Tough Pulling
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 Office, Detroit, Mich. under act of Congress of March
5, 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
, Circulation Manager
Advertising Manager
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This - Sabbath. the fifth day of Adar. 5720, the following Scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Terumah. Ex. 25:1-27:19. Prophetical portion, I Kings 5:26-6:13.
Licht Benshen Friday. March 4, 6:07 p.m.
VOL. XXXVII. No. 1
March 4, 1960
_ Page 4
New Schools in Names of Butzel and Keidan
The new schools in our city will in-
clude two that will be named in honor of
two of our most revered leaders, the late
Fred M. Butzel and Judge Harry B.
Keidan.
Detroit's Board Of Education could
not have made better choices. Both men
were dedicated to our community's Worth-
iest causes, but they were especially inter-
ested in advancing the education of our
children.
Mr.. Butzel, in whose name a junior
high school is planned in the Van Dyke
area, was one of Detroit's most distin-
guished philanthropists. He was one of
Jewry's beloved sons and he had made
his mark nationally as a guide to youth
and as a leader of men.
Judge Keidan's name will be ap-
pended to a school at the site of the
Jewish Home for Aged. He was a distin-
guished jurisit, a religiously devoted man
and a Sabbath observer and was prima-
rily devoted to the United Hebrew
Schools.
The tributes to these departed leaders
also are marks of honor to the Jewish
community whose standards were ad-
vanced by these two notable men.
'Hellenistic Culture' Scholarly
New Volume by Prof Hadas
Be Doubly Vigilant---CTisis Is Unending
In its "broad program for investiga- action is a practical one, and its approach
tion, research and intergroup education is, as we have stated, realistic. Neverthe-
Prof. Moses Hadas, chairman of the department of Greek
to deal with the underlying causes of less, there is need for a more vital vigi-
and Latin at Columbia University, in his new book, "Hellenistic
religious and racial prejudice in Amer- lance than has been advocated either by Culture Fusion and Diffusion," published by Columbia Univer-
ica," the National Community Relations the NCRAC or its Constituent organiza- sity Press (2960 Broadway, N. Y. 27), shows how hellenization
Advisory Council reaches the conclusion tions. Since there is agreement that anti- has embraced practically the entire world, including the Jews.
In this very scholarly work, which may well emerge as the
that "there is no cause for alarm in the Semitism exists else there could not
American Jewish community, since there have been as many manifestations of most important on the subject of Hellenic culture, Dr. Hadas
is no evidence of an anti-Semitic plot or hatred and bigotry as were in evidence probes deeply into all spheres which were affected by Greek
conspiracy in the .United States and, in re- during January and the first part of Feb- influences, and he shows how strongly they became rooted in
acting to the incidents, Americans have ruary—the vigilant must reactivate their! Jewish - thinking and Jewish ranks.
A Judaism already hellenized had influenced Christianity,
given a fresh demOnstration of their prac- activities and must not fall into a com-! Dr. Hadas states. "The Greek elements," he asserts, "had
tically universal abhorrence of anti-Sem- placent slumber now that the Nazis have
I become so thoroughly assimilated into hellenistic Judaism and
stopped demonstrating their venom.
itism."
, hence into Christianity that these very elements came to be
regarded as a native possession which must be protected from
Those who are charged with the re
No: one will dispute this generaliza
tion. Nevertheless, the NCRAC is realistic sponsibility of keeping the public alerted . alien rivals."
Commenting on the survival of native languages, Prof.
in its predicated assertion that "there is to any possible recurrences of bigotry I Hadas states that Hebrew would not have survived "but for reli-
evidence of an undercurrent of latent I must take into consideration the warning gious motivations." He points out that "in the pre Christian
anti-Semitism", and there is need for a ' by Malcolm Muggeridge, noted British 1 period literature and other remains bf the Jews afford abundant
"concerted attack on the underlying social author, editor of Punch, who stated that , evidence for the spread of Greek." He adds, on the subject of
causes of anti-Semitism and other forms the United States "is in practice the most language survival:
"Aramaic, not Hebrew, was the vernacular, and even before
anti Semitic country in the world." If this
of hatred."
the coming of the Greeks Hebrew had something of the position
At best, the NCRAC, like its affiliatedis
true, about
then . we have much to be con of Latin in the Middle Ages as the language of Scripture and
corned
religion. That position it could retain even if Greek became, the
or ganizations,As acting cautiously. It is to
The fact that a Hitler heiling self ac
be hoped that the "abhorrence of anti- claimed Nazi leader is able, by the free vernacular; it was only after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 and
the rise of Christianity that the study of Greek was frowned
Semitism." is more adamant than the ex-
domsg ranted him by OUT super demo upon for religious reasons."
istence of an "undercurrent of latent an-
Dr. Hadas shows how hellenistic influence was in evidence
cratic society, to advocate the sending of
ti-Semitisrn.". The NCRAC program for American Jews to the gas chamber, is in the theater, in architecture, in music, among Jews as well as
proof that all is not well in this great other peoples. The most revealing of Prof. Hadas' statements is:
• "The one rebellion s which has been recorded in history as
land.
in Judaea„
Just to say "beware" might indicate directed against hellenism, that of the Maccabees
not, in its origin, a reaction against hellenism. From the
panic, which we deplore and certainly do was
contemporary or almost contemporary accounts in I and
not advocate. What we say is: be doubly Maccabees it is clear that hellenism had proceeded very far
When the Midwest R e g i on of the
National Council of Jewish Women con- vigilant, because the period of crisis is indeed, and apparently without protest, before the insurrection
began. Violence started in consequence of rivalry between'
venes in Detroit, March 21-23, the im- unending.
equally •hellenized contenders for the high priesthood, and
portant women's organization will have
religion was not an issue. The standard of religion was raised'
on its agenda two especially important
...
-
—
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
NOW's Vital Projects
subjects: the problem of edu?ation in-
volved in mental health issues and the
community's responsibility to the aged,
and. the project undertaken by the Na-
tionl Council for the establishment of a
high school as part of the Hebrew Uni-
versity ill Jerusalem.
The establishment of a high school in
Israel marks a great step forward in the
advancement of Israel's educational needs.
One of the shortcorhings in Israel's com-
pulsory education system is that it does
not, as yet, extend beyond the elemen-
tary schools. By aiding and encouraging
the advancement of Israel's secondary
education program, the NCJW renders a
real service.
NCJW's interest in mental health ed-
ucation and in the problems posed in the
care of. the aged is to the credit of the
women's movement.
In wishing the delegates success at
their 'sessions here, we congratulate them
and their leaders on their vision in accept-
ing responsibilities for important Jewish
needs, in Israel as well as in this country.
M. M. Fisher's Awards
An interesting "first" for Reform con-
gregations in this country is the $1,000
annual award to be given to a Temple
Beth El high school graduate, for a schol-
arship in Israel, under provisions of a
fund set up for that purpose by Max M.
Fisher.
A valuable service is performed by
means of such awards. It is not only the
competition that it creates, but also the
'keener interest it is certain to inspire
Among those eligible for the award in
their studies and in preparation for Jew-
ish leadership.
At the same time, those receiving the
award for a summer's study in Israel,
are certain, upon their return from Israel,
to share their enthusiasm, in knowledge
and experience acquired, with their fel-
low students and their friends in ' the
community.
Mr. Fisher has earned congratulations
for his vision in setting up such important
scholarship awards.
in the countryside, and then served to rally the people to the
cause. It was only after religion had become the battle cry of
the rebels that Antiochus IV issued his decrees against the
observance of central religious rites, and it is highly significant
that as soon as the anti-religious decrees were rescinded, the
pietist group withdrew from the fighting. The object of the
Hasmonaean rulers was not to protect religion—their bitterest
opponents were pietists—but to maintain a sovereignty which
should be able to hold its head upon among others which'
were being carved out•of the Seleucid succession. -.Neither the
nationalists nor even their opposition objected to hellenism as'
such; both parties borrowed freely from Greek political and
literary models. Among the Jews as among the other self-
conscious people in the Seleucid empire the controlling
principle was something like 'Accept the largest possible ,
measure of hellenization AND retain the greatest possible
measure of loyalty to native tradition.' Obviously the simul-
taneous pursuit of discrepant objectives necessitated com-
promise or self-deception."
According to Prof. Hadas, "Hellenism has left its traces
even in the Talmud, which contains a considerable proportion of
Greek loan words and even some dicta whose original may have
been forgotten."
Not only the Books of Maccabees, but the works of Phi.*
Josephus and other Aprocryphal writings are thoroughly e*
amined- in Dr. Hadas' study, which proves that there was littli
resistance to Hellenism in Jewish ranks.
Dr. Nadas will deliver the first Midrasha
Institute' Address here next -Wednesday
,