Souvenir Time in Moscow
THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National
Editorial- Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35,
Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscription $5 a year. Foreign $6.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Offic, Detroit, Mich.. under act of Congress of March
5, 187i-
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Circulation Manager
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the twenty-ninth day of Shevat, 5719, the following Scriptural selections
will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuch& portion, Mishpatim, Ex. 21: 1-24:18. Prophetical portion, I Sam. 20:18-42.
Licht Benshen, Friday, Feb. 6, 5:35 p.m.
VOL. XXXIV. No. 23
Page Four
February 6, 1959
New Migration Spurs Allied Campaign
The compassion that has been felt in
Jewish ranks whenever a crisis threatened
the existence of our kinsmen was again
in evidence last week when, at the tradi-
tional Sucher Meeting, nearly $2,000,000
was raised to initiate the 1959 Allied Jew-
ish Campaign.
It is the Romanian tragedy that has
created the unprecedented needs which
have moved Detroit Jewry again to take
the lead in providing generous help for
the new flow of wanderers into Israel,
and to set the pace for increased support
of the UJA by all American Jews.
The manner in which the Romanian
government is facilitating the departure
of large numbers of Jews for Israel was
described graphically in a cabled report
to the New York Times by its correspond-
ent in Bucharest, M. S. Handler, who re-
lated how the new migration began slowly
last September, how it grew to 8,000 who
settled in Israel in December, with 10,-
000 expected to reach Israel from Roma-
nia in February. Handler's story contains
these interesting details:
The exodus from Communist Romania
may, according to some speculation, be the
forerunner of an eventual mass movement out
of Eastern Europe.
The Romanian government's decision to
permit a resumption of the Jewish exodus
was explained on the "humanitarian consid-
eration that families should be reunited."
Many of those who have departed or are pre-
paring to depart have relatives in Israel.
The Romanian government's decision was
reached without negotiation with Israel or
the American United Jewish Appeal agencies.
The latter have assumed the financial respon-
sibility and administrative burden of trans-
porting the Jews from their point of arrival
in the West to Israel
In 1949-50 100,000 Jews left Romania. In
the closing days of the war in 1944-45 50,000
pushed their way westward to transit camps.
The wartime tragedy of the Jews in Roma-
nia may be told in two figures. Their pre-war
population numbered about 800,000. Four hun-
dred thousand perished in Nazi concentra-
tion camps.
The outward movement in 1944-45 and in
1949-50 reduced the population to between
250,000 and 300,000.
According to available reports, the Hun
garian government cooperates effectively in
transmitting Jews through its territory to
Austria, where the United Jewish Appeal
agencies take over at the Vienna railroad sta-
tion.
Emigrants are met by a fleet of buses that
are on call for every train arriving from
Bucharest. The wanderers are moved to ho-
tels leased for this purpose, fed and housed
for the night. The next day they are p-ut
aboard trains for Italy and moved to Naples,
where Israeli and chartered vessels embark
them for Israel.
The Austrian and Italian governments
facilitate the movements across their terri-
tories with a minimum of formalities and with
great understanding.
The Italian government controlling the
end of the land route has shown, it is said,
extraordinary kindness to the emigrants and
cooperation with Israeli and U. S. agencies.
The Yugoslav government also does every-
thing it can to help whenever a convoy of
emigrants arrives at its borders. The Greek
government in turn speeds the final stage to
embarkation points when a .convoy arrives
from Yugoslavia.
The Romanian Jews may leave Bucharest
with about 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of per-
sonal belongings. Other possessions are sold
to raise money for railroad tickets to the West.
The tale is a tragic one, but, as Israel's
spokesmen state, it need not remain a
tragedy: it must be viewed as a challenge
and an opportunity to rebuild the lives of
humiliated and oppressed people.
Detroit's excellent beginning in an
emergency drive augurs well for the en-
tire Allied Jewish Campaign. With nearly
$2,000,000 already subscribed, there is
ground for hoping and believing that our
community can once again reach, and
even exceed, the high mark of nearly
$6,000,000 reached in the 1957 campaign.
The needs of the hour are great. The re-
sponse should be, as it can be, commen-
surate with the -tragedy that faces us.
May the 1959 Allied Jewish Campaign,
whose funds provide not only the rays
of hope for the large waves of immigrants
on their way to Israel but also for the
vital educational and social service needs
of our own local community, once again
lift us up to great heights as rahamonim
bnai rahamim—charitable sons of char-
itable traditions.
Brotherhood: 'The Splendors of Our Land'
Once again the people of this land will
celebrate a Brotherhood Week, in a sin-
cere effort to create good will among
worshippers of all faiths and to cement
the best relations among all Americans.
President Eisenhower, who again
serves as honorary chairman of Brother-
hood Week, has issued a statement in
which he evaluates "the gift of brother-
hood," and in which he -declares:
"In the words of the hymn, 'Amer-
ica, the Beautiful,' the _splendors of our
land and heritage are gratefully de-
scribed. But one further grace is
repeatedly sought. This is the gift of
brotherhood.
"Our abundant plains and moun-
tains would yield little if it were not
for the applied skill and energy of
Americans working together, as fel-
low citizens bound up in common
destiny. The achievement of brother-
hood is the crowning objective of our
society."
The President has aptly conveyed the
Brotherhood Week idea by calling for
the enlargement of its spirit "to include
all men who live under the banners of
liberty and law." This means specifically
that it must include all people of all
races and all faiths, without distinction
as to their background or the color of
their skin.
Never before has the need for such
brotherhood been so great. Never before
have there been so many s e t b a c k s in
efforts to advance the cause of good will
among men. But, by the same token,
never before has there been such an
equal reaction against bigotry. Never
before have so many people clung as
tenaciously as Americans do in our time
to the cause of liberty and equality.
The idea for a Brotherhood Week first
was proposed by a Denver Catholic priest,
Monsignor Hugh McMenamim, in 1934,
to the National Conference of Christians
and Jews (since then the sponsor of the
annual observance) as a special period
during which to encourage people of all
faiths to consider the need to get along
together. Much progress has been made
since in support of this idea. Much re-
mains to be done. As long 'as there are
people to sponsor the idea, we must hold
on to the hope that all people will cling
to it before very long. Then we shall be
able to entertain the hope that all bar-
riers to good will among Americans will
vanish and that eventually the idea will
spread world-wide.
Four New Books for Children
Scharfsteins ' Dictionaries for
Hebrew Studies , Hanukah under-
Ktav Publishing Co., 65 Suffolk St., New York 2, has
taken several interesting projects in the children's book field.
We already spoke, in these columns, of Morris Epstein's "My
Holiday Story Book" and "My First Book of Prayers" by Edythe
and Sol Scharfstein. Now we are treated to several other very
commendable books for youngsters.
Two related books are the Scharfsteins' "My Magic Dic-
tionary" and Hebrew Dictionary Activity Funbook" by Sol
Scharfstein.
"My Magic Dictionary" ("Milon La-Mathilim"), ably illus-
trated by Cyla London, contains major Hebrew words—in He-
brew, the English translation, the English transliteration for
proper pronunciation and the illustrations to guide the young
reader to acquisition of a Hebrew vocabulary.
The authors are correct in their statement in the intro-
duction that this book is for parents and teachers to share with
the children. We agree with their assertion that "it is an easier,
better, happier way to build a Hebrew vocabulary."
A typical example of the book's pedagogical method is the
illustrated legend: "All the men on my block are my cha-vay-
reem"—and the translation shows, as the picture illustrates, that
the last word means friends. Similarly, down the line, the
are taught a Hebrew vocabulary by the Scharfsteins.
sters
young-
Sol Scharfstein's "Hebrew Dictionary Activity Funbook,"
illustrated by Arnold Lobel, includes 84 full color stamps to
paste and 180 pictures to color. The stamps contain Hebrew
words and pictures and the pictures to color are accompanied
by spaces for paste-ins of the stamps, thereby providing an
opportunity for emphasis in acquiring knowledge of the Hebrew
terms.
Both volumes are splendid additions to Jewish textbook
material for use in teaching Hebrew to our children.
Ktav publishers also have issued two splendid little Hanu-
kah books for children. Both are by the Scharfsteins whose
voluminous efforts in children's story telling is giving them
enviable status in the educational field.
The Scharfsteins' two winter holiday books are "Hanukah
Surprise" and Hanukah Treasure Chest." The surprise book is
about gifts for every night ' of Passover for the story's little
hero. The book is well illustrated by Ezekiel Schloss and Cyla
London. There are pages of graduating sizes for the eight
nights of Hanukah and the surprises—the gifts on the holiday—
provide thrills that lead to an interest in the festival.
The "Treasure Chest" is a "Tall Hanukah Book." It contains
stories, poems and games. Also illustrated by Schloss and Lon-
don, there is a variety of interest in this book directed towards
enhancing the Hanukah festival observance. There is the Meno-
rah, the dreidel, the candles, children and their gifts, the nun-
gimel-heh-shin game, and other items of interest.
Thus, the children's bookshelf is being enriched by a set
of good story books and guides to an understanding of a festival
and a knowledge of Hebrew.
Rabbi Weinstein s Sermons
An interesting new book of sermons on the Portions of the
Week has just been released by Bloch Publishing Co.
Dr. Jacob J. Weinstein is author of the volume, which appears
under the title "The Place of Understanding." He was motivated
in collecting his sermons and in incorporating them in a single
volume by the following:
"It is sad but true that the majority of Jews who attend
worship service regularly come more for the sermon than for
the prayers or for the music or for the fellowship. What they
most demand of the sermon is that it be relevant—that it speak
about their concerns, their problems, their heroes. They demand
the shock of recognition of the familiar. Perhaps that is why
book reviews are so often disguised as sermons."
An outstanding figure on labor Zionist lecture platforms,
Rabbi Weinstein's views have been sought often in many quar-
ters. His sermons—they cover all the occasions on the Jewish
calendar and many important problems—make a book well
mrorth reading. His motivation in publishing this volume is under-
standable.