THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS—Friday, October 23, 1959-32
Planned Sabbath. Programming at Centers $15,350 in Israel Bond Purchases
Deferred Until Board Meeting on Nov. 4 Recorded by Cong.AdasSlialo m
The original decision of the '
board of directors of the Jewish
Community Center to open the
Center's facilities at 1 p.m. on
Saturdays beginning with Oct.
31 has been deferred.
A motion to reconsider the
decision first will be acted upon
at a meeting of the board called
for Nov. 4.
Resolutions urging the Cen-
ter board to abandon its Satur-
day opening plans have been
adopted by a number of local
organizations.
The issue was discussed in
sermons during the holidays by
a number of Detroit rabbis.
A study of trends for Sabbath
activities at Jewish Centers,
conducted by the National Jew-
ish Welfare Board, has resulted
from questions regarding such
programs . raised in a number
of communities. It was reported
recently that "as a guide to lo-
cal Jewish Community Centers,
the National Jewish Welfare
Board reaffirms its present pol-
icy adopted by the National
JWB Council in 1948, namely:
"JWB recommends that on
the Sabbath, the Jewish festi-
vals and Jewish holy days,
Jewish Centers shall conduct
only such activities as are in
consonance with the dignity
and tradition of these days.
"Where no special pro-
grams can be maintained, the
Jewish Center shall be closed
on the Sabbath, Jewish festi-
vals and Jewish holy days."
As an aid to Centers, JWB
principles and procedures sug-
gested include the proposal for
representative committees to
study the question and to ex-
amine "the need and interest
in the community for Center
programming on the Sabbath'
implications for Center staff
and budget, potential reactions
of the Jewish community, im-
plications for Center relation-
ships with other community
groups and the experience of
other Centers."
The overwhelming majority
of communications received by
The Jewish News is in opposi-
tion to Sabbath programming at
the Detroit Jewish Centers.
Letters received by The Jewish News this week on the Center Sab-
bath issue, include the following:
that has carried us through the Sabbath and Festivals of the
Asks to Set Goals a
many centuries, through every Conservative movement, page 6:
`Notch Higher' in
type of fire, torture and even "First is the principle of con-
soap factories that the evil tinuity with tradition. Continu-
Community Values
human mind has been able to ity is important for every faith
To the Editor:
The life that man has to
spend on earth is indeed term-
inable. We who feel that man
has the ability to reason and
think, try to think through the
"why" of life. What are we here
for? What are our goals? Some
find their answer in religion;
others in different spheres of
life.
Last week, the point was
raised by several doctors that
they felt they had a right to use
the Center's facilities on the
Sabbath. Perhaps they do. But
there are other elements in the
community who feel that such
action would violate basic reli-
gious precepts and traditional
practices.
It would seem appropriate at
this. time of the year to ask
some questions about life that
are basic. It seems to me that
when we deal with public agen- I
cies such as the Center, our
goals must be a notch higher
than those we set for ourselves
as individuals. The decisions
we make must be based on deep
and abiding values in areas
Which concern the general Jew-
ish community. To divide our
people_ further in Detroit makes
no sense except perhaps that it
serves to awaken our minds to
the question of what is eternal
and what is transient.
Sincerely,
FRANK LEIDERMAN
Dow School
For Sabbath Observance
To the Editor:
Surely the Jewish community
of Detroit has enough - pride in
being Jewish to maintain our
Community Center as a Jewish
center. If we do not observe
our sabbath in our public insti-
tutions, how can we expect oth-
ers to respect us as Jews?
Bravo to The • Jewish News
for a forthright Jewish stand
on this vital issue, ie. the im-
portance of keeping our Jewish
Center closed on the Most Holy
Sabbath.
Mrs. BENJAMIN J. POSS
Very truly yours,
* * *
In Accord with Editorial
Editor, The Jewish News:
I am completely in accord
with your editorial on the Sab-
bath issue.
I will never understand how
a group who claim to represent
Jewish ethical values could have
the crust to try to foist this
idea on us.
A doctor in a letter you pub-
lished uses the terms "hy-
pocrisy, rose - colored glasses,
orthodoxy" . . . I don't know
of one person of religious lead-
ership who has painted any
rose-colored pictures, and as for
inflexible orthodoxy which he
calls with disdain and aspersion
—it is this inflexible orthodoxy
contrive.
M. WEINER
4874 Cortland
*
Grateful for Orthodoxy
Editor, The Jewish News: •
One of your correspondents,
in a letter in your Oct. 16 'edi-
tion, is indignant and angry
that there are still some Ortho-
dox Jews in the U.S.A., for
which fact, incidentally, we
should be grateful and thankful.
Orthodoxy and its intense study
of the Bible and Talmud, is
the element which has kept the
Jewish learning and history and
literature alive. Otherwise there
would be no problem of the-
sanctity of the Sabbath. It would
have been completely forgotten,
because without this learning
and believing, one cannot com-
prehend the importance of the
sanctity of the Sabbath, let
alone feeling the beauty and
soul-refreshing spirit which only
its observance can impart.
I would ask your correspon-
dent to read again your splen-
did and revealing editorials in
the last few issuse of The Jew-
ish News. One's Jewish spirit
and pride must be dulled, in-
deed, if these do not strike a
spark in the Jewish heart.
The Orthodox element feel
duty bound to try to see to it
that the sanctity of the Sabbath
should' not be held in disrepute,
at least publicly. They are not
attempting to interfere in the
private affairs of the individual.
I do hope that the antagonists
of the Sabbath observances will
appreciate the fact that the con-
victions of the Sabbath ob-
servers is a result of Jewish
learning and study.
A SUBSCRIBER
and culture, but infinitely more
so for Judaism.This is true not
only because, as Ranke declared,
Jews are the most historical of
peoples, but also because loyalty
to tradition is the strongest
bulwark against the centrifugal
forces that threaten Jewish sur-
vival everywhere."
"The question of Sabbath
opening of a Jewish institution
deals with one of the funda-
mental principles of Judaism
and Jewish survival.
I. ELBINGER
18070 STEEL
* *
A Bitter Note by an
Embittered Correspondent
DAVID GALIN, president of Northwest Hebrew Memorial
Park, presents a check for $5,350 to Col. SHLOMO LAHAT,
of the Israel Air Force, representing an Israel Bond building
fund purchase by the cemetery association. This purchase and
another $10,000 building fund purchase by Adas Shalom Syna-
gogue, with which Northwest Hebrew Memorial Park is asso-
ciated, were made at a pre-High Holy Day reception in the
home of Samuel Simmer. Pictured above, left to right, are
JOSEPH KATCHKE, NHMP board member; Galin, Col. Lahat,
MAX GOLDSMITH, Adas Shalom president and cemetery
board member; and MILTON WEISS, another NHMP board
member.
Gov. Williams, Boris Joffe Unveil
Plaque Honoring Israel War Dead
From two sources this
week—the Governor's executive
office and the Jewish Com-
munity Council — The Jewish
News learned of a ceremony in
Israel, at which a unique pre-
sentation was made by Detroit
Jewish War Veterans to the
village of Petach Tikvah.
The major participants were
Gov. G. Mennen Williams and
Mrs. Williams, who will return
next week from a visit to Israel
and Europe, and Boris Joffe,
executive director of the Com-
munity Council, in Israel with
Mrs. Joffe on a trip given him
to mark his 10th year with the
Council.
The Governor and Joffe were
officially designated by De-
troit's Sgt. Morton A. Silverman
Post and Auxiliary to unveil a
plaque on a . public address
system given by the JWV Post
for the Israeli war memorial at
Petach Tikvah.
In solemn ceremonies, Gov.
Williams and Joffe placed bou-
quets of flowers in two artillery
shells which serve as markers
alongside the memorial plaque
commemorating the city's 300
war dead in the War of Libera-
tion and its additional 27 dead
in the Sinai Campaign.
Only a few days previous to
their visit, Premier David Ben-
Gurion had placed a wreath at '
the f o o t of the memorial in
Editor, The Jewish News:
It is healthy for our citizenry
to engage in a discussion about
the policies of the Jewish Com-
munity Center. Since the Center
belongs to all of us, we are
rightly concerned about keeping
it a functional, vital force in
the community. It is our in-
tense interest in it which has
prompted the widespread dis-
cussion about keeping the Cen-
ter open on the Sabbath. How
regrettable that your editorial
column of Oct. 9 so squelches
us! You refer to this debate as
a " 'dirty - linen - washing - cere-
mony' that might emerge as a
public scandal."
This editorial continue s.
"Only a small group of Jewish
atheists had dared, in an at-
tempt to undermine Jewish re-
ligious practices publicly to flout
a Jewish holy day." And again,
"To flout the Sabbath in our
time . • . nearly approaches the
tactics of Jewish religion-haters
of half a century ago."
The analogy is illogical but
effective. It makes those who
*
*
disagree with you seem athe-
community center, like Franklin
Center Not for Profit istic, hateful and corrupt.
Settlement.
The
Detroit
Jewish
commun-
Editor, The Jewish News:
"Before this goes too far. I
Who shall ascend the mountain ity is victimized when its press feel you should figure out the
becomes
a
vehicle
for
distortion.
of the Lord?
consequences and not make
Sincerely,
and Who shall stand in His Holy
MRS. FRANK REISMAN fools of the entire Jewish popu-
place?
lation by letting this become a
18015 Birchcrest
He that has clean hands, and a
fight between two groups of
* .* *
pure - heart.
Jews."
Who has not set his mind on Asks Center Consider
MRS. HARRY LEFT
what is false.
* *
`Community Reputation'
—Psalm 24
`Editorial Should Be Helpful'
To the Editor:
The announcement by the
I have sent a letter to the Editor, The Jewish News:
board of directors of the Jewish president of the Jewish Com-
Your editorial headed "Cen-
Center to open on the Sabbath munity Center in which I wrote ter Issue Can Be Compromised"
did not fool anybody. It is evi- the following: "If we, as Jews, should, in my humble opinion,
dent that the business men who dare complain to the Board of be most helpful to the Center
run the Jewish Center feel that Education about prayers in board of directors and the Jew-
in order to Operate the Center school or Christmas plays, and ish community: -
on a profitable basis it is nec- then allow our own Center to
Cordially, -
essary to encourage more mem- completely disregard the Sab-
OSIAS ZWERDLING
berships in the Health Club by bath, something is wrong.
1056' Baldwin Ave.
keeping open on the Sabbath.
"You must consider the repu-
Ann Arbor, Mich.
The fallacy of this is that serv- tation of the entire Jewish com-
• * *
ices and institutions of the munity, not only your members.
Center Board Questioned
Jewish community cannot be If you feel that this is a com- Editor, The Jewish News:
run purely on a dollar and munity center and must cater
Does the Jewish Center's
cents basis.
to the entire city, not only board of directors have a moral
We are Jews because we have Jews, then take off the name right to make decisions which
a common heritage and tradi- Jewish. Do not ask for funds will affect the future of the
tion. To quote from the fore- from the Jews. Do not ask for entire Jewish community?
word of the Prayer Book for high dues. Make it strictly a
LENORE NOLER
commemoration of the town's
fallen heroes.
The two men also were asked
to unveil a plaque on a loud
speaker system, which was the
gift of the Silverman Post and
Auxiliary. The local JWV
group also contributed a hi-fi
system, records and carpeting
for the beautiful t w o-st or y,
building.
Arrangements . were made
over a year ago, during the
visit to Detroit of Mayor Pin-
chas Rashish, of Petach Tikvah.
The Mayor had-visited the JWV
Memorial Home, at 4095 W.
Davison, to secure ideas in com-
pleting the shrine in his city.
While .looking over the Home
he mentioned t h e memorial
that was being erected in Israel.
The Silverman Post and Auxil-
iary volunteered to offer assist-
ance.
In describing the experience,
Gov. Williams w r o t e: "Our
friends of the Silverman Post
have certainly created a warm
human relationship with the_
people of Petach Tikvah, which
flowed over upon us and filled
us up with the warmth of
brotherhood.
"May the good_ Lord grant
all of us a chance to participate
in ventures such as this in one
way or another. The flame of
human understanding a n d
friendship certainly burns more
brightly for such experiences."
Levin Becomes Chief
Federal Court Judge
JUDGE THEODORE LEV-
IN this week became Chief _
Federal Judge of the East-
ern District of Michigan.
Under the Federal law,
Judge Levin, who is 62, will
remain Chief Judge until he
is '70, when he must auto-
matically yield the post to a
younger judge in the dis-
trict.