Will He Balance the Situation?

THE JEWISH NEWS

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

.Mernber American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Asso-
&lotion
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 Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor and Publisher

SIDNEY SHMARAK

A dvertising Manager

FRANK SIMONS

City Editor

Sabbath Scriptural Selections
be read in our
This Sabbath, the eleventh day of Kislev, 5716, the following selections will
synagogues:
Prophetical portion, Hos. 12:13-14:10 or 11:7-12:12
Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 28:10-32-3.
or 11:7-14:10.

Licht Benshen, Friday, Nov. 25, 4:46 p.m.

VOL. XXVIII. No. 12

Page Four

Nov. 25, 1955

The Book Fair and the Jewish Publication Society

Annually, on the occasion of Jewish
Book Month, we recall a famous statement
by the great philosopher of the medieval era,
Moses ben Maimon — Maimonides — who
wrote:
"Every man of Israel is obliged to

study the Torah, be he poor or rich, well
or afflicted, young or very old and feeble;
even a poor man living on charity and go-
ing about seeking alms, or one who 'has the
care of a wife and children, must set apart
periods, day and night, for the study of
the Torah. And thus he must do until the
day of his death. For whenever he fails to
devote himself to study, he is sure to for-
get."

The duty to study, so effectively ex-
pounded as an obligation . by "every man of
Israel," points, at this time, to the world of
books.
The Detroit Jewish community has es-
tablished a remarkable precedent for the
spread of knowledge about books, for en-
couragement to book makers and book writ-
ers, by the impressive Book Fairs. Many
thousands of our people have been drawn to
the Book Fairs in past years. Thousands
have purchased books for themselves and
many have cooperated in buying books for
libraries.
Sponsored by the Jewish Community
Center, with the assistance of scores of our
community's organizations and congrega-
tions, these Book Fairs now are established
communal institutions, through the impres-
sive observances arranged in celebration of
Jewish Book Month, nationally sponsored
by the Jewish Welfare Board. But it is not
as celebrations alone that they have becorrie
valuable and effective. It is because they
encourage book buying, that they also in-
spire writers to continue their work of re-
search so that our communities may be en-
lightened in the Jewish cultural spheres.
*
This year's Jewish Book Fair again will
feature a number of able writers as speak-
ers on the four-day program. Again, this-
year's Book Fair will assist in the sale of
books and in the presentation of books to
libraries. Additionally, this year's celebra-
tion of Book Month will be marked by the
encouragement our community will give to
the major non-profit American Jewish com-
munity publication project—that undertaken
by the Jewish Publication Society of Amer-
ica. The presence here, on Dec. 4, of the
Society's Editor, Dr. Solomon Grayzel; its
president and director, Edwin Wolfe and
Lesser Zussman, will provide an opportunity
for a large number of people to become ac-
quainted with the movement that has made
the Bible a best seller among Jews, that
has introduced to the world the writings of

•

Israel Zangwill, Soma Morgenstern, Dr.
Louis Ginzberg's "The Legends of the Jews,"
Dr. Solomon Schecter's "Studies in Judaism"
and scores of other classics.
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court Justice
Horace Stern, for 30 years a member of the
Jewish Publication Society's official family,
has described the values of the Society and
its importance to Jewry, as follows:

"One almost shudders to think what
our communal Jewish life would have
been without the contribution which the
Publication Society has made. In the plac-
ing in Jewish homes of Jewish literature in
English, its work has been of incalculable
good. There is no other organization which
in any way covers its field of activity, and
if that activity be destroyed, we will sink
to a level so low as to merit our own con-
tempt, to say nothing of that of our neigh-
bors. I know of no duty confronting Amer-
ican Jewry today more important than
that of preserving and strengthening its
educational and religious institutions, and
in the front rank of these stands the Jew-
ish Publication Society."

'A Book of Jewish Curiosities'

David M. Hausdorff, author of several books on Jewish customs
and traditions, has written another, entitled "A Book of Jewish
Curiosities," which has just been published by Crown Publishers
(419 4th, N. Y. 16). In it, he has included more than a thousand
selections from the Midrash, Talmud, the Mishnah and other
Jewish sources about geology and psychology, astronomy and
hygiene, botany and chemistry, and a score of other subjects. -
The sub-title of his book is: "Oddities and Prochronisms
Selected from the Classical Jewish Writings." Prochronism means
the assigning of events to periods earlier than their actual dates.
The explanation offered is that the events under scrutiny were
prophetically ahead of their time pointing to undreamed of pos-
ession of knowledge antedating established acceptance of facts.
Mr. Hausdorff tackles issues involving diet, law, medicine,
hospitality, the Bible, business, people, places, discoveries, inven-
tions and many more subjects. He shows that the word "mazel"
Another distinguished American Jewish appears only in Sacred Scriptures—:in II Kings XXIII:5. He quotes
leader, the Society's former president, Judge the Talmud to show that Jewish law prescribed that "one is not
Louis E. Levinthal, in an urgent plea in its permitted to eat until he has fed his animals."
Occasionally, he exposes a fabrication—such as the forgeries
behalf, stated:
of "Protocols of the Elders. of Zion."
"The Jewish Publication Society has
We learn from his selections that "the fruit best adapted for
faith in the future of American Jewry, in
cooking is the quince"; that "King Solomon imported pepper-plants
its capacity for dignified, creative survival from India."
as a- distinguished part of this beloved
The airplane was predicted in Eirubin 43a: "Great distances
democracy of ours. It realizes that books
were traversed by miraculous flight or leaps."
There is this ,quotation from Shir HaShirim Rabbah (V.2):
alone cannot be expected to accomplish
the whole task of enriching and ennobling "When one of a pair of twins has a headache, the other feels the
pain as well."
the life of American Jews. On the other
Those interested in diet may find value in the quotation from
hand, it is obvious that without an organi-
Shabbath 33a: "More people die from overeating than from
zation like the Jewish Publication Society
the spirit and intellect of American Jewry hunger."
Multiply these 200-fold and • you get an idea of the oddities
would be sadly impoverished."
incorporated in Mr. Hausdorff's interesting book.

These calls to action, on behalf of the
Society, to American Jewry, are among the
most valid utterances suitable to making
Jewish Book Month productive of the great-
est good in the Jewish world of books, and
we utilize them to encourage our community
to give its hearty support to the Jewish Pub-
lication Society. -
The Jewish Publication Society's efforts
emerge even more vital as a result of its
latest effort: the sponsorship of a revised
translation of the Bible, in accordance with
the most sacred Jewish traditions. Such un-
dertakings are possible only with the sup-
port of the entire American Jewish com-
munity.
It is most heartening to know that De-
troit's significant Book Fair this year will
serve the added purpose of drawing atten-
tion to the works of the Jewish Publication
Society and to encourage it in its very im-
portant cultural work.

The Middle East Tragedy: Soaked in Oil

Israel does not have as much oil as the
Arabs; else, she would be in less hot water
today.
Whether this element is mentioned by
name or merely referred to, it is there to
plague Israel and to endanger the lives of
a million and a half people.
In his news report, "Oil Dilemma," in
the Christian Science Monitor, Harry B.
Ellis, the Monitor's assistant overseas news
editor, wrote: "The dilemma arises from the
fact that the most important American asset
in the Middle East is oil, and almost all of it
is owned by the Arabs."
In the same issue, editorially, the Monitor
stated: "Every aid to the Jews tends to
alienate Saudi Ar,abia, where there is large
American-developed oil production . . ."
The Monitor's solution is that this country
should "side with Arab or Zionist against the
other . . ." But Arabs are being armed by
many nations to Israel's disadvantage.
We have confidence that the crisis will
be resolved in due time and that at present,

`Oddities and Prochronisms'

at least, there will be no war. But in the
meantime we are pained by the lack of
humanity in the general approach to the sit-
uation.
Thus, for example, a church group called
upon the United States not to arm Israel.
It should have gone full length in its un-
Christian, inhuman attitude: it should have
asked more arms for Egypt, the disarming
of Israel and her speedy destruction. If
they seek to solve the problem of destroy-
ing Israel, they should expose themselves in
all their barbarity.
What these people fail to understand is
that Israel will not again submit to humilia-
tions and to massacres; that a people that
was strong enough to liberate itself will
fight to the last drop of blood for its inde-
pendence. Christians should respect this re-
gained sense of pride. More important:
Christians should go back to their- Bibles
and learn anew the true meaning of Proph-
ecy. Then they will cease being partners to
the advocacy of Israel's destruction.

Yehucli Menuhin: Man, Musician

Robert Magidoff, well known author, became an admirer of
Yehudi Menuhin during the very early stages of the eminent violin-
ist's remarkable career. His affections for the brilliant violinist are
expressed in the biography, "Yehudi Menuhin: The Story of the
Man and the Musician," just published by Doubleday.
Menuhin's entire career as a musician is covered in this well-
written story. Magidoff traces his life from the very days when, at
the age of two, he was taken to concerts by
his music-loving parents. Then came his
first stage appearance at the age of 5, his
successes and a child prodigy, his career as
a world famous musician, his travels in
many lands, his appearances- at war fronts.
Magidoff's story also is the story of all
the Menuhins—of parents and children, their
devotions, marital difficulties, coi.flicts with
Jewish leaders, controversies over Zionism,
etc.
The Chassidic background of Menuhin's
father, Moshe, the difficulties Moshe and his
bride, Marutha, had before coming to this
country, their meeting in Palestine, their ac-
tivities as Hebrew teachers, make interest-
Menuhin
ing reading. When they came to New York,
after their marriage, to find an apartment, a superintendent of a
building on 65th St. "assured them that this was a fine, exclusive
house in which no apartments were let out to Jews." "But we are
Jews!" "You don't look it, and -we could make an exception for
you," was the reply. As they walked away in indignation Marutha
said to her husband: "We must find a name for our child which
will leave no room for doubt or misunderstanding." That's how they
named the hero of this story Yehudi, Hebrew for "Jew." The daugh-
ters were named Hephzibah—Hebrew for "the desired one" — and
Yaltah, in honor of Marutha's home town in Crimea.
Yehudi Menuhin's defense of the German conductor, Wilhelm
Furtw.aengler, was one of the well known incidents that aroused
anger against him. Menuhin insisted that Furtwaengler was not a
Nazi, but a boycott was instituted against him by a group led by
Ira A. Hirschmann. According -to his biographer, when the displaced
persons snubbed him, Menuhin asked for a chance to explain his
position and completely won over his adversaries.
The controversy was revived when Menuhin came to give con-
certs in Israel with his sister, Hephzibah, and his persistence in his
love for Israel resulted, as Magidoff writes, that "almost overnight,
the entire `Yehudi Menuhin issue' disappeared in Israel."
Magidoff truly pays him great tribute and among his conclusions
are these compliments: "As man and artist, Yehudi Menuhin has
fought for and won the right to the gifts the gods bestowed upon
him. At 39, he can look back at nearly a third of a century of hard
work and universal recognition. He can also look ahead with anti-
cipation into the unknown future .. ."

