Illy Muscles are Really Tuned for Israel

THE JEWISH NEWS

Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with isstee of July 20, 1951

Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co , 17100 West Seven Mile . Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VE. 8-9364
Subscription $4 a year, Foreign $5.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Yost Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher

SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager

VOL. XXVI. No. 10

Page Four

FRANK SIMONS
City Editor

November 12, 1954

Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath. th.r sementeenth day of Heshvan, 5715, the following 'Scriptural selections mill be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 18:1-22:24. Prophetical vortion,, II Kings 4:1-37.

This Is the Time to Live Up to Pledges

Nearly 400 candidates for. Congress went deuce again as a result of renewed brazen
threats against Israel by the Arabs and in
on record, before the Nov. 2 election, in pro-
test against the sending of arms to the Arab consequence of increasing infiltrations of
nations as long as they insist on threatening Arabs into Israel's territory.
In Amman, Jordan, last week, King Hus-
war on Israel. Accompanying most of the
pledges were ,exp-ressions of earnest desires sein I authorized Premier Tewfik Abdul
to see a speedy peace between Arabs and Huda to say for him: "My government's
policy on Palestine remains, the same as
Jews in the 11/Iiddle East.
. Also, when the delegation that repre- that of other Arab countries — no peace, no
sented the entire American Jewish commu- negotiation with the Jews."
nity met with Secretary of State John Fos .-
Such statements usually are made for
public consumption. But if they are not to
ter Dulles, the assurance was given that the
matter will be reviewed immediately after be perpetuated as Arab policy, the nations
the election, the opinion having been ex- seeking peace, especially our own Govern-
pressed by the Secretary of State that he ment, must press for action that should lead The Works of Great Writers
desired to keep the Israel-Arab issue out to direct peace negotiations and to an end
to the existing war spirit that dominates the
of political discussion.
The election is over, many of those who Mediterranean.
has just produced a real liter-
have made their pledges will soon take their
This is the time to act and for the poli-
Viking Press (18 E. 48th,
ary gem. By publishing "A 'Treasury of Yiddish Stories" by Irving
seats in Congress, and the Secretary of ticians to prove their sincerity.
Howe and Eliezer Greenberg, Viking has rendered a great service.
State now is no longer hampered by an elec-
tion time element. The hour has arrived,
Mr. Howe is associate professor of English at Brandeis Uni-
Of importance in the Arab-Israeli crisis versity. Mr. Greenberg, a contributor to Yiddish periodicals, is
therefore, for serious action — to demand
that the Arabs meet with the Israelis face is the resumption by Israel of a partnership the author of poems of essays and the winner of the 1954 poetry
to face to talk peace and to put. an end to with Arabs in the Israel-JordamMixed Arm- award of the Jewish Book Council of America.
istice Commission. Removal of frustration
the arms shipments as long as there is dan-
Included in this collection are 52 stories by 23 leading authors
ger that American arms will harm Israel. was described in an editorial, headed "Israel and a great deal of folk material.
•
Ends a Boycott," in which the New York
Famous authors included in this anthology are Sholem
Herald
Tribune stated:
I. J. Singer, J. L. Peretz, Sholem Aleichem, Mendele Moher Sefo-
The need for immediate action is in evi-
Israel's decision to return to the Israel-. rim, Zalman Schneour, David Pinski, Abraham Reisen, Joseph
Jordan Mixed Armistice Commission is Opatoshu (who died in October), and others who have made their
good news. The Israelis had absented them- mark in Yiddish literature.
selves from the commission for seven
Some of the translators are equally famous. ,Included among
While our Catholic friends, because of
months in protest against the refusal of its them are Maurice Samuel, Isaac Rosenfeld, Ludwig Lewisohn, Al-
American chairman,• Comdr. 'Elmo H. fred Kazin, Meyer Levin, Charles Angoff.
their divisions and rearrangements of the
Decalogue, refer to the Old Testament Ninth
Hutchison, to join in a vote condemning
There are a number of fine drawings by Ben Shahn. The
Commandment—"thou shalt not bear false
Jordan for the Scorpion Pass massacre in Notes on Authors are exceedingly helpful in an understanding of
witness. . . ."—as the Eighth Commandment,
which eleven Israeli bus passengers were the personalities who created the great works included in this
Treasury. The Introduction is an especially valuable analysis of
they nevertheless have just put it to perfect
murdered last March.
use by repudiating bigotry.
It cannot be said that Comdr. Hutchi- the Yiddish stories.
In fact, the Introduction is in itself a splendid evaluation of
The Michigan Catholic, in an editorial,
son's handling of this incident helped very
"Reject Hate Propaganda," makes this appeal
much to get to the bottom of the case, or the -T.ddish tale and is excellent commentary on the creative ef-
score., of brilliant writers who have
to its readers:
that it contributed anything at all to the forts of the more than a narrative'
theme. The Yiddish world in
contributed so well to the
stability of the Middle East. But Israel's relation to its environment is reviewed and the characters in the
"Judging from the volume of - hate4ii;-
walkout from the commission gave no im- tales are studied scrupulously. The reader gets a rea7 education
spired propaganda that comes to us -
petus to the attainment of ,just solutions, here in the background of Yiddish. story-telling.
through the mail, or is referred to us by
either, and the result was a growing sense
readers seeking an opinion, the poison-pen .
Thus, the contours of a literature, the twists of the language
of frustration, hostility and bitterness in and the elements of the "shtetl" where the. actions take place, the
industry must be working overtime. Al-
the area.
most daily we see sample copies of news-
relation of Yiddish to Hebrew, are viewed by men of knowledge
papers and pamphlets that are filled with
Now Comdr. Hutchison's term of duty is and deep understanding.
the most venomous attacks on the Jews, on
up, and he has been succeeded as chairman
"The theory of two languages and one literature' is indis-
those who oppose segregation of the races
of the Mixed Commission by Lt. Col. pensable to an understanding of Yiddish literature," we are told,
in public schools and on those who believe
Charles F. Brewster, of the United States "It helps to clarify; for example, how the presence of Hebrew in
in international collaboration. The,anony-
Army. Both Israel and Jordan have ac- the background enables Yiddish literature to avoid the painful
mous authors figuratively wrap themselves
cepted his appointment, and Israel has an- fate of those literatures of small countries which either become
in provinciality or fall into a slavish imitation of the
in the American flag, making strong pro-
nounced it is ending its boycott. Resump- stalled vogue
from Paris. Yet a too vigorous - application of the
testations of patriotism and anti-Commu-
tion of full commission activities consti- latest
theory might soon blur those elements and modes that are unique
nism.
tutes only one slight improvement in a to the Yiddish. For there is something qualitatively unique to the
widely troubled area. But rays of light are whole cultural aura of Yiddish, something in its characteristic
"Lest any Catholic be tempted into be-
so infrequent in the Middle East today that gestures and tones that is summoned by the word Yiddishkeit."
lieving, circulating, or subsidizing these
those who want to see peace there will be
scurrilous publications, let him realize that,
The editors assert that "Yiddish literature survives" every-
grateful even for this modest sign of hope. where; that "Yiddish books continue to be published." "The Yid-
as a Christian he has a strict duty to obey
a u d i e n c e," they say, "makes up for its smallness
the Eighth Commandment.
This viewpoint, too, will undoubtedly be dish
its admirable devotion. But it is a final tragic irony that a
"You may not circulate any derogatory
accepted by all men of good will as a practi- by
literature which began with the most fluent intimacy between
report about your neighbor unless you
cal and realistic approach to the issue. All author and audience should survive as the property of isolated
have positive proof that it is true and then
the discussions point to the need for direct circles of authors and readers, who cling to a language which for
only to the extent needed to save the inno-
peace talks. The sooner these are arranged, them is not only history but the answer to history."
the quicker will we be able to welcome gen-
cent from harm.
Their conclusion is that "no one really knows what the future
uine peace in that troubled area.
of Yiddish and its literature will be," but, in dealing with the
"Both of these conditions are violated
luminaries "whatever their future, their past is certain. They wait
by the recklessly defamatory sheets we re-
for us ready to speak, if we will only hear them."
fer to.
"If any come your way,. destroy them."
This is an effective approach to a problem
Interesting plans are being made for the Outlines of Noteworthy Addresses
which may appear insignificant at first but annual Book Fair, which this year will place
the immensity of which may grow if the emphasis on the observance of the American
danger is not checked. Men in public life Jewish Tercentenary.
Few men in our generation have enriched our literature
are being bombarded with anti-Semitic, anti-
Last year's Book Fair was a thrilling ex- as much as the late Dr. Milton Steinberg. His analyses of the
Negro and anti-Catholic .propaganda. There perience and was a tribute to the under- American Jewish community, his thought-provoking sermons
is no limit to the amount of literature which standing of the needs for the advancement
and essays on the position of world Jewry,
seeks to arouse hatred among Americans that of interest in Jewish books by the Fair's
his contributions to Zionism, caused him
to be looked up to as guide and adviser to
goes through the mails.
sponsor, the Jewish Community Center.
Jewish leaders and movements.
Recently one such publication, "Ameri- This year's plans already promise to match
Dr. Steinberg left many notes and out-
can Confederate Army," was ruled by the the previous successes in the quality of
lines of his sermons which offer new proof
Post Office Department to be "unmailable" speakers, the display of hundreds of titles
of his genius as sermonizer and as organ-
because parts of it "tend to incite murder or of English, Yiddish and Hebrew books and
izer of his material for lectures.
assassination" and are considered to be in the special features planned for the observ-
His material for his festival addresses
has been edited and compiled in book form
violation of our Postal laws. Ku Klux ele- ance of Jewish Book Month.
by Bernard Mandelbaum, and the book
ments are said to have assumed the new
It is to be hoped that a large number of
has been published by Bloch under the
"Confederate" name. In the meantime the our boys and girls will participate in the
title "From the Sermon of Rabbi Milton
Post Office continues to serve the bigots' essay and poster contests introduced in con-
Steinberg." His volume will be especially
purposes. One of the ways of counteracting nection with Book Fair. And it is especially
helpful to rabbis, and it will assist all stu-
hate propaganda has been suggested by the urgent that the call for hundreds of volun-
dents in the art of gathering material for
Michigan Catholic. All Americans who are teers, to assist in the management of the
public speaking.
Dr. Steinberg
aspiring for the perpetuation of the basic community event, should receive a hearty
As Rabbi Mandelbaum states: "Many fields of literary activity.
American principles which aim at the elim- response from the men and women whose will be enriched by the pen of the late Rabbi Steinberg ... All his
ination of prejudice. will.applaud the Michigan services , are urgently needed in the manage- talents—including those of the brilliant expositor, philosbphtr,
noveliA—combined in creating his weekly lesson—,the sermon!'
ment of this important function.
Catholic's editorial.

`A Treasury of Yiddish Stories'

Rebuke to Bigots

Annual Book Fair

From Dr. Milton Steinberg's Sermons

