Friday, July 5, 1957 — THE DE TROIT JEWISH NEWS- 12

Campaign Against Capital Punishment

Brooklyn Boy Wins
Barton's Contest

'Reflections on Hanging'

People Make News

Rabbi HERBERT A. FRIED- after spending six weeks in the
MAN, executive vice-chairman United States and Canada on a
of the United Jewish Appeal, tour for the State of Israel De-
left for Israel to confer with velopment Bond drive.
* * *
During the Civil War in Spain, in 1937, Arthur Koestler, Israel leaders on the latest de-
velopments
in
the
Jewish
refu-
Mrs. GOLDA G. KROLIK
who has gained fame for his "Darkness at Noon," "Thieves
in the Night," "The Yogi and the Commissar" and other gee situation and to discuss was appointed by Mayor Cobo
future
plans
for
the
speediek
as a member of the Commis-
important volumes, "spent three months under sentence of
possible absorption of the new- sion on Community Relations.
death as a suspected spy, witnessing
comers.
* * *
the executions of my fellow prisoners
a * *
and awaiting my own."
Alex Rosen, current head of
The Rev. ROBERT RICH- the national recruitment pro-
In his preface to "Reflections on
ARDS, the only pole vaulter to gram of the Council on Social
Hanging," published by Macmillan
go over the 15-foot mark more Work Education, has been
(60 5th, N. Y. 11), Koestler explains:
than a 100 times, will accom- named associate professor of
"These three months left me with a
pany the U.S. Maccabiah Squad social work at Yeshiva Univer-
vested interest in capital punishment
to Israel in September for the sity.
—rather like 'half-hanged Smith,' who
* * *
fifth World Maccabiah Games
was cut down after fifteen minutes
in Tel Aviv. Richards will con-
and lived on. Each time a man's or a
NATHAN GURWIN has been
duct clinics on pole vaulting appointed as special repre-
woman's neck is broken in this peace-
and other track and field events sentative in Detroit for the
ful country, memory starts to fester
in Israel, according to Col. Business Men's Assurance Corn-
like a badly healed wound. I shall
Harry D. Henshel, chairman of pany of America. Gurwin is
never achieve real peace of mind until
the U.S. Committee for Sports married and the father of one
hanging is abolished."
in Israel.
Now an English citizen, Koestler
child. The family resides at
* * *
refers to Great Britain. His book is
2251 Leslie.
an excoriation of the failure of the
* * *
HANOCH NENNER, Mayor
great British community to abolish
Mrs. ELIZABETH MOORE
of Elath, the port on the Gulf
hanging. Koestler decided two years
of Aqaba which is being de- has been named an instructor
ago that the time was ripe for a - Arthur Koestler
veloped as Israel's gateway to of the Sinai Hospital Shapero
movement to end the horrible capital punishment. His book Asia and Africa, left for home School of Nursing. She was
began as a series of articles in the London Observer. A stormy
formerly associate director of
debate ensued, in the House of Commons and the House of
nursing service at. Mt. Carmel
Lords. If capital punishment is abolished soon in England, it
20 Ships at Elath
Mercy Hospital. During World
will be due mainly to the campaign inaugurated by Koestler.
War II, she served with field
Since
Sinai
War
Koestler's indictment of "legal homicide" is one of the most
hospitals in the China-Burma-
JERUSALEM
(JTA)-
effective condemnations of the death penalty. While it is
India theater. She is a gradu-
Twenty ships of various na-
concerned with England, it is applicable to this country and to
ate of St. Francis Hospital
tions
have
called
at
the
port
the rest of the democratic world.
Nursing School, Lafayette, Ind.,
of Elath since Nov. 15, 1956,
and of Mercy College.
as compared to 10 between
Adding to the power of Koestler's appeal, "Reflections
1949
and
the
Sinai
campaign
on Hanging" contains two essays which strengthen the argu-
which broke the Egyptian
ment against capital punishment. They are the "Afterword"
blockade of the Gulf of
i t's V.A cAtiola
by Sydney Silverman, Labor Member of the British House
Aqaba, it was officially an-
-NEW — MODIFIED AMERICAN PLAN
See Your
nounced. The 20 ships
of Commons, and a "Prefece for Americans" by Prof. Edmond
Travel Agent N
brought or picked up a total
Cahn of New York University.
of over 40,000 tons in cargo.
from
Silverman reviews the ecorts that had been made in
The government's invest-
:lens per daily
Parliament to put an end to the horror-inciting practice of
ments in port facilities at
person
hanging. He expresses confidence that a bill now pending in
double occ.
Elath are expected to exceed
the House of Commons will soon become law and he points
*50
rooms
out of 258
1,000,004 pounds this year. So
($8 Sept.1 thru Oct.31)
out that sentiment against the present practice has long been
far the Ministry of Develop-
Telt in Parliament and adds that "every death sentence in
ment has ordered 350,000
Great Britain has been commuted to life imprisonment since
pounds worth of equipment,
THE
August 1955 and that if ever, as many doubt, there is again
some of which has already
an execution for murder in our country it will be in defiance
arrived.
of the declared opinion of the British House of Commons."
Prof. Cahn's remarkably fine "Preface for Americans" calls
Visits in New York with
Koestler's work "the ideal book" on the subject and he evaluates
6%ete-7.4ree eif
the American position and the guilt in the practice of capital Jews He Saved from Nazis
punishment in this country. He emphasizes that there is a
SOUTH HAVEN MICHIGAN
NEW YORK (JTA)—A one-
responsibiliy to correct the existing wrongs. "As the moral time munitions maker for Hit-
Overlooking beautify!
responsibility is ours," he states, "so too is the political power ler, who saved 1,100 German
Lake Michigan
to object and prevent. If we resolve that capital punishment Jews from the Nazi furnaces,
is not civilized enough for America, we can unite and abolish was in New York where he
it." He offers plenty of proof that capital punishment is not visited with some 200 of the
civilized.
Jews whom he saved who now
live in metropolitan New York.
Describing the heritage of the past, Koestler shows the
Oscar Schindler, a Roman With Filtered Temperature Cone:
slow progress that was made in reducing the number of
Catholic, explained that on his
crimes punishable by death from the original hundreds to
trolled Water.
mission of mercy he had out- Modern Rooms With or Without
the few that still are on the statutes: "The resistance began
witted the Gestapo, bribed Bath—Planned Entertainment, Ore:
to break down only when Peel came to the Home Office and
Germany Army officers and chestra, Movies, Sports, C+ }Wren's
created the modern police force in 1929. Ten years later,
capital offenses were at long last reduced to the number of forged identification papers to Counselor, American Flail-3 De
save Jews as workers in his Luxe Meals, Entire Hotel Under
15; and in 1861 to four (murder, treason, arson in dockyards
One Roof.
factory because he hates cruel-
and piracy). That is where the matter rests until this day."
Afternoon Tea and Dancing Party at Poolside,
ty and intolerance.
Midnight Snacks. Cocktail Parties. Free Danc3
In his analyses of killing of police as acts of vengeance
He stopped off in New York ing Lessons. All Summer Activities. Top Erq
in death penalty and abolitionist communities, Koestler points from Argentina, where he owns tertainment by Dennis O'Neil & Lydia Layne
out that "Chicago (death penalty) was compared with Detroit a small farm he obtained with & The Apollo Trio. Sensible Rates.
OPENS DECORATION DAY,
(abolitionist). The rate of police killings was to be found Jewish help after the war, to
For Reservations write or phone
distinctly smaller in Detroit."
Germany where he hopes to
South Haven 124
Especially interesting is the acceptance, by the Royal retrieve some of his property
Summer
Commission which studied the issue, of the conclusion of which was seized by the Rus-
Hotel
THE
Thorsten Sellin: "The murder trends are very similar in the sians.
states that have abolished capital punishment and those that
I have not . . 2' This is offered to prove that the death penalty
is not a deterrent to crime—that other solutions will have to
NIAGARA FALLS
be looked for.
ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Koestler quotes from Jewish traditions in defense of his
Viewed best from Niagara Falls, Canada
thesis. We read in "Reflections on Hanging":

New Book by Koestler

AVIAD BROSHI, 13-year-
old student of the Flatbush
(Brooklyn) Yeshiva, has been
named winner of the annual
Barton's Creative Writing
Contest. Making the presen-
tation of a trophy and a full
summer vacation at North
Star Camps in the Adiron-
dack Mountains to Aviad was
STEPHEN KLEIN, Barton's
Bonbonniere president. The
boy wrote on the subject "If
Moses Were Addressing the
United Nations." Entries were
received from hundreds of
synagogue religious schools,
Talmud Torahs and Jewish
all-day schools throughout the
country.

Bonn to Wait for
Establishment of
Diplomatic Talks

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

BONN — Spokesman for the
West German Foreign Office,
asked about comment by Prime
Minister David Ben - Gurion
that he favored early establish-
ment of diplomatic relations,
said Monday "the time has not
yet come to establish normal
relations with Israel."
It appeared the Bonn spokes-
man was referring only to the
present time, however, and
probably to the period between
now - and the September na-
tional election.
The spokesman cited .specifi-
eally the recent press confer-
' ence statement of Foreign
Minister Heinrich Von Brentano
that "relations between the
Federal Republic and Israel
are so unclouded and clear-cut
and good that once both parties
agree that the time has come
to establish normal • relations
nothing but direct talks will
be needed."
Israel maintains a purchasing
mission in Cologne, but the
Bonn government is not repre-
sented in Israel. It was also
reported here that the situation
concerning diplomatic relations
has not changed in, recent
months and that no exchange
of diplomatic recognition has
been seriously considered.

Rabbits can run faster up hill
than down because the hind
legs are longer than the fore-
legs.

. 9*

:an=

BILTMOR E

--

" 'Blood for blood, life for life' was the law of Israel
during the Bronze Age, appropriate to the conditions of the
time, and is still the law of the primitive nomads of the desert.
It was repudiated in the Sermon on the Mount, and it was
repudiated by Israel itself, which abolished capital punishment
when it regained sovereign statehood. Orthodox talion
justice survives in our time only in the vendetta codes of
Sicillian bandits and organized gangsters.
"In ancient Mosaic law, the death-penalty was statutory
not only for murder, but for sabbath-breaking, slave-trading,
blasphemy, the cursing of parents, adultery, and a number
of other offenses. But already the Babylonian Talmud
reveals a completely changed attitude. 'A Sanhedrin that
effects an execution once in seven years, is branded a
destructive tribunal; Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah says: Once
in seventy years. Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Akiba say: Were
we member of a Sanhedrin, no person would ever be put to
death."

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Confirming these views, the author quotes Benjamin
Franklin: "It is betted a hundred guilty persons should escape
than that one innocent person should suffer .. ."
Great jurists and others are quoted in similar vein. The
facts gathered by Koestler, supported by Prof. Cahn and
Silverman, provide the indictment of capital punishment in
the very moving and convincing book, "Reflections on Hanging."

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WE REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THE PASSING OF

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(Closed, alas, before it ever opened)

But, See exciting announcement on Page 19

