Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Official Ruling on Hatikvah and the Israel Flag
FeinbergOpensiFestive Spirit Marks Symphony Con cell
Dedicated to the Jewish Tercentenary
Whitman Show
A festive spirit marked the brilliance of his work, after the
•
Symphony Orchestra concert, and expressed their
In Washinaton Detroit
concert, Dec. 30. Dedicated to thanks to him and to the or-
From time to time questions are posed as to the propriety of
the American Jewish Tercenten- chestra for dedicating the con-
displaying the Israel flag at public functions and the singing of
Worldwide celebrations of the ary, the orchestra's distinguished cert to the 300th anniversary of
Hatikvah. Since there is an important official ruling on the sub- Walt Whitman Centennial conductor, Paul Paray, selected , the settlement of the first Jew-
ject, which has been secured by Hadassah from the Office of opened in Washington, in the for a first performance at this ish community in this country.
Protocol of the Department of State, and from the United Nations Libr"ralof:ongress, on Monday. concert, the powerful Bloch j A special page was dedicated
Honor Flag Committee, it is valuable thai, it should be generally
Principal speaker at the
Concerto Grosso No. 2, which to the Tercentenary in the Dee.
known. Here it is:
i n g ceremonies was composed in 1952.
30 Detroit Symphony program.
was Charles E.
On the program also was the ,
RULES FOR THE USE OF THE FLAG AND ANTHEM OF
Feinberg of De- Aaron Copland "Outdoor Over-
ANOTHER NATION WITH THOSE OF THE UNITED STATES
troit, the best ture."
$1,000,000 in U. S. Grain
known collector
Some questions having arisen concerning the display of
Sorghum for Israel
The
world
famous
pianist
of rare Whit-
the American and Israel flags, and the singing of the Star
Claudio Arrau's selections helped
man
works
and
Spangled Banner and Hatikvah at public functions. Inquiry
WASHINGTON, (JTA) — The
,manuscripts in elevate the concert to truly
has been made at the Office of Protocol of the Department of
great heights, and the conduct- Foreign Operations Administra-
the world.
State, and of Mr. Brooks Harding, Chairman of the United
M r . Feinberg ing of Mr. Paray, whose left arm tion has announced an authori-
Nations Honor Flag Committee. These authorities state un-
also
wrote the was in a sling as a result of an zation of $1,000,000 in grain sor-
equivocally a) that the display of flags of other nations to-
ghum for Israel. The grain sor-
introduction
t o accident, was superb.
gether with the American flag is proper; and b) when the rules
Detroit Tercentenary leaders ghum will come from the United
the
Library
of
given here are followed, consistent with the highest patriotism.
Congress Whit- congraulated Mr. Paray on the States and its possessions.
The following procedure should be followed:
Feinberg
man
catalogue.
In
arranging
the
flags
for
display,
the
flag
of
the
1.
A gift by Mr. Feinberg of rare
United States should be raised, or placed in position first,
when the display is dismantled, it should be taken down last. Whitman manuscripts to the
2. When the flag of the United States is displayed with University of Southern Illinois
the flag of another nation, the flags should be the same size, was widely acclaimed last week.
By BORIS SMOLAR
flown at the same height, on staffs of the same length. In time Mr. Feinberg has made similar
of peace, no country's flag should fly higher than that of gifts to 100 universities and col-
(Copyright, 1954, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
leges. He is guiding • Whitman
another.
3. When the flags are used on a platform, at the same celebrations in many countries, The American Scene
level as the speaker, the flag of the United States should be in addition to those in American
How do Jews feel among non-Jewish neighbors in the middle-
sized American towns? .. . An interesting study, based on informa-
on the speaker's right—that is, to the audience's left, with the communities. *
other country's flag to the speaker's left.
tion gathered in a sample of 248 communities, has been conducted
4. If posted on the auditorium floor, the flag of the Feinberg Presents
by Cornell University. The results of this study, which deals with .
United States should be placed on the right side of the audi-
cities having populations between 25,000 and 150,000, have now
Set of 'Conservator'
been made public . . . They throw much light on the participation
ence.
5. The American flag should never be draped, folded, or To Brandeis Library
of Jews in local economic life, on their participation in community
bunched, for decoration purposes, biit always allowed to hang
One of the six known com- services, and on the lack of social mixing between Jews and non-
tree and clear.
plete sets in existence of Horace Jews . . . Prof. John P. Dean, who supervised the study, attributes
The above information is embodied in Public Law 829 of Traubel's periodical The Con- the virtual non-existence of social mixing between Jews and
the 77th Congress; copies of the law and further information servator was presented to the Gentiles to social anti-Semitism on the part of the Gentiles and
may be obtained by writing to the Office of Protocol of the library
at Brandeis University, to opposition to intermarriages on the part of the Jews . . . He
Department of State, Washington 25, D.C.
out that friendship among Jews and non-Jews is strong
at Waltham, Mass., by Charles points
ANTHEM
among
school children and teen-agers ... But he establishes that
Feinberg of Detroit, one of
The order of the singing of the Star Spangled Banner to- E.
the world's foremost collectors childhood and teen-age relationships seldom weather the disrup-
gether with the anthem of a foreign nation, as established by of papers and manuscripts by tive influences that sever them in the years following high school
tradition, and universally practiced, is simple and clear; the or about Walt Whitman.
. . . After marriage, high school Jewish-Gentile relationships
position of honor and precedence is last—and therefore, the
Milton Hindus, Brandeis Uni- seldom are the basis for continued intimate friendship . . . The
Star Spangled Banner follows the foreign country's anthem. versity associate professor of joint social life of a married couple depends on who each of the
Consequently, at any public function, Hatikvah would be sung English and editor' of a new spouses object to and who each feels most "at home" with •
first, followed by the Star Spangled Banner.
series of essays on Whitman If, at the time of marriage, each spouse has an independent circle
There is only one exception, which arises from the rule published by the Stanford Uni- of friends, the couple will tend to become socially integrated into
that the anthem of the performing artists takes the honored versity Press, commented that the circle least different in ethnic and prestige attributes from
position: if a musical organization—an orchestra or chorus-- Horace Traub-el was the biogra- themselves . . . Thus Jews in the middle-sized towns—where they
or a musical artist from Israel, or an3 foreign country is tour- pher and closest collaborator of constitute a very small percentage of the population—may have
ing the United States, and is performing the two anthems, the Whitman in his later years.
friends and close contacts among the Gentiles, but there is very
anthem of the country of the artist or group should be played
homes.
"Traubel's paper, The Con- little invitation to each other's S
* S
last.
servator, contains material im-
These rules should clarify some of the 'cloUbts that exist in portant to the student of. Whit- The Economic Scene
some minds, especially, those that are often: created by forces man's life and work. It may be
With regard to Jewish participation in economic life, the
which seek to disrupt Jewish unity _arid to inject divisive is s ues in said that this gift represents a
Cornell study of middle-sized American communities indicates
Jewish ranks.
valuable addition to the re- that there are relatively few areas of economic life from which .
search facilities of the Brandeis Jews are excluded In those communities in which there is a
True Interpretation of 'Gift to Brotherhood'
library in. the field of American convergence of local economic power in the hands of what. Prof.
Dean terms as "a Protestant Yankee old guard," there is limited •
Recognition of the status of the recently-organized Brandeis studies," he stated.
Mr. Feinberg has exhibited his participation not only by Jews but also by Catholics . . . This, the
University, at Waltham, Mass., whose progress has won countrywide
admiration, is contained in this editorial, entitled "A Gift to Broth- collection of Whitman, valued Cornell study explains, is in part due to the fact that established
at upwards of $200,000, in economic advancement tends to perpetuate itself . . . Thus, Jewish
erhood," in the Christian Science Monitor:
Any concrete example of brotherhood- can do much more American libraries in London participation is most noticeably absent in the middle-sized com-
than the currently plentiful lip service paid to the ideal. One and Tokyo under the sponsor- munities in prominent locally-owned industries, in local law firms
such example is the $500,000 gift to Brandeis University by ship of the United States In- that advocate for them, and in local centers of banking and
J. Willard Hayden, president of the Hayden Foundation, to formation Service. In conjunc- finance . . . In the communities which the Cornell field staff
finance half the cost of a new science building. As the first tion with the Whitman Cen- visited it was also rare for Jews to be found on the management
major contribution from a Christian, source to this Jewish- tenial being celebrated this level of the major local industries, or on the boards of leading
sponsored, nonsectarian university, it can do much more than year his collection will be shown banks . . . Participation of Jews is most conspicuous in commercial
at the Library of Congress.
enterprises, both wholesaling and retailing, and in the professions
aid the financial growth of the institution.
. . Most of these are self-employed occupations and, therefore,
For a new university—Brandeis is only seven years old—
nothing is more valuable than recognition of its permanence. Name Morton Smerling not subject to discrimination by employers . . . The Cornell study
establishes that, because of the relative prosperity of the profes-
Back of the launching of Brandeis was a desire on the
sions and commercial enterprises over the past 15 years, this
part of the Jewish community, now celebrating its Tercen- To State Health Post
occupational concentration of Jews has not handicapped the
tenary in the new world, to make a contribution to the Amer-
Morton D. Smerling, native Jewish community economically < The study. finds that Jewish
ican tradition of privately sponsored universities launched
and former publicist, communities in small and middle-sized American cities tend to be
by denominational groups but open to all races, creeds, and Detroiter
social groups. Jewish youth has been benefiting hugely from for the City of Detroit's Depart- middle class and upper class, and that in almost all instances
of u ic Works, has been Jewish families are. better off economically than a cross-section
-study in the great universities' founded by other religious ment
appointed publicist with the of families in the community at large.
groups. Now the Jewish community has determined to repay Michigan
Department of Health,
* * *
some of this debt.
section of education, in Lansing.
While we can not share the view that the establishment of a
The
Political
Scene
.
Smerling graduated from Cen-
university by Jews is "the repayment of a debt"—it is our convic- tral High School in Detroit, was
The Cornell study brings out the fact that participation of
tion that Jews as citizens share and share alike all the benefits a member of Young Israel and Jews in politics or in public 'offices in the middle-sized towns
of citizenship and always carry the brunt of responsibility to our studied with Rabbi Sampson R. appears to be relatively limited compared with Irish, Italian or
communities with honor and dignity—we welcome a tribute to a Weiss, former dean of Yeshivah. other foreign-extraction groups . . . Very few Jews hold elected
successful school, sponsored by Jews, who thereby make an addi- He was graduated from Michi- offices, although their participation is somewhat greater in
tional contribution to American culture. The important element gan State College, where he appointed office . The most common type of participation is
In the subject referred to by the Monitor is that the Brandeis Uni- studied journalism and English. the appointment of lawyers to positions such as assistant district
versity enterprise is succeeding to so high a degree that Christians
As publicist for the Depart- attorney, civil service commissioner, or housing commissioner . .
as well as Jews recognize its value. That makes it an important ment of Public Works, he helped I One of the reasons for this limited participation in public life is
American school of higher learning.
promote the city's annual seen in the fact that politics do not seem to be part of the occu-
"Clean-Up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up pational tradition of Jewish families . . . However, Prof. Dean feels
Week" campaign, and partici- that another reason is the fact that Jews undoubtedly suffer in
Aaron Kurland: Courageous Zionist
instances from anti-Semitism . . . This operates not so much
Even after the Balfour Declaration was a reality, it took a pated in community group acti- some
the level of the electorate as in the party councils that select
great deal of courage to be a Zionist. Aaron Kurland possessed vities to improve neighborhood at
candidates or determine political appointments . . . Where the
that courage. Those of us who devoted themselves to the Zionist sanitation.
In his present capacity with Jewish community represents a substantial proportion of the
group that was known, in the late 1920s, as the Young Maccabaean
population, the limitation of participation by anti-Semitism is
Society of Detroit, with which the deceased leader was affiliated the Michigan Department of outweighed by practical political consideration, the Cornell study
Health,
Smerling
will
write
and
could fully appreciate the devotion that went into Zionist effort.
establishes . . • While J Jewish participation in public offices
We were tri-lingual — English-Yiddish and Hebrew-speaking. We edit the department's monthly is limited, the participation of of leaders in civic causes and
labored for the cause night and day. We had a limited army be- publication, Michigan's Health, community service activities of the community at large_ is never-
hind us, yet we led the fight for a national Jewish home as if we and conduct a weekly radio pro- theless growing . . . In a majority of the communities where the
had millions back of us. Perhaps that is why we conquered and are gram over WKAR, Michigan study was conducted, Jews participate on the Boards of Com-
State College station,
privileged to have, had a share in Israel's rebirth.
His writings have appeared in munity Chests and in the Red Cross, but they are most seriously
Aaron Kurland was an outstanding Ben Brith. He was a lib-
limited from assuming leadership roles because such roles entail
ertarian. He was interested in cultural movements and in recent the Michigan Farmer magazine, membership in groups governed by the norm of "social exclusive-
years became a deep student of psychiatric science. But he was the Michigan Food News, and ness" . . . A 'sample. of well over 200 communities shows that the
primarily a Zionist—because he possessed the courage that made other publications. He is a mem- cities which score low on social acceptability of Jews, score high
our group fight for what we considered the ultimate justice to ber of Sigma Delta Chi, profes- on Jewish participation in community affairs ... The same sample
journalistic fraternity.
the Jew. Glory to such courage—and to the man who possessed it. sional
His parents, Mr. and Mrs. also shows that the larger -the city, and the larger the proportion
Samuel Smerling, reside at 4109 of Jews. in the community, the ,more Jews are excluded from sec/al
Between You and Me
2—DETRO1T JEWISH NEWS
Friday, January 1955
Clements.
elite Organizations' and residential areas.