Hate Goons at Work
THE JEWISH NEWS
the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Incorporating
Michigan. Press Association. National
Member American Association of English-Jewish Yewspapers,
Editorial
Association.
Published
every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 171010 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35,
a year. Foreign $6.
Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscription
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Advertising Manager
Circulation Manager
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the twentieth day of Iyar, 5718, the following Scriptural selections will
be read in our synagogues:
portion, Ezekiel 44:15-31.
Pentateuchal portion, Emor, Leviticus 21:1-24:23. Prophetical
9, 6:52 p.m.
Licht Benshen, Friday, May
VOL. XXXIII. No. 10
May 9, 1958
Page Four
No 'Pussyfooting / in Clearing South's Name
National Jewish organizations seem to much more than from the liberal forces in
be agreed that Federal action is needed in the South.
But our contention has been and re-
dealing with the reign of terror that has
mains that if there is "pussyfooting," if
spread in the South.
to be loyal to our great tradi-
Placing before U.S. Attorney General Jews fail
which repudiate all oppressive mea-
William P. Rogers a record of 45 bomb- tions,
and which deny to anyone the right
ing incidents that have taken place in sures
persecute his neighbor, regardless of
Southern states since January 1, 1957, to
his faith or the color of his skin, they will,
the Anti-Defamation League has appealed in
the long run, suffer the consequences.
for Federal intervention "to prevent fur-
*
*
*
ther bombing outrages." ADL has shown
It is simple and easy, of course, for
that of the 45 bombings against religious
—Oscar Liebman, for JTA
institutions and public schools, "six were those of us who are far removed from the
places of Jewish worship, all occurring scenes of struggle between human decen-
cies and persecutions in the South to offer Vital Political Study
since November 1957."
The American Jewish Committee, the advice to our kinsmen who face great
A
difficulties in the integration controversy.
American Jewish Congress, the Jewish But
there
is,
after
all,
a
basic
fact
involved
Labor Committee and the national Jewish in the issue. No matter how much bending
The distinguished Jewish scholar, the Harvard historian and
religious organizations have taken similar backwards anyone may do in the South,
Pulitzer
Prize winner, Dr. Oscar Handlin, in his latest book,
stands, and have urged the FBI to step whether he is Jew or non-Jew, the results
"Al Smith and His America," (an Atlantic-Little, Brown pub-
in and to make serious efforts to prevent will haunt him: since the clock cannot be lication),
poses anew the question whether a Catholic can be-
recurrence of the outrages.
come President of the United States.
stopped
and
justice
to
the
Negro
is
certain
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*
*
Analyzing the lifetime of effort that had brought the pop-
to triumph, anyone who gives comfort to
Several forthright expressions are of the bigots, even by his silence, at once ular politician "in 1928 to a height from which he glimpsed the
special interest in the latest developments subjects himself to eternal condemnation. promised land of equal opportunity about which generations of
Americans had dreamed," Prof. Handlin describes the defeat
in the South. At the convention of the
This
is
the
case_
as
it
affects
indivi-
suffered when he ran for the Presidency and states that:
Rabbinical Assembly of America last week, duals. Insofar as an entire group is con- Smith
"From his downfall, millions of his countrymen concluded that
the Conservative leaders hailed the pro- cerned—and we are dealing here with the it had been only a dream. By 1944, the year of his death, no
gress made "toward integration of public Jewish group that has been selected for Catholic or Jew could aspire to be President, whatever other
facilities, particularly school districts," attacks and bombings—there can be no avenues of advance might be open. And, more than a decade
and declared that there "must be no other choice but to associate ourselves after Al Smith's death, it is still a question whether they had
truly read or erroneously misread the lesson of his tragedy."
pussyfooting" by rabbis on the integration with
all who fight for justice for all men.
Oddly enough, Dr. Handlin's book carries a commendation
question.
In the South the victim is the Negro who from U. S. Senator John F. Kennedy, the leading Catholic con-
This admonition strikes at the root of must receive our comfort and our aid. It
for the Presidency.
the problem as it affects Jews in the must be an assistance and an encourage- tender
"Al Smith and His America" is more than the story of an
South. There has been a division of ment on the record — without "pussy- exciting personality and an able politician: it is the history of an
opinion as to the stand to be taken by footing."
era in American politics. It is partly the story of Franklin D.
Jewish communities on the desegregation
Roosevelt and his rise to the greatest heights in politics.
*
*
*
proposals. Perhaps it was natural that fear
Al Smith could not even carry his own state of New York, -
Indeed, it would be tragic even for an where he was so popular, when he ran for President. But
of reprisals should have influenced some
of the thinking. After all, there were and individual Jew to align himself with the FDR, running for the governorship on the same Democratic
won: "the statisctics gave the answer: more than a
there still are such reprisals. Jews live bigots. Such a sin always comes home to ticket,
thousand upstate Republicans who had voted for
in an atmosphere of tension, and their roost, and, inevitably enough, even the hundred had
refused to vote for their gubernatorial. candidate,
Hoover
neighbors are affected just as seriously collaborator with bigotry usually suffers Albert Ottinger, who was a Jew . . . "
the
consequences
of
vandalism
and
bru-
by pressures from the reactionary racists
But the picture. changed later on when another Jew, Herbert
talities. The crazed who bombed Jewish H. Lehman,
succeeded in his race for the governorship. He was
centers in Southern cities did not set out backed by both Roosevelt and Smith, but the Tammany chieftian,
to select for attack only those Jews who (John F.) Curry, "wanted the place for one more responsive to
favored humane action for the Negroes. Tammany influence. Al intervened. He had helped draw Lehman
into politics, had induced him to run for the lieutenant-govern-
Paying tribute to former President They aimed to harm all Jews.
in 1928, and had benefited from his contribution of $500,-
That is how it was in Russia and in orship
Harry S. Truman, on the occasion of
000 to the Democratic campaign fund. Furthermore Lehman had
Israel's tenth anniversary, Trygve Lie, the Germany. That is how it operates in the demonstrated the ability to handle the office successfully."
former UN Secretary General, said in Moslem countries of oppression. When
" 'On what ticket?' sneered the boss.
tyranny begins to operate, it does not
Oslo, Norway:
" 'On a Chinese laundry ticket, I can beat you and your
select the few but strikes at the multi- crowd,' was the answer; and Curry yielded . . . "
"The name of Harry S. Truman will
Smith had many Jewish associates. Among them were Joseph
tude.
forever be linked to the rebirth of the
*
*
*
Proskauer and many others of prominence, and his personal
state of Israel.
was Belle Moskowitz who later was shelved by FDR.
We agree with the declaration of the adviser
"According to my opinion, world
Dr. Handlin has written an excitingly interesting story about
Jewish Labor Committee that—
peace will never be achieved unless
Al Smith. It not only evaluates a personality but an important
"Those who are ultimately responsible for era in American life and politics.
Israel's security and sovereignty is
these eruptions of violence are public officials
guaranteed."
who cynically encourage the flouting of the
Few men are as qualified to speak
Constitution, and irresponsible sections of the
about Israel, the world situation and per-
press who build circulation by playing on their
A survey of the 10 years' work involved in studying the Dead
sonalities who figured on the world scene
readers' ignorance and prejudice.
Sea Scrolls and the community where they were found is in-
at the time of Israel's rebirth. The historic
"We are confident that the defiance and corporated in "The Ancient Library of Qumran and Modern
United Nations decisions were reached
violation of law can be broken if all forces Biblical Studies" by Frank Moore Cross, Jr., published by
during his administration as the UN Secre-
of decency in the Southern community— Doubleday.
tary General.
Prof. W. F. Albright, one of the world's leading students of
conservative as well as liberal—will unite in
the Dead Sea Scrolls, has said that Mr. Cross "is easily the fore-
this effort.
His statements, therefore, in tribute
authority on the Dead Sea scrolls today, thanks to his
All the forces that stand for deceny most
to Mr. Truman and in his emphatic declar-
breadth of knowledge and his interest in all phases of research
ation that world peace cannot be achieved must act against the outrages in the in the field." Prof. Albright considers this book "the most. com-
unless Israel is sovereign and secure, are South. Their actions must begin with an prehensive and up-to-date survey of the subject."
Pursuing his study surveyingly, Mr. Cross states that the
important admonitions to the statesmen affirmation of the basic principles against
any attempt to oppress any group.. The Qumran biblical scrolls "begin a new period in the study of the
of the world.
Over an NBC television program on Federal authorities must lead in uproot- text of the Old Testament." He believes that they will eventually
Sunday, Mr. Truman stated emphatically ing the seeds of vandalism. And if all "reconstruct a pre-Christian state of the Old Testament." M.
draws parallels between Christianity and Essenism.
that the United States should send troops elements in the South, Jews together with Cross
Linking old sources with new scrolls, quoting from Philo and.
Christians,
will
speak
unequivocally
in
the
defend
Israel
in
case
she
is
attacked,
to
Josephus, Mr. Cross states that "older sources and the newer
just as this country defended Korea. He matter and will refuse to be driven into texts are mutually illuminating . . . they . . confirm the
said he wanted Israel to survive and that a state of panic by the acts of vandals and identity of the people of the scrolls with the Essenes, how the
one would know why by reading the Ten murderers, we shall surely soon see the Essenes emerge from our sources a sect of priestly apocalyptists."
emergence of a day when terrorism will
Mr. Cross ignores the critics of the idea that the scrolls
Commandments.
belong to the pre-Christian era. In fact, he limits his reference to
This again, was in the Truman tradi- be lessened and the good name of the Prof.
Zeitlin to a footnote in which he merely mentions
tion. He has well earned to be referred to South will be cleared by the decent ele- one of Solomon
his articles.
ments
who
predominate.
modern
Cyrus.
as a
Smith and His America
/
Truman and Israel
'
,,
Ancient Library of Qumran