Vera Nolan, Dr. Laura P. Osborn, Max Osnos, Miss Leurena Pringle, Mrs. William. Reveno, David Safran, Morris L. Schaver, Sidney M. Shevitz, . Harry Schumer, Mrs.' Carl Schiller, Miss Jean Sharley, Harold Sil- ver, Samuel S. Simmer, Mrs. Philip Slomovitz, Mrs. Irving Small, Mrs. George Stark, Miss Pauline Sterling, Phillip Stollman and Mrs. Beaulah Whitby. MRS. THEODORE BARGEMAN ish Women's European' Welfare Organt. zation; Jewish War Veterans Auxiliary; League of Detroit Jewish Women's Or. - ganizations; Maimonides Medical Society Auxiliary; Neugarten Medical Aid So. ciety; Mizrachi Women, Fannie Gluck Chapter; Pioneer Women; Sisterhoods of Adas Shalom, Bnai David, Bnai Moshe ' and Shaarey Zedek; Sisters of Zion Miz rachi; United Hebrew Schools Women's Auxiliary; Women of Gemiluth Chasso- dim, and Zedakah Club. TwentyLtwo organizations will participate in the Mina Barg- 2—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, January 8, 1954 man Testimonial, which is spon- Between You an By BORIS SMOLAR (Copyright, 1954, Jewish Telegraphic Agency) Washington Moods Economic experts in Washington who have been helping the the State Department in keeping an eye on Israel's economic problems, have come to la. number of conclusions on what American Jewish contributions can do to hasten Israel's economic progress . In their opinion such contributions should be used more than they have in the past to finance additional agricultural research and agricultural extension work ... Also, to help in rehabilitating the existing olive groves and in the planting of new olive and carob groves rather than to carry on with past types of afforestation . „ • to provide draft animals instead of new tractors . . and the financing of the importation of sheep to Israel . . . They recom- mend the expansion of the production of rice in Israel as a sub- stitute for wheat . . . They believe that Israel needs a shift in agricultural production from meat products to vegetables . And they strongly urge encouragement of Israel in its efforts to expand irrigation . . . Their views coincide with the recent shifts of policy made by the Israel government . „ . They emphasize that their suggestions carry with theni a 'claim for continued large-scale support for Israel which American Jewry is expected to supply .. . On the industry side, theseo experts suggest that aid to Israel would be given in the form of improving existing enterprises rather than in establishing new industries of the United States variety . . . They are of the opinion that most, if not all, future industrial investments should be in those which rely on highly skilled labor . . . These they consider anti-biotics, fine china and glassware, delicate machine tools and instruments: -* * Communal Trends More than a third of the leaders of the Conservative congre- gations in this country either received no Jewish education at all or a sub-standard version of it ... For two-thirds of those who direct the destinies of these congregations, the process of Jewish education ended with their Bar Mitzvah . Only a fraction of the officers and board members of the congregations had in opportunity for more intensive study during the period of formal schooling . . . This has been established by a national survey on synagogue leadership undertaken by the United Synagogue of America in cooperation with the Bureau of Applied Social Re- search of Columbia University . . The picture is very depress- ing .. . On the other hand, about 50 percent of the leaders of the Conservative synagogues are college graduates, and another 18 percent received some college education ... Half Of the board members of the synagogues are businessmen and 30 percent are .professionals . . . A third of them enjoy an income of over $15,000 a year, and about 25 percent of them have yearly incomes of more than $10,000 . The survey establiShes that the synagogue leaders lead their membership in not attending synagogue services .. . . Only one-third of them attend the.main Sabbath service . . . Only about one-third of them keep a kosher home in the traditional: sense of the term . . . Some of :then' consider' themselves "not : religious" while others. just lack a . deep religious feeling and are not inclined to live up to what they consider minimum religious standards ... Only about 25 .percent of them regularly read books or magazines of Jewish interest ... Three-quarters of the elite in the Conservative congregations are not sufficiently concerned with reading about Jewish affairs beyondthe usual newspaper coverage. ... About 26 percent of all board members are not active in any national Jewish group . The others are active 'in' local. Jewish federations and in fund-raising for the United, Jewish Appeal Twenty-fiVe percent of all the board members declared that they are active in Zionist organimtions .. . The survey reveals that' there is "leadership fatigue" among the congregational leaders Some of them complain that they are overloaded with never-end- 4 ing jobs. . ...Others ,claim that the Congregational work affecW' their health or interferes severely with their fathily 411,thist points to the fadt that Synagogue :leadership ins .the .Conservatille movement niustiindergO - a:vigorous change if the irio'lieziietit wants to bccupy-an 'important' placciwAiherican Jewish community life.