Trying to Oil the Creaky Machinery
THE JEWISH 1NEWS
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20. 1951
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspaggss, Miehigan Press 'Association, National Editorial Association
Published every Friday by The Jevrisb News Publishing- Co , 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VLF 8-9364
Subscription S4 a year, Foreign S5.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher.
VOL. XXVII, No. 15
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager
. Page Fe*
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
June 17, 1955
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
the folloWing Scriptural selections will
This Sabbath, th e twenty-eighth day of Sivan, 5715,
, I.
.
.
be r earl. in our synaanaups:
Pentateuchal portion, Num. 13:1-15:41. Prophetical portion, Josh. -2.
Rosh Hodesh.Tammuz Readings of-.the Torah. on Monday and Tuesday, Num. 28:1-15.
Licht Benshen, Friday, June 17, 7:51 p.m.
The Williams-Hart Forest in Israel
On the slopes of the Galilean hills, over-
looking Nazareth, the first saplings were
planted recently to mark the beginnings for
the Queen Elizabeth' Coronation Forest in
Israel. On that occasion, the British Am-
bassador to Israel, J. W. Nicholls, read this
message from Her Majesty the Queem
"The Jewish subjects of the British
Crown have enjoyed freedom to profess
their faith irt England and in my territories
for many centuries. Throughout the
Commonwealth they now number over
800,000. Among them are men and,Women
distinguished in every walk_ of life and
their loyalty and devotion to the Crown
are matched only by their attachment to
the faith of their forefathers. it was,
therefore, with particular pleasure that I
accepted the suggestion of my. Jewish sub-
jects that they should commenlorate my
Coronation with the planting of a forest in
Israel. May it flourish as a symbol of ,
friendship which links my peoples and the
people of Israel."
It is not the first such project in Israel;
nor is it the last. Many forests have been
planted in Israel, in honor and in memory of
many distinguished personalities. But every
effort of this magnitude entails such distinct
honors that Queen Elizabeth- has been able,
in a very brief message, to incorporate heart-
felt reactions to it.
* C *
We make mention of this historic occur-
rence in relation to a similar undertaking in
Michigan to honor our two. chief executives,
Governor G. Mennen Williams and. Lieutenant
Governor Philip A. Hart,. with a Forest. in
Israel. We quote the above message as an
admonition to them as• well as to the Jewish
community that a Forest in Israel entails
honor and responsibility—and a recognition
of the historic significance of the rebirth of a
s State that has been in dormancy for two
thousand years.
Anniversary of UN
When the 60 member countries of the
United Nations—including the state of Israel.
—convene in San Francisco on June 26, they
will commemorate an historic event. It will
be the tenth an-
iversary of the
signing of t h e
United Nations
arter—and the
opening, t r
fore, of the his-
toric beginnings
of negotiations
among nations
rather than spo ~
radic snipings
and antagonisms.
The United Na-
tions is still in its
infancy as a great force for good for the
entire world. We have not as yet achieved
all the benefits that must accrue to mankind
from cooperative efforts. : But. the. great be-
ginningS- have been made. If it were not fol.'
the United Nations, we might have. had, to-
day, a hot instead' of a cold war. There
might have been many conflicts -and contro-
versies which have •been. partially resolVed
by the UN and its commissions.
Not all wrongs have been righted. There
still is a state of war on the Israel-Arab. bor-
ders. The United Natiom has proven too
weak to tackle this problem. Firmness might
have compelled the Arabs to sit in confer-
ences with Israel and to resolve their differ-
ences. But as long as there is an organization
with functioning media fOr negotiations, there
is hope that there will be peace in that area
and throughout the world.
The accompanying modified design of the
United Nations official emblem, used by the
UN Department of Public Information to
commemorate the tenth anniversary of the
UN, is encircled by symbols of , peace. May'
these symbols prove powers for good for all
mankind. May the world organization attain
its aim: to, .elitninate strife and establisli
peace.
The miracle of Israel's rebirth is so great
that some people, even those who have the
great privilege of visiting this State, seeing
it in bloom, witnessing the progress made
during the past seven years, accept it s a
normal fact. They fail to realize the abnor-
malcy of such growth. They compare it with
Israel's neighbors who have been thriving on
incomes from rich oil 'wells and they tell us
that "Beirut also is progressing." There-
fore, in introducing a new Israeli Forest, it
is properly excusable that it should be ac-
companied by recollections of events that
have changed the course of history gild -have
marl possible the rise of a new era of dignity
for Jewry at large.
Ideas Of 'Progressive Judaism'
* * *
"Eretz Israel"—"The Land of Israel"—
is a terrrr that never faded from Jewish mem-
"Aspects of PrOgressive Judaism" presents - the viewpoints of
ories. It lived in the hearts and the minds
of Jews everywhere. It was the symbol of an the Reform - Jewish movement in England, where it goes under the
aspiration, for the return of the People Israel name Progressive JUdaism, on such subjects as this movement's
relation to 'Rabbinic Judaism, its attitude to the Bible, the Pro-
to the Land of Israel. -
phetic eleinent and the Missionary idea, the LittrgY, its funda-
But for two thousand years it was de- mental concepts and social teachings, the Missionary idea, attic
creed otherwise. It was declared to be an tude to Psychology, Israel and Jewish nationalisni, and religion in
impossibility. Zionists were called vision- Israel. The book was published by Farrar, Straus & Co. (101
aries. Who would have dreamt that dreams 5th, NY3).
and prophecies would come true.
The editing of the book was assigned to Dr. Israel I. Mattock,
But our generation was privileged to see who passed away on April 3, 1954, before completing his task. But
the emergence of -the miracle. The dream did he did write the introchiction in which he pointed out that the
come true. It came true in a most tragic World Union for Progressive Judaism includes constituents which
the ideas and forms but "they are united by the
period in our history, when a third of our differ in some of daism
is a developing religion." '-
principle
that
Ju
people were murdered, in a time when the
Calling Rabb inic Judaism "a liberalizing, progressive force in
fate of m_ankind hung in the balance.
the religious life of the Jew," this volume states that Progressive
* *
Judaism is "but a reversion to the religious outlook of the moulders
Many factors played their roles in this of Rabbinic Judaism." It adds that "we are at one with the early
miracle, but the most impottant of all was rabbis in their belief that Judaism is a religion rooted in revela-
and declares that "it is only in the light of rabbinic inter-
the determined will of the Jewish people to tion"
that we can view the Bible as the living fountain of our
end, once and for all time, the homelessness pretation
faith and inspiration."
of Jews, to make the recurrence of Nazi ex-
On the attitude to. psychology, the author advocates that
termination plans impossible, to restore to "Progressive Judaism could and should set itself the task of gath-
Jews their dignity, to straighten the backs of ering from the long and rich tradition of Judaism and from the
our kinsmen who have defied all obstacles to living experience of its mystics and zadiks, the many valuable
psychological data it possesses and of utilizing them in combina-
declare themselves free men and women.
It happened, contrary to all predictions, tion with the best which phychology has to offer."
There is a reaffirmation of the Opposition to Zionism by the
in defiance of conditions which seemed to
leaders, but the reality of Israel's rebirth has left its
movement's
militate against the establishment of a Jewish impact upon the.. editor of this book. Asserting that Palestine
State. It happened in our time!
should be open for all who wish to settle there, the author declares:
When, therefore, reality is taken for "The election of Israel is still a reality, and the Jewish Mission is
granted, when a miracle is reduced to simple still that the Jews shall be the Servants of the Lord wherever they
comparisons of Tel Aviv -with Cairo, it indi- may be." •
The mystery is that Dr. Leo Baeck, to whom the book is dedi-
cates a lack of vision and failure to grasp the
significance of the great events occurrihg in cated, should not have had greater influence upon Progressive
-Judaism's leaders in view of his personal experiences as an expa-
the memory even of our children.
triate from Nazi Germany and as .a witness to the wholesale
-* * *
slaughter of the JeWs there. Surely he recognizes that only in
We Make bold to say these things on the Israel did the survivors from that holocaust find refuge.
occasion of the planting of a new Forest in
"Aspects of Progressive Jewish Thought" advocates that the
Israel, in order that the great merit of such rrogressive movement should work on Israeli soil to propagate its
an occurrence should not be under-estimated. religious ideas, It urges rabbit in,that movement who are in the
Every tree planted in Israel is part of the Zionist fold to work for "a really strong Reform movement in
procedure of giving recognition to the mir- Israel."
acle of Israel's rebirth _ . How much more
. Decline in Youth Population
ihiportant, therefore, is the establishment of
By NATHAN ZIPRIN
an entire Forest? And when the chief exec-
It is popularly believed that the three large sectarian groups
utives of a great State of Our -Union are
honored with a Forest that is to bear their in the City of New York are divided about equally in the popula-
tion. However, contrary to general belief. about the relative size
names, the sanctity of the occasion deserves of.
the three religious :groups, the variance is rather wide with
very great recognition.
Catholics constituting about 47.6 of the -population, Jews 26.4%
Governor Williams and Lieutenant Gov- and Protestants 22.8%. The 26.4 figure for Jews, incidentally, cork. .
ernOr Hart are greatly honored at this time firms the estimate in the current issue of the American Jewish
by our community. We congratulate them Year Bctok. However, there seems to have been a rather sharp
:;on the distinction accorded thern. May- the decline in Jewish yoUth population since- 1935, when a youth sur-
vey by the Welfare Couri.611 of New York showed that 31.4% of the
event merit all the-glory that centers in it.
city's young, betWeen. •the ages of 16 and 24, were Jewish. Since
Ad*ocate Reform in Israel
,
.
LaMed: Professorship
Two lectures by distinguished scholars,
Dr. Arthur. Hyman and Dr. Abraham Duker,
last week concluded a highly successful year
of studies conducted at Wayne University
under the newly-established LaMed Pro-
fessorship of Jewish Studies.
The interest that: has beert shown in
this course by the students and faculty of
Wayne University and by many interested
people in the community has assured , the
extension of this venture to three courses to
be sporfsored at WaYne University next
year with- the aid of the LaMed Fund. This
was one of the truly productive results of
the Tercentenary Year, and the sponsors of
the idea, Mr. and Mrs_ Louis LaMed, have
well earned the gratitude they have been
receiving !or: establishing the l="pofessors
of J ewish
then the relative size of the Jewish:youth population has declined;
to 24.1%, evidencing perhaps a strong Jewish trend to surburban
settlement. It is quite . passible, however, that the decline was
relative rather than real.
With regard to the advanced age grOup among Jews, it appears
that almoSt 8% of the : Jewish population is in that bracket us
compared with 6% in the Catholic group, a possible indication that
life expectancy is higher among Jews. On the other hand there
are fewer under the age of five among Jews than among Catholics.
The Problem of Our Jewish Schools
I came.across an item that Metropolitan New York shows a
Jewish school registration of slightly more than 27 per cent of its
estimated Jewish school-age population. If the percentage is
same throughout the country, the only possible meaning is
that Jewish education has become the cmost neglected facet el
our communal life. : -
Jewish education will remain an elusive 'target as. long as the
Jewish community fails to take cognizance of the fact that the
teacher problem is an integral part of the total picture. Remuner.
ation is of course an important factor in attracting first-rate teacli-
ers, but not the primary one. • , •
What is required is a communal - structure that 'Would give
permanent ,rotembeys, of the teaching profession security, tenure
and -diem
.