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 ,