HE JEWISH NEWS

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Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper —Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle

VOLUME XXXIV—No. 5

100 Inigoiln Shaop

17100 W. 7 Mile Rd.—VE 8-9364—Detroit 35, October 3, 1958

$5 Per Year; Single Copy 15c

remier's Statement Bares
Anti-Semitic Attlee-Bevin Policies

Round Table Names
Nate S. Shapero
Jewish Go-Chairman

Gloomy Evidence of
Mounting Prejudices
Against Southern Jews

By MILTON FRI EDMAN

(Copyright, 1938, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Nate S. Shapero, one of
Michigan's most prominent
civic leaders, on Thursday
was named the Jewish co-
chairman of the Detroit
Round Table of Catholics,
Jews and Protestants. He
succeeds the late Henry
Wineman, who served as
the Jewish co - chairman
from the inception of the
Round Table until his death
two years ago. The Catholic
and Protestant co-chairmen
are Judge Joseph A. Moyni-
han and Edgar A. Guest.

Detailed Story on Page 2

WASHINGTON — This is the story of the prin-
cipal of a junior high school in a Southern Virginia
community.
It was related to this reporter by Jewish leaders
in the city involved. The name of the community
is withheld. Its publication might cause further
trouble for Jewish citizens already beset by tensions
arising from the racial integration controversy.
Shortly after the present session began, the
junior high school principal called the school's only
Jewish teacher into his office. He told her that the .
Superintendent of Schools suggested that he discuss
a problem with her.
This problem, he said, was the "overly-demand-
ing" attitude of Jewish parents who sought more
attention for their children than parents of other
faiths. He said this had long bothered school author-
ities. Now something had to be done to end the
aggravation. It was intolerable.
He cited the case of a "Mrs. Orenduff" who had
driven The school to the point of exasperation. She
_ worst. Her whining and nagging must
be stopped with all deliberate speed.
The Jewish teacher replied that she was at a
loss to understand why the principal singled her
out to discuss this problem. He pointed out that
she was Jewish and that all the trouble came from
Jewish sources.
He indicated that he could understand the
legitimate concern of some other Jewish parents
over their children's education problems, but that
Mrs. Orenduff was absolutely more than he could
tolerate. This was the last straw and a matter for
the Jews themselves.
The teacher politely pointed out she had never
(Continued on Page 2)

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Detroit Jewish News)
LONDON—Earl Attlee, Prime Minister of the post-war Labor
government, explained Wednesday what he meant when in a
recent speech in the House of Lords he referred to the creation
of the National Jewish Home in Palestine as a "mistake" by
Britain. In the same speech he also objected to New York as
the site of a summit meeting on the Middle East because of the
city's large Jewish population.
In an open letter published in the monthly review, World
Jewry, out Wednesday, the Former Labor Party head declared:
"I should have thought that having regard to the relationship
of Britain to the Moslem world and its strategic position in the
Eastern Mediterranean this was a statement of an obvious fact.
Britain has often been accused of being actuated by imperialist
ambitions. This was clearly an instance where altruistic motives
prevailed."

Commenting on the other point he made in the House of
Lords, Earl Attlee said. "I think it is an advantage if international
conferences take place on neutral grounds. I should therefore
prefer Geneva as a meeting place for discussion of Middle East
problems to New York where there is a very large representation
of people interested in one side of the controversy. The same
reasoning would dictate that Istanbul would not be a good
choice."

(Editor's Note: The Attlee statement is reminiscent of the British
Labor Government's attitude towards world Jewry prior to the rebirth of
Israel. At that time Attlee's Foreign Minister, the late Ernest Bevin,
who was primarily responsible for the bans on the settlement of Jews
in Palestine and for turning away from Palestine's shores boatloads of
displaced persons and escapees from Nazism. These boats became known
as "coffin ships" because of the tragedies that were forced upon. the
thousands of refugees who were packed in them like sardines, and because
many hundreds had drowned when the unseaworthy ships sank. Sevin
also attacked New York Jews and his attitude- was condemned throughout
the world. His views now are echoed by his former chief, Earl Attlee).

Rejoicing in the Law on Simhat Torah

By DAVI D SCHWARTZ

(Copyright, 1958, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Religion can still draw the biggest crowds. Recently, one of the minor Christian sects.
Jehovah's Witnesses, astonished New York by filling Madison Square Garden to the rafters.
Did you ever hear of the time when a minister in a mid-western city stopped traffic?
A simple, but God-loving man whom all respected and loved, one day out of a clear sky, called
on all the people of his city to meet him at the market place.
The people loved this minister but, nevertheless, there was murmuring. Couldn't the minis-
ter say what he had to say at his regular services. To be sure, there was no complusion about
their showing up, but such was the reverence in which he was held, that a simple request was an
order. So the businessmen grudgingly complied. It meant suspension of business on a week day
with consequent great financial loss. Factories closed down, the workmen were given a day off,
stores and offices closed. Everybody made their way to the market place to hear what the min-
ister apparently regarded as something of astounding importance.
The minister quietly came down Main St., got up on an elevation in front of City Hall. All
ears were turned on him, as the thin man in a frock coat that seemed almost to swallow him,
rose.
"I just wanted to announce," said the minister, "that there is a God over us."
The foregoing is a true story except for one detail. It did not happen in the midwest. It
happened in Berdichev — a kind of Chicago of the Russian Ukraine noted for its commercial
activity — and the minister was the great pillar of Hasidism, the famous Rabbi Levi Isaac of Ber.
dichev. It was a short speech that Levi Isaac ma de — just one sentence but, I suspect, the people
went away impressed as never before and never forgot it.
Rabbi William B. Silverman of Nashville, Tenn., recalls the story in a book called "Rabbinic
Stories for Christiain Ministers, (Abingdon Press). Most Jews might profit too by reading these
stories. As for non-Jews learning Torah, that is an old story. According to the rabbis, the Torah
was offered to all peoples and the only reason the Jews finally accepted it was that God threat-
ened to hurl Mt. Sinai down on them, if they didn't.
It's very hard to get people to accept Torah.
Torah means the Bible, it means learning and it almost means law. Folks generally are a
little averse to these things. Most people would rather play hooky than go to school and learn.
As for law, consider the hard time some of the Supreme Court decisions are having. Sometimes -
you've got to throw a mountain at people before they accept the law.
Right now Jews are observing the holiday o f Simhat Torah, of the "Rejoicing over the Law."
We need a man like the rabbi of Berditchev to summon all the people and announce to
them that there is a God over us. If people really believed that in their hearts, our social prob-
lems would be solved.

-

Simhat Torah

By JUDAH LEIB GORDON

Lechayim, my brethren, Lechayirn, I say!
Health, peace and good fortune I wish you, today.
Today we have ended the Torah once more,
Today we begin it anew as of yore.
Be thankful and glad and the Lord extol,

Who gave us the Law on its parchment scroll.

