Purely Commentary
•Nt
When this issue reaches its readers,
the first Seder will have passed into
the year's history, the children will
both have asked the Four Questions
and acquired the Afikomen, the ancient
ritual will have been read. Only the
discussion about freedom will remain
unfinished—not only to -be continued
at the second Seder, but to be reviewed
again and again among the imponder-
ables in human experience.
Passover is destined to remain the
great occasion on which those who
treat its traditions and its lessons seri-
ously will debate the elements of liber-
tarianism and will consider the issues
involved in protecting the freedoms of
mankind.
There are so many different aspects
in practicing liberty! It is easier to
attain it—in spite of the obstacles that
often stand in the way of shedding the
shackles of liberty—than to practice
it and to live up to all its principles.
It is not only because there is
-always need for "eternal vigilance,"
but because, under freedom, the freed-
man often is perplexed how to act
towards his own government, in rela-
tion with his own people as well as
himself.
• • •
Several vital issues of immediate
concern to American Jews have arisen
to justify this assertion.
How, for example, is one to act
towards the United Nations and its
United States delegate in the matter
involving Israel and its antagonistic
Syrian and Egyptian neighbors?
What stand should be made in deal-
ing with the rightists who are endanger-
ing the liberties of all Americans, and
how should one view the ludicrousness
of a so-called Jewish anti-Communist
bloc?
What attitude is called for is deal-
-
ing with domestic problems—housing,
employment, neighborliness, inter-faith
relations?
These issues may have nothing spe-
cifically to do with Passover, but they
are inherent in the discussion about
freedom, and they must be faced
frankly and courageously.
Indeed, it takes a lot of courage
to meet head-on challenges like those
that come from the United Nations.
Our representative took the lead in a
one-sided decision to censure Israel
while neglecting to warn those who
were responsible for Israel's military
actions. Are we to remain silent be-
cause of our American loyalties? But
our American loyalties demand that
our representatives should act justly
wherever they may speak for us. There-
fore loyalty demands that those who
misrepresent us should be rebuked.
We would be sacrificing and abandon-
ing our elementary rights if we failed
to state that Adlai Stevenson acted
unfairly in chastising Israel. We be-
lieve that he was echoing State De-
partment views, and we have no hesi-
tation in stating that the State
Department should be condemned for
its biased attitude towards Israel.
• • •
In the matter involving the rightists,
it is fortunate that they are now under
attack from all quarters—in our Gov-
ernment. in political, educational and
social circles. Bat they must not be
taken lightly. They must be viewed as
enemies of our Government and of
humanity.
Yet. rightist groups seem to be
gaining strength. The Birch group
alone purportedly has a million mem-
bers, and it is not the only threaten-
ing element in our society. The more
it grows—if it should gain strength—
the more fearful some people may be-
come to criticize it.
.
Major Passover Lesson: Eliminate
Panic in Defending Just Position
The time is ripe, therefore, to ad-
yield to
monish all libertarians not
to condemn
panic but always fearlessly to
inequities' and to strive for liberty for
all.
It is in relation to the battle against
the bigoted rightist groups that there •
has emerged another problem: the re-
newed attempt to link everything the
rightists do not believe in with Com-
munism. That is why the Rev. John
F. Cronin, in his booklet excoriating
the rightists, published by the National
Catholic Welfare Conference under the
title "Communism: Threat to Free-
dom." stated that Communism need
not be fought by the divisive methods
of the rightists,. that "if carried far
enough these movements would para-
lyze American diplomacy."
The Catholic scholar properly indi-
cated that: "A mature and strong
people has the inner strength to live
with occasional frustrations and failure.
It does not cry disloyalty every time
its will is thwarted." It was part of
the warning against divisive approaches
in American policy-making, and he
made these references to Jews and
Protestants:
" "Communist influence among the
Protestant clergy today is virtually
nonexistent.
- Some anti-Communist sources are
also anti-Semitic. These groups are small
and have little influence except among
bigots. The organized Jewish commu-
nity in the United States is strongly
opposed to communism."
But there is a rightist group in our
own midst, and the functions of so
ridiculous an element as a Jewish anti-
Communist league must be exposed
lest they should tend to divide more
people ow the question of Communism_
Our Government is negotiating with
the Soviet Union while preventing its
intrusions into our body politic and
By Philip
Slomovitz
into world affairs. Let there be serious
effort through our Government in off-
setting the Communist menace. The
danger to Jewry is so great in Russia
that many are in trepidation lest an-
other large-scale Czarist-patterned pog-
rom should engulf the nearly 3,000.000
Jews in the USSR. But a league that
is organized along rightist lines is
neither necessary nor feasible; and
when from such quarters there come
suspicions against American citizens. a
Jewish league can become as menacing
as the Birchers.
* * *
Let there be enough courage among
us to speak up against undesirable
elements. They are as dangerous to
libertarian idealism as the anti-Israel
Judaism Council or the pro - Arab
Friends of the Middle East.
There must be courage in speaking
up for the common principles of hu-
manitarianism inherent in people's
right to jobs, housing, education and
health facilities. There must be no
discrimination on any score. This is
part of the Passover lesson.
Major in learning this lesson is not
to become panicky when one has to
speak his mind, when criticizing even
one's. own people and Government.
Else, the very basis of freedom is
sacrificed on the altar of fear.
The Passover lesson is elementary,
but it needs repetition. That is why
the Hagadah admonishes us to tell the
festival story to our children, repeat-
edly, at each Seder, lest the idea of
freedom should be relegated to for-
getfulness.
"Do not forget" remains a basic
rule—so that the wrongs ever com-
mitted should be remembered to avoid
repetition, and so that the aspirations
for freedom should ever be kept in
view, never to be abandoned.
Allied Campaign Appeals Issued by Federation
Executive Director and Chairman of the_ Drive
Sobeloff and Zuckerman Point to
Urgent Needs in Year of Crisis
Urgent appeals in behalf of the current Allied
Jewish Campaign, during which a new record sum /trust
be raised before May 2 to provide for all local, national
and overseas needs and for an emergency additional
fund for the . United Jewish Appeal. were issued this
week by Isidore Sobeloff and Paul Zuckerman, executive
director and chairman of the drive, respectively. Their
statements follow:
•
Passover's Lesson for Today
Passover Then and Now
By PAUL ZUCKERMAN
without respect for individual
Chairman, Allied Jewish
Campaign
The struggles of these people
As we review the awe inspir- to leave lands of oppression for
ing story of Passover, each part the haven that is Israel, rival
has an analogy in 20th century •the trials of the Jews in 40 years
M wandering in the desert.
living_
Even with the aid of the
In the time of the Pharobs
the Jewish people were en- United Jewish Appeal, which is
slaved by a totalitarian • regime the collective modern Moses, it
that had no respect for 1:112/1's takes great courage to endure
dignity, incli-1 the privations of leaving a land
viduality or; ef oppression for an arduous
aspirations. journey to Israel.
Today, large; In the desert, when a crisis
numbers of of want and desperate need was
Jews are vir- reached, manna appeared. The ,
tually impris- manna magically turned into
oned within; food, drink and shelter.
Manna, in modern terms, is
the boundaries
of countries stoney. The money we contrib-
whose leaders; ute to the Allied Jewish Cam-
are using their paign magically turns into train
labor without and plane tickets, medical care,
the compensa- food and shelter, clothing, voca-
tion of a de- tional retraining, language
cent standard I training and tools and equip-
Zuckerman
of living and "sent.
holes of countries of denial and
deprivation — and we are en-
gaged in the holy task of bring-
Every special day on the cal- ing them in—into the land of
endar gives us an opportunity Israel and into any other lands
to glory in our past and to of freedom where this is per-
take strength and inspiration mitted.
for our present-day living from
As members of the Detroit
the historical record.
Jewish community, we employ
Passover is an especially apt the channel of the Allied Jew-
time to note this pride'and re- ish Campaign to give effect to ;
spect for hu-
this program of rescue and re-1
man dignity
habilitation. It's a bigger task i
and to learn
this year. with additional thou-
anew the val-
sands depending on our in-
ues of per-
creased response for their
sonal freedom.
chance for survival in freedom.
Passover is
To date. the Campaign has wan
an opportune
the hearty response of thou-
time to apply
sands of our fellow-Detroiters
the lessons of
through increased pledges, beat
the past and
there are thousands more who
to remind our-
have yet to speak. Scores of
selves that re-
local and national domestic
spect for the
serviecs also rely on the awaited
faith and
response to insure a strong Jew-
works of our
ish community at home and a
forefath-
continuing and .adequate plan
ers must be
of support for those in need
matched by
abroad.
our expression
Passover is, indeed, a time
of these vir-
Sobelellf
to celebrate freedom — and a
toes in our own lives today.
I time to extend freedom to
Every exodus has its whence. those who share our common
and its whither. Part of the fate as Jews. Ready, generous
Max M. Shaye, (extreme right), chairman
Passover story involves escape I and adequate giving to the of trades and professions, had a conference
from oppression; the other part Aliled Jewish Campaign is a with division heads at the Allied Jewish
involves alliyah and rescue at vital part of the proper celebra-
Campaign's last report meeting. Chairmen,
the receiving end. Similarly, to- tion of Passover. When the from the left, are: Nathan Rubenstein, metro-
day, there are two phases to Campaign solicitor asks you to politan division; Lewis H. Manning, mercantile
our personal and communal participate, it will be in order
division; Peter B. Copeland, food service
tasks. We are engaged in bring- for you to reply with an under-
council; Dr. Abraham Becker, professional
ing people out—out of the hell- standing heart.
division: Sam D. Jacobs, mechanical trades
By ISIDORE SORELOFF
Executive Vice President,
Jewish Welfare, Federatiea
The one great difference be-
tween biblical times and today
is that the manna will not
magically appear. Unless we
provide it in sufficient quantity,
many of our co-religionists will
succumb to desperate want.
The part of the Seder Service
that sticks most in my mind is
the reply of the indifferent son
who says, "You Jews--."
The local and national agen-
cies of our 1902 Allied Jewish
Campaign supports strive to
maintain the cohesiveness of
our Jewish Community by pro-
viding formal and informal
Jewish education, recreation
and the social services that en-
able us to proudly proclaim,
"We take care of our own."
When the 1902 Allied Jewish
Campaign doses May 2, we
want each member of our Jew-
ish community to be able to
say, "We Jews had a peat Cam-
paign because we all met spe-
cial needs with special in-
creased giving."
Campaign Heads Strive for High Goal
division; Irving Goldberg, arts and crafts
division; Milton J. Miller, professional division;
Myron D. Stein, services division; and Lewis
S. Grossman, real estate and building division.
All chairmen are striving for 100 per cent of
last year's giving by the middle of Passover
holiday and 120 per cent. by the campaign
victory dinner on May 2.