Jewish Law Forbids
Going Barefooted
Democratic Prot4ass of Council
Assures Voice to All Viewpoints
By. RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
(Copyright, 1956, JTA, Inc.)
By SAMUEL N. RHODES
President, Jewish Community Cou
ncil of Metropolitan Detroit
In this season of reflection, it
is appropriate for us to reflect,
among other matters, on the
organizational instrumentalities
we in Detroit have created to
carry out the functions which
we have assumed as a com-
munity.
It is a source of pride to' us
that, within, the tradition of our
people, our community has re-
sponded to its spiritual, cultural,
recreational, service and philan-
thropic needs by creating and
maintaining agencies designed
to 'further these interests. We
can all share pride not only in
the effectiveness of these agen-
cies but in the inspiration of the
tradition in which they wee
rk
conceived.
Having been honored with the
preSidency of the Jewish Com-
munity Council, which is now
approaching its 20th year, my
particular reflections at this
season naturally gravitate to-
ward the achievements of the
Council and its place in our
communal life.
As I think about its place in
a modern American Jewish
community, the realiza-
tion becomes clear that it is
impossible to separate the em-
phasis of an instrumentality
like the Council from our
common goal of integrating
and yet surviving and living
fully and creatively as a group
within the American scene.
This task which faces Ameri-
can Jewry is virtually with-
out parellel in our whole his-
tory and tradition.
Certainly, not one of us would
seek to set back the clock by
curtailing any of the freedoms
that this blessed democracy of-
fers to all of its citizens. On the
contrary, we reaffirm our com-
mitment to securing and ex-
tending these freedoms. This is
our obligation to America—and
it is our obligation to our own
tradition as well.
The American Jewish com-
munity, however, cannot exist
as a vacuum. It must contribute
to the American scene a viable
spiritual, cultural and ethical
influence. It must remain aware
of its own identity, and of its
capacity and responsibility to
set constructive examples in
these areas. It is within this
context.that I visualize the place
of a Council as the medium
through which our traditions
and aspirations are translated
into a twentieth century reality
within our own community and
transmitted to the general com-
munity of which we are a part.
It is quite in keeping, there-
fore, with both our tradition
as a people and our responsi-
bility as Americans that our
Council has interested itself
in developments relating to
the rights and liberties of all
people. On behalf of the com-
munity we have opposed, be-
cause it is racist-inspired, the
McCarran-Walter Immigration
Law. We have joined with
other groups in the community
in upholding the principles of,
fair employment practices
which are now incorporated
in the law of our State. We
have also condemned and ex-
posed incidents of discrimina-
tion against any group of
Americans, and recent ly
called public attention to such
a recrudescence of bigotry as
the formation, locally and
elsewhere, of the White Cit-
izens Councils.
Overwhelmingly, each of us is
stirred by the achievements of
Israel and the development of
its democracy. As Americans we
are reassured that free parlia-
mentary government has found
a place in an area long the
domain of feudalism; as Jews
we are proud of the contribution
of our people to this develop-
ment.
The fact that propagandists
have sought to belittle this de-
velopment and to confuse Amer-
ican opinion by charges of dual
loyalty and by generous use of
anti-Semitism, has been a
source of concern to us. Through
the interpretative process,
through the use of speakers,
literature and other educational
media, the Council has contin-
ued with the work of interpret-
ing Israel and its importance to
America • within the general
community' of which we are a
part.
The idea of the Community
Council finds expression in the
fact that through the forum
which the Council ' provides,
every qualified Jewish organi-
zation in our community can
meet together to consider prob-
lems common to all of us. The
democratic process of the Coun-
cil assures a voice to the vary-
ing points of view that ought
to be heard. The work of the
Council is carried on through
committees, whose work in turn
is reviewed by the Delegate As-
sembly, at which every member
organization is entitled to be
represented. I hope that in the
year ahead we may enjoy that
ever increasing participation by
the member organizations which
is the ultimate guarantee that
our communal goals and vision
are within our reach:
`L'S HON 0 TOVO TIKO-
•EVU'
Thrill of a Lifetime
(From the American Press)
The kind of thrill that hap-
pens once in a lifetime occurred
to Dwain Mueller, publisher of
the What Cheer (Iowa) Patriot
recently.
The day before press day a
-local woman called him and
asked him to hold a half page
for an ad she wanted to place.
The next morning she brought
in the copy — an ad headed,
"We are proud of our hometown
paper and appreciate the great
service it renders our commu-
nity."
The ad, signed by local organ-
izations, churches and profes-
sional men of the town, con-
gratulated the publisher on hav-
ing won first place in the state
contest for community service
and for winning other state and
national awards in the past.
.
Smallest Jewish Community
Re-Established in Germany
BAYREUTH, Germany,(JTA)
In this city, which with sur-
rounding smaller towns had a
Jewish population of more than
500 prior to Hitler, a Jewish
community consisting of 12 men
and 28 women and children, has
been formally re-established.
The charter meeting was at-
tended by Siegfried Neuland,
president of the Munich com-
munity and representative of
Bavarian Jewry in the Bavarian
Senate, himself a native of Bay-
reuth.
French Jet Designer
Wins Grand Cross Medal
PARIS, (JTA) Marcel Das-
sault, designer of the Mystere
and Ouragan Jet fighters has
been awarded the Grand Cross
of the French Legion of Honor.
The award was conferred on
the recommendation of the
French cabinet. M. Dessault,
who kept his resistance name
after the war, was deported to
Buchenwald by the Vichy" re-
gime. At that time he used his
family name of Bloch.
Film Exposes Nazism
Those of us ' who have for-
gotten the enemies of World
War II are invited to see "The
Cockleshell Heroes," a truly
great picture made by Columbia
in England, directed by and
starring Jose Ferrer. The story
pulls no punches showing a
British commando raid to para-
lyze German merchant shipping
in occupied Bordeaux Harbor.
It is a healthy sign to know
that there is an audience for
such a picture showing the sub-
human efforts made by us and
our wartime allies to break the
power of Nazism.
Grant 'Mora! indemnification'
Jewish tradition forbids one
to go barefooted.
The . Rabbis in the Talmud
stated that a man should sell
anything he has in order to buy
a pair of shoes. The commen-
taries like to explain this by
saying that, through the sin of
Adam, the earth was cursed. It
does not bring forth its produce
without man's hard labor, etc.
Man is therefore required to
have some separating factor be-
tween him and the earth so that
he be separated from a curse.
Holy ground, such as the ground
of the holy temple in Jerusa-
lem, did not come under the
category of this cursed earth
and thus the priest went bare-
footed in the temple. It is thus
deduced that Jewish tradition
prohibits walking barefooted.
Some writers like to connect
this prohibition with a practical
consideration. That is to say,
that it is forbidden to walk
barefooted because of the harm
that can come to one's body
'by stepping on sharp objects or
on cold ground, etc.
Tiberias
Some claim Tiberias was
named after the Roman Em-
peror Tiberius. Other sources
quoted in the Talmud which
claim that the name was used
for the city to mean that it was
located in the navel of the land
of Israel, thus tracing the name
of the city to the Hebrew word
for "Tabbur." Still other sources
claim that the name Tiberias
is a combination of two He-
brew words "Toy" and "Re'-
iyah." This combination would
produce an expression which
would mean "good looking."
The city might thus be called
Tiberias to indicate that it was
a city with a beautiful appear-
ance.
to German Woman, 87
Jewish British Comman•e
Is Named to UN Council
KASSEL, Germany, (JTA)-
The Kassel City Council unani-
mously conferred honorary citi-
zenship upon 87-year-old Mrs.
Sara Nussbaum, in a considered
gesture of "moral indemnifica-
tion."
Together with her husband
Rudolf, Mrs. Nussbaum oper-
ated a furniture store in this
city until the advent of Nazism.
Although her husband was .a
leading local citizen, head of a
Red Cross department and an
active member of the volunteer
fire brigade, brown-shirted SA
Storm Troopers beat him to
death in 1934. After the war's
outbreak, Mrs. Nussbaum was
sent to the Terezin concentra-
tion camp.
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y.,
(JTA)—Sir Andrew Benjamin
Cohen, commander-in-chief of
British forces in the Uganda
Protectorate, Africa, has been
appointed head of the British
delegation to the Trusteeship
Council.here, effective next Jan.
1. The announcement of Sir
Andrew's transfer was made by
the British delegation here.
Sir Andrew, who is a Jew,
has held various important
posts in the British Colonial
Office, Internal Revenue service
and Foreign Office for the last
25 years. His term as head of
the British forces in Uganda
expires at the end of this year.
He is the holder of . number
of high decorations bestowed
upon him by the British Crown.
appy new f ear
May the New Year 5717 be
Sanctioned by Good Deeds
and by Justice for all Hu-
manity. May we be blessed
in the coming year to wit-
ness fuKther progress in the
attainment of peace and in
the advancement of Jewry's
and America's cultural needs.
Mr. and Mrs. Abe Kasle
and Family
The Detroit Center Agency
of the
CROWN LIFE INSURANCE CO.
of Toronto, Canada
Its Officers and Agents
Extend their sincerest wishes for a Year of health
and happiness to the entire community.
Detroit Center Agency:
CROWN
LIFE INSURANCE CO.
Toronto, Canada
1172 NATIONAL BANK BUILDING