Spirit of the Ten Commandments
THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Association
Published every Friday by The Jewisb News Publishing Co, 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VF 8-9364
flwbscription $4 a year, Foreign 35.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of Marcb 3, 1879
OM.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
VOL. XXVII, No. 12
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager
Page Four
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
May 27, 1955
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Shevuot Scriptural Selections
Pentateuchat portions: First Day of Shevuot, Friday, Ex. 19:1-20:26, Num. 28:26-31; Second
say, Saturday, neut. 14:22-16:17, Num. 28:26-31. Prophetical portions:; Friday, E2ek. 1:1-28; 3:12:.
Saturday, Hab. 3:1-10.
Licht Benshen, Friday, 7:33 p.m.
Shevuot: Our Challenging Festival
• Shevuot, the date of which is determined
by counting off seven weeks after the first
day of Passover — hencethe term Feast of
Weeks -used in reference to it — originally
was an agricultural festival, which was cele-
brated in the Land of Israel to mark the
gathering of the first fruits of the summer
harvest. First fruits were brought- to. the
Temple as the people's. - offerings, and for this
reason, to this day, our synagogues as well
EL.s. our homes are adorned on this holiday
with flowers.
As the • anniversary of the Giving of the
Torah to Israel an Sinai, by Moses, the fest- -
val thereby assumes another significant role.
Thus,: we enter our synagogues on Shevuot.
days With pride • in our being the People of
the Torah:
In modern times, Shevuot assumed an-
other role: as a date•of, or an approximate
date for, graduations, consecrations and con-
frmations of our children. This new aspect
makes the festival a challenging one. It poses
many questions: after confirmations and con-
pecrations and graduations — what? Will
they mark an end to Jewish studies, or will
they be the beginnings for advanced studies
for at least an impressive percentage of
those of our young people who are complet-
ing their elementary Jewish school training?
Many of our boys and girls who will -be
confirmed or consecrated or graduated from
our. schools will be entering universities. Ex-
,
periences in approaches to Jewish college
students in behalf of Jewish projects have
not been happy ones. We have faced resist-
ance among our college youth. The Hillel
Foundations are succeeding in enlisting only
a very small percentage of Jewish students,
and only, anti-Semitism seems to move our
youth to action. While youth thus follows in
the footsteps
the adults, many of who
whom
-awaken to their heritage only at. the threat
of anti-Semitism, the problem nevertheless
exists—and challenges us to seek a solution.
It may be unorthodox to seek • solutions
to problems of the future of our youth on a
sacred festival. But we are concerned with
progress as much as with survival, and we
must' think seriously of youth's attitudes if
our people's future is to be secure, if our
standards are to be held high, if the ideas in-
': herent in the Shevuot festival which makes
of us the People of the Torah are to inspire
our sons and daughters to keep Israel a "na-
tion of priests and a holy people."
The challenge of Shevuot is leveled at
community leaders, at our educators — at
youth themselves. Perhaps, by thinking the
issue through together, by consulting youth,
we may arrive at the best means of keeping
. them active in.our fold, at having them con-
tinue their studies and retain their loyalties.
In the best interests of the attainment - of
these high goals, we extend hearty Shevuot
greetings to all.
•
Master Plan for Our Community Centers
A Master Plan has been evolved for the status. Else, our efforts will have been in
construction of a series of Jewish Commu- vain.
Therefore we say to our communal lead-
nity Centers in Detroit.
ers: do not concentrate on brick and mortar,
Serious studies of Jewish population but keep in view the breath of Iife that must
movements and populatiOn concentrations exist within such structures. All around us
have guided the Centers in decisions which there are temptations to lure our youth from
will assure our communities a set of build -us, to lead them astray from their historic
ings for the promotion of recreational activi- legacies, to mislead them into false com-
ties among our youth.
placencies. New buildings will accomplish as
It is an exciting announcement because little as cures against such dangers as did
of the importance of the Centers themselves,
the old.. Only by imparting knowledge to
but more especially becaUse of the evolve- our youth will we be able to rescue them
ments of plans in our community which from indifference. Only by creating a know-
have made it possible for classes of the ing young Jewry will we make them valu-
United Hebrew Schools to be integrated in able to us, to themselves, to their country
the Center buildings. Without this arrange- which needs them spiritually strong and
ment, we could not possibly be as elated
alert.
over the latest announcement.
There is much to be said about the in-
Let us be frank about our needs as well security of spiritually bankrupt Jews. This_
as about our aims. We have set forth on a is not the time for such discussion. Such a
vast community building program, and we study must continue at another time. But
agree that there is a great need for the at present, in the moment of our elation over
proposed structures. We need many of the the rise of new centers, we must assert our
newly-planned synagogues. In order to as- view: that the major value in our new build-
sure stability among our youth, we must ings rises in their ability to educate our
have adequate Jewish centers. And as long youth. This applies to our synagogues:
as our population keeps migrating, such when a house of worship also is a house of
buildings are needed in many areas. study, it ' is valuable; else it may become
But there is a far greater need than for a falsely glorified edifice. When a Jewish
mere brick and mortar: we need a- way of Center also houses a school, conducts classes
penetrating into the hearts and minds of our in Jewish history, seeks to create a well-
informed Jewry, it becomes a valuable in-
youth so that they should be informed about
their heritage, their history, their present strument for good in our community.
Community Service s of Bernard Isaacs
An entire community undoubtedly will
- join in honoring Bernard Isaacs, . retiring
superintendent and newly-chosen superinten-
dent-emeritus of the United Hebrew Schools.
After 36 years of- services in this city,
which began with his pioneering efforts in
the formation of the ,unified community
school system, Mr. Isaacs now is free to
travel and to compile his writings. He car-
ries with him our best wishes for continued
triumphs in the literary world in which he
has succeeded as well as: - he has as an edu-
cator.
Mr. Isaacs has been looked to by educa-
tors throughout the country as a guide in
planning •curricula, • in inspiring his students,
in • creating a wholesome atmosphere for
Jewish studies. ..
The _Detroit school system which he has
directed for nearly two •Score years -Stands
as a monument to his devotion to service to
hiSi people. There was one Talmud Torah
School. He helped in the effort to merge it
with the - Division Street Talmud Torah and
thus to establish the foundation for the
United Hebrew Schools. During the years of
his services here, schools were built on Kirby
Avenue, on Philadelphia Street, on Tuxedo
and Holmur and on Lawton and Tyler. He
had guided school systems in Windsor and-
Flint. The most recent school building con-
structed here, the Esther Berman • Branch
on, Schaefer Road, is the beginning of a new
era of northwest and suburban branches.
Mr. Isaacs' essays in the Hebrew periodi-
cals have been stimulating. He is an excel-
lent story-teller, and his short stories pub-
lished in this counrty and in Israel, have
won acclaim from Hebraists.
Now, with the good wishes of his com-
munity, he carries on an important part of
his work: in the literary field. We wish him
well and we await confidently his narratives,
plots for which he has stored in his mind
during the years he devoted himself- to the
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A Valuable History
tilt imsErdri lirmoor
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Labor Zionism in the U.S.
The first , two volumes in the projected four-volume "History
of the Labor Zionist Movement in North America" (GeSchichte
fun der Zionistischer Bevegung in Tzofen Amerika") has just made
its appearance. Published by the Yiddisher Kemfer Varlag, in
Yiddish, this history adds valuable information to make a knowl-
edge of American Jewish history and of the Zionist - movement
more complete.
Laib Spizman, well known New York publicist, educator, and
radio broadcaster, performed the major task in the compilation
of historical data for this important history. Using the material
in the archives of the Labor Zionist movement. in this country,
Mr. Spizman outlines the history, of the Labor Zionist Organiza-
tion—Poale Zion—from the year of its founding, 1903. The first
two volumes take the reader through the year 1920. The next
two volumes are planned to cover the periods from 1920 to date,
The first 80 of the 291 pages in the first volume are devoted to
an essay by Baruch Zuckerman on "Jewish Life in America in the
First Quarter of the 20th Century." The balance of this volume
was written by Mr. Spizman.
Mr. Zuckerman describes the three main waves of Jewish
immigration to America—Sephardic, German and East turopean
—and describes their major contribu-
tions. He views American Jewry and
Poale Zionism against national as well
as spiritual backgrounds, and points
out how the three immigration move-
ments provided manpower for the La-
bor 'Zionist movement.
Contrary to some views, - the first
Labor group in the U.S. was linked
with the synagogue and was motivated
by a religious spirit, Mr. Zuckerman
indicates. Then came the influence
of Socialism and Zionism, but the
main idea that influenced the move-
ment of Poale Zion was the conscious-
ness of one peoplehood in Jewry. Mr.
Zuckerman also describes the vast
Laib Spizman
contributions made by American Jewry to relief efforts, to philan•
thropy, in political spheres and especially to Palestine.
Mr. Spizman's highly scholarly studies rate wide recognition.
His thorough research work is reflected in the pages of the
books, and his excellent literary style lends added importance
to this history. He offers an analysis of cosmopolitanism and
nationalism in his introduction to the theme of labor Zionism,
delves deeply into the background of early Zionist influences in
New York, and goes back to the Hishinef pogrom to show the
influence of Russion anti-Semitism upon Jewry and its embrac-
ing of the Zionist ideology.
He reviews historical data that had taken him to "the cradle
of the Poale Zion movement." He describes the growth of the
movement, touches upon "Palestinism and Territorialism," relates
occurrences at the first Poale Zion convention in Baltimore and
outlines the Poale Zion's support to sufferers from pogroms and
to the self-defense organizations in Russia.
He analyzes the Poale Zion program, tells of the labor par ,-
ty's major activities, reviews decisions of various conventions.
• Mr. Spizman's study continues for another 150 pages in the
second volume, in which he tells of the Poale Zion role in the
years of the Balfour Declaration, the movement's efforts for the
Jewish Legion, the growth of the Jewish National Workers' Alli-
ance (Farband), the development of an effective school system
(die Shules), the organization of the youth, assistance to the Jew-
ish National Fund, and many other aspects of Poale Zion work.
An impressive bibliography is appended to his essays.
Completing the second volume are essays by Israel's President
Itzhak Ben-Zvi, who wrote on "Poale Zion and the Second Aliyah,"
and S. Bel-kin, who described the activities of Poale Zion in Can-
ada.
-
Historians will find it necessary to turn to President Ben-.
Zvi's essay for facts regarding Poole Zion's early activities in
Palestine as well as in Russia.
Mr. Spizman's historical account includes much data about
Detroit and Detroiters—about the late Gershon Avrunin; about
Joseph Haggai, Michel Margolis, who is: now in Israel, and others.
This interesting reference to Detroit by Mr. Spizman is worth
quoting. Dealing with the era when the Jewish Legion was
formed to help liberate Palestine from the Turks, he writes:
"A sensation was created by the announcement that Gershon
Avrunin, then the father of two children, had enlisted in the
Legion. In Detroit, 82 young people enlisted in the Legion, most
of them chaverim of Poale Zion."
A great contribution has been made with this history by the
Varlag Yiddisher Kemfer, and esRepiany- by tits able-editOr and