Hebrew in
American
Colleges
Israel's Enemies
Disinter the Bones
Survey of
Anti-Semitic
Movements
Weekly Review
A
Smolar's Column,
Page 2
of Jewish Events
Of Anti-Semites
Commentary, Page 2
Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper—Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle
17100 W. 7 Mile Rd.—VE. 8-9364--Detroit 35, July 30, 1954
VOLUME 25—No. 21Ca••
$4.00 Per Year; Single Copy, 1 5c
City -Agencies Revive Interest • in
Obtaining 'Woodward Jewish - Center;
Cooperu.tion Pledged bi Federation
Camp Tamarack Buildings
To Be Dedicated Aug. 25
An event of major importance for the Detroit Jewish
community will rbe the dedication of Camp Tamarack build-
ings, set for Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 25.
Under the chairmanship of Nathan Silverman, Camp
Tamarack Authority is now arranging the dedication in
behalf of the sponsoring organization, the Fresh Air So-
ciety, of which Nathan L. Milstein is president.
The buildings to be dedicated include the Helen DeRoy
Village, the Sheruth League Lodge and the Herman Go-
lanty Cabin.
(Detailed Story on Page 5)
U.S. Financial Aid to Israel
\ Will Be Substantially Reduced
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—The House Appropriations Committee
reported out the Foreign Aid bill, with the amount of aid for the
Near Eastern area reduced from the Administration's request
of $130,000,000 to 8115,000,000. The reduction corresponds with
the authorization bill reported out by the Senate Foreign Re-
lations Committee which made an identical reduction.
The_sum for Israel will be reduced below the $52,500,000
given during the last fiscal year. The sum for the Arabs is to
be increased.
It is estimated that Israel will receive $40,000,000 or less
during the coming year. The State Department maintains that,
because of German reparations payments and an improved
financial situation, Israel's needs have been reduced.
Keen interest was shown this week by the Common Council, Mayor Albert E.
Cobo, the Department of Parks and Recreation and other City agencies in the need for
the establishment of new. recreation centers, as means of combatting the evils of teen-age
hoodlumism. One of the first steps proposed - to solve the aggravated problems of rowdy -
ism is the immediate acquisition by the City of the Woodward-Holbrook Branch of the
• Jewish Community Center.
The Parks and Recreation Department was instructed Monday by the Common
Council to meet with the City Plan Commission and to negotiate the purchase of the
Woodward Jewish Center.
Mayor Cobo, who was vacationing in Charlevoix, stated there that he had alwys
favored the purchase of the Jewish Center for the establishment of additional recreation
facilities in areas that are especially affected by the rowdyism. The Woodward Jewish
Center is one of the most acceptable and immediately available buildings neighboring on
Northern High School where much of the rowdyism has taken place. The Jewish Center
itself has never been affected by the neighborhood hoodlumism.
A sum of $100,000 already has been provided by the Common Council for the
establishment of a new recreation center. If an agreement is reached, this sum will be
applied toward the purchase of the Jewish Center building, which is equipped with all
necessary 'recreation facilities—a swimming pool, games courts, meeting rooms, etc.
Isidore Sobeloff, executive director of the Jewish Welfare Federation, of which
the Jewish Community Centers are affiliated agencies, pointed out this week that the
$460,000 offer for the purchase of the Woodward Jewish Center came from the City
agencies. "It was not our set price but the city's offer," he stated. "The Mayor and his
advisers approached us about a year ago with the suggestion that we sell the Woodward-
Holbrook Center for use by the Parks and Recreation Commission. Our reply was that
we would be prepared to sell if the proper arrangements can be made."
The Woodward Jewish Center will continue to -function without interruption in all
its departments as part of the community-wide Jewish Center. program, Mr. ,Sobeloff said.
He stated that while the Centers are ready to cooperate in fulfilling the City's recreation
needs, the Jewish community's program will not be affeend by current discussions until
something definite materializes.
"Our work goes on at the Woodward Jewish Center, at the Davison Center, at the
branch on Tuxedo and Holmur and the 12th Street branch," Mr. Sobeloff said. He added
that future programming calls for establishment, in the near future, of Jewish Centers
inithe northwest and suburban areas. In most instances, such new centers will be utilized
also to serve the needs of the United Hebrew Schools and to facilitate the expansion of
educational centers.
While teen-age problems have been in evidence throughout the country, And in
some cities juvenile delinquents have resorted to vandalism in Jewish areas and to attacks
on Jews, there have been no such evidences in Detroit. In Philadelphia teen-age hoodlum-
ism caused the Jewish Exponent to state editorially under the heading "Anti-Semitism
Among Teen-Agers":
"The increasingly heavy burden of news regarding anti-Semitic forays by teen-age
gangs in various parts of the country, which have been appearing in the columns of this
and other newspapers in the past few months, is a most disturbing factor on the current
scene. Particularly painful is the fact that a good many of the recent outrages have taken
place here in Philadelphia . . . The teen-age vandals come from homes; they have parents.
They have attended schools; they have teachers. We must find the causes of these mani-
festations, go back beyond the stage of the juvenile court, where, from our point of view,
it is already too late. We must find out who directs these young energies into vicious, anti-
social channels. We must know to what extent the egomaniac leaders of organized anti-
Semitism—the hate peddlers—have pointed the way for these young offenders. And we
must then take the proper steps to combat the disease before it spreads any further.
Today's teen-age vandal may very well be tomorrow's Hitler Youth, or his father."
.
Serving the Youth:
The dedication of
Camp Bnai Brith, Starlight, Pa., was marked by the presenta-
tion of a plaque to SIDNEY A. SOBEL, of Newark, N. J., who
represented the former Bnai Brith Home for 'Orphans at Erie,
Pa. Camp Bnai Brith was purchased by the Bnai Brith Henry
Monsky Foundation for use as a youth encampment with
funds obtained from the transfer of the assets of the Erie
orphanage. Shown above, left to right, are FRANK R. S. KAP-
LAN of Pittsburgh, chairman of the board of trusIees of the
Monsky Foundation; Mr. SOBEL, whose father, Isador Sobel,
was president of the Erie Home 'for Orphans from its incep-
tion until his death 26 years later; MAURICE BISGYER, sec-
retary of the Bnai Brith; SIDNEY G. KUSWORM, treasurer
and FRANK GOLDMAN, honorary president. A second plaque
was presented (bottom left photo) to BUDD L. MOSER, of
Huntington, W. Va., president of District Grand Lodge 3,
vithich maintained the orphanage during its existence. An-
other event of the dedicatory week-end was the celebration
of the birthday of . PHILIP M. KLUTZNICK, president of
Bnai Brith (bottom right) . Mrs. Klutznick cut the birthday
cake. Seated behind her are FRANK R. S. KAPLAN, Mrs
ALBERT A. WOLDMAN, president of the Bnai Brith Women's
Supreme Council, and SIDNEY G. KUSWORM.
;
.
Dutch Jews Refuse to Revoke Ban on Spinoza
NEW YORK, ( JTA) —A proposal to revoke the Seventeenth Century excommuni-
cation of the philosopher Baruch de Spinoza has been rejected by the leaders of the Portu-
guese Jewish community here, descendants of . those who originally banned the eminent
scholar, the New York Times reports from Amsterdam. ''The suggestion to reconsider the
300-year-old measure came from David Ben-Gurion, Israel's former Prime Minister.
In 1656 the leaders of the Portuguese Jewish community in Amsterdam branded
Spinoza's work heretical and dangerous for the faith. The lay leaders of the synagogue
announced the excommunication decision. The original record is preserved in the Amster-
dam synagogue.
The current synagogue board, the Times report says, left the ultimate decision on
whether to do anything about the centuries-old excommunication to the community's
Chief Rabbi, Salomon Rodrigues Pereira. • The old Rabbi was emphatic in expressing his
intention to do nothing about the old measure.
"No rabbinate has the right to review a decision of previous rabbinates, unless it
is greater in number and wiser," he said. This was well known in Jewish tradition, the
spiritual leader said, adding, "I don't consider myself wiser than those who came before
me." The synagogue board is solidly behind its rabbi, the Times reported.