Pillars of a Bridge,
THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Member American Association of English—Jewish Newspaper, Michigan Press Association, National Edi-
torial Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Pub lishing 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 Po st Office, Detroit, Mich. under act of Congress of March
8, 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ HARVEY ZUCKERBERG
City Editor
Business Manager
Advertising Manager
Sabbath Scriptuial Selections
This Sabbath—Shabbat Zakhor—the ninth day of Mar, 5721, the following Scriptural
selections will be read in our synagogue:
Pentatenchal portions, Tetzaveh,. Ex. 27:20-30:10, Dent. 25:17-19. Prophetical portion, I Sam.
15:2-32.
Licht Benshen, Friday, Feb. 24, 5:58 p.m.
VOL. XXXVIII No. 26
Page Four
February 24, 1961
1114
The Simon Dubnow Centenary Celebration
The celebration of the centenary of
the birth of the great Jewish historian,
Simon Dubnow, to take place here Sunday
evening, under the direction of the Jewish
Community Council, serves a very im-
portant purpose. It primarily enables us
to pay tribute to one of the greatest his-
torians of all time. It does much more:
it calls attention to the values of history-
making and history-studying, and it may
encourage increased interest in Jewish
history reading.
Dubnow died a martyr at the hands of
the Nazis. In his struggle for a livelihood
and in his search for material for his
histories, he lived in many cities. He com-
mitted a great blunder when, in his late
70s, he chose to go to Riga. It was there
that he became one of the victims of Nazi
brutality at the age of 80, on Dec. 1. 1941.
News of his death did not become known
until June of 1943, and it was then re-
vealed that he was offered a visa by the
American consulate in Riga to come to
the United States and had turned it down
because of his age.
*
*
*
Now we recall with gratitude his great
accomplishments. His three-volume "His-
tory of the Jews in Russia and Poland"
was published by the Jewish Publication
Society of America during the years 1916-
1920. They remain to this day the mai or
guides to an understanding of Russian-
Jewish history. His ten-volume "Univer-
sal History of the Jewish People" has
appeared in Russian, German, Hebrew,
Yiddish and Spanish, but it is still un-
available in English.
Perhaps it is not too much to hope that
this monumental history will yet be issued
in English, so that the millions of English-
speaking Jews will not be deprived of the
knowledge that so far is kept from them
because the great historical works have
not been published in the language they
know best.
*
*
Dubnow at first was a follower of
Heinrich Graetz (1817-1891), the great
Jewish historian of the last century. Later
he differed with him on an important
point, involving nationalism and secu-
larism.
Graetz's definition of Jewish history
was: "A nation . .. which has witnessed
the rise and decay of the most ancient
empires, and which still continues to hold
its place in the present day deserves .. .
the closest attention."
Dubnow's definition was: "The history
of the Jewish people is like an axis cross- .
ing the history of mankind from one of
its poles to the other."
Perhaps there can be drawn from this
comparison a great emphasis on Jewry's
universality. Yet, both Graetz and Dub-
now viewed the Jews as a nation that has
survived even the most serious holocausts
and dispersions from their homeland.
Dubnow gave interesting' interpreta-
tions to his viewpoint that Jews remain
a nation, albeit they were different from
other nations in that they were, at the
time he first began to offer these views
more than 60 years ago, without state-
hood. His contention was that Jews were
different in their habits and characteris-
tics, in their way of life, from the peoples
among whom they lived. It would have
been interesting to know how he would
view Jewry today, in an era of statehood
for two millions of them, in a time when
most of them, in democratic countries of
freedom, are no longer to be differenti-
ated from their neighbors, either in dress
or in most of their habits.
But he made a great contribution
towards modern history-making by intro-
ducing a new approach to interpretation
of Jewish history. He placed emphasis on
the cultural, economic, social and even the
recreational activities of Jews, and his
research was into the everyday life of
Jews. It was a secular approach because
he did not place emphasis merely on the
rabbis and the spiritual life of his people,
or on the publication of a Bible commen-
tary or similar works.
While he was not a Zionist he was not
an anti-Zionist. His interest in Palestine
was akin to that of Ahad Ha-Am, in that
he believed in the emergence of a spir-
itual center for Jews in the Holy Land.
*
*
*
Thus, his definition of Jewish national-
ity was one of cultural and ethical quali-
ties, as differentiated from citizenship in
the state in which Jews enjoyed equal
rights. What he advocated, therefore, was
the status of a nation within nations for
Jews. It. was not acceptable to Zionists
and is rejectable today, but in his day,
when there was need for a faith to hold
on to, his philosophy served a very valua-
ble purpose for those who did not find
consolation and strength in Zionism.
Eliminating the negative aspects, over-
looking his philosophic ideas which helped
to create a secular Judaism and which
were meritorious in their day, Dubnow
nevertheless remains one of the great
historians of all time. His ability to gather
facts, his skill in conducting research, the
valuable documents he had gathered,—all
these gave him status unmatched among
historians of our time.
We honor his memory. He has left us
a very great and imperishable heritage.
Purim: Its Joy for Jews, Warnings to Bigots
The joy of Purim once again will
permeate our synagogues and Jewish
homes next Wednesday evening.
Marking the triumph over religious
bigotry in ancient Persia, the Purim fes-
tival perennially reminds Jewry that dis-
crimination must always be viewed as a
passing phase in human-- relations, that
faith must always be retained in the ulti-
mate success of justice.
In ancient and medieval times, when
Jews were isolated, when discrimination
was the rule rather than the exception,
rescue from oppression was viewed as a
miracle.
Even in the days when the dangers to
their existence were very great, Jews
everywhere derived great comfort from
the Purim story and the festival served
as an inspiration to renewed faith that
Israel is indestructible.
While the word God does not appear
even once in the entire Book of Esther,
the festival is linked to faith in the
Almighty and to the confidence that the
struggle against bigotry will be won.
The Purim message remains fascinat-
ing and inspiring. The love story in the
Book of Esther is linked with a battle for
justice. Out of it emerges an inspirational
theme for children and an occasion for
rejoicing during family observances, as
part of the enrichment that our calendar
brings to all Jewish families.
At the same time, Purim is an admon-
ition to those who still retain hatred for
Jewry. It warns anti-Semites of all times
that the Hamans have met destruction,
that evil-seekers will meet their doom.
That adds a universal touch to a theme
that has served to create happiness for
Jews who observe their festivals.
I
.
P
•
r.,. •
Dr. BeIkin's 'In His Image'
Judaism Viewed as 'Democratic
Theocracy' by Yeshiva U. Head
Judaism is viewed as "a democratic theocracy" in the inspired
and inspiring work on "the Jewish philosophy of man as expressed
in rabbinic tradition," by Dr. Samuel
Belkin, president of Yeshiva University
in New York. - His new book has just
been published by Abelard Schtunan
under the title "In His Image."
Dr. Belkin contends that Judaism,
"never overly concerned with logical
doctrines . . desired to evolve a corpus
of practices, a code of religious acts
which would establish a mode of religious
living."
The noted orthodox: leader points
out that Philo Judaeus was the first Jew.
to present a Jewish theology, but he was
more concerned with a philosophy of
Jewish- practice; and Josephus coined
the new 'term theocracy "to express the
uniqueness of the Jewish religion."
Dr. Belkin
The author emphasizes that the philosophy of Judaism is
"contained largely in the Halakha—in the Jewish judicial system
—which concerns itself not with theory but primarily with prac-
tice. It is in the Halakha, therefore, that the philosophy of Judaism
is to be sought." Offering an explanation "of the Jewish corpus
of practice as divine law designed for the protection and defence
of the individual," Dr. Belkin declares that "Judaism may well
be characterized a `democratic theocracy.' . . . It is a theocracy
because the animating force of Jewish morality is not the protec-
tion of the state or community in the abstract, or of any mundane
form of govermnent. The entire system of Jewish morality derives-
from or is founded upon the concept of the sovereignty of - God."
On the basis of this approach, Dr. Belkin develops his themes of
the Jewish concepts of the sacredness of human life, of the equality
of men, of man's relations to his family and his public consciousness..
In his description of family obligations, Dr. Belkin emphasizes
that "the Roman law of marriage under manus, which meant the
complete subjugation of the wife to her husband both in person and
property, was unknown in Judaism, for Judaism stands upon the
religious principle that no human being can become the real
property of another."
There is an interesting evaluation of man's intentions by word
and action, and Dr. Belkin writes: "Our Sages recognized three
stages in man's conduct: intention, articulation and action."
Intention is the motive impelling man to action, articulation is
_ an oral announcement of an intention, and action is purposeful
performance of a deed. "The general rule in rabbinic law," he
declares, "is that a man is held responsible for actions only if
they are performed of his own free will. . . ."
Dr. Belkin, in hiS evaluation of the many aspects of human
existence as they are reflected in Jewish law, points out that the
Sages had "great concern for the protection of the life of the indi-
vidual." He shows that "among the many ennobling principles pro-
pounded by our Sages was the concept of equity."
The moral, principle in Jewish law, he states, "is that it is
juster that the master suffer a financial disadvantage than to deny
the half slave (in the case of a slave being freed by one of two
partners who owned him) the natural rights which God granted
every human being."
Commenting on "Love of Man: The Great Rule of the Torah,"
Dr. Belkin states: "The duty of loving one's fellow man is clearly
stated in Leviticus 19:18: 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself'
Our Sages chose to use the negative rather than the affirmative
in their explanation of the duty to love one's fellow. Thus, in the
classical example, when a foreigner asked Hillel to teach him the
whole Torah while standing on one foot, Hillel taught him, 'What-
ever is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.' This implies that
all that the Torah requires of man to fulfill the obligation of loving
his fellow man is that he do nothing harmful to others."
The entire text of "In His Image" evaluates the highest rab-
binic traditions. Dr. Belkin has produced a great textbook, for
laymen and scholars alike.