Friday, August 31, I956—THE DETROIT J EWISH NEWS- 10

Is There aJewish Vote?

Interesting Analysis in Fuchs'
`Political Behavior of U. S. Jews'

There is special timeliness in
"The Political Behavior of
American Jews" by Dr. Lawr--
ence H. Fuchs, assistant profes-
sor of political science at Bran-
deis University.
Richly annotated, containing
statistical tables to illustrate a
subject that few people dared
to deal with, this book, pub-
lished by the Free Press, Glen-
coe, Ill., must lead to a better
understanding of voters' reac-
tions to condidates and issues.
In answer to the query "is
there a Jewish vote?", Dr.
Fuchs replies, at the outset: if
by this question is meant "do
all Jews react the same way
to candidates and issues, then
the answer is obviously no. If
the query simply means, does
being Jewish sometimes influ-
ence one's political attitudes
and behavior, then the answer
is, certainly yes. In this sense
there is not only a Jewish vote
but an Irish, Polish, Armenian,
and even a Baptist and Episco-
palian vote."
Prof. Fuchs states in his
study that. some Jews look for
Jewish names to vote for, while
one voter told the inquirer that
he always votes for non-Jews
as well regardless of merit "to
prove his broadmindedness."
Jews, Dr. Fuchs points out, are
in no sense different from other
voter. Ignorance, he states,
promotes "name" voting.
There are times when Jews
react unfavorably even to Jews,
we are told, and Dr. Fuchs
recalls that when the Jewish
Tammany leader Henry Frank
ran against Fiorello LaGuardia
for Congress and charged him
with anti-Semitism, "The charge
actually backfired. Most Jews in
the district knew LaGuardia too
well to be taken in by Frank's
tactics, and the pint-sized Ital-
ian won in the Jewish district
by a substantial plurality."
American Jewry's concern in
Israel is described by Dr. Fuchs
by pointing out: "The late Sec-
retary of Defense, James For-
restal, with one eye on Amer-
ica's diminishing oil reserves,
suffered anguish over the ac-
tivity of American Zionists. The
politicians in both parties, he
thought, were sacrificing the
national interest in the Middle
East for a mess of Jewish votes.
As it turned out, American na-
tional interest is probably bet-
ter served by the establishment
of the democratic state of Israel
than it would have been if Arab
nations had been placated."
The right of citizens to try
to influence government policy
is described by Dr. Fuchs as
follows:
"No 'one in his right mind
will argue that a Jew ought
to vote for a Jew when he
knows his coreligionist is
clearly the inferior man, or
that an Irishman ought to
call for a policy which he
knows is bad for the rest of
his countrymen. But the time
for nervousness about ethno-
religions politics is over. When
assertions are made that
American Jews helped to for-
mulate American policy in the
Middle East, leaders ought
not to deny what is transpar-
ently true. They should de-
fend their right to help _in-
fluence American policy in a
way they think is best for the
ti country and themselves just
as leaders of the National
Association of Manufacturers
would do. There is something
ironic in anyone claiming to
love his religious and cultural
heritage and at the same time
insisting that it has nothing
to do with forming attitudes
on social and political policy.
More realistic was the view
of Woodrow Wilson, who,
when he was told what a pity
it was that so great a man
as Justice Brandeis should be
a Jew, replied, 'But he would
not be Mr. Brandeis if he
were not a Jew.' Students of
American life would be blind
to ignore the influence of
ethno-religious factors on pol-

itics in this country. It is al-
most as foolhardy to denounce
it."
In addition to its historical
value, in the review it presents
of Jews in important offices in
the Federal Government and
the various States in this coun-
try, Dr. Fuchs' book has much
merit for its evaluation of the
interests of American citizens
in various causes, movements
and world conditions.
"The political behavior of
American Jews begins with the
revolution," he points out, and
then proceeds to tell about Jews
who have held important posi-
tions, about the successful ef-
forts of James Madison in de-
feating an attempt to make
Christianity the state religion
of Virginia, about the slowness
of some states in removing dis-
abilities against Jews, the
breaking by the U. S. of the
anti-Semitic treaty with Rus-
sia and scores of other interest-
ing historical incidents.
Jews were primarily Repub-
licans, and: "Woodrow Wilson
became the first Democratic
Presidential candidate to crash
the Republican hold over the
Jews in half a century. His
idealisms and professional back-
ground both commended him
to Jewish voters."
Prof. Fuchs mentions names,
speaks frankly on all issues,
maintains that Jews considered
Stevenson and the Democratic
party as more liberal. However,
he has this to say about Pres-
ident Eisenhower and some of
his Jewish appointees:
"Will Jews persist in their
Democratic attachment or will
they vote their pocketbooks
in 1956? They were predomi-
nantly Republican not long
ago; can the Republicans en-
list their support again?
Many Jews perceive President
Eisenhower as a liberal. Al-
though few in number, some
strongly liberal Jewish Re-
publicans have joined his ad-
ministration and are trying to
remake the Grand Old Party
in the image of Abraham Lin-
coln. The head of the Presi-
dent's cabinet secretariet,
Maxwell Rabb, has tried to
picture Eisenhower as a lib-
eral. The President's first
Solicitor General, Simon
Sobeloff, selected by Eisen-
hower as a Circuit Court
Judge in 1955, may well have
been the most liberal Solici-
tor General in history . . ."
And so on down the line.
What the reader will undoubt-
edly ask . himself is whether
party affiliation is not after all,
made on economic more than
any other basis. In that case,
the Jewish worker may be
Democratic, and the industrialist
Republican. But even in both
these classes voters have shifted
from one to another, and the
labor vote helped to elect Mr.
Eisenhower. Jews played the
same role in that sense as non-
Jews. Prof. Fuchs' book, offer-
ing excellent. analysis of exist-
ing political conditions, may
therefore prove merely a basis
for debate rather than the final
conclusion to the moot question
whether or not there is a Jew-
vote.

Israel Air Force Manpower
Sufficient for New Planes

TEL AVIV, (JTA)—Israel has
enough trained flying personnel
and ground crews to man what-
ever modern planes she obtains,
Brigadier Dan Tolkowsky, com-
mander of the Israel Air Force,
declared.
He said that the quality of
Israel's military manpower is
"good." Asked if the Air Force
plans to protect Israel's cities
against air attack, he said that
Israeli planes would retaliate
against any enemy attacks by
hitting their cities "which is the
only way to protect our cities."

It is not so hard to earn
money as to spend it well.
Charles H. Spurgeon

Two-Year-Old's
Happy Landing

Nullify Announcement of Synagogue Donations

ISTANBUL, (JTA) — T h e
Jewish Community Council of
Istanbul ruled that the public
announcement of donations to
the Jewish community and other
Jewish causes will no longer be
made in synagogues during serv-
ices.
This practice, in effect for
generations, made it compulsory
for a member of the congrega-
tion to announce his donation
when he was called up to the
Torah to read.

In addition, the privilege of
taking the Torah out of the Ark
was given to the congregant
pledging the largest contribu-
tion. A form of bidding de- •
veloped, to which many congre-
gation members objected.
Under the new system, no
public announcement of pledges
will be made, nor will there be
any bidding for honors. As each
man steps up to the Torah he
will hand a filled-out pledge
card to the sexton.

Jewish Education for Your Children!
OAK PARK CLASSES

(Transportation Provided)

Workmens Circle School

Two-year-old Chawa Stern,
on her arrival in the United
States by plane from Ger-
many, prepares to p l a y a
happy solo on her ukulele
while waiting for parents and
her brother to go through the
immigration formalities. Their
immigration was assisted by
United Hias Service, the
worldwide migration agency.

38 Years in Detroit
Jewish Literature ... History ... Culture
Yiddish Language and Jewish Holidays

For Registration Call

WE 5-1003
TO 8-5368
11529 Linwood

LI 7-0218
14500 Ten Mile Rd.

Oak Park, Michigan

Two Broadway Plays
Published by Random

Two truly exciting plays have
just been published by Random
House (457 Madison, N.Y. 22).
"No Time for Sergeants," the
sensational novel by Mac Hy-
man, is equally—if not more—
exciting as a play, adapted by
Ira Levin.
Random House also published
the new comedy by George
Axelrod, "Will Success Spoil
Rock Hunter?"
Illustrated, typographically
well gotten up, both plays
should have excellent sales and
should, in turn, increase the
theaters' pulling power.
As a play, "No Time for Ser-
geants" undoubtedly will en-
courage also the reading of the
novel itself—a work that has
lent itself so well for stage and
screen and that is holding the
readers in stitches.
George Axelrod, the author of
"Will Success Spoil Rock Hunt-
er?", is best known as the
author of "The Seven Year
Itch," as well as for other plays,
novels and magazine sketches.

TO PARENTS AND CHILDREN

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your overwhelming response to
our invitation to learning. We appreciate the confi-
dence you have placed in us.

We know that our Hebrew School Building is
modern, beautiful, air-conditioned and conveniently
located within walking distance of Oak Park High
and three other Oak Park Schools.

But we are certain that this was not the reason
for your choice of our Hebrew School. We are sure
that what you are really interested in is an intensive
Jewish education in a pleasant atmosphere of learn-
ing and fun.

We are confident that we will have a wonderful
school year together.

Young Israel Center of Oak Woods

Hebrew Schools

Hamburg Interfaith Society
Asks Memorial for Heine

U. 6-6662

.

24061 Coolidge, Oak Park

HAMBURG, (JTA)—The So-
ciety for Christian-Jewish Co-
operation of Hamburg has called
on the local city government to
erect a monument to the poet
Heinrich Heine to replace two
other monuments in this city
to the German-Jewish poet de-
stroyed by the Nazis.
The move has the endorse-
ment of the Hamburg Free
Academy of Fine Arts. The
Christian-Jewish group in Ham-
burg is under the leadership of
Erich Lueth, initiator of the
"Peace with Israel" movement.

(signed)

Rabbi Yaakov I. Minnick,

Principal

Rabbi Ephraim Rubin,

Faculty Head

UNITED HEBREW
SCHOOLS

Afternoon Hebrew School - Pre-School Nursery

SPECIAL GIRLS CLASSES

ENROLLMENT NOW TAKING PLACE

LOCATION OF BRANCHES

Rose Sittig Cohen — 13226 Lawton
Esther Berman — 18977 Schaefer
Oak Park — 14800 W. Ten Mile
(between Coolidge and Greenfield)
Affiliated School — Sholem Aleichem — 18495 Wyoming

Adas Shalom-7045 Curtis
Beth Aaron-18000 Wyoming
Beth Abraham-8110 W. 7 Mile
B'nai Moshe — 11401 Dexter

—
REGISTER EARLY
FACILITIES ARE LIMITED
TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED BY UHS FLEET OF 19 BUSES

