THE JEWISH NEWS Aid to African Countries Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951 - Member American Associatiun 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 8, 1879. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher SIDNEY SHMARAK CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ HARVEY ZUCKERBERG Advertising Manager Business Manager City Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, twelfth day of Tebet, 5721, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Vayehi, Gen. 47:28-50:26. Prophetical portion, I Kings 2:1-12. Licht Benshen, Friday, Dec. 30, 4:52 p.m. VOL. XXXVIII. No. 18 Page Four December 30, 1960 Zionist Movement Faces Its Big Crisis Out of the World Zionist Congress, now in session in Jerusalem, there should —and there undoubtedly will—emerge a stronger Zionist movement. Due primarily to the attitude of Is- rael's Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, whose demands are that a Zionist must be prepared to settle in Israel, the move- ment that fathered the aspiration for the rebirth of Jewish Statehood was weak- ened because it could not meet such a challange. Zionists stood ready to strive for Israel's strength . and independence. But they could not possibly demand a wholesale transfer of the organization's membership to Israel. Nevertheless Halutziut is one of the major plans in Zionism, and the tasks of the World Zionist Organization, as they appear to be 'formulating in Jerusalem, will be to strengthen the efforts for an increased, Aliyah — for a mounting immi- gration to Israel and its speedy and prac- tical absorption in the land; for an ex- panded Halutziut — to encourage young Jews to settle in Israel, and for the fos- tering of Hebrew education in Jewish commlinities everywhere. The program is not a simple .one. While Zionists, together with the non- Zionist elements, have played, and con- tinue to play, an important role in the integration of immigrants in Israel, they can do no more than inspire the youth and some experts in specialized fields of activity, to go to Israel and to assist in the country's development. At best, Halutziut will be limited, through no one's_ particular fault, but due to conditions that prevent natives of democratic countries from assuming pioneering — often fron- tiersmen's_ — roles in a new land. The aim of fostering Hebrew educa- tion is equally difficult. It is linked with the problem of Jewish education in this country, of the struggle to gain more time for Jewish studies among the young and their parents. There are too many entice- ments in American life in many directions away from Jewish school activities, and whatever gains are made in organizing Hebrew classes and in enrolling in them participating students are to the good. Indeed, considerable progress has been. attained in the advancement of He- brew education, and the influence of. the Zionist movement is deeply felt in this area. As the delegates were gathering in Jerusalem for the sessions of the 25th World Zionist Congress, the question was posed by some skeptics: "Will there be another Zionist Congress after this one?" A realistic approach to such a query must relegate it to the sphere of the nonsens- ical. While Zionist organizational activi- ties are in a critical state, they may not be any more critical than those of many other Jewish movements. Insofar as Zion- ism is concerned, its basic ideas remain as relevant today as they have ever been, and there may be greater need for the cause today than ever before. The root of the idea is to be found in this important declaration that was issued last month by the National Assembly of American Zion- ists: "The Zionist idea is the oldest living his- torical force in the Jewish people. It was born more than 2,500 years ago when the first Jewish state was destroyed and the people exiled. It was then formulated in the immortal words: "If I forget thee 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning." That was the Psalm- ist's equivalent of the modern Zionist declara- tion. "Ages passed, empires rose and fell, a sec- ond Jewish Commonwealth was followed by a second Jewish Exile. Still, the eternal link be- tween the land and the people, the essence of the Zionist idea, remained intact. The people refused to forget and willed to return to Eretz Israel. The Zionist movement, as created by Theodor Herzl, gave expression to this urge for self-emancipation. • On May 14, 1948, the Jewish people, through its Zionist leaders, an- nounced to the world their re-emergence into history as an independent nation in a sovereign state. "To the Zionist, the Jewish state is the be- ginning and not the end of the fulfillment. As the product of centuries of human endurance enobled by faith, the Jewish state is the instru- ment of the unification of the Jewish people and the ingathering of exiles. Above all, it pro- vides an historic opportunity for the strengthen- ing of Jewish consciousness wherever Jews live, the fostering of the Hebrew language and cul- ture, and the deepening and enriching of the spiritual and cultural ties between Israel and world Jewry. Thus, there will be set in motion that. mutual responsibility of the Jews of Israel and the Jewry of America for the great effort of national renaissance which finds its best expression in the Zionist idea. "The State of Israel is firmly founded and will endure. It will grow in stature and content and will serve new and old nations with its material skills and its spiritual 'vision. The day will come when Israel will achieve a self-sus- taining economy and live secure and at peace with her neighbors. "The Zionist movement, while it stands in the forefront of those who are preparing that blessed day, looks beyond it. The Zionist move- ment keeps alive those Jewish values which give everlasting force and significance to the existence of the State of Israel. As the Zionist idea echoes the Jewish millenia which are past, so it shapes the purpose of the Jewish millenia to come." This was a call to renewed action by American Jews "to meet fresh chal- lenges with faith and courage and to make Zionism again the great adventure that it was for Herzl and the forerunners of the movement." While it is true that the answer to the challenges will be more difficult now that the aim of Zionism is a reality, it is equally true that the new objectives — especially Halutziut and the advancement of Hebrew education — offer a platform for productive work. Only the most pessimistic can fail to envision opportunities for action in the present call for renewed services to affili- ated Zionists. From the World. Zionist Congress is to be awaited a plan of action that will not only strengthen Zionism but will once again enrich Jewish life. 'Herzl Year Book' is Valuable Guide to Zionism, Jewish Lore The newest "Herz]. Year Book," an "Annual of Zionist His- tory and Thought," published by Herzl Press, edited by Dr. Raphael Patai, is another impressive collection of essays dealing with a variety of topics related to Zionist history, personalities and events. • Tracing the background of Zionist terminology, the leading essay, by Dr. Alex Bein, deals with "The Origin of the Term and Concept 'Zionism.' " The essayist, who had written a biog- graphy of Theodor Herzl and a number of books and essays, tells us that the term "Zionismus" first was used and then developed into Zionism. Another major essay is "The Tragedy of Ephraim Moses Lilien," by . Alfred Werner. The story of the famous artist, his interest in Zionism and Jewish affairs, and his life's strug- gles, are expertly depicted. This article is illustrated by repro- ductions of seven of Lilien's drawings. Grete Ma\ hrer's "Herzl's Return to Judaism" adds much to the knowledge of Herzl and to an understanding of the great leader's Jewish interests. A very important historical analysis of a pledge that could have meant German support for national autonomy for Jews is given in "The Story of the Hindenburg Declaration," by Max I. Bodenheimer. The background of pre-Hitler German attitudes and an account of negotiations with Hindenburg, involving Germans, some of whom later became Nazis, are included in this essay. Valuable biographical data will be found in these. essays: "Philipp Michael de Newlinski: Herzl's Diploniatic Agent," by N. M. Gelber; "Reconsidering Max Nordau," by Meir Ben Horin; "Leon Kellner," by Paula Arnold; "Herzl and Sokolow," by JoSef Werikert; "Leo Motzkin," by Simcha Kling. Josef Fraenkel's "The Jewish Chronicle and the Launching of Political Zionism" and Edwin Samuel's "Immigration to Israel: Its Causes and Consequences," also appear in this volume. The "Herzl Year Book" must be viewed as one of the most authoritative source books on Zionist and Jewish history. Its contents will be referred to for many years to come by those. seeking knowledge about Zionism, Jewry and Israel. Glanz's Jews of California' California had its links with Australia, Oregon and Alaska. Its pioneers were an enterprising lot, and the Jewish settlers played a great role in the state's history and development. The California story is interestingly related by Dr. Rudolf Glanz, of 620 W. 171st St., New York 32, in "The Jews of California —From the Discovery of Gold until 1880," a research volume that was planned and executed with the aid of the YIVO Research _Institute. A great deal of research was necessitated in the making of this book, published by Waldon Press. There. were. Jews in California in the early 1830s, before the Gold Rush, and there was in evidence a desire for JeWish communal activities. . Relating the story of the California Jewish communities, Dr. Glanz describes activities in various parts of the states.and in a number of cities. Included in the many achievements evaluated by Dr. Glanz are 'a number of agricultural projects in which California Jews had engaged. Paying tribUte to the pioneering spirit of the Jews of California, Dr. Glanz, states that "in the annals of Jewish history the saga of the settlement on the Pacific will remain a living reality as long as we elect to relive it." He describes California as a center of 'Jewish immigration which at one time served as a place of hope for Jews fleeing from Russian pogroms. Jews in mining camps as well as in the cities played their roles in the state's history. Dr. Glanz's story gives a full account of the life of the Jews as a distinct community, the religious activities, the mar- riage matches between Polish and Bavarian Jews, the conflicts among them and the points of unity. There are many episodes of interest which add value to this good, albeit short, account of California Jewry.