Purely Commentary
Lincoln's Role in
Permitting Jews to
Be U.S. Chaplains
By Philip Dr. Max K. Newman •
Slomovitz Lauded for Work in
Muscular Dystrophy
The French priest began his project after visiting Bethlehem.
Dt.Max K. Newman, a pio-
He now asks Nazareth residents to assist him financially in his neer
i n the search for a cure
• There may have been only one occasion in the history of housing plans.
muscle
the United States when a strictly Christian reference in Con-
These facts represent more than a mere news story. They for dystrophy and diseases,
other h a s
gressional legislation might have been interpreted as anti-Jewish. must be viewed from the standpoint of cooperation given to a
"won" 1 o c a 1
It was in the act adopted by Congress in July, 1861, which Christian mission in the hostile neighboring country of Jordan.
recognition for
specified that military chaplains should be "regularly ordained While, in reverse, such action would be considered as nigh im-
his work.
ministers of some Christian denomination."
Israel nevertheless is ready to aid in efforts to relieve
Newman, na- •
The central governing American Jewish organization of possible,
dire needs of the refugees. If the Jordanese were to act in
tional pr e s i -
Civil War days, the Board of Delegates of Jewish Israelites, the
a similar cooprative manner, other steps would be possible in
dent of ' the
immediately commenced a campaign for the removal of this the
direction of peace and the "state of war" claimed by Arab
Physical Medi-
restriction, in order' to enable Jews to serve as chaplains. The potentates would then surely come to an end.
tine Associa-
Rev. Arnold Fischel, a lecturer in Shearith Israel Synagogue,
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tion and direc-
New York, was appointed lobbyist and he conferred with Presi-
dent Lincoln to whom he presented the Jewish complaint. He Congresswoman Griffiths in Pivotal Position
tor of t h e
Congresswoman Martha Griffiths is so well and so favorably
Muscular Dys-
even suggested that the President take the initiative and appoint
some Jewish chaplains. Lincoln rejected the proposal, explaining regarded in our community that her elevation to House of
Dr. Newman trophy Clinic
that when he had •selected his own appointees as hospital Representatives Ways and Means Committee membership is in Detroit's Memorial Hospital,
chaplains Congress was not in session, and that he could not ,welcome news.
became the "star" of an educa-
act similarly while Congress was meeting. But on Dec. 13, 1861,
Not so many years back, another distinguished member of tional program last Friday after
Congress, the late John D. Dingell, held the similar post with he gave parents a brief talk on
he wrote as follows:
Executive Mansion
great distinction. His son, Rep. John D. Dingell Jr. who succeeded the rehabilitation goals for MD
Dec. 13, 1861
him as the Congressman from the 15th District, has reason to patients.
look with pride to his father's achievements, and his constituents
Rev. Dr. A. Fischel
Paul J. Militello, director of
,.
have cause to be equally pleased with his work as his father's the Muscular Dystrophy Asso-
My dear Sir:
I find there are several particulars in which the present successor.
ciation of America in Wayne
law in regard to Chaplains is supposed to be deficient, all
Now, Rep. Griffiths is in the important role as a member of
which I now design presenting to the appropriate Committee the most influential and most important Congressional commit- County, presented Newman with
of Congress. I shall try to have a new law broad enough tee. Her constituents, who have been watching her work and a plaque and lauded him for
to cover what is desired by you in behalf of the Israelites.
who know how dedicated she is to her job, have cause to feel his Militello
work in described
the field. Newman
Your truly,
confident that she will be a great asset to the major House
A. LINCOLN
committee. She assumes her new post with the blessings of her as on
"a 111D
great pioneer
who
worked •
privately,
confident
Rabbi Fischel's task was far from completed, even with the many friends in our area.
something
could
be
done
about
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President's pledge for amelioration in his possession. He pursued
it."
his campaign, but an immediate application for appointment of Witchcraft . . .. Reality . . . Art . . . Propaganda
As a result of Newman's ef-
•a JewiSh chaplain was rejected when he received the following
There are many more vital issues to concern our com- forts, many MD patients in the
communication from the War Department:
munity than a play in which witchcraft is brought into the area are enjoying added years
War Department,
synagogue; and there is no doubt that there already has been of life, Militello said.
October 23, 1861
generated too much heat over the merits and demerits of Paddy
The MD Clinic. in Detroit is
Rev.- A. Fischel, Rabbi, Jewish Synagogue
Chayefsky's "Tenth Man." But the heat has brought some light. recognized as the finest in the
(Shearith Israel), New York
on the question United States and many pa-
In reply, you are respectfully informed that by the 9th The letter on the subject in our current issue,
art versus propaganda, is an example of the light on the tients who have moved to other
Section of the Act of Congress, approved July 22d, 1861, it is of
Our correspondent, a man who speaks with authority,
provided that the chaplain appointed "by the vote of the field subject.
of the
country
frequently
return
here
for examination
officers and company commanders must be a regular ordained has, we believe, effectively demolished the confusing element parts
minister of some Christian denomination." A like provision of art and truth versus propaganda that has been injected into and treatment . which is not
discussion. available to them anywhere
also is made in the 7th Section of the Act of Congress, ap- the
We agree with our correspondent, that even in art there is
id.
proved August 3, 1861. Were it not for the impediments thus propaganda;
and we go farther in asserting that there are times else,
Militello was
said. also instru -
Newman
directly created by the provisions of these two Acts, the
Department would have taken your application into -its favor- when even great art must be condemned if its propaganda is
destructive and anti-humanitarian. For instance: it is conceivable mental in organizing the
able consideration.
an Arnold Toynbee may write a very great and a very tiple
Cerebral
Palsy
SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War that an
and Sclerosis,
Polio groups
in Wayne
President Lincoln meanwhile lived up to his promise and artistic play in which he could propagate his anti-Semitic views.
Rabbi Fischel's efforts did not go to naught. On July 17, 1862, Does that mean that we must shout "kadosh, kadosh," because County.
a great work of art has been produced? Similarly, must we
Congress adopted this revised chaplaincy regulation:
And be it further enacted, That so much of Section 9 of shout "kadosh" in viewing Chayevsky's play because it has
the aforesaid Act, approved July 22, 1861, and of Section '7 of artistic elements and presents only a portion of truth out of a
the "Act providing for the better organization of the military wider historical context?
Exorcism has been practiced in some Jewish quarters, but
establishments," approved August 3, 1861, as defined the
CORAL GABLES, (JTA)—As
qualifications .of chaplains in the army and volunteers, shall that does not make it a Jewish symbolism or an accepted Jewish
hereafter be construed to read as follows: That no person shall idea. (A single sentence in Prof. Salo W. Baron's "A Social the Jewish Floridian reports the
be appointed a chaplain in the United States army who is not and Religious History of the Jews" is worth quoting here." It event, a woman was standing in
a regularly ordained minister of some religious denomination, reads: "Because of the traditional opposition to magic and front of a large restaurant, hold-
and who does not present testimonials of his present good sorcery there is no evidence that early postexilic Jews tried ing a blue-and-white box for the
standing as such minister, with a recommendation for his to manipulate these demonic powers for their private purposes"). Jewish National Fund.
Pointing to the portrait of Dr.
appointment as an army chaplain from some authorized ecclesi- There has been resort to magic and superstitious practices in
some eras of Jewish history, especially the darkest, when Jews Theodor Herzl on the box, she
astical body.
Rabbi Fischel was the successful Lobbyist, but the first Jew were in gravest dangers and therefore resorted, in those times, urged passersby to drop in a few
to be appointed a U.S. Army Chaplain was the Rev. Jacob to hex pradtices. But even in those days it was a minority of coins. Suddenly an outraged
s h o p p e r began to berate the
•
Frankel, of Philadelphia. He received his commission on Sept. Jews who were so narrow-minded.
What Chayefsky did, to invite what appears to us justified woman in excited Spanish.
18, 1862.
Mrs. S a in u e 1 Fletcher, who
Another Jewish Chaplain, Rabbi Bernard H. Gotthelf of attack upon his approach to the synagogue he depicted, was to
project medievalism into modernity. By doing that he must have manages a shop near the scene,
Louisville, was appointed May 6, 1863.
Early in 1863, Rabbi Ferdinand Sarner was named the first confused many young Jews who must have wondered: is this and who speaks Spanish, came to
Jewish regimental chaplain by the officers of the 54th New York our people's house of worship, and is this our faith? (Let's forget the bewildered JNF worker's
the non-Jew, who also must have been bewildered by the untruth assistance.
Volunteer Regiment. He accom-
Mrs. Fletcher explained in
of hexing in the synagogue).
panied his men in many battles,
Spanish that the beadred gen-
including the one at Gettysburg,
Flashes of truth do not make a whole truth, and "The tleman on the box was not
Tenth Man" is a combination of flashes of truth, not the whole
where he was wounded and later
reality of Jewish life. Therefore, it is this writer's opinion that Fidel C a s t r o and who he
discharged for disability.
actually was.
"The Tenth Man" is a mockery of Jewish life.
W h e n the prejudicial code
Mo 1 1 i f i e d, the shopper
What - amazes us is that the Conservative and Orthodox
first was adopted by Congress
Rabbis,
whose
rabbinic
counterpart
in
the
play
is
one
of
the
mumbled
a word of apology,
Congressman,
in 1861, an Ohio -
most abused characters in the production, should be the ones reached into her handbag and
Clement L. Vallandingham, who
put a few coins in the JNF box.
to lead in a chorus of hallelujahs in praising the play!
later became a leader among
the Copperheads, asked that the
term "Christian denomination"
be changed to read "religious
society" but his amendment was
At the meeting of the na- Army and the Church are of and other major cities in Argen-
defeated. He then declared on
tional
executive board of the ficially o_p p o s e d to these tina. It emerged shortly after
floor of Congress: "There is a
the overthrow of the Peron
American Jewish Committee, in groups.
large b o d y of men in this
incor-
Rabbi Sarner
Blaustein said that American government in 1955 of and
Los Angeles, last week, Jacob
country, and one growing con-
two neo-
tinually, of the Hebrew faith, whose rabbis and priests are men Blaustein, AJC honorary presi- Jewish Committee leaders have 13 orates members
which
of great learning and piety, and whose adherents are as good dent, prominent Baltimore in- recently met with top officials fascist organizations
citizens and as true patriots as any in this country." dustrialist who is a former U. S. of the U. S. State. Department have been functioning
in Argen-
United to discuss the growing anti- tina for many years.
An interesting incident occurred when the Jewish Colonel
Tacuara
headed
by
Alberto
Max Friedman, commandant of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry, representative to the
democratic and anti - Semitic Ezcurro, a veteran organizer
of
selected the Dutch-born Rabbi Fischel to be his regiment's Jewish Nations, charged that a wide-
anti-U.S. and anti-Jewish riots,
chaplain. But the application was denied. That's when the battle spread campaign of armed vie- forces in Argentina.
It is understood, Blaustein was formed from two fanner
began for the amelioration of the Christian clause in the Con- fence attacks against demo
that the Vatican has anti-Semitic organizations: The
gressional bill, and from that time on began the Rev. Arnold cratic groups and anti-Semitic said
censured
the priests involved Union Nacionalista de Estudi-
Fischel's successful career as a lobbyist who enrolled President vandalism
is being
carried
out - in the fascist
by a number
of terrorist
organ
fringe groups. antes Secundarios (UNES) or-
Lincoln's aid to correct a religious disservice.
izations in Argentina with "op-
According to the Committee's ganized in 1935 and the Alianza
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parent immunity" from police report from Argentina, the neo- Nacionalista organized in 1936.
action.
A Leison in Cooperation for Arab Potentates
Religious News Service reports from Nazareth, Israel, that In disclosures based on re_
fascist
terrorist
In addition
there are three
now
openly
commit
acts organizations
of vandal- functioning
in Argentina,
the 46-year-old French Catholic priest, the Rev. Pere Paul ports from AJ Committee Latin
"seri- other anti-Semitic gr oup The
violen
Gautier, has made an appeal for funds for a housing project for American o f f i c e s, Blaustein ism and
," and Guardia Restauradora N. acion-
intercession
ce without
stated that organizations which ors police of these
ran
m alista (National Restoration
Arab refugees in Bethlehem, in Jordon-held territory.
groups "seem
The report reveals that Fr. Gautier already has built a hous- are neo-Fascist and strongly members a strange immunity Guard)
of for-
rd)
composed
largely
Tacuara or-
ing settlement in Nazareth for 240 Christian and Arab workers, anti-U.S. appear to have the to enjoy
members
m police arrest."
that the project was made possible with the aid of Israel Ministry support of a some
Argentine
fro
mer
of
quasi-military
ganized
in
1960,
the
Law , Stu-
army officers and a number of Tacuara is
George
Catholic
Archbishop
Economics
Housing
and
that
the
Melchite
of
Hakim of Acca provided a church in that area dedicated to St. priests in the Roman Catholic organization with cells and dents Union and the
Church, although both the command posts in Buenos Aires Students Union.
Joseph the Worker.
THE DETRO IT JEWISH NEW S -- Friday, January
The Centenary of Jewish Chaplaincies in the U. S.
Ilerzl Si
Fidel, No
AJ Committee Exposes Argentine Terror