THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Fr iday, Octo ber 3 1, 1958- 2

Purely Commentary

By PHI LIP SLOMOVITZ

Two Liberal Catholic Dignitaries:
Their Loss Is Loss to Humanity
In the death of Pope Pius XII and Edward Cardinal Mooney,
not only the Catholic church but the entire world has lost two
very liberal and most humane personalities.
Pope Pius had taken a deep interest in the work of rescuing
victims of Nazism. When he met, in 1948, with an American
United Jewish Appeal delegation, which included several Detroit-
ers, he told them that he was touched "by the manifestations of
gratitude for what we were able and so happy to do to lighten
the burdens of your people, among so many others, in the dark
days of the war."
Last year, the late head of the Catholic church told an
American Jewish Committee delegation that he considered every
manifestation of discrimination "as a violation of the funda-
mental rights inherent in the human person."
It has already been indicated in our columns that it may
have been as a result of the intercession of the late Pope, when
he still was Cardinal Pacelli, that Father Charles E. Coughlin,
of Royal Oak, put an end to his anti-Jewish radio broadcasts.
There is no doubt that Cardinal—then Archbishop—Mooney also
had a hand in stopping Father Coughlin.
Those who knew Edward Cardinal Mooney know that he
shared fully the liberal thinking of the head of his church.
Cardinal Mooney was a generous and a kind man, and he, too,
disapproved of any and all displays of bigotry.
Cardinal Mooney had befriended a number of Jewish
leaders, especially the late Fred M. Butzel.
It is an established fact that many Jews found sanctuary
within Vatican City during the Nazis' domination over Rome.
Cardinal Mooney on occasions referred with pride to the Pope's
firm stand in defense of persecuted Jews.
Only in the instance of the Pope's strong stand for the in-
ternationalization of Jerusalem was his attitude towards Israel
called into question. But in the main, he was believed to be
friendly to the new Jewish State. It is said that he constantly
affirmed a desire to be neutral towards the question of the
revival of Jewish nationhood and that he had told Lord Gort,
High Commissioner for Palestine, in 1944, that out of his sym-
pathy for the entire Jewish people he would not oppose Jewish
national aspirations.
It is a fact that in 1917, the historic meeting between Pope
Benedict XV and the late Dr. Nahum Sokolow, who later be-
came president of the World Zionist Organization, was arranged
by the then Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli, at the time counsellor
to Pope Benedict.
No wonder, then, that the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra,
directed by Paul Kaletzki, should have gone to Rome in 1955
to give a concert, in the Vatican's Salle de Consistoire, only for
the Pope and a few of his counsellors. The exclusiveness of the
affair was severely criticized by some people at that time, but
it is doubtful whether the humanitaranism of the Pope was taken
into consideration by the critics.
The two departed leaders were good and kindly men, and
all communities join in expressions of sympathy to the Catholic
church on their passing.

To the Polls: With Many Prejudices

We'll go to the polls again on Tuesday. Many important
Congressional and Gubernatorial contests are at stake. In some
instances, the battles for various offices were bitter ones.
There is no denying that voters go to their voting booths
with a multiplicity of prejudices. There is, primarily, the prefer-
ence for a political party. We must admit that frequently,
whether we like it or not, racial and religious preferences —
they are not always prejudices — enter into the consideration
of a candidate's qualifications for office.
From time to time, there is a lot of talk about Jews voting
for Jews in New York — and while such discussions are in
progress there is common agreement that Italians are bargaining
for the votes of their kinsmen while Negro, Polish and other
nationality groups clamor for the votes of those who are either
of their race or their nationality background.
- Much is said about interest shown by Catholics in Catholic
eandidates in Minnesota, and it wasn't too long ago that Irish-
men plied votes with their Irishness.
Therefore, there are few exceptions to the rule of deriving
political benefits from appeals to the vanities of religious or
racial groups, or resort to flattery to inheritors of cultural
prides. Harriman and Rockefeller have worn yarmulkes and
chanted "mazel toy" while eating blintzes one day, and, on the
very next day they uttered popular Italian phrases while munch-
ing pizza, on the East Side of New York.
In New York, Nelson Rockefeller even delivered a speech
in Spanish, for the benefit of Puerto Rican voters.
It reminded us of the days, years ago, in New Jersey, when
Yiddish political speeches were as common as Italian and
English. Some of them were mixtures of languages.
In one instance, the brother of our uncle in Bayonne, N.J.,
who was about to introduce Congressman Kincaid, then running
for re - election, turned to the audiences and asked: "Vat
langvedg, Yiddesh tzu Engulsh?" There were shouts of "Yiddish,"
"English," whereupon the brother of our uncle, shrewd politician
that he was, replied: "I'll give you a little bit of gemixt."
There are no exceptions to this rule of appeals to a voter's
nostalgias. Such occurrences are not unnatural in our society,
and no one need become frightened over recurring evidences of
such appeals. They haven't destroyed either the Jewish or the
Polish or the Irish or the Italian communities—or our American
democracy—in the past, and they won't in the future.
Nevertheless, it is much sounder Americanism when appeals
for votes are made strictly on the merits of the candidates.
The late Louis Marshall viewed with contempt any effort to speak
of a Jewish vote, or to back a candidate for office on the basis
of his Jewishness, and he would literally have poisoned both
blintzes and pizza if he were to witness such culinary vote
appeals.
In the long run, the American way will survive. Blintzes
and pizza, like kibitzer and similar Jewish and other popular non-
English terms, may be incorporated into the English language.
And a vote will always have pressure powers prior to elections.
In this sense, we are at least better of than the Russians or the
Egyptians who can only vote "yes."

Detroit's Educational Efforts Honored Nationally;
Garvett and Kasle to Receive Rosenberg Awards at
Council of Federations' General Assembly Nov. 13-16

Detroit Jewry's outstanding
efforts in the educational field
will be given national recogni-
tion at the 27th General Assem-
bly of the Council of Jewish
Federations and Welfare Funds,
in Washington, D. C.. Nov.
13-16.
Recognition of this commu-
nity's attainments will mark the
presentation of the Edwin Ros-
enberg Award to Morris Gar-
vett, one of Detroit's most dis-
tinguished attorneys, and Abe
Kasle, who, as president of the
United Hebrew Schools, has de-
voted himself wholeheartedly
for two decades to the cause
of Jewish education.
An award also will be given
to Marx J. Borod, of Memphis.
The Rosenberg Award was
established in honor of Edwin
Rosenberg, a distinguished
American Jewish leader, by
the Ben and Bertha Touster
Foundation.
Each awardee will receive
an Edwin Rosenberg Award
Medallion and the organiza-
tion involved in the project
will receive a certificate cit-
ing the achievement f o r
which the award has been
granted.
The Detroit delegation at the
assembly will include Judge and
Mrs. Theodore Levin, William
Avrunin, Mr. and Mrs. Mandell
Berman, Mrs. Lewis B. Daniels,
Mr. and Mrs. Garvett, Mrs.
Lewis S. Grossman, Mrs. Sidney
J. Karbel, Mr. and Mrs. Abe
Kasle, Mr. and Mrs. Louis La-
Med, Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Levin, Miss Mimi Levin, Harold
Silver, Mr. and Mrs. Isidore
Sobeloff and William Wetsman.
In making the award to
Garvett and Kasle, the
CJFWF judges took into con-
sideration their efforts to ad-
vance a • central communal
educational program as part
of Detroit's organized Jewish
community, their success in
developing a system of Jewish
education under central aus-
pices which would encourage
enrollment of children of Or-
thodox, Conservative and Re-
form Jewish children as well
as children of unaffiliated
families, and the accomplish-
ment of their aim to secure
greater economy and efficien-
cy in using community build-
ings on a full-scale basis.
Kasle, who is serving his 15th
term as president of the United
Hebrew Schools, is chairman of
the Detroit Israel Bond Com-
mittee, is a former chairman of
the Allied Jewish Campaign
and his major interest has been
the cause of Jewish education.
His motto has been "A Jewish
Education for Every Jewish
Child," and he has made it the
watchword of the United He-
brew Schools. He is the presi-
dent of the Kasle Steel Cor-
poration.
Garvett, a leader in the legal
profession, has long been active
in congregational and commu-
nity affairs. He was a member
of the committee which estab-
lished the Detroit Jewish Wel-
fare Federation 30 years ago.
As president of Temple Beth El,
and prior to that, as chairman
of Beth El's education commit-
tee, he was instrumental in cre-
ating an expanded temple cul-
tural program. He also is a past
president of Temple Israel of
which he was a founder. After
serving as president of the Jew-
ish Community Center, he be-
came the chairman of the new-
ly-organized education division
for budgeting and planning of
the Allied Jewish Campaign.
Under Kasle's leadership,
several local congregational
schools were integrated in the
United Hebrew School's sys-
tem of education. Congrega-
tion Adas Shalom was the first
synagogue to integrate its He-

brew school in the United
Hebrew Schools and other
congregations followed.
As chairman of the education
division, Garvett encouraged
and assisted several of the other
local school systems to become
a part of the central community
school system, with the result
that the United Hebrew Schools'
student body increased in a pe-
riod of less than eight years
from 2,000 to nearly 4,000.
The local Yiddish schools
and their Mittelshule became
a part of the United Hebrew
Schools and it is pointed out,
in relation to the activities of
Garvett and Kasle, in extend-
ing the Rosenberg Award to
them, that "together they have
led the organized community

1

in concluding eight voluntary
agreements which have devel-
oped a cooperative pattern of
Jewish education with syna-
gogues representing the three
branches of Judaism, with the
Yiddish schools, and with a
suburban branch of the Jew-
ish Community Center."
Herbert R. Abeles, president
of the Council of Jewish Feder-
ations and Welfare Funds, who
will preside at the assembly ses-
sions in Washington, announced
that 700 Jewish community lead-
ers from all parts of the United
States are expected at the four-
day meeting. Chester K. Litman,
of Kansas City, is chairman of
the assembly program commit-
tee. Mrs. Elmer Moyer, of Day-
ton, is co-chairman.

■

0.1111111 0

Boris Smolar's

'Between You
... and Me'

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

Diplomatic Developments:

With the withdrawal of American marines from Lebanon and
British troops from Jordan, the last pro-Western orientation in
the Arab countries of the Middle East vanishes . . Even if
Nasser does not swallow the two countries, they will be forced
either to become pro-Soviet or at least "neutral," which means
drifting away from Western influence, as is the case with Iraq.
. . . This leaves Israel as the only friend of the democratic West
in the entire Middle East . . . True to its democratic tradition,
Israel has been pro-Western — particularly pro-American — from
the day of its establishment . . . Now Israel becomes the solitary
outpost of Western influence in the area . . . The United States,
England and France are taking note of the new situation and
of Israel's solitary stand with the West . . . This is why the
State Department has grown more friendly to Israel than it ever
was . . . This is why Britain, long cool to Israel, has just sold
important weapons, including two submarines, to Israel, to off-
set Nasser's growing fleet of Russian subs ... This is why France,
long allied with Israel, has sent its latest jet bomber models to
Israel . . . There is no doubt that Israel's firm stand on the side
of the democratic powers will evoke even stronger anti-Israel
propaganda — and perhaps action — on the part of Moscow
Russia's attitude in the event of a renewed Arab attack on Israel
is one of the primary concerns of Israel's Premier David Ben-
Gurion . . . Khrushchev's unrelenting, opportunistic and deep-
seated hostility toward Israel, therefore prompted Ben-Gurion
to write directly to President Eisenhower on the need to guaran-
tee Israel's territorial integrity and safety from aggression . .
When Israel was requested to permit the air passage of British
troops to Jordan, Ben-Gurion again asked for American assur-
ances of protection against attack . . . The guarantees were
given by Eisenhower . . . Today Israel shades herself under the
umbrella of Eisenhower's guarantee, which, she expects, will be
maintained if Israel is faced by the danger of attack in the future.

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Communal Problems:

A survey conducted by the Council of Jewish Federations
and Welfare Funds establishes that services needed for mental
health have become a major problem for the Jewish community
in this country . . . The readiness of Jews to utilize mental
health services — and the willingness to pay for them — reflect
the fact that the Jewish community has a very high interest in
the subject . . . Child care agencies have been increasingly con-
cerned with the treatment of the emotionally disturbed child.
. . . New facilities for emotionally disturbed children are
sprouting up all over the country, and the cost of these services
is high, often running to $6,000 and more per child per year .. .
There is an increased awareness of the mounting emotional prob-
lems among residents in the Jewish homes for the aged .
Jewish family agencies are affected in their work by the shortage
of psychiatric resources in the community at large . . . Twenty-
five of the Jewish general hospitals in this country are now
providing psychiatric service in the hospital setting, and other
hospitals are subject to pressures from their communities to
provide similar service . . . Jewish communities also see an
urgent need for preventive services, designed to recognize and
stop the development of mental and emotional problems before
they emerge in forms destructive to the individual and the
community . . . The problem will be fully discussed at the
General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations and
Welfare Funds in Washington.

Jewish Centers:

Membership in Jewish Centers affiliated with the National
Jewish Welfare Board is now close to 600,000 . . . This does not
include membership in synagogue centers . . A study by the
JWB establishes that close to one-third of the Centers had more
than half of the Jewish population in their communities enrolled
as members . . . The smaller the community the larger the pro-
portion of the Jewish population that are Center members . .
More than 53 percent of the total membership in the Jewish
Centers is male . . . The predominance of men in the Center
membership is due to the health and physical education pro-
grams which are devoted chiefly to sports ... About 60 percent
of all Centers have non-Jews as members . . . In one out of
every seven Centers more than 10 percent of the membership
is non-Jewish.