Our UnitedCommunity

By ISIDORE SOBELOFF,

Executive Vice-President, Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit

I

I

'Crazy-Quilt . Pattern of Sunday Blue Laws
Revealed in Pamphlet of Jewish Congress

In New York State and else seventh
day observers. Finally, Congress carried this case up I
Shortly after the 1957 Allied Jewish Campaign closed with wh
an unprecedented $5,841,000, other communities began to ask for
around the nation, you the confused pattern of excep- the U.S. Supreme Court, but th
may
be
put
in
jail
if
you
buy
a
tions
the secret of Detroit's success.
accomplished by strong appeal was dismissed, leavih
While no secret, the success of Detroit's Allied Jewish Cam- pipe on Sunday, but you are pressure groups lobbying for the Friedman-Praska decisio
paign must be attributed to a great many and a great variety of within the law if you buy only special products or industries-- unaltered. The fight, howeve r
causes.
pipe tobacco. A zealous police- is discriminatory and therefore is not over. For the past fly'
One might tell those inquiring that in order to wage an out- man can arrest you for buying violates the principle of equal years, 30 Jewish groups, bande,
vegetables, periodicals or but- justice under law.
standing campaign for funds in 1957, you start in 1932 and plan ter; these purchases are pro-
together in the Joint Collimate
ahead. In 1956 Detroit Jewry responded with over a million hibited on Sundays in some
American Jews should be par- for a Fair Sabbath Law and
dollars for the Survival Fund beyond the ongoing needs. This was
a distinguished demonstration of generosity. A year later, in localities. On the other hand, titularly exorcised by Sunday by the American Jewish Con,
1957, it became necessary for the United Jewish Appeal to issue you may buy with impunity— laws, since the most frequent gress, have been workin:
a special emergency appeal for funds, for the second consecutive in these same cities and on Sun- victims of their enforcement are the N.Y. State Legislature ti
dayS — fruit, newspapers and Orthodox Jews, it is pointed out. revise the Sunday Law.
year, for the rescue of Hungarian, North African and Egyptian beer (after 1
P.M.).
A case in point bears the names
That fair-minded persons ii
Jews. Detroit Jewry rose to the occasion, this time, raising 11/2
This
preposterous
state of af- of two such Jews, Sam Fried- other states must join in under:
million dollars beyond the regular campaign to help meet the
emergency. More than 25 years of progressive community organi- fairs, the outcome of years of man and Sam Praska. Both men, taking similar campaigns i!
zation had made helping our fellow Jews in times of crisis a way hodgepodge efforts b y state and kosher butchers on the lower stated in the AJCongress pam-
of life in most Detroit homes.
municipal legislators to preserve east side of New York City, phlet.
the sanctity of the Christian and pious and Sabbath observ-
Patterned on the success of the 1956 Allied Jewish Cam-
Sabbath, is described in a new ing Jews, were convicted in It is on the sound education.
paign, the 1957 campaign was again conducted as one campaign,
with one gift for both regular and emergency needs. Few pamphlet, "Sunday Laws: A 1949 of the "crime" of selling of the people that the security
Violation of Religious Liberty," meat to their customers on Sun- and destiny of every nation
contributors requested that their entire gift go to the emergency
issued by the American Jewish days. The American Jewish chiefly rest. —Louis Kossuth
fund, for an informed community knew that the United Jewish
Congress. Copies of the 12-page
Appeal is also the campaign's largest single beneficiary in the
regular Campaign.
brochure may be obtained from
More than a quarter century of unified budgeting and plan- the AJCongress' Community
ning enabled the 1957 campaign to have uncontested priority Service Bureau,. 15 E. 84th St., 1
over independent national appeals outside our framework of New York 28.
organization and local appeals outside our sphere of influence.
Citizens may be amused by
For the second consecutive year our local agencies deferred
essential expansion of facilities in favor of the survival of thou- the crazy-quilt, often archaic
statutes, but, as the AJCongress
sands of our co-religionists overseas.
There was no thought of curtailing the services of any of our pamphlet points out, the illogi-
agencies. A community addressed itself to the task of raising the cal Sunday laws are nothing to
largest sum of money in our history to maintain agency services laugh about. Sunday laws have
in the face of increased operating expenses, while increasing 1956
UJA Regular and Survival Fund allocations, already the largest always been religious laws, the
of any city of comparable size. The boards and staffs of our product of church-state union,
agencies pledged that ways would be found to maintain the and they therefore violate the
high level of service for another year within a budget frame- principle of separation of church
work that called for only a 2-1 per cent increase in allocation and state guaranteed in the U.S.
to meet necessary salary increments.
Constitution. Further, the Sun-
day laws are legislation in favor
We are well aware that in the strength of our organized
ZIAI !SNAIL NAVIGATION COMPANV, --lni
of one religion and they dis-
community at home lies our ability to meet national and over-
seas needs.
.
criminate against Jews and all OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVES: AMERICAN-ISRAELI . SHIPPING CO.,
INC., 42 B'WAY, N.Y. • DIGBY 4-764
Ours is an informed community. A. vigorous and alert
Jewish press contributes immeasurably to communal under-
standing of the three categories of need—local, national and
overseas — which express the world-wide kinship of Jewish
causes
and people.
Business conditions, over-tired leadership, uninspired con-
tributors could all have presented unsurmountable obstacles in
a normal year. In 1957 the needs of our people in trouble and
the hope for their rescue dissapated such problems. Every trade
division surpassed its previous record; Campaign leaders of for-
mer years joined young and new ones in the community wide
effort; the Women's Division and the Juniors set the pace in
climate and performance; the rabbinical leadership of Detroit
joined in an inspiring, unified message, the workers and contri-
butors understood and gave—generously. We face the New Year
together, justifiably proud of our achievement and tried and
ready to meet the demands which society and social progress put

-

-

—

1-3.1-1"331 naNID

tl''LUT1

n - sw%)

EP M

The Detroit Center Agency

of the

CROWN LIFE INSURANCE CO.

of Toronto, Canada

before us.

Histadrut Furniture Men's Division
Opens Fund - Raising Campaign

The Detroit Furniture Men's cial report indicating that the
Division of Histadrut, tradition- 1957 campaign collections far
ally the organization's first di- exceeded those of the preceding
vision to open fund-raising cam- year.
paigns on behalf of the Labor T h e committee announced
Israel movement, began its 1958 that the annual Histadrut Con-
Histadrut Campaign with a cent will take place on Nov. 3
meeting of a steering commit- at the Mumford High School
tee , at the Furniture Club, auditorium. The concert will
Tuesday afternoon. follow the Histadrut City Con-
The committee heard a finan- ference, set for that date at the
Labor Zionist Institute.
Elected to the conference and
concert committee were Harold
Berke, Phillip Goldstein, Laibel
ISTANBUL (JTA)—The Hoffmitz, Nathan Rose, Morris
Turkish Grand Rabbinate has Schaver and David Sislin.
set up a rabbincal-lay commis-
The committee requested that
sion to stimulate the use of all Histadrut groups elect dele-
kosher meat by members of the gates to the City Conference. A
community, but there was some slate of officers for the confer-
skepticism in communal circles ence is being considered by the
about its chances of success.
nominations committee, consist-
Critics charged that some lay ing of Berl Hearshen, Jack Mal-
members of the commission amud, Irving Pokempner, Na-
were known not to keep hash- than Rose and Harry Schumer.
rut regulations. In addition,
many Jews who follow dietary Argentine Bond Campaign.
laws at home do not do so 'Adopts' Elath as Goal
when they eat in restaurants.
BUENOS AIRES (JTA)—Ar
In fact, there are only three gentine
Jews - have adopted a
kosher restaurants in this city, new development in the south-
all located in the business cen-
ter. It was estimated that about ern Israeli port city of Elath
40 percent of Istanbul's Jews as a special goal about which
to center their Israel -Bond
eat kosher meat, but that
campaign, it was announced by
among the younger element ob- Simon Mirelman, chairman of
servance was declining.
the local campaign.

Hold Little Hope
f or New Commission

JUDGE SIMON E. SOBELOFF stated:

"Zionism has been a most dynamic and
creative force in Jewish life" and it is "still
destined to play a role of great significance
in the future."

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

CELEBRATE

25

BALFOUR

Anniversary Celebration

CONCERT

FORD AUDITORIUM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16th AT 8:30 P.M.

