One of the

THE JEWISH NEWS

Really

Big Problems

••-„

the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Incorporating
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers. Michigan Press Association. National Editorial

Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publis hing Co., 1'7100 West Seven Mlle Road, Detroit 35, Mich.,
VE. 8-9364. Subscription $5 a year. Foreign $6.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1952 at Post Office, Detroit. Mich., under Aot of March 3, 1879.

SIDNEY SHMARAK

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Advertising Manager

Editor and Publisher

CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ

Circulation Manager

FRANK SIMONS

City Editor

Sabbath Scriptural Selections

the following Scriptural selections
This Sabbath, the eighteenth day of Elul, 5717,
will be read in our synagogues:
portion, Isaiah 60:1-22.
Pentateuchal portion, Ki Tavo, Dent. 26:1-29:8. Prophetical

Licht Benshen, Friday, Sept. 13, 6:27 p.m.

Page Four

VOL. XXXII. No. 2

September 13, 1957

A Promise from Land of Inquisition

A delegation from Agudath Israel
World Organization last week visited the
Spanish kmbassador in London, Duke de
Primo Rivera, to express concern for the
welfare of Jews in North Africa and to
state that some of them, in 'view of recent
developments, might wish to go to Spain.
A Jewish Telegraphic Agency cable from
London reveals that the Spanish Ambas-
sador told the delegation that his govern-
ment will "afford the fullest hospitality"
to any Jew from North Africa, particu-
larly those of Spanish origin, who might
want to settle in Spain.
According to the JTA cable, the Span-
ish Ambassador said that the large Jewish
communities of Tetuan, Melida and Ceuta
are still under Spain's jurisdiction and the
future of the North African area is .still
under discussion. At the same time, the
Agudah representatives pointed out that
the Conference on Jewish Material Claims
Against Germany has provided funds to
the Jewish community of Madrid for the
erection of a synagogue and community
center in the Spanish capital where at
present the law forbids open worship.
The Ambassador promised to raise the
issue of public recognition, and he also
gave the assurance that Generalissimo
Franco would be prepared to mediate be-
tween Israel and the Arab states.
We consider this news of major signi-
ficance in view of the tragic centuries-long
discriminations against Jews practiced in
Spain. The latest JTA cable from London
indicates that "open worship" still is for-
bidden in that country, which was made
infamous by the Inquisition.
The bloody era of the Inquisition can
not be erased by mere "pledges," either
by an Ambassadorial Duke or by Franco
himself. Let it be remembered that the
Inquisition lasted for centuries, and that,
on the record, it is still functioning.

Here is a single paragraph from the
very important Jewish historical analysis,
"The History and Destiny of the Jews,"
by Josef Kastein, relating to the Inquisi-
tion:
"Spain and Portugal also kept their
Jewish problem alive with the help of
the Inquisition. Three hundred years
after the Holy War, there were still se-
cret Jews in Spain, consequently the
Inquisition still had work to do in that
country. The burning of men alive for
their faith had become a form of public
entertainment, like the bull fights. On
the occasion of the marriage of Charles
II with Louis XIV's niece, a grand Auto-
da-fe was organized in Madrid, at which
86 heretics were burned at the stake,
- among them 50 Judaizing Marranos. Be-
tween 1720 and 1730, 100 similar autos-
da-fe took place, and Marranos were still
fleeing the country. Obviously in Spain
there could be no question whatever of
granting equal rights to the Jews for
the simple reason that, according to the
Spanish authorities, there were no Jews
in the country but only renegade
Christians."
Can this possibly be forgotten and for-
given because of a diplomatic gesture?
All men of good will surely hope that
the dark eras in history will some day
be relegated to a forgotten past. But,
especially in a land with as evil a record
as Spain's, first there must be complete
adherence to democratic principles for all
peoples, before a vague promise made to
Jews alone can be considered seriously.
There will have to be more direct and
more positive indications of good faith,
insofar as Spain is concerned, before we
can take the Spanish-Agudah discussion
seriously.

Expanded Services of Shapero Nursing School

.

Only two years after it was first estab-
lished, with the aid of funds provided by
the Cunningham Drug Co. and the Nate
S. and Ruth B. Shapero Foundations, the
Shapero School of Nursing, attached to
Sinai Hospital, announces an important
expansion-program.
The educational program of this vitally
necessary school henceforth will train 120
students a year instead of the capacity of
48 for whom provisions had been made
originally.
These services will help solve Detroit's
problem of a nurses' shortage, and the
services of Sinai Hospital and its affiliated
Shapero School of Nursing thereby re-
dound to the , benefit of the entire com-
munity.
The report of the president of the
school, George M. Stutz, shows that 1,400

applicants have indicated a desire to
enroll in the Shapero School for the new
term starting next week. This reflects the
wide interest in the school and the rec-
ognition of its important services.
_ As part of the net-work of educational,
health and recreational services sponsored
by the Jewish Welfare Federation, the
Shapero School of Nursing thus has as-
sumed its place among the most vital of
our communal agencies. Of its 41 grad-
uates, 25 already have announced that
they will join the staff of Sinai Hospital.
The increased enrollment will help pro-
vide additional nurses for other hospitals
in our community.
The Shaperos thus are to be highly
commended for having inaugurated a
service that will help solve a serious De-
troit health problem.

•

`Our Jewish Heritage

Valuable Definitions of Judaism

Joseph Gaer, the well known author of a number of books
on the religions of the world, together with Rabbi Alfred Wolf,
of the Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard Temple, have combined
their skills to produce an exceptionally good book, "Our Jewish
Heritage," published by Henry Holt & Co. (383 Madison, N. Y. 17).
Judaistn is defined in this interesting work, and there are
explanations of our festivals, Jewish customs and ceremonials,
the prayers, and other factors in Jewish living. There is an im-
portant chapter on "The Jewish Bookshelf."
Rabbi Wolf wrote the sections dealing with customs and
ritual practices and Mr. Gaer authored the definitions of Judaism.
"On Being a Jew," the opening chapter that contains the
definitions of Judaism and the Jewish way of life, will be
found valuable by those who seek explanations of the ideals
and aspirations of our people. It is a concise and well-defined
description of the hopes of Jewry, of our way of life that
begins with faith—as the basis of the reverence for wisdom
in Jewish tradition.
It describes the respect in Jewry for justice and peace and
emphasizes that "in Jewish tradition it is assumed that the
human soul is made 'in the image of God' "; that "the importance
of the family and the sacredness of the individual life were
balanced, in Jewish tradition, by man's duty to the community."
The Five Principles of Philo and the Thirteen Principles of
Maimonides are quoted in the analysis of Judaism as a Religion.
The descriptions of the prayers, the definitions of the holi-
days, and the precepts and folk beliefs are accompanied by
appropriate quotations from Scriptural sources, thus giving
great weight to the evaluations.
The section on Ritual Objects in Judaism contains definitive
material on the most important Jewish ritual objects. The Folk
Beliefs will be found exceedingly well described and interest-
ingly outlined.
"Our Jewish Heritage" is valuable as a reference book in
the home, and can serve as an important purpose as a textbook
for adult classes as well as for advanced studies for our youth.

Labor Zionists Honor a Great Name

Detroit's Labor Zionist Institute has
chosen to honor a very great name in
modern Jewish history by calling its head-
quarters on Schaefer Highway the Hayim
Greenberg Center.
Dr. Greenberg was one of Jewry's most
distinguished leaders during the trying
years of 1925 to 1950. He was one of the
oldest interpreters of Jewish values, an
eminent historian and one of our out-
standing Zionist leaders.
He was as beloved in our community,
where he lectured many times, as he was
by Jews everywhere.
Dr. Greenberg had not limited his
activities to the literary field. In the years
when the entire future of the Zionist

movement was at stake, when the Pales-

'

tinian Yishuv was threatened with de-
struction, when only a handful of people
in high places came forth to help Jewry
in its effort to end the homelessness of
masses • of our people in Europe, Dr. Green-
berg devoted himself to political efforts.
He was among the chief molders of
public opinion and he went wherever he
was called to present the case for the
Zionist cause.
Meanwhile he continued his literary
efforts, and the essays he had written in
the final years of his life form imperish-
able literary monuments.
We join with the friends and admirers
of the late Dr. Greenberg in paying honor
to his memory in dedicating the Hayim
Greenberg Center.

`A Boy's Quiet Voice'

I
Ephraim Cohen s Tragic Story

Ephraim Cohen was the oldest of six children of Herman
and Ruth Cohen. He was a healthy, studious and very bright
boy. He loved sports and people, and he was loved in turn.
At 14, he hurt his leg. It developed that he had bone cancer.
His left leg was amputated. There followed months of suffering,
but throughout the painful year he was of good cheer and
preachers used his experiences to speak of his remarkable cour-
age as a symbol for others.
His mother sought a way of conquering her grief, and she
wrote the story of her son's suffering and courage. Greenberg
(201 E. 57th, N.Y. 22) published the book: "A Boy's Quiet Voice,"
by Ruth Kolko Cohen. Monies derived from its sale are to go
to the Ephrairri Cohen Memorial Fund, "to provide grants in the
fields of medical and religious education."
It is a remarkable story. Writing to the author, Marion
Humble, former executive secretary of the National Association
of Book Publishers, likened Mrs. Cohen's tribute to her son to
"The Diary of Anne Frank." Like "The Diary," Miss Humble
wrote, " 'A Boy's Quiet Voice' might become a great exalting
play." The Cohen story is just that: exalting. It is a powerfully
spiritual document.
When Ephraim went to the hospital, he took with him the
Hanukah Menorah, to be sure to light the candles during Hanu-
kah week; his tefillin and yarmulke. At home, and in the syna-
gogue, Ephraim was able, on call, to read any haftorah of any
Sabbath—and did. He was a product of a very religious home—
and all observed their orthodoxy.
It is evident in this moving story of a day-by-day struggle
for life that the faith of the sufferer had much to do with his
determined . will to survive.
If he had survived, Ephraim would have been crippled for
life. On one occasion, in the hospital, he said to his mother: "I'm
thinking about the future. What will I do when I'm a father and I
won't be able to run after the bike when I'm teaching my chil-
dren to ride . . . Do you remember when Dad used to run
along with me when I first learned?"
This and a score of other incidents point to the great human
elements in the Ephraim Cohen story. "A Boy's Quiet Voice"
is a book that should inspire courage wherever there may be
despair.
(Mr. and Mrs. Herman Cohen visited Israel this summer
where they dedicated a grove of trees in their son's name.)

