Celebrating Israel's Birthday THE JEWISH NEWS Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951 Member American Association Editorial Association. Published every Friday by The Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscription $5 a Entered as second class matter 8, 1879. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher of English—Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Jewish News Publishing Co. 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, year. Foreign $6. Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Office, Detroit, Mich. under act of Congress of March SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Circulation Manager FRANK SIMONS City Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the seventh clay of Iyar, 5720, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Ahare-Kedoshirn, L ev. 16:1-20:27. Prophetical portion, Amos 9:7-15. Licht Benshen, Friday, May 6, 7;18 p.m. VOL. XXXVII. No. 10 Page Four May 6, 1960 Gratitude to Labor for Pro-Israel Stand There is no foretelling how the efforts of Israel's friends, whenever they come forth with aid to the embattled Jewish State against the flouting of international law by Nasser and his cohorts, will ma- terialize, especially when the State De- partment takes an antagonistic position to Israel. Nevertheless, it is to be hoped that public opinion has been aroused suffi- ciently by the actions of the Seafarers' International Union and the International Longshoremen's Association, in their picketing of an Egyptian ship, as a pro- test against the Arab boycott of Israel, to encourage such actions that will put a stop to Nasser's war-mongering. It is becoming more evident as time goes on that the United States depends entirely too much upon the United Na- tions in its expectancy of a solution to the Middle East's problems, and that the United Nations, regrettably, is too im- potent to act firmly against aggressors; and in the instance of Nasser's threats to Israel and his arrogant spread of lies about Israel, he is unquestionably an ag- gressor. Difficult times lie ahead for Israel, in view of the adamant position taken by Nasser and the other Arab leaders who continuously spout hatred of Israel and speak of war even when they are in the midst of peace-seekers in the United Nations. Nevertheless, there are rays of hope. One of them is the warm feeling for Israel in labor ranks. The maritime unions' ac- tions against the Egyptian ship proved it. Dr. Milton Steinberg was only 46 when he died on March We share with Israel heartfelt gratitude 20, 1950. But at a much earlier age, he had already gained a to the labor movement for their humani- place for himself as one of Jewry's most distinguished scholaxs tarian efforts in Israel's behalf. and ablest writers and preachers. Steinberg's 'Anatomy of Faith' Ably Edited by Arthur A. Cohen Jewish Survivalism: Methods, Realities Chaim Lieberman, well known Yid- dangers in conversions (shmad) and inter- dish journalist, who is reputed to be, re- marriage, and that it is damaging to Jew- ligiously, the most observant Yiddish ish existence that there should be such a writer in America, has made numerous widespread lack of Jewish knowledge appeals for strict adherence to Jewish among young Jews. Perhaps he would be laws as a means of assuring Jewish sur- safe also in applying it to the elders in vival. As a regular columnist in the Jewish Jewry. But his solution calls for a return Daily Forward, in his several books, he to the most orthodox way of life, and we has excoriated the Council for Judaism wonder whether he does not make the and assimilationists and has advocated de- approach most difficult. There is, in votion to the most sacred Jewish traditions Jewry, an overwhelming number of Con- servative and Reform Jews who, like their as the only way to survivalism. In his latest book, "Awake, Awake, Orthodox fellow-Jews, are concerned that The Jewish Home Is On Fire", published there should be a strong Jewish revivalism in Yiddish by Mizrachi-Hapoel Hamizrachi in the interest of survivalism. Are they to under the title "Vacht Oif, Vacht Oif, Dos be excluded from the campaign to rescue Yiddishe Hoiz Brent," he expresses our youth from total assimilation and from greater alarm than ever before and calls ignorance, and is the yeshiva the only for a campaign among Jews to encourage means of escape? Lieberman wrote his book in Yiddish. Jewish learning, to strengthen the ortho- dox way of life, to make the yeshivot the How many in Jewry today are able to read his book, and therefore to understand it? centers of Jewish existence. He uses as his slogan the admoni- Yet he sees in the revival of Yiddish a partial solution to his problem! And if it tion in Proverbs (22:6): "Train up a child in the way he becomes necessary to cry out against assimilation, to warn against intermar- should go, And even when he is old he will not riage and conversions, must such a cam- depart from it." paign be limited to Orthodox solutions? Lieberman was motivated in his warn- A real service was rendered by Chaim ings that "the Jewish home is on fire", Lieberman in his warnings against immi- that Jewry is in danger of extinction, by nent dangers to Jewish existence stem- the increase in intermarriages, by an evi- ming from extreme assimilationism. But dent rise in conversions to Christianity there are other solutions than those he has (shmad), by young Jewry's lack of knowl- offered. In a democratic society like ours, edge of Jewish lore, history, traditions in which the ghetto walls are only the and the Bible. internally-created and not the externally- imposed, it is necessary to view the con- The case histories enumerated in Lie- ditions, sad as declining Jewish scholar- berman's book appear to justify the posi- ship may be, within the framework of the tion he has taken in his challenging new environment that encircles us. Lieberman book. But they do not concur with the was right in creating an understanding of more hopeful views of religious leaders the existing problem and in arousing who maintain that there is evidence of re- Jewish concerns over a relaxation of Jew- invigorated Jewish activities among the ish loyalties. He is too extreme as a prob- youth. They do not agree with the con- lem solver. fidence of Jewish schools and congrega- At least, the issue' is on the agenda. tional leaders that there is new and That means that the danger is lessening. greater interest in Jewish learning. As long as there are people who seek ad- Lieberman's solution lies in a house-to- vancement of Jewish traditions and con- house campaign to enroll Jewish children tinued adherence to our heritage, neither in Jewish schools, to bring them into traditions nor heritage will ever perish. yeshivot, to make loyalty to Jewish tradi- tions a cardinal principle in Jewish life. He calls for 10 men crazy enough to dedi- cate themselves to such a task (tzehn There is cause for mourning over the meshugoyim), maintaining that all that is passing of Saul R. Levin, one of Detroit needed is such a minyan to arouse Jews Jewry's noblest men. The youth with to the dangers of an impending total col- whom he worked will never forget him. The Corrections Commission has a new lapse of Jewish life. * * perspective as a result of his genius in It is the solution that Lieberman offers interpreting our penal codes. The Con- that may weaken his call to action. He sular corps was enriched by his geniality. does well to indicate that there are Blessed be his memory. Saul R. Levin His views on Jewish issues, his theo- logical interpretations continue to be quoted in discussions of the numerous problems that beset American Jewry. The books he has written are attaining the status of permanency. Some of Rabbi Steinberg's major essays are now available in a new vol- ume, "Anatomy of Faith," edited by Arthur A. Cohen. Published on the tenth anniversary of the eminent leader's death, by Harcourt, Brace & Co. (750 3rd, N.Y. 17), this volume is assured a place among the most widely used Jew- ish books. It is not only in the essays "The Theological Issues of the Hour" and in "New Currents in Religious Thought" that "Anatomy of Faith" stands out as Milton Steinberg a great work. The entire collection, as edited by Cohen, is distinctly superb in the titles chosen for perpetuation in this memorial volume. Thus, Dr. Steinberg's "The Revolt Against Reason: The Anti-Intellectualism of Henri Bergson," is as timely today as when it first was written. So, also are "Kirkegaard and Judaism" and "The Outlook of Reinhold Niebuhr." "Anatomy of Faith" has the special merit of the intro- ductory essay by Arthur A. Cohen,, himself an able scholar who studied at theological seminaries, who authored a book on Martin Buber and who is highly qualified to review the life and work of Rabbi Steinberg. Cohen- reviews the climate of the time in which Dr. Stein- berg lived, the transformations from the shtetl to the American environment, when it was "easier to escape Judaism than the Jew." Dr. Steinberg's family background in his native Rochester, N.Y., and the Jewish conditions of the time provided the biogra- pher and the editor of this volume with interesting material for the evaluation of the eminent scholar—the emerging man and the problems that existed at the time. The family moved to New York; Milton's early years were uneventful, Then came the decision to learn. Milton was not too happy at the Jewish Theological Seminary at the beginning. He later was influenced by Dr. Mordecai M. Kaplan, the founder of the Revisionist movement, and "what Kaplan had to teach, Steinberg never forgot." Milton Steinberg "matured early." His first pulpit was in Indianapolis, and he became the rabbi of New York's Park Avenue Synagogue at the age of 30, holding that position until his death. Cohen's introduction .evaluates his works—the great historical novel "As a Driven Leaf," which the editor calls "an explana- tion of himself to himself"; "The Making of a Modern Jew," "A Partisan Guide to the Jewish Problem," "Judaism and Mod- ern Man," "Basic Judaism" and his numerous essays. Cohen pays this tribute to Dr. Steinberg: "Milton Steinberg was born into a transitional half century of Jewish life and died before he had completed its full measure. He succeeded, however, as perhaps no other American-Jewish thinker has, in having been the accurate echo of his time. Unlike other echoes, who hear but do not understand, Milton not only heard but comprehended. He knew what history was trying to say about the Jew, he anticipated its hollow ring, its call to death by violence or by slow erosion, and he sought to return the echo to its source and silence it .. . "Milton Steinberg was inexpressibly gentle and warm, understanding and compassionate. His books will survive the memory of his person, but those who live and remember his presence will recall not the book and the writings. They will recall rather that this was a rare creature who so loved his Creator that he could withhold love from no man." Those who knew Milton Steinberg will attest to the verity of this statement. They will be reinvigorated by the splendid book, "Anatomy of Faith."