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Shevuot Moods in Israel

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 Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35. Mich.,
VE. 8-9364. Subscription $5 a year. Foreign $6.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

SIDNEY SHMARAK

FRANK SIMONS

Editor and Publisher

Advertising Manager

City Editor

Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the second day of Sivan, 5716, the following Scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Bamidbar, Num. 1:1-4:40. Prophetical portion, Hosea 2:1-22.
Shevuot Scriptural Selections
Pentateuchal portions, Wednesday, Ex. 19:1-20:23, Num.. 28:26-31; Thursday, Deut.
15:19-16:17, Num." 28:26-31. Prophetical portions, Wednesday, Ezek. 1:1-28, 3:12; Thursday,
Habakkuk 3:1-1-19.

Licht Benshen, Friday, May 11, 7:23 p.m.

Page Four

VOL. XXIX. No. 10

May 11, 1956

Shevuot--Festival of Receiving the Torah

Shevuot, therefore, also is the Birthday of
On Shevuot, occurring next Wednes-
the Ten Commandments.
day and Thursday, we will commemorate
A number of very interesting refer-
again the Festival of Shevuot, which
marks the anniversary of the giving of the , ences to the presentation of the Torah on
Sinai is ascribed to our sages. We are told
Torah to Israel on Mount Sinai.
that Rabbi Joshua, the son of Levi, said:
The Revelation on Sinai, marked by
"When Israel went out from Egypt, there
were many cripples among them as a
result of the slavery. While building they
would get hurt by falling stones, and thus
some had broken hands and crushed feet.
"It's great to live in Michigan" is the
Said the Holy One, blessed be He:''Surely
theme Of annual Michigan Week to be
it is not meet that the Torah should be
observed May 20-26. Indeed, all of us who
given to cripples.' He therefore dispatched
share in the privileges of living in this
the Ministering Angels to heal them first."
great state are happy to echo the senti-
This is significant. It indicates the
ments of this slogan.
emphasis placed in our traditional teach:-
Our state is
ings on cleanliness, on good health, on a
pivotal in the
strong mind.
4*. nation's e c o-
nomic stru c-
A similar statement is ascribed to
T
ture. It is vital
Resh Lakish, who said: "At the time of
in defense.
the creation of the universe the Holy One,
We have
blessed be He, addressed the works of
shown the way
His creation: 'If Israel will accept the
•■•
to sister states
Torah you will endure — otherwise you
in the advance-
will be returned to the state of being
ment of edu-
unformed and void'."
cation, in the
The most practical way of describing
promotion of
the significance of the Torah Festival is
better health programs, in safety meas-
by reference to some of the very impor-
ures and in the promotion of industries.
tant teachings in our Holy Scriptures,
In the field of education, a number of
with emphasis on the following:
Michigan's firsts deserve mention:
Honor thy father and mother—Ex. 20, 12.
Michigan State University was the first
Hear, my son, the instruction of thy
agricultural college in America. The Uni-
father, and forsake not the teaching of thy
versity of Michigan became the first
mother. • For they shall be a chaplet of grace
major institution of higher learning—in
unto • thy head, and chains about thy neck
1870—to admit women. A famous issue,
—Proverbs 1, 8-10.
known as the Kalamazoo Case, in 1874,
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee,
assured a tax-paid high school education
bind them about thy neck, write them upon
for every youth in the United States.
the table of thy heart—Proverbs 3, 3.
Our share in the defense of the nation
Keep thee far from a false matter—Ex. 23, 7.
dates back more than a century. The cen-
Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal
tral feature of the state flag, the Michigan
falsely, nor lie one to another—Lev. 19, 11.
coat-of-arms, w a s de-
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy
signed by Governor Lew-
heart—Lev. 19, 17.
is Cass, governor of
It is heartening to be able to turn to
Michigan Territory from
our traditions, in an hour of crisis for
1813 to 1831. He h a d
Israel, and to derive from them comfort
fought in the war of 1812
and courage. Both are provided in Sacred
and he was impressed,
Scriptures. Both find emphasis in the
out of his military ex-
message of Shevuot.
periences, by Michigan's
May the spirit of this Festival help to
strategic geographical
sustain Israel, and mankind. We extend
position. He therefore
greetings for a joyous Shevuot to our
placed upon the state's coat-of-arms the
entire community.
word "Tuebor"—"I will defend."
• On the occasion of the observance of
Michigan Week, we may as well boast a
We salute the Detroit Free Press on
little. Here are features to talk about:
its 125th anniversary.
According to our state health department,
Antedating even Michigan's rise to
a baby born today can expect • to live as
statehood, long before the era of auto-
many years after he graduates from college
as his grandfather could expect at birth.
mobiles, airplanes, radio and television,
You've got to be careful while hoeing
the Free Press began to serve our com-
your garden in Michigan: if you get too
munity and to supply Detroit's early set-
deep you might strike oil and spoil your
tlers with news about themselves, their
cabbage.
neighbors, the world.
There is a pun that Michigan is so loaded
Today, it is one of the world's great
tvith copper that light goes on in Jackson
newspapers. It has earned the accolades
, when lightning strikes near Escanaba.
given it. Its compilers are progressive men
Michigan was the first state in the
who aim constantly to improve their prod-
Union to set up tax dollars for polio vaccine.
uct and to give our great city a great
Michigan's industrial Wayne County also
newspaper.
is an agricultural leader—being first - in
The position of the Free Press was
sweet corn production.
greatly enhanced by the Pulitzer Prize
There is so much more that can be
given this week, "for resourceful report-
said—about our celery, our automobiles,
ing, to its executive editor, Lee Hills, to
our tractors; the planes we manufacture
whom we extend our good wishes.
fpf peace and war-time consumption.
The F. P. is one of the first things that
And then there is . that great tourist
greets us every morning. We hail it as a
industry—accountable to our wonderful
great instrument for good, and we pray
summer resorts.
that it should always be motivated with a
But more especially, our state is a great
search for truth and with a craving for
[ place to live in because of the fine people
justice.
who are our neighbors. Hail to Michigan
Coneratulations, confrere'!
glorious Dlace • we /lye ini

Annual Michigan Week

\\II

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q

Salute to Free Press

,

The Juvenile Offender

Analysis of Delinquency

/

One of America's most serious problems is discussed with
great care and sincere devotion in seeking solution to a major
issue in "Delinquency: The Juvenile Offender in America Today."
The authors, Prof. Herbert A. Bloch of Brooklyn College and
Prof. Frank T. Flynn of the University of Chicago, have studied
the question for many years and their book (published by Ran-
dom House, 457 Madison, NY 22) becomes a leading and most
authoritative work in dealing with young law offenders.
Although they - warn the reader that "there is no royal road
to an understanding of the problems of delinquency, its causes
and its treatment", that "those who expect ready-made answers,
simple formulas, and easy cliches may as well prepare them-
selves for disappointment," the case analyses, the experiences
recorded in their book, the attempts at prevention described by
them, offer valuable suggestions to those seeking to reduce the
problem.
Indicating that "the problems of youthful maladjustment and
delinquency are largely a reflecti'Nie phase of certain broad dis-
locations in the American social structure," Profs. Bloch and
Flynn, after explaining the meaning and the scope of delin-
quency, outline the pressures towards maladjustment.
The "treatment agencies"—the courts as well as the schools—
their attempts at solving the problem, their failures which never-
theless often are accompanied by sincere efforts that lead to
much good in tackling the pressing issue, are faced with candor.
There is no pulling of punches in describing the functions of our
existing agencies.
In their discussion of "emotional pressures," Profs. Bloch
and Flynn make mention of stress among Jewish children.
They point out that "(Lester E.) Hewitt and (Richard L.)
Jenkins found more eases of anxiety stress among Jewish chil-
dren than among Negro, although (S. K.) Weinberg shows that
when middle class Negro youths are included, the same strain
toward anxiety is present."
Of specific value is the outline of "prevention" as the re-
sponsibility of society. The work of youth courts is reviewed in de-
tail. In two instances, those of Judge Joseph J. Drucker, of Cleve-
land, and Judge Jacob M. Braude, of Chicago, - we learn that
"they have never been given decent resources. Without resources
for diagnosis and treatment, the best judge is nearly helpless."
In their discussion of the recreational center as a factor in
prevention, the authors state that "there is no way of knowing
whether the youngsters who attend the club, by a process' of
natural selection or even by staff determination, are less prone
to delinquency than those who do not attend the club." In the
course of their analyses, the authors point out that "the case for
many of the programs commonly identified with delinquency
prevention rests upon a somewhat different basis, namely, the
need for children to have opportunities for normal growth and
development."
The authors also point out that "one of the real difficulties
in discUssing the role of recreational agencies in delinquency
prevention is the lack of truly evaluative studies of the real im-
pact of these studies upon children."
Declaring that "the problem is of sufficient importance to
demand truly constructive efforts," Profs. Bloch and Flynn de-
clare that "in moving forward, the following considerations seem
pertinent:
"1. . . . Each community represents a different situation . . .
2. Delinquencny itself encompasses a wide variety of behavior
patterns . . . To a large extent the youngsters involved have nor-
mal intelligence and their misconduct cannot be attributed to
gross physical or hereditary defects. 3. .. . A fairly substantial
proportion of delinquency reflects strains in the American social
structure affecting different types of children and families in
myriad ways . . . The American social structure has a deceptive
kind of rigidity and resistance to drastic change, so that anything
that smacks of social planning is likely to be regarded as radical .
socialism." .
Also: "Sound research must be expanded . . . There is need
for concerted community efforts to provide a network of treat-
ment services . . . There must be a strengthening of the agencies
concerned with the problem . . There must be early identifica-
tion of the youngsters with appropriate treatment services . . .
Agencies concerned with the problem need better support and.

implementation.*