Purely Commentary

By PHILIP S.LOMOVITZ

A Debate. Over Shirer's 'Rise and Fall of Third Reich'

Nearly a year after "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A
History of Nazi Germany," by William L. Shirer, (Simon and
Schuster), came off the press, a debate has ensued over its accuracy.
In an article entitled "Shirer's History of Nazi Germany," in
the April number of "The Review of Politics," published by Uni-
versity of Notre Dame Press, Klaus Epstein, associate professor of
history at Brown University, challenged Shirer's conclusions and
contended that "a profound and balanced history of Nazi Germany
remains to be written . . . It must be abreast of current scholarship,
especially the very fruitful research conducted in Germany today.
. . . It should be animated . . . by a generous and large-minded
temper which conquers prejudice and allows the historian to
comprehend not only Nazi criminals and Accomplices, but also
heroic resistants, in giving a total portrait of Germany in the Nazi
era."
Granting the basic facts quoted in Prof. Eostein's review,
his contemporaries must challenge the emphasis he places on
resistance. Even when searching for research in Germany, it is
. necessary to challenge any effort to over-emphasize the resistance.
Of course, there were resistants, but they were so few that the
Nazi picture must be accepted as painted by Shirer. The resisters
were a handful, and the many more who might have joined them
were so cowed by Hitlerism that they failed to do anything to
prevent the expansion of the crime,
Shirer is not alone, in the expose •of the Nazi criminals and in
judging Germany's military tactics and aspirations for overlordship.
T. H. Tetens' expOse ("The .New , Germany- and the Old Nazis,"
published by Random House), Gemma LaGuardia - Gluck's "My
Sto6" (David McKay Co.) and other accounts of Nazi brutalities
serve as appendices to Shirer's revelatiOns.
Criticism of Shirer reached its heights, however, with the
appearance of his book in a Gernian translation and the attaek,upon
it by Paul Sethe, West German newspaperman, who reviewed it
in Die Zeit of Hamburg.. Sethe claims that Shirer has two obses-
sions, "hatred for Hitler and antipathy toward the pre-Hitler
German leadership." Sethe sees two souls in Shirer's breast: "One
is that, of the historian attempting to record the past. The other
is that of the prosecutor of Nuremberg. Shirer not only wants to
see Nazism condemned: with it he also wants to condemn the pre-
Hitler history of the Germans. He wants to shock and shame, the
people . . ."
It is because he has succeeded in shocking people, in arousing
suspicion of neo-Nazism, in reviving distrust of Hitlerism that
Shirer has earned the gratitude of liberty-loving people who can
not and must not forget the Nazi atrocities. But the Hamburg
reviewer questions Shirer's objective approaches as long as he has
a "hatred for Hitler." Fair-minded people should ask, in return:
"do you wish to have a lover. of Hitler write the history of Nazi
Germany?"
We pray that the new thinking about "Hitlerism and Hitler's
critics should not be an evidence of a re-emerging arrogance in
Germany.
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No End to New Publication's and House Organs

Coronet Magazine had a circulation of three million, yet it
could not survive spiraling costs. A number of daily newspapers
have merged with competitors in recent years and the number
of daily newspapers is constantly decreasing in this country. Many
weekly newspapers are now out of business.
Yet, numerous new organs are being published by Jewish
organizations, and even rabbis have entered the publishing field.
Perhaps rabbis need an organ, but the first edition of the
rabbinical magazine does not inspire excitement over its sudden
emergence. It contains a few' sermons, which might have been
accepted for publication in the already-existing magazines of
synagogue organizations.
It's difficult to appreciate the new organ and it's hard to
understand the rabbis' desire for it. We recognize a measure of
vanity among its sponsors, but little else.

Nasser's Wealth Confiscations •

Ever since the Labor Zionists gained' ascendancy in the
Israel government, through the ruling party,_ Mapai, fears have
been expressed about the Socialist influence in the . new state.
Even before the emergence of Israel as an autonomous state,
there were Jews who feared the results of Socialist domination.
Nevertheless, the Socialists in Israel have been tolerant of
the Wealthy and they have encouraged and facilitated private
investinenfs by their own citizens and people outside of Israel.
This needs recalling at a time when Israel's arch-enemy,
Dictator Gamal Abdel NaSser, has proceeded to confiscate the
wealth of his richest citizens.
The explanation offered by Nasser is that the wealthy in
Syria have gained ascendancy, thus accounting for the resump-
tion of independence by Syria from the so-called United Arab
Republic. Nasser charged that reaction is the stepping stone
to imperialism which "now hides in palaces and the safes of
millionaires," adding that he will.. fight imperialism "in the
palaces of reaction," and he said he had erred through his
"conciliation with reaction," in reference to his submission to
the recent action by Syria.
It is evident that the confiscations in Syria are , defense
mechanisms by Nasser - against a rising tide of opposition. It is a
condition that does not and could not exist in Israel. This is
one of the superb -contrasts in the Middle East: the Arabs'. sub-
mission to dictators who today confiscate the property of the
wealthy and tomorrow may annul the civil rights of the ordinary
poor citizens; and Israel's advanced and progressive principles
and methods of government which strive for democratic living
and practices. They are irreconcilable differences which stand
in the way of peace. When the Arabs learn to reject dicta-
torial rule it may become much easier to attain amity.

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Posthumous Nobel Peace Prize Award

The posthumous award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Dag Ham-
marskjold is being acclaimed justifiably. As secretary general of
the United Nations, Mr. Hammarskjold was striving for peace,
and his memory is being honored with the peace award. He was
believed to have erred on several occasions, but even in the
instance of the Sinai Campaign, the successful conclusion of which
—without interference from' the UN and the Eisenhower admin.-

Separation of Church and State Emerges
as First Issue in Drafting New Constitution

Separation. of • church and
state has ,ernerged as the first
issue to be debated in the draft-
ing of Michigan's new constitu-
tion.
Controversy ensued over a
paragraph from the Northwest
Ordinance of 1787, the govern-
ing document of Michigan be-
fore it became a state, which
Con-Con Delegate Alvin M.
Bentley (R-Owosso) sought to
inject as the opening paragraph
of the new constitution.
Bentley is chairman of the
education committee.
The words read: "Religion,
morality and knowledge, be-
ing necessary to good govern-
ment and the happiness of
mankind, schools and the
Means of education shall for-
ever be encouraged."
Bentley had intended that the
words would set a spirit for
the remainder of the constitu-
tion and the convention. The
passage was adopted after a two-
hour debate, but is subject to
changes in the wording by the
committee on style and draft-
ing as long as the intent _ is
maintained.
Opposition to the article was
voiced by Delegate Jack Faxon
(D-Detroit), who urged caution
in interpretation. Also in dis-
agreement to the language of

the opening statement was Dele-
gate Melvin Nord (D-Detroit).
Nord said that of the five
states to emerge from the
Northwest Territory, only
Michigan employed words in
its article on education in
the constitution which al-
lowed "any possible implica-
tion that religion and public
education are compatible."
Nord would rather see in-
serted into the opening state-
ment the words "secular pub-
lic education and religious pri-
vate education." A r g u i n g

1

against the Nord suggestion was
Delegate Samuel B. Ostrow (D-
Detroit), who said that the in-
jection of the question of sep-
aration of church and state
over the paragraph "is with-
out merit." He said:
"This section of the consti-
tution has stood the test of
time." If you change so much
as a comma, you start litiga-
tion and legal - questions all
over again that have been set-
tled in the past by attorney
generals' rulings and the
courts."

,....0.111 ■ 0•11111.04111MO ■ II4=11. ■(1■0■ 17.1..”0411.11.1.•11.11•1•111.4•11.14

1.11 ■ 11

Boris Smolar's

'Between You
... and Me'

(Copyright 1961,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Community Currents

The United Jewish Appeal is now mapping plans for an
intensive 1962 fund-raising campaign and is already mobilizing,
its forces for this work . .. Teams of UJA leaders and profes-
sionals will visit a number of Jewish communities to seek in-
creased pledges for 1962 from larger contributors . . . They will
hold individual talks with each contributor who this year donated
$10,000 or more to the UJA ... Rabbi Herbert Friedman, execu-
tive vice-chairman of UJA, has just returned from a "flying
visit" to Israel where he studied on the sPot the needs there in
connection with the increased immigration . . . He was preceded
by Joseph Meyerhoff, UJA general chairman, who will carry the
burden of making the 1962 campaign meet the increased require-
ments . . . What the Jews in this country will be told by the
two UJA top leaders is that American Jewry is doing very little
compared with the Jews in Israel in helping to absorb the new
immigrants . . . In the past 10 years less than one-third of the
Detroit Alumni chapter of total cost of immigration and absorption has been borne by Jews
Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity living outside of Israel . . . The rest has been borne by the
announces a fund-raising rally, people in Israel themselves, including the immigrants who have
to secure funds for the Hebrew come to the country in the past decade . . . The people of Israel
University School of Dentistry, today pay for 75 per cent of the housing for new immigrants,
to be addressed by Imo Sciaky, for all the schools that their children attend, and for many other
dean of the dental school, on public services available to newcomers . . . Already weighed
down by heavy taxes—surpassing by far the rate which prevails
Nov. 9, at Holiday Manor.
The new Jerusalem dental in the United States—the Israelis must now subscribe to a
school is being co-sponsored by compulsory loan of $14,000,000 to provide additional funds for
93 chapters of Alpha Omega and the absorption of the new immigrants . . . In the light of such
Hadassah. It is being erected at sacrifices by the Jews in Israel for the new immigrants, it is
a cast of $1,500,000, grou'nd- felt that the Jews in the United States should certainly do
breaking to take place next better in their contributions to the UJA than in the last two years.
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month.
*
Dr. Fred Stein, 6210 St. James,
Personality Profile
Birmingham, national president
of Alpha Omega, ' announces Meet Ambassador U Thant of Burma, who is likely to take
that $1,200,000 has alteady been the place of the late Dag Hammarskjold as Secretary .General
pledged and Sciaky's tour of 14 of the United Nations . . . He is a great friend of Israel and
American and Canadian cities is does not hesitate to declare so publicly . . . He says he has the
expected to raise the needed "highest admiration" for Israel and that he considers the people
$300,000. of Israel as being dedicated to the cause of peace and. progress
Dr. Frank Solway, president • . • These observations are not mere rhetoric with him . . . He
of the Detroit Alumnae Chapter, speaks on the basis of a visit which he
• made to Israel in 1955, accompanying
has planned the event.
_ Prime Minister U Nu of Burma .. . "I
Detroiters have already con
tributed more than $40,000, had the privilege of touring various
Stein announced. Netting the parts of Israel and viewing a compara-
goal of $60,000 will result in a tively full picture of the country's life
children's section named after and aspirations," he says . . . He saw
the Detroit chapter. the agricultural settlements in the Emek
It is planned that 30 students and in the hills of Galilee and was im-
pressed with the kibbutzim as well as
will be awarded dental degrees
each year. At present the aver- with the cooperative colonies . . . He
age age of the 1,200 licensed witnessed the implementation of Israel's
dentists in Israel is 60. bold plans for the conquest of the Negev
desert . . . He visited industrial enter-
, prises where he saw the contribution
Ex-President of Brazil i made to Israel's economy by "skill, in-
genuity and perseverance" of the people
Is Welcomed in Israel
of the country . . . He was impressed
U Thant
JERUSALEM, (JTA) — Bra- with the integration of new immigrants
zil's ex-President Juscelino Ku- and the promotion of social and cultural progress in Israel ... .
bitschek received a warm wel- And he also studied Israel's achievements in the field of science
come from Israeli leaders when . . . "I had the opportunity," he emphasizes, "to meet many of
he arrived for a visit here. Israel's leading personalities: politicians, soldiers, artists, sci-
President Izhak Ben-Zvi ten- entists, industrialists, trade unionists, administrators and edu-
dered a luncheon for Kubit- cators, and they all impressed me with their devotion to their
schek and his party, while tasks" . . . He finds that Burma and Israel have common factors
Prime Minister David Ben- despite disparities of history, geography and climate . . . Both
Gurion conferred with the countries, he points out, are endeavoring to revive their ancient
Brazilian statesman for an hour, cultures against the background of modern civilization . . . They
discussing problems of devel- are both facing the most formidable tasks of national and eco-
opment.
nomic reconstruction . . . They are both upholding democratic
ideals, the dignity of man and the systems of parliamentary
istration—might have ended the democracy . . . He is for the strengthening of economic ties
I- dictatorial
.
threats for all time, between Burma and Israel, in the interests of both countries ....
the Hammarskjold plan for an He acknowledges the technical aid given by Israel to Burma
United Nations Force on the and other countries of Asia .. . And he is of the opinion that
Israel-Egyptian border has sure- no one can in the long run prevent the acceptance of Israel as
ly prevented more violence. an equal member of the Asian family of nations . . . "When the
There is no doubt that the crea- tempers calm down, it will be revealed that the nature of the
tionof this preventive unit on Jewish State is essentially peaceful and constructive," he says
Israel's border contributed to- . . . As Ambassador of Burma and permanent representative of
wards the consideration of Ham- his country to the United Nations, U Thant addressed a number
marskjold's name for the Nobel of Jewish conferences in this country, including the national
Prize. It is to be considered a convention of the American Jewish Congress .. . He is highly
commendable and a welcome respected by American Jewish leaders as one of the most able
choice. foreign diplomats.

Dean of Israel's
Dental School
to Speak Nov. 9

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