Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Blood versus Heart and Mind
;Congressman E. L. Forrester, of Georgia, saw fit, on the
second day of the Second Session of the 84th Congress, to make
an attack, in the U. S. House of Representatives, upon "NAACP
and the Anti-Defamation League and the other busybodies and
people who are engaged in destroying law and order in the
United States of America." The discussion was under the head-
ing "Interference of Federal Government in Administration of
State Criminal Laws." Preceding him, Congressman Henderson
Lanham, also of Georgia, discussing the recent Supreme Court
decision on the illegality of segregation in schools, stated: "I
warn the NAACP and those who do its bidding, that if it con-
tinues its frantic and insane efforts to Wipe out all racial lines
in the South in the hope of seeing the. blood of the two races
mingled in a mongrel race, it will see the blood of the two races
mixed, not in future generations, but rather in the gutters
and streams of our land." (Congressional Record, Jan. 5,. 1956,
Page 159).
It would be a sad day for America and Americanism if this
were representative of the thinking of our people, and • if these
sentiments were to become the law of the land. • But these people
speak in anger, and we must view it. as a passing phase in our
country's experiences. The problem is not one of blood, which
has 'no relation to the color of skin, but of mind and heart, and
we have faith the North and South, East and West, will be linked
in Common bonds—inseparable and 'interminable—to assure the
perpetuation of the human values which make America great.
A Harsh Picture of Ben-Gurion and-Israel - -
.There are notes of harshness and heartlessness in Time
Magazine's article on Israel's Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.
The mere fact that the story was headed "Prophet with a Gun"
exposes the writer's intentions.
!Throughout the story, there are such phrases as: Israel "had
elbowed itself into being in a hostile part of the world," "defiant
militancy," "Ben-Gurion, wearing battle dress," "a Zionist and
Socialist visionary, a prophet who packs a pistol."
. The unreality of Time's approach is reflected in the mag-
azine's quotation from a statement by Jordan's Education MM-
iSter , Auni Abdel Hadi - who said that Ben-Gurion "is a man
nobody can talk to reason with or deal with." This of course,
is untrue. It was not the impression of Western diplomats who
"talked with, reasoned with, dealt with" B-G in the early years
of Israel's existence. But now that Israel is on the spot, that the
yoUng state is in danger, that the Arabs are gathering momentum
in their war threats because they have found that their bluffs
are' working with the Western diplomats, Ben-Gurion suddenly
becOmes a mystery man:
This is known as Galgenhumor—humor on the gallows—
-
in this instance it is the bitterest of satire.
!Time'S article makes this shocking statement about Ben-
Gu1ion: 'die is geinzinelyh,worrieig*boutAhe dsu4 ability;43f
and fears that the state founded in 1948 may only be a historical
episode." Israel's Premier may have warned against the danger
of Israel becoming "a historical episode," and he no, doubt is
"worried" about state's durability, but We quettion his en-
visioning the collapse of his country. We challenge the veracity
Of the above quoted statement.
'Time's article seeks to create the impression that there is a
vast gulf between Ben-Gurion and his Foreign Minister, Moshe
Sharett. Egypt's Colonel Nasser is quoted as saying nice things
about Sharett while placing all 'blame for the crisis upon Ben-
Gurion. "Sharett is not a cruel man, and it may be that he is a
reasonable man," Times quotes Nasser, implying that Ben-
Gurion'S return to the Premiership ended hopes for peace. If
that is so, why didn't Nasser make peace with Sharett, as he
had promised to diplomats who approached him on the .subject?
The answer is an obvious one: he is scared out of his wits, lest
he Meet the fate of Abdullah and Naguib, and he finds it easier
to remain in power by using -Israel as a scapegoat.
,There is a caricature of Nasser in the Jerusalem weekly,
"Here, and. Now," by- Ephraim Kishon, who writes, on -"Who's
Who in Egypt," "with apoligies to Time," interpreting Nasser's
attitude in these two puns:
,"I dOn't want to destroy Israel, only the Jews who live
there . .
"I don't hate Jews. I hate only Zionists. All Jews are Zion-
ists." -
Of course, , he did not say it in these words, but he acted
and acts in this spirit. But to Time he is the hero, and Ben-
Gurion is a prophet who packs a pistol! The element of time,
not the prejudices of time, will, we. are confident, bring a dif-
ferent verdict, especially from Americans who love and adhere
to- fair; play: that a person, even if he is an Israeli, has a right
to pack a pistol when it is necessary to defend his own and his
people's lives.
,
.
Julian H..Krolik: Merchant Prince, Friend of Needy
,Julian Henry Krolik was one man in whose praise too much
could never be said. He was one of our grandest citizens, our
I ablest leader, with a heart as warm as any that ever throbbed.
- He was a merchant, but his interests were in other fields.
As a student at ,the University of Michigan, he organized a
relief •movement for the sufferers in the Kishinef pogrom. His
first activity in• Detroit was to organize English classes for
immigrants at the old Hannah Schloss Building:
His father, Henry A. Krolik, had settled in the United
States' in 1852 and came to Detroit in 1871. The A. Krolik & Co.,
wholesale -dry goods firm he founded with his brother and a
cousin, was a Detroit landmark for many years and continues
to function to this day. -
:His mother, Ida G. Brown before her marriage, was a
leader in the Jewish Widows' Aid Society and organized the
Jewish Women's Club, the predecessor of the Council of Jewish
Women.
.Julian Henry Krolik was born on East Side Street—later
renamed Vernor Highway—near Brush Street, not too far from
the Hannah Schloss Building in which he and his warm friend
and co-worker, the late Fred M. Butzel, had rendered so many
services to the less fortunate people in our community and to
newcomers from abroad. He •attended the Washington and Rob-
erts,- grammar schools and Central High School. He was a good
student and at the University of Michigan he even turned ham
actor, playing a role in a GerintAn
f°' ,pr'Oduction. That was his only
"ham act": in the; , years that follOiWed,, he was a genuine
humanitarian,. ,a,.;1.v.iarlio person, a.great philanthropist, an able
leader, a man of real charm. Blessed be his memory.
$50,000 Gift for Village at Tamarack
Honors Julius Berman's 75th Birthday
Speakers included Rabbi Mor-
ris Adler, Mayor Albert E.
Cobo, Bob Hall, Irwin Cohn,
Louis Berry, Seymour Frank,
Abe Kasle, Louis C. Miriani,
president of the Detroit Com-
mon Council, and Samuel H.
Rubiner.
The gift was accepted offi-
cially for Federation by Mr.
Rubiner.
Mr. Miriani presented Mr.
Berman with a copy of a reso-
lution adopted by the Common
Council. Resolutions - in behalf
of the United Hebrew' Schools
and the board of Clover Hill
Park Cemetery were read by
Mr. Kasle and Mr. Frank. Mr.
Berry presented Mr. Berman
with a diamond-studded watch
in behalf of a group of friends.
An illustrated book de-
scribing Mr. Berman's "75
Years of Achievement," pre-
pared by Louis Luckoff, Leon
Wayburn and Robert Green,
Julius Berman, well known
Detroit real estate broker and
a leader in numerous commun-
ity movements, was signally
honored on his 75th birthday,
last Saturday night, when his
son,. Mandell ("Bill") Berman,
announced a gift of $50,000 for
the construction of a Julius
Berman Village as a recrea-
tional facility at Camp Tama-
rack.
The celebrant's son an-
nounced the gift, at a dinner at
Sidney Hill Northwest Club on
W. 8-Mile Rd., attended by 190
prominent Detroit leaders, in
behalf of himself and his wife
and Mr. Berman's other chil-
dren, Mr. and Mrs. Burt (Toba)
Smokier and Mr. and Mrs. Mil-
ford (Sara Hope) Pregerson.
"Bill" Berman announced the
family's choice of Camp Tama-
rack for their gift to the capital
needs committee of the Jewish
Welfare. Federation in view of
their father's lifelong interest
in recreational and outdoor ac-
tivities.
Selig "Sid" Sidney was
toastmaster at the dinner.
was distributed among the
- guests at the dinner.
Mr. Berman responded to the
toasts with a brief address, in
which he thanked family and
friends for the honors accorded
him.
Mr. Berman has six grand- .
children: Nora Lee Smokier, 17,
a Cornell University freshman;
Irving Smokier, 12; Ann Esther
and Jonathon Steven Berman,
31/2 and 11/2; Rhoda and Ber-
nard Pregerson, 9 and 3.
He has three brothers, Wil- ,
liam, Louis and Tom, and three
sisters, Mrs. Jennie Fine, Mrs..
Tillie Cott and Esther Berman,
all younger. Four brothers, Sol,
his senior, Hyman, Albert and
Frank, passed away. His father,
Bernard, died at the age of 93.
He was in the clothing business
and with his wife, who died at
the age of 70, pioneered in Con- .
servative Jewish activities in
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
,
Between You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright; 1956, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
Center Groups
TO Mark Jewish
Music Festival
The Washington Scene:
Jewish 'Community Center
groups will celebrate the 12th
annual Jewish Music Festival,
Jan. 28 to Feb. 28.
The Jewish Parents Institute
will open the observance Jan.
28, 9:30 p.m., at the Davison
Center, with its presentation,
"Music of a Nation." The per-
formance will be repeated
Jan. 29; Written and produced
cOOperatively by members of the
JPI Adult Music committee,
Jack Stein, chairman; Mary Sil-
ber, music consultant; and Bess
Siegel, choral director, the can-
tata exemplifies the heritage,
pioneer spirit, and music of
Israel.
The production will feature
the JPI chorus, dancers and
soloists, Joan Freeman, concert
pianist, and Irving Rosenbard,
baritone. Ruth Seligson, inter-
pretive reader, and Ingram
Bandler will give the narration.
Choreography for the produc-
tion is by June Warnick and
Shirley Verier.
The music department is plan-
ning two concerts. The Center
Symphony Orchestra will de-
vote the second half of its Con-
cert to the festival on Feb. 14.
Henri Nosco, guest conductor,
and Julius Chajes, pianist, will
be featured.
On Feb. 20, the Center, in
cooperation with the Hashofar
Society for the Advancement of
Jewish Music, will present a
concert featuring Jacque de
Menasce, New York pianist-
composer, assisted by Theodore
Israel, principal violist of the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
and the Center Choral Society,
under the direction of Julius
Chajes.
The Junior Harmony group
will pay tribute to the Festival
with a musical play, "King Solo-
mon and the Bee."
.
Croll Spends 12 Days
As Guest of Israel Govt.
Canadian Senator David A.
Croll has returned following a
12-day visit in Israel where he
was a guest of the Israel gov-
ernment.
Sen. Croll, former Windsor
mayor and a leader in Jewish
circles in Canada, contrasted
his recent trip with a previous
visit in 1948.
Most _striking of the changes,
Croll said, was the growth of
the Negev and the plans which
are currently being made for
its continued development.
2—Detroit Jewish News
Friday, January 20, 1956
British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, who is coming to
this country to confer with President Eisenhower on Middle East
problems, will have a hard time in Washington. State Depart-
ment circles do not believe he will succeed in "selling" President
Eisenhower his anti-Israel point of view. On the contrary, the
possibility is foreseen that Mr. Eden will have to bow to some
of the ideas Mr. Eisenhower will offer on the Arab-Israel issue.
It is known in Washington that Secretary of State John Foster
Dulles does not think much of Mr. Eden's policy. In fact, the
opinion prevailing in the State Department is that Mr. Eden has
bungled a few matters in the Middle East. His anti-Israel Guild-
hall address, suggesting drastic revisions of Israel's territory, was
in the State Department. There is reason to
not well
believe Mr. Dulles opposed Mr. Eden's sending a "strong" British
military man to Jordan to coerce the country into foining . the
Baghdad Pact. All in all, things are not so smooth between Mr.
Eden' and Mr. Dulles. This does not mean that the State Depart-.,
ment favors. at policy acceptable to Israel. It seems that Secretary
Dulles is now playing with the idea of insisting that Israel sign
a pledge not to use American arms for retaliatory action against
Arabs before giving Israel such arms.-Mr. Dulles does not favor
the conclusion of an American-Israel security pact.
4'.
Jewish Affairs:
The Jewish Claims Conference Against Germany seems to
be the only world Jewish organization capable of bringing lead- -
ers of various camps in Jewish life to one table; under one roof,'
for unanimous decisions. This ' became evident in New York
where Jewish leaders from various parts of the world gathered to
decide on 1956 allocations of reparations received from Germany.
Sitting at the same table at the two-day closed sessions were
prominent Zionists and non-Zionists, Agudists and -Bundists,
Hebraists and Yiddishists, laborites and conservatives. There _
were top leaders of competing Jewish organizations such as the
American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Congress,
the Board of Deputies of BritiSh Jews and the Anglo:Jewish
Association, the CRIF and the Alliance Israelite. Credit for bring-
ing them together goes to Dr. Nahum Goldmarin, chairman of
the Claims Conference. ,For the last three years the Conference
has allocated about $30,000,000 for all kinds of aid to Jewish vic-
tims of Nazism. This represents only about a fifth of the total
amount requested -by hundreds of Jewish organizations operating
in 31 countries. Perhaps the greatest achievement of the Claims
Conference is the yearly allocation of about $1,000,000 for re-
construction of educational and cultural -life destroyed by the
Nazis. This includes the financing of 31 Yeshivoth transplanted
from East European countries to Belgium, France,. Britain, . the
United States, Canada and Australia, • the establishment of 50 Un-
dergraduate scholarships at Jewish teacher training schools, 45
graduate scholarships in Jewish studies at Schools of higher
learning, and 54 fellowships for independent research. The Con-
ference granted allocations to seven major colleges and universi- •
ties to aid them in establishing chairs in Jewish learning at their
institutions, held by refugee scholars. It finances the preparation
of a lexicon of Yiddish writers, preparations for a Jewish ency-
clopedia and the publication of works recalling the many Jewish
centers destroyed by the Nazis. 203 writers, scholars, researchers
and editors who are Nazi victims were beneficiaries of this phase
of the Conference program and 110,000 Jewish victims from Nazi
persecution who became beneficiaries of Conference allocations
for other phases of work.
Domestic Issues:
'There is full agreement now among Jewish organizations
engaged in combatting anti-Semitism on a strategy for counter-
ing anti-Semitic canards. All agree it is an unwise Kactice to
giye wider distribution to anti-Jewish allegations or statements.
There are still major differences on policy and approach in using
radio, television, newspapers and other means of communication
which reach the general public. The main difference revolves
around the question: Should priority in mass media be given.
to the attempt to reduce anti-Jewish prejudice, or to The Prc.b7
lem of eliminating discrimination? If the former, then the ap-
proach must presumably be to the hearts and minds of men, as
a prerequisite to an improvement in community. relations. If the :.
latter, then the emphasis mast be,: upon social action; as a diieet
attack. on the crucial prOblem. This question:Was expldred at
three-day conference arranged by the.National CorninunitY Rela-..
tions Advisory Council in New York.