32
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEW S — Friday, Augu st 18, 1961 —
Helen Fine's UAHC Book Teaches
Children Jewish Ethical Values
lEtosenbluth's Book Recalls German Jews'
Mission to London on Goering's Orders;
Interesting Comments on Author's Life
Helen Fine, author of a num-
ber of books for Jewish children,
resorts to a novel way of teaching
Jewish ethics to youngsters. In
her new book, "At Camp Kee
Tov," published by the Union of
American Hebrew Congregations
(838 5th, N. Y. 21), Miss Fine
uses the camp as a means of in-
troducing the children to Jewish
values.
She begins by choosing the
name—and the Kee Toy—from
the Biblical Va-yar Elohim Kee
Tov—and God saw that it was
–good—was chosen by the young-
sters as appropriate for their
needs.
Then come the numerous ap-
plications of Jewish traditional
values to the Camp Kee Tov life,
and as a result Miss Fine has
produced a virtual textbook in
Jewish ethics for children.
Quoting the prophets, applying
their guidance to the Kee Tov
Now in his '77th year, Dr.
activities, creating a chain of hu-
man relations applicable to the Martin Michael Rosenbluth, one
teachings as they affect the chil- of the pioneer public officials
dren, Miss Fine accomplishes her in the Zionist movement, is as
active as he was in his youth, in
purpose through practice.
As Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz, his present post, as representa-
UAHC director_ of education, tive of the Israel Treasury for
states in an introduction to Miss the Western Hemisphere, a
position to which he was as-
Fine's book: "It is only as the signed
in 1949.
schoolroom deals with specific
A
record
of his public career
situations in the lives of children,
made as realistic and as personal- and the story of his early years
ly felt as it can be, that we have are described in his autobiogra-
hope of teaching in the depth that phical work, "Go Forth and
we require . . . This volume is a Serve," published by Herzl
pioneering effort to teach Jew- Press.
ish children ethics in the context
Rosenbluth's brother, Felix
of their lives and in terms of the Rosenbluth, now goes under the
entire. gamut of Jewish sources name Pinhas Rosen and is
available to deal with them."
Israel's Minister of Justice.
- In the course of the exercises
* * *
appended to each chapter, Miss
The author of "Go Forth and
Fine asks the young readers to
discuss them and to comment Serve" was born in Messing-
Hebrew Corner
upon them. A typical example werk, near Berlin, in 1886, re-
is the following, a "what do ceived his Ph. D. at the Univer-
you think?" portion of one of sity of Kiel in 1909, and joined
the Zionist Central Bureau in
One day I overheard the following the final chapters in the book:
Cologne, in 1910, at the sugges-
conversation in the grocery shop:
"A
legend
in
the
Midrash
"How much do I owe you sir?" —
tells us that Joseph's brothers tion of the then president of
"Two pounds and twenty grush."
— "Excuse me sir, you should say:
threw him into a pit swarming the World Zionist Organization,
Two .pounds and twenty agorot."
with snakes and scorpions. David Wolffsohn.
I must admit this was a pleasant
surprise. I did not imagine that the
Simon, one of the brothers,
During the last 51 years of
new-old term (the name "agorah"
was even more cruel than the his uninterrupted civil service
appears in the Bible in the first
book of Samuel) would be accepted
others. He flung - rocks at Jo- to the Zionist movement; Dr.
so rapidly by the wider public.
seph's head. But Joseph for- Rosenbluth served as secretary
The change of name was accom-
gave him completely with his of the World Zionist Executive
plished by a change of form too.
The Bank of Israel decided to issue
whole heart. When Simon was during World War I, as director
new coins, lighter and smaller than
held as ,a hOstage at Joseph's of the Palestine Immigration
those hitherto in circulation. The
committee which planned the coins
palace in Egypt while the other Office in Vienna and as an offi-
chose historical motifs such as three
brothers went home to get cial of the German Zionist
sheaves, a pomegranate branch, a
palm and harp. These designs are to
Benjamin,
Joseph saw that Federation. He had unusually
be found on ancient coins from the
Simon had every comfort and interesting experience through-
period of the Second Temple and
the Bar-Kochba uprising.
the • best of food. Does this out his career, but especially in
But it was not only the Israel
legend prove the Talmud quo- 1933, when he led a delegation
coins which assumed new form; the
banknotes also changed their ap-
tation, 'Is is merciful to help of German - Jewish leaders to
pearance. Recently a new series of
an enemy even if he doesn't London to confer with British
banknotes entered circulation.
leaders, on orders from Nazi
deserve it?"
The governor of the Bank of Israel
appointed a public committee which
Germany's Minister of Interior
Then, applying, this to an inci- Hermann
engaged in preparing the new notes
Goering.
and which made recommendation dent in the cainp,' the author
that their outward appearance should
He
worked
closely with Dr.
give expression to the past of the asks—addressing herself to the
Jewish people and present day State readers and to the campers: Chaim Weizmann when the lat-
of Israel at one and the same time.
ter was president of the World
One side of the notes is devoted to "How did Michael show that he
Zionist Organization, and at his
archaeological motifs, the other side did not bear a grudge?"
to the development of the country.
advice, in 1940, dissolved the
This
method
is
pursued
through-
Thus you can find on the banknotes
a picture of a Nahal (initials of out the appended ethical lessons, London Zionist Office he was
Pioneer Fighting Youth) girl soldier
directing at the time to come
carrying a basket • of oranges, and and thus Miss Fine teaches the
to New York and to serve, from
tombs of the Sanhedrin in Jerusa- youth Jewish traditional values.
lem, and it is also possible to see
1941 to 1948, as director of in-
on the • banknotes the figure of a< ■ >.
formation of the United Pale-
scientist with the Dead Sea scrolls.
stine Appeal.
Translation of Hebrew Corner..
.
Coins and Notes
;1
Edited by Brit Ivrit Olamit,'
Jerusalem.
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4
,
German Zionist Federation, and many, the plight of Jews in
"they confiscated only one item: other lands, the able leader's
Hitler's • 'Mein Kampf,' which participation in efforts to rescue
they said had no business in a Jews.
Jewish home."
Rosenbluth and his family
* * *
left Germany a few weeks after
On March 25, 1933, Hermann the trip to London.
Goering summoned the heads of
An interesting account is
three major German Jewish or- given of the manner in which
ganizations to meet at the Min- prospective settlers in Israel
istry of the Interior in Berlin. were interviewed before being
With Rosenbuth were Dr. Kurt given coveted visas.
Blumenfeld, president of the
Rosenbluth also describes,
German Zionist Federation; in Dr.
"Go Forth and Serve," the
Julius BrOdnitz, chairman of battle
of languages in Palestine,
the Central-Verein • Deutscher in 1913,
Dr. Shmarya
Stattsbuerger Juedischen Glau- Levin led when
the
fight
against the
bens; Heinrich Stahl, president imposition of German,
pref-
of Berliner Juedische Geme- ence to Hebrew, in the in Tech-
inde, and Dr. Max Naumann, of nical High School in Haifa. The
V e r b and National-Deutscher strike against the Hilsverein der
Juden.
Juden, which sup-
Dr. Naumann, who will be re- Deutschen
the high school, resulted
membered as the extreme as- ported
similationist who was accused in a triumph for Hebrew.
"Go Forth and Serve" en-
of being too-yielding to the
Nazis, before the meeting with riches the Jewish bookshelf
Goering, was berating Rosen- and adds valuable information
bluth for his • Zionist activities, for historians of the trying eras
but at the meeting, as it was during which its author lived.
later reported to Rosenbluth The book should be made
who was not invited to join the "must" reading not only for
chairmen of the German Jewish Zionists, but for all Jews who
organizations, Naumann contra- wish to be fully informed about
dicted Goering's denial that events that affected our people
there were excesses against the in many lands.
Jews.
* * *
Goering asked that the Jew-
The Jewish News' special
ish leaders should ask the Jews writer in London, Josef Fraen-
of England and America to halt kel, commenting on Dr. Martin
what he characterized to be Rosenbluth's life on • his new
atrocity propaganda. Rosenbluth book, states:
accompanied the delegation to
"His father was a Yeshiva
London. A call was put through
to New York to Dr. Stephen S. student of Pressburg (Bratis-
Wise asking him to cancel a lava) and in 1871 he left for .
protest meeting against German Germany. He was employed in
persecutions. He refused. Lord the offices of 'a large. factory in
Reading delayed resigning from the village of Messingwerk, not
the Anglo-German Association, far from Berlin, by the Mana-
but he nevertheless immedi- ger, who welcomed religious
ately delivered a blistering at- people who could help to form
tack upon Nazi Germany in an a minyan. They had to attend
address in the House of Lords. Shul for the early morning
But while the German Jewish prayers, then to the office. In
delegation was negotiating in this atmosphere of Jewish tra-
London on orders from Berlin, dition and German culture the
word came of an anti-Jewish Rosenbluth family was brought
boycott in Germany. The boy- 'up.
cott then was temporarily called
"Until the edvent of Hitler,
off.
Rosenbluth experienced only
* * *
one anti-Semitic incident. At
* * *
schOol,
a fellow-student wrote
There are so many exciting
London Jewish leaders would
recollections in the career of not inform the German leaders an anti-Semitic note for which
this interesting man that his about their decisions, since the he was - expelled; but years later
autobiography reads like a German Jews were returning this same student became Hit-
novel. He tells the story most to their homes and would be ler's ambassador to Russia.
"Even in his memoirs, Martin
ably and he holds the reader's questioned by Nazi authorities.
attention from cover to cover. It was not long before the full Rosenbluth, who was always a
The- most stirring episode in impact of Nazism began to be true follower of Chaim Weiz-
his career relates to the mission felt. In reference to the tem- mann, remains a disciplined
he was ordered -to perform by porary postponement of the servant of Zionism. He gives
the Nazi leader, Goering. It was anti-Jewishboycott, partly due _away no secrets and is a model
in "January of 1933, upon the to the intercession of Mussolini, of discretion. But he is still an
collapse of the Weimar Repub- who called it a political mis- enjoyable story-teller•with some
amusing anecdotes to relate.
lic, when Hitler came to power, take, Rosenbluth writes:
Zionism is a natural develop-
when the Nazis were using
"In retrospect, I am no at ment to him and he avoids phi-
" `Juda verrecke (Perish the
Jew)!' with diabolic cleverness all sure that it would not losophy or comments.
(as) the anti-Semitic vehicle for have been better in the long
"Having known all the great
the achievement of their aims," run if the Nazis had gone men of the Zionist movement
through
with
their
original
that the non-Nazis displayed a
and often having witnessed the
"lack of perspective!' Rosen- boycott schedule. The result- historic meetings at many con-
bluth writes that at that- time ing loss of a substantial por- f e r e n c e s, Rosenbluth might
"the Jews, whose very lives tion of German Jewish wealth, have told us much more. He
depended on their perspicacity, and the ruin of thousands of does not even mention his inter-
were equally obtuse." Even Jewish businessmen Might ment in England at Huyton as
Zionist leaders chided Rosen- have had the effz...ct of con- an 'enemy alien'. Here too he
bluth for being too pessimistic, vincing• the world before it was the perfect Civil Servant,
was too late that the Nazis' —a 'Street Father', responsi-
But he quotes John G. Win-
anti-Semitic slogans were ble for the tidiness of one street.
ant, U. S. Ambassador to the
something more than mere When a Zionist Society was
Court of St. James, from 1941
propaganda gestures . . . The formed in Huyton under the
to 1943, who said: "Jews were
fact of the matter is that in chairmanship of a member of
hunted like animals in Hitler
the first years of Nazi rule, the Jewish State Party, meet:.
Germany. They were perse-
the Jews of Germany had ings were held almost every
cuted by the tens of thou-
every chance to sell their real day, attended by thousands. In
sands, while the watching
estate and other property, to Huyton, Martin Rosenbluth be-
world tried to pretend that it
transfer their money. to the longed to the 'opposition,' prob-
was a domestic issue within
country of their choice, and ably for the first time in his life,
Germany."
to emigrate openly, without and as a loyal Zionist, he would
hindrance. . . . In spite of all
Zionist activities still con- the humiliations visited upon write to Great Russell Street to
tinued in Germany in March of them, most of them stayed on enquire about the attitude he
1933, but then came the crack- until they had to flee for their should adopt regarding various
down. The Zionist office was very lives, leaving everything proposals of the Jewish State
searched by Stormtroopers who behind for the marauders to Party. Then Chaim Weizmann
took with them a filing cabinet, seize . . ."
intervened with the authorities
stamps and petty cash. Then
they proceeded to search the
These and many more inci- on his behalf and he was event-
apartment of George Landauer, dents in Rosenbluth's life story ually released from Huyton
the secretary general -of the reveal the conditions in Ger- after two or three months."