Pisgah to Honor First Members
On the occasion of its approaching 10 0th anniversary celebration, Pisgah Lodge
of Bnai Brith announces plans to honor the charter members who organized the lodge.
Heading the list of charter members was Jacob Silberman, Pisgah's first president,
who also was the first president of Temple Beth El. Irving I. Katz, who
has gathered historical material about Pisgah Lodge, pointed out that the
charter members included, right to left in above photographs: Morris
C. Fechheimer, Morris Hirschman, Seligman Schloss, Emanuel Schloss,
Simon Heavenrich, Herman Freedman and Marcus Cohen. Other charter
members, whose photographs are not available, were: Louis Benfey, Sam-
uel Sykes, S. Schwab and Abraham Hart.
Jacob Silberman, the first president of Pisgah Lodge, was born in
Bavaria, Germany, Nov. 21, 1820, and came to this country at the age of
15. He lived in Cincinnati for some years before coming to Detroit in the
Silberman
1840s. He was associated here with Adam Hersch in the cigar manu-
facturing business on Jefferson Avenue near Bates Street, under the firm name of Sil-
berman & Hersch, Cigar Manufacturers. He also was affiliated with Detroit Lodge
F. & A. M. and was one of its earliest me mbers. He was married to Sophia Brandeis.
He died Jan. 30, 1899.
•
Court Returns
Jews' Property
Isaac Deutscher's Significant
Essays Evaluate Soviet Policies
NUREMBURG, (JTA) — The
Supreme Restitution C o u r t's
mixed German-American Divi-
sion, located in this city, has
ruled that in cases of aggra-
vated "Aryanization" falling
under thf Allied Restitution
Law, the proper t y must be
given back to the original Jew-
ish owner irrespective of any
improvements that have in the
meantime been effected.
The division's verdict in the
suit at issue provided for the
return to the Jewish claimant,
former hotel owner Julius
Schuster, of a vacant lot which
he had been forced to sell in
1938 while he was a prisoner in
a Nazi concentration camp.
The lot, located in the resort
town of Bad Brueckenau, was
purchased from the Nazi Party
by a German veterinarian, who
built a two-family house on it.
During the past eight years
the courts habitually held that,
where so substantial an in-
crease in value had occurred
due to investments by the "ar-
yanizer" the erstwhile Jewish
owner is entitled merely to re-
imbursement of the market
price of his property at the
time it was taken.
The Nuremburg tribunal re-
versed that judicial interpreta-
tion in an important decision
several weeks ago. "By virtue
of the generally recognized
principles of law," argued the
five judges, "he who acquired
an object by means of aggra-
vated despoliation is presumed
to have known, already at the
time of acquisition, that no legal
validity attaches to such a pur-
chase."
Expenditures by the "aryan-
izer" were made at his ' own
risk, continues the verdict, and
it is not incumbent upon the
rightful Jewish owner to pro-
vide reimbursement.
A Review by MORRIS GARVETT
Recorded history discloses no strong enough "to exercise
period free from a struggle for actual proletarian dictatorship"
mastery over the lives and for- and to control those "whom it
tunes of men. Karl Marx de- had lifted to power, and to
veloped a theory of social and defend its own freedom against
political action which would them." The new bureaucracy,
end this contest and enable the only organized element,
the human race to enjoy all thereupon established "its own
the bounty of a beneficent preponderance" and "held the
planet in equal measure. It nation by the throat." Russia,
would only be necessary to however, is now living through
overthrow the existing order "the twilight of totalitarian-
of society and place all power ism." Since the death of Stalin,
in the hands of those—the pro- government by a single dicta-
letariat — who produce the tor has been replaced by gov-
things men need. Russia, in ernment by a committee, the
1917, became the laboratory essence of which is "dispersal,
for testing the theory.
diffusion, and therefore limita-
What Marx and his disciples tion of power," thus becoming
failed to learn from history subject to "checks and bal-
soon b e c am e apparent. The ances." New activity stirs the
human personality cannot be "mind of the nation." Emerg-
used as a factor in an experi- ing from the melting pot of
ment as if it were a molecule forced industrialization, the new
of matter, nor can human na- working class "is potentially a
ture be dealt with on the basis political power of a magnitude
of a priori reasoning. The Revo- hitherto unknown in Russian
lution brought to power, not history." It will yet "utter
the proletariat, but only the anew the old and great cry for
strong and the ruthless to equality."
whom egalitarianism was but
Deutscher attempts to corre-
a slogan to be used to attain late the experience of the Rus-
the power of absolutism.
sian revolution with that of
Isaac Deutscher, biographer the French. His effort is an
of Stalin, political publicist interesting intellectual exercise
and specialist on Russia, a but the outstanding fact is that,
'former Communist who was despite the terror and confu-
expelled from the Party in sion which France endured
1932 because of his disagree- from the overthrow of the
ment with the Party line, in Bourbons in 1789 to the seizure
a series of essays written be- of power by Napoleon in 1799,
tween 1948 and 1957, now and the strain of foreign wars
published under the general until his abdication in 1814, if
title, "Russia in Transition" the French revolution produced
(Coward McCann), describes nothing else, the world is the
and analyzes "the develop- richer for the Code of Napoleon,
even if it be, as Deutscher de-
ment and background of So-
scribes it, "that legal-philoso-
viet society."
phical mirror of a bourgeois
While the proletariat was society." In the forty years of
strong enough to ,win the Rev-. the Russian revolution, its con-
olution, he writes, it was not tribution has been "the present
collectivist society, with its
planned economy * * * the
conscious creation of the revo-
lution and of the post-revolu-
tionary government." Which
revolution has served mankind
the better?
is • the daughter of Jacob and
Deutscher believes that, as
Malka Meindrun of the village
a "builder of a new econ-
of Mekittich. The only other
omy and a pioneer of new
of surviving members of the social techniques, Stalin, for
Meindrum family are the Zim- all his limitations and vices
ring family, sons and daughters
—the limitations of an em-
of Ittoha and Brucha Zimring, piricist and the vices of a
who migrated to the United despot — is likely to leave
States but whose address is
deeper marks on history than
unknown.
any single French revolu-
Mrs. Zimmerman survived a tionary leader." I wonder!
concentration camp and Si-
Goethe w r o t e, "Napoleon
berian exile with her husband
went forth to seek Virtue, but,
who died subsequently. Always
since she was not to be found,
on the move and frequently
he got Power." What was it
hounded' by anti-Semitic hood- that Stalin went forth to seek?
lums, she 'was unable to ar-
Nevertheless, D eutscher
range for the Brith Milah until
writes brilliantly and, if read
her recent arrival in Israel.
She obtained temporary with caution, his essays will
housing near Haifa for herself. hold much significance for the
The children will be in cus- busy person who must by-pass
tody of the Youth Aliyah Edu- the more complete works on
.
Eris of 2 Brothers Highlights
Tragedy of War-Torn Jewry
Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News
JERASULEM — Chief Rabbi
Isaac Halevi Herzog presided
as godfather Tuesday at the
ritual circumcisions of eight and
nine-year-old brothers—two of
the estimated 4,000 uncircum-
sized children arriving in the
recent immigration from Euro-
pean Iron Curtain countries.
The rite highlighted the
tragedy of wartorn Jewish fam-
ilies who, fleeing Nazi persecu-
tion, were unable to observe
one of the most fundamental
tenets of Judaism. A. special
section of the Ministry of re-
ligious affairs is providing the
Milah rite for 200 children each
month.
The ceremony Tuesday was
a typical one. The widowed
mother of the two boys, Polish-
born Mrs. Deborah Zimmerman; cation Institute.
what has happened in Russia.
Committee Formed in Israel
to Counteract Arab Boycott
JERUSALEM, (JTA) — Busi-
ness firms which withdraw from
Israel operations under Arab
boycott pressure may suffer eco-
nomic consequences for such
actions. Meir Grossman, head of
the Jewish Agency Department
of External Affairs, announced
the formation of a committee to
coordinate and direct "Jewish
reaction" against the "world-
wide Arab conspiracy against
Israel."
Emphasizing that neither the
Israel government nor the Jew-
ish Agency has ever declared a
counter-boycott, he said it was
"only natural that Jews should
look askance" at firms which
submit to the pro-Arab boycott.
Various Jewish organizations,
acting through national commit-
tees in various countries, will
combat the boycott in coopera-
tion with the World Jewish Con-
gress and other similar organi-
zations and expose the dangers
arising from the "Nazi and anti-
Semitic character" of the boy-
cott, he stated.
Citing the decision of the
Shell Company and British
Petroleum to end sales oper-
ations in Israel, following the
withdrawal of two American
oil companies, Standard and
Mobiloil, he asserted that "the
impression is unavoidable that
the Anglo-American compa-
nies have ganged up on Israel
in yielding to Arab threats."
It was understood that Jewish
organizations in each country
would have a free hand in tak-
ing whatever steps they desire
in relation to the Arab boycott
or companies which bow to it.
The Israeli committee will only
provide factual material about
the Arab blockade to any inter-
ested individuals or organiza-
tions. The Israeli committee will
stress that under the guise of
an "anti-Israel" boycott the
Arabs are organizing anti-Jew-
ish action v‘rhich has reached
such proportions that the Arab
states are even prohibiting the
importation of phonograph rec-
ords featuring Jewish musicians.
Reports received here lately
stated that the British Embassy
was perturbed by the possibility
of a boycott of Shell products
by American Jews irate over
Shell's decision to withdraw
from its Israeli operations. It
was the Shell action, capping a
long series of similar withdraw-
als by other firms, which caused
Israel to plan counter-measures
to the Arab boycott.
Jerry Lewis Assists in Sale of
$76,000 Worth of Israel Bond
at Borman's Cocktail Party
At the Bormans' cocktail party in honor of Jerry Lewish,
left to right: Louis Berry, Joseph Holtzman, Nathan Lurie,
Jerry Lewis, Toni Borman, Abe Kasle and David Safran.
Jerry Lewis, the popular
comedian of stage, screen and
television, is acquiring fame in
another role: as a campaigner
for- Israel. He proved his skill
in Detroit, at a cocktail party
at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Tom Borman, 1580 Lincolnshire,
on Sept. 5, when he made a
convincing appeal for Israel
Bonds.
He told a few stories, but
most of the time he, was in
earnest. He told of his pride in
being a Jew, of his conviction
that American Jews must help
maintain Israel.
Jerry evaluated his interest
in Israel and spoke with pride
of his appearances at several
functions for Israel Bonds, in-
cluding an Israel Bonds dinner
in Philadelphia recently, when
he helped sell $1,200,000 worth
*
*
of Bonds. He said that in five
years he helped sell $11,000,000
worth of Israel Bonds.
The net result of Jerry's
appeal that afternoon was the
sale of $76,000 worth of Is-
rael Bonds. Nathan Lurie
presided, made an appeal to
the gathering and introduced
Jerry Lewis.
Lurie presented Jerry Lewis
with a citation, from the Is-
rael Bond Organization, in rec-
ognition of his efforts for
Israel.
Paul Zuckerman and Joseph
Holtzman also assisted in en-
couraging Bond purchases at
this gathering.
Tom Borman, as host, wel-
comed the gathering and ex-
pressed his gratitude to Jerry
Lewis and his guests for their
cooperation.
*
Comedian Gets Bond Citation
• • • : ..• • . 1. .•.
• •
At the cocktail party given by Mr. and Mrs. Tom Borman,
at their home, 1580 Lincolnshire, Sept. 5, in honor of Jerry
Lewis, the popular comedian was congratulated by the Bormans
and their son, Paul (left), on his having received a citation,
in the form of a 'scroll, In recognition of his efforts for Israel
Bonds. Jerry assisted in selling 576,000 worth of Israel Bonds
at the Bormans' party.