Same Place, Same Question

" l' THE JEWISH 'NEWS

Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle co-rnrnencing with issue of July 20, 1951

Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Asso-
'dation
Published everS, 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 seco'nd class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under *Act of March 3, 1879

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor and Publisher

FRANK SIMONS

SIDNEY SHMARAK

City Editor

A dvertising Manager

Sukkot Scriptural Selections

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Scriptural portions on the first two days o f Sukkot, Saturday and Sunday, Lev. 22:26 33:44,

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•
NUM- 29:12 16. Prophetical portions, Saturday, Zech. 14; Sunday, Kings 8:12-21.
Hol Hanioed Sukkot Scriptural . selections: M onday, NUM. 29:17-25; •Tuesday, NUM. 29:20-28;
Wednesday, Num. 29:23-31; Thursday, Num. 29: 26-34; Friday, Num. 29:26-34,

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Licht Benshen, Friday, 5:32 p.m.

VOL._ XXVIII.

No. 4

Page Four

September 30, 1955

Sukkot Symbolizes Faith and Freedom

Sukkot, the festival we are ushering
in this evening, symbolizes faith and free-
dom. It is a reminder, through our own Suk-
kah, of the booths in which the Israelites
lived while they were in the wilderness, on
the way to the Promised Land, out of the
land of bondage into freedom and inde-
pendent statehood.
The spiritual strength and dignity of the
festival is expressed in the prayer:
"The earth is Thine and the fullness
thereof; help us to realize that the bless-
ings we enjoy are but tokens of Thy love
and that when we use Thy gifts in the
Service of our fellowmen we offer thanks-
-
giving unto Thee."
An eighth century poet, Eleazar Kalir,
expressed the spiritual idea of the festival
in this verse:
"Thy praise, 0 Lord, will I proclaim
In hymns unto Thy glorious name.
0 Thou Redeemer, Lord and King,
Redemption to Thy faithful bring:
Before Thine altar they rejoice
With branch of palm and myrtle-stem;
To Thee they raise the prayerful voice
Have mercy, save and prosper them.
They overflow with prdyer and praise
To Him who knows the future days.
Have mercy Thou, and hear the prayer
Of those,who palms and myrtles bear.
The day and night they sanctify
And in perpetual song adore;
cry,
Like to the heavenly host they
.
`Blessed artThot'for - evermore.
The manifold joys : represented by the
Sukkah were expressed impressively in A. S.
Sachs' "Worlds That Passed":

.

"The Sukkah reminds the Jew of those
glorious days (of harvest), and that is why
he occupies it with so much gladness, even
though the autumn winds blow fiercely
through the cracks of the flimsy walls. The
roof of leaves and branches does not op-
press him as does the ceiling of his week-
day abode. The windows of the Sukkah
may be very uneven, but the pious man
feels quite at ease. Even the heterodox
Jew, the skeptic, likes the Sukkah, first,
because it reminds him of nature, and sec-
ond, because the Sukkah is a symbol of our
present exile, of our homeless, shelterless
existence. Have not we Jews been knock-
ing about for two thousand years in light-
ly built dwellings, ready to be quickly
torn down and put up again where neces-
sity might drive us? Has not our whole
race known more shadow than sunshine?
Our fathers, therefore, built the seven-day
arbor-house with much glad fervor, their
own hands sawing and hammering and
nailing. And we youngsters. with all our
might tugged and pulled at the branches
for the roof of the Jewish house that must-
have more shadow than light."
If it is still strong within us, then the
Sukkot festival will not be "a world that
passed" but one that will be perpetuated
through symbols that our people will con-
tinue toadhere to, through a spirit that lives
in the Sukkot festival.
tke, festival's message—its
We
giory inherent in _Judaism and the
lesion
freedomS from which it stems and -which it
seems to make the undying symbol of Israel's
faith. -

Your Newspaper--Fights for Your Right to Know'

Dr. Herbert Lee Williams, a noted re-
searcher, a professor in the college of corn-
munication arts at Michigan State Univer-
sity, has made the point recently that the
newspaper is today's biggest bargain; that
"even though it may have been useful for
repairs in the days of model-T - Fords, chew-
ing gum is not . recognized in the United
States constitutionas essential to the Amer-
ican way of life, but the press is."
This is a simple but convincing point
upon which we draw on the occasion of
National Newspaper - Week, to be observed.
Oct. 1-8.
We doubt whether it really is necessary
to belabor the point of the newspaper's sta-
tus. But we join in placing emphasis
on the importance of this national week
because the press is being taken for granted
and the average citizen does not stop to
think of his newspaper as perhaps the most
important instrument for good in countries
like ours, where the printed word is the
guide to good government.
National Newspaper Week this year is
keynoted with the proclamation: _`'Your
Newspaper Fights for Your Right to Know."
In his salute to the American press corps on
this occasion, President Eisenhower has
issued this message "to the Newspapers of
the Nation":
"Our belief in freedom of information
stems from Our belief in the individual: in
his right to have access to fact, in his corn-.
petence to form sound' judgments based on
what he knows. Historically, the winning of
this freedom has demanded the conviction
and eloquence and day-to-day labors of men
and women of the fourth estate who, from
the early days of journalism, have been
willing to incur censure and to risk personal
danger in the -pursuit of their occupation.
"Those who today work in the tradition
of a free press have the responsibility to
uphold this freedom and to remain worthy
of it by reporting with accuracy and candor
what they believe to be the truth."
The tradition of a free press continues
to be one of the supreme objectives in
American life, and the encouragement it
receives_ from all Americans is heartening

proof of the invincibility of our democratic
way of life. -
It is proper, as we join in the celebration
of National Newspaper Week, that we refer
also to the Jewish press of this country.
Today, it is the English-Jewish press. With-
out it, American Jewry would be without
any organ. The English-Jewish newspaper
performs the important function of bringing
the local news to the community it serves,
it links all communities by bringing to them
national and overseas news, it guides them
towards a stronger spiritual life.
Senator (former Vice-President) Alben
Barkley has said that "next to the pulpit—
and perhaps even more so than the pulpit
—the press has the widest influence for good
or evil." Without the press, the pulpit would
be weaker and insecure. Without the press,
life itself would be insecure. This is espe-
cially true of the English-Jewish press in
relation to the Jewish communities. It is
needless, therefore, and superfluous, to ad-
vance the thought that the English-Jewish
press has earned unstinted support. It is for
the readers—for the communities—to state
it and to help this press gain in stature and
in strength as it strives to elevate its
standards.

John D. Dingell

Few men in public life have earned the
tributes being 'extended to them by our com-
Inanity as well as the late Congressman
John D. Dingell.
The Jewish community is deeply in-
debted to him. He was firm in his opposition
to any and all manifestations of bigotry. He
was a consistent fighter against Nazism in
Germany and its counterparts in this
country. He was one of Israel's best friends.
He was a man of faith, and -therefore
appreciated the spiritual values that were
inherent in Zionism.
It is no wonder, therefore, that his name
was . inscribed in the Golden Book of the
Jewish National Fund in Jerusalem 'and that
Gardens—possibly Groves—of Trees are be-
ing planted in his memory in Israel.
He was a good man and his memory will
be honored in our annals.

Dr. Lewittes' New Textbook

'Highlights .of , Jewish. History'

.

Mordecai H. Lewittes, distinguished Jewish educator, continues
his creative efforts in the preparation of textbooks for our schools
with the third volume of his "Highlights of Jewish History," pub-
lished by the Hebrew Publishing Co., 79 Delancey St., New York 2.
Supplemented with exercises and games, and suggested projects,
Dr. Lewittes' latest work re-emphasizes the contributions to Jewish
history by our heroes—and in this category are listed saints and
scholars as well as those who fought for the preservation of Jewish
life on battlefields. The "many leaders who have glorified Jewish
history" are personalities who have fought for spiritual as well as
physical preservation.
There are six units in the present volume. Its importance will
be better understood by an analysis of the contents. For instance,
in the first unit the author deals with "The Return to Zion," re-
viewing the return from Babylon to Jerusalem, the Ezra-Nehemiah
reforms and including the story of Purim.
He proceeds to the era - of "The Glorious Maccabees," then
deals with "Rome and Jerusalem"—a unit in which important
Jewish personalities, including Hillel, play their roles.
In the fourth unit, "The Struggle for Survival," the readers—.
and students—are introduced to Johanan Ben Zakkai—"the man
who saved Judaism,"—to Akiva, the Bar Kochba rebellion and to
Judah the Prince, the editor of the Mishnah.
"Jews in Babylon" and New Centers of Jewish Life include
the periods during which the Talmud was written, Jewish life under
Arab rule: "Saadia Gaon—Babylon's Greatest Scholar," the Khazars,
the Spanish Golden Age, "Rashi-Prince of Commentators," Judah
Halevi and the Rambam. A glossary appended to the book will be
found very helpful.

Best Laughs of 1955
•

Domestic and Foreign Cartoons

Crown Publishers (419 4th, N.Y. 16) have produced two related
books that will delight all lovers of good fun and art—"Best Car-
toons from Abroad 1955" and "Best Cartoons of the Year 1955."
The two should be enjoyed together. They offer a wonderful
opportunity to contrast the cartoonists' humor in this country and
overseas. And----the two together will entertain those possessing the
books for a long time,
Lawrence Lariar edited the domestic cartoon collection. He
was joined in editing the foreign cartoons by Ben Roth. The latter
volume is sub-titled "The Hit Parade of International Humor—
Containing the Best Laughs of the Year." This is no exaggeration.
The title is well earned.
Lariar, who now conducts a professional cartooning school, is
recognized as our top expert on cartooning. He is the official annual
editor of American cartoons. Ben Roth, who has drawn cartoons
for American magazines for 20 years, heads his own cartoon agency,
Ben Roth Syndicate.
There are more than 300 cartoons in the domestic collection,
with the best products from leading magazines, drawn by America's
best known cartoonists. In , the foreword to "The Best Cartoons of
the Year 1955," Harold H. Anderson calls Lariar "the recording
angel of American cartoonists". He states: "Humor has always been
a matter of taste. In this book the reader can run the gamut from
all spice to tabasco, from smile to yak." Indeed, the entire collec-
tion is sure to tickle the funny bone of every one who turns the
pages of this book. The reader will find his regular favorites and
will become acquainted with many more to delight him.
"Best Cartoons From Abroad 1955" has cartoons from the best
sources from many lands. There are 19 pages of French cartoons,
Scandinavian, African, East European, Japanese, Turkish and other
lands. The Iron Curtain is not excluded. For the student of humor,
this collection will be an education, and every possessor of the
book will be 'compensated with many laughs.

Salute to Jewish Publication Society

(Copyright, 1955, Jewish Telegraphic

By BORIS SMOLAR
Agency, Inc.)
Congratulations to the Jewish Publication Society of America.
This. very modest institution which has made contributions of sig-
nificance to Jewish education in the United States, has won quite
a distinction. The American Library Association has selected two of
its books for inclusion in the "Fifty Outstanding Books of 1954-55".
In view of the fact that JPA published only three books in this
category during that year, it should be very flattering to the Jewish
community that two of these three volumes were selected. One of
the books is Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof's "The Responsa Literature."
The American Library terms it a "unicum in English." The volume
is a sampling of correspondence on Jewish legal matters by the
foremost rabbinic authorities during the past 15 centuries in hun-
dreds of localities circling the globe. The correspondence also re-
flects the social and economic conditions of Jews in those times and
constitutes primary historical source material. The second book
chosen is Stephen S. Kayer's "Jewish Ceremonial Art" ,---a volume
profusely illustrated with reproductions of ' att objects.

