Purely Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

ADL Says German Red Mogen Dovid Protests Arab

Anti-Seniitism Has' - Shooting of Ambulances in Battle
Gone Underground

Was Emile Zola Murdered?
WASHINGTON, D. C. — The
France is once again teeming with debate over the old but
Anti-Defamation
League of Bnai
never-to-be-forgotten Dreyfus Case. A new book by M. Armand
Lanoux, "Bonjour, Monsieur Zola," published by Messrs. Amiot- Brith, in an analytical report
Dumont, offers new and convincing evidence that Emile Zola, the submitted to representatives of
great writer, who was a leading pleader for the total clearance of the Bonn Government here, ex-
the innocently-accused Jewish army officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was pressed the belief that demo-
cratic growth in West Germany
murdered by an opponent and an anti-Dreyfusard.
still is, nine years after World
When Emile Zola died '52 years ago, he was believed to have War II, "a formidable task of
been asphyxiated by carbon monoxide fumes which filled his home self-re-education!' for the Ger-
in the Rue de Bruxelles in Paris. -M. Lanoux charges in his book
that a chimney sweep had deliberately blocked the chimney that man people.
The study found that anti-
led to the Zola home and the following morning removed the evi-
dence. It is charged , that the chimney sweep and unnamed ac- Semitism in Germany has gone
complices Ailed the chimney with rubbish on that fatal day of underground. "Germany w 111
Sept. 28, 1902. M. Zola had returned from Medan, where he had avoid overt: anti-Semitism for
completed his last book, "Verite" ("Truth"). He asked his servant years to carne, according to ex-
to light a fire and both he and Mme. Zola fell fast asleep. When perts long on the scene, but the
the couple failed to appear at a late hour the next morning, their receptivity to anti-Semitism is
servant investigated and found the eminent novelist dead. Mme. there if any group that comes
to power should want to exploit
Zola still was breathing and later regained consciousness.
The chimney sweep is said to have confessed in a letter to a it."
friend in 1927. He is no longer alive.
Copies of the ADL report,
Letters given to the Paris daily Le Monde by Zola's son re- based on a study made at the
veal that the novelist was threatened with death by drowning, invitation of the Adenauer
shooting or strangling. Zola had planned another book to be called government, were presented to-
"Justice." It is known that he also had planned a book in support day by an ADL delegation head-
ed by Henry Edward Schultz,
of Jewish aspirations in Palestine.
M. Zola fought to the bitter end, together with many other national chairman of the Anti-
eminent Dreyfusards, for the absolute clearing of Captain Dreyfus I Defamation League, to Albrecht
in whose innocence he believed implicitly. Dreyfus had been von Kessel, charge d'affairs of
pardoned in 1899, but was not cleared. Anti-Dreyfusards were the German Mission in Wash-
equally determined to have Dreyfus imprisoned again, and the ington, and to Geoffrey Lewis,
fanaticism aroused by the case is believed to have caused the acting director of the U. S. State
chimney sweep to attempt to murder both M. and Mine. Zola. Department's Office of German
But the Dreyfusards emerged triumphant. Dreyfus was restored to Affairs.
the army by the French Court of Cassation an July 12, 1906, and
The ADL representatives urged
was made a member of the Legion of Honor. He later was elevat- that the United States continue
ed in rank and his son was an officer • in World War I.
on the German scene and main-
The most famous name to emerge from the Dreyfus Case was ain its present program in West
that of Emile Zola. Dreyfus himself was aloof from all affairs, was Germany • as necessary to that
indifferent to Jewish causes and refused to join in a petition of nation's successful integration
clemency in the Sacco-Vanzetti Case. "
with western Europe.
*
In total, the ADL study, .a
Holtzman and Simons: Two Remarkable Men
15,000-word document, finds con-
Two birthdays claim the community's attention this week, ditions in West Germany "mark-
and the celebrants are being accorded well deserved recognition. ed by signs of hope."
Joseph Holtzthan was 60 on July 15 and Leonard N. Simons
will be' 50 tomorrow. In both instances, the representatives of the
City of Detroit are expressing gratitude for services which can be Pauline Jen Ornstein
rendered only by men who possess affection for the things they Wins Audition; Sings
do. If others were to premeditate on their acts, they could not July 28 at Belle Isle
possibly duplicate what has been achieved by Joe and Leonard
unless they possessed their love for the things to be done.
Pauline Jen Ornstein, daugh-
Holtzman is the genuine philanthropist—and he perfcirms ter of Dr. and Mrs. Charles Orn-
most of his charitable acts the Jewish way, by means of "zedakah stein of 18128 San Juan, has won
b'sesercharity in secret. But this community knows what he the vocal audition and. will ap-
does. The result is recognition to be admired—the declaration by pear as soloist with the Leonard
the Common Council of a Joseph Holtzman Day, testimonials
'Smith Concert
from national and local leaders, the high regard of his Co-work-
Band at Belle
ers and fellow-men,.
Isle, . Wednesday
Simons is the genius' in the public relations field.- Hardly a
.evening,. July 28.
cause has been propagated in this city in the past 20 years without
his assistance. and cooperation. And he,, too, is a philanthropist.
Pauline, who
He gives unstintingly, else he could not succeed as he has in in-
be 15 ao.
ducing others to give. He is creative because he has Vision. He is
,July 25, is in the
a pillar in his synagogue and he has acquired an historical sense
11B at Mumford
as a collector of rare books and as an organizer of Methods for
the gathering of facts about hi's community. The honors being ac-
,High School and
corded him today by the Detroit Historical Commission attest to
is studying pia-
the recognition of the values of his services to Detroit and Mich-
Pauline
•
no
with the po-
igan.
pular Detroit pianist, Rebecca
They have their quirks; both celebrants, but they are entitled Frohman. She is a vocal pupil
to them. Both have. earned the right to be temperamental in their of the nationally known concert
approaches to the causes they love. Since they get results in all and 'opera singer Dan Froliman,
their aspirations, their temperamental quirks apparently are nec- who has coached her for the
essities in their communal work. More power to such men—and last three years.
such temperaments.
Pauline is the possessor of a
*
fine dramatic soprano voice and
Islam-Embracing Former Nazis
sings like a seasoned artist.
A Reuters cable from Jidda, Saudi Arabia, states that Ger-
She will be featured with the
man technicians are taking up long-term contracting and engi- band in the aria "Vol lo sancta
neering jobs with the Saudi Arabian government; that Germans mama" from Mascagni's opera.
now rank in numbers second only to American oil company mem- "Cavalaria Rusticana."
bers; that two West German companies were given the biggest
engineering and contracting concessions in the country and that
German technicians include a number of men who have .adopted Goldmann Plan for
the Maslen_ religion and have changed their names.
Merger of Zionists
This cable adds_ that "Europeans in touch with the group say
that some of these technicians are former Nazi officers who were Is Believed Doomed
Direct JTA Teletype Wire
converted to Islam by Haj Amin al Hussein, the former Mufti of
To The Jewish News
Jerusalem, on his visit to Germany during the war."
TEL AVIV—The national con-
What appears to be an innocent news story reveals a real vention of the Progressive Party
danger to the peace of the world and to the security of Israel. The of Israel, meeting in Nathanya,
former Nazis are at work capturing important positions in a vital Tuesday, decided to expand its
area. They are the disciples of the worst enemy of Jewry and of executive from 140 members to
democracy—the ex-Mufti. They must be watched carefully and it 179 and to empower this aug-
would be well for American representatives to be on guard against mented body to decide within a
their activities as New Moslems.
trtonth 'whether to accept a sug-
Nahum Gold-
While emphasizing the need for befriending the Arabs in the gestion by .
fight for oil and for the solidification of all 'forces against Com- mann that e h party unite with
munism, our Government's representatives. should keep these facts the General Zionists in a united
in view—for the protection of American interests and in defense bloc in parliament and in the
of the Jewish State whose position is that of a hemmed-in demo- governinent. , • -
The convention also decided to
cratic oasis in the midst of a set of reactionary Arab enemies who
call a national conference of the
are guided by former Nazis.
party to meet within three
*
months to discuss economic and
Blair Moody: In Memoriam
The former United States Senator will be miSsed not only by organizational matters. The par- ,
ley sent greetings to 'arrested
his own state of Michigan but by the entire country. •
Blair Moody was . a genuine liberal. He defended the rights of Zionist leaders Romania and
elsewhere.
the onpresSed. He fought courageously against the vicious McCar-
Observers here believe that the
ran-Walter act. ' • '
expansion of the executive is one
He was a staunch supporter of ISrael and the Zionist cause.
a several signs which dodms the
He was, indeed, genuine in his liberalism, in his Americanisni, Goldmann proposal. They assert,
In his humanitarianism.
•that the old executive had a ma-
Blessed be his memory.
jority which was favorable to the
plan but that the new group is
Friday, July 23, 1954
so composed that it will reject it,
2—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

.

A WOUNDED ISRAELI IS TAKEN TO A RED MOGEN DOVID
AMBULANCE

The Red Mogen Dovid has
protested to the International
Red Cross in Geneva against the
shooting at Israeli ambulances
during the recent fighting in
Jerusalem.
Together with the protest, the
Red Mogen Dovid (Israel's Red
Cross agency) sent photographs
which show that the ambulances
were hit by Arab bullets while
saving the wounded.
Pictured above is an Israeli
soldier, wounded in the recent
border fighting in Jerusalem, be-
ing carried to a Mogen Dovid
Adorn ambulance.
In a statement issued in New
York, • Congressman Emanuel
Celler (D.-N.Y.), chairman )f
the American Red Mogen Dovid
for Israel, declared: "It's high
time Israel's symbol of mercy,
the Star of David, was fully

recognized and respected.
"For the most part, Israel's
defenders are not soldiers. They
are farmers and drivers and
teachers and mechanics ... and
they live in those border settle-
ments that night after night,
year after year, have born the
' brunt of murderous assaults
from Arabs across the frontier.
"Israel's Red Cross agency, the
Mogen Dovid Adorn, is right
there, in those settlements,
training the villagers in first aid
work, giving emergency atten-
tion to casualties, evacuating the
wounded by ambulance to hos-
' itals." .
P
Israel's entire ambulance fleet
has been provided by American
gifts channelled. through Amer-
lean Red Mogen Dovid for Is
rael in New York. Fifty more
ambulances are urgently needed.

Between You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright, 1954, Jew/in Telegraphic Agency,' Inc.)

The American Scene
If you want a picture of a Jewish community in a small
American town, take Lorain, Ohio, as an example .. . There are
now about 280 Jewish families in Lorain .. . All the Jewish women
in toin belong to Hadassah . About 98 percent of the men be-
long to Bnai Brith .. . All Jewish children in town belong to one
youth group or another . . . For several years the community has..
consistently raised about $85,000 for its Jewish Welfare Fund .
-Of this sum, $75,000 is allocated to the United Jewish Appeal . .
Campaign expenses amounted to about $65 last year . . . The an-
nual dinner in behalf of the Welfare Fund is regarded as a town
'Meeting . . . Enthusiasm and pride in their communal life runs
Very high among the Jews of Lorain . . . Miiltipiy.Lorain by several
dozens, and you get a picture, of Jewish community life in many
of small towns. . , ,
A survey conducted sometime ago by the Bnai Brith in .166
American and 53 Canadian small towns gave the following
.
thumbnail sketch of the typical small town Jewish adult
was born in the United States, and was brought up in the state
where he now resides . . . He has lived in the same town for about
20 years, this town being located within 50 miles of a big city
During his youth he attended college. and he is now about- 42
years of age,.. . . As owner of an apparel store, he earns about
$6,700 .a year ....He belongs to a synagogue, preferring the Con-
servative brand of Judaism ... He is also a member of Bnai Brith.
. . . He likes life in his small town, but is less enthusiastic about
the opportunities for satisfying his intellectual interests . . He
thinks a Jew has a good chance of feeling comfortable as a Jew
in his little community and a good chance of attaining a position
of prestige in town . • . He is not satisfied with the quality of
Jewish education, but considers the public schools. good .. . oppor-
tunities of marrying within the Jewish faith range, he believes,
from fair to poor . . . If he had to start all over again, he would
remain in his small town and would not ga elSewhere . . This
thumbnail sketch is, according to the Bpai Brith survey, a com-
posite picture of about 200,000 Jews living in American and Cana-
8ince
dian communities with fewer than a thousand Jews each
the survey was completed, many more "thousands of Jews have
moved from the larger cities into the small towns.
*
*

Israeli Trends
In order to attract immigration from English speaking coun-
tries, the Jewish. Agency has purchased a hotel in ellaira and will
convert it into a 'hostel for Western newcomers . . . It will be
- ompleted
opened next month . . . In addition, 170 flats have been c
for Western immigrants and 80 more are under construction
Another 200 are planned, but if there is no demand for them,
building will not go beyond 1955. . . Only 102 flats of the 170
completed have so far been occupied . . It is the opinion of Dr.
G. Josephthal, treasurer of the Jewish Agency, that if no urge
exists among JeWs in the United States or Britain to come ,to
Israel, economic privileges will not' attract them . . . Immigration
from Britain to Israel was 508 in 1950; 300 in 1951; 230 in 1952;
On the other hand "in-
140- last year, and 35 sOfar thWyear
ternal iminigration" was double the rate from abroad during the
paSt two years . . . The Jewish birthrate in Israel is about 30,000
a year, whereas only 11,800 immigrants arrived from January to
the end of May, 1954,;'. . Prospects for immigration indicate that
1954 is unlikely to reach the previous,year's total '• . . The immi-
grants last year came from 60 lands with all the English-speaking
countries and Western Europe combined providing only 1,013 per-
. . . Emigration from •Israel reached its peak in 1952, with
11,128 departUres . . During the past six months 226 persons re-
turned to Romania, but North Africa, the 'United States and Can-
ada head the list of countries receiving emigrant's -from Israel ,
A questionnaire drawn- up by the Israel Ministry of Interior- Arid
,family or
presented to applicants for exit visas - discloed
other personal reasons prompted the emigratiOn ,)f- 56 percent of
them ... Economic causes were mentionad only by 29 percent 0,
Housing difficulties rated low as a reason for leaving Israel ..*
Nearly half of the applicants knew no HebieW, and the• vast. mai.
jority of the rest had , on1)7 an elementary knOWled