THE • JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue. of July 20, 1951
Member American Association of English—Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Associations, National
Editorial Association
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 1.7100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35,
Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscription $6 a year. Foreign $7.
Second Class Postage Paid At Detroit, Michigan
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ HARVEY ZUCKERBERG
Advertising Manager
Business Manager
City Editor
Rosh Hashanah Scriptural Selections .
Pentateuchal portions: First Day of Rosh Hashanah, Saturday, Gen. 21:1-34, Num. - 29:1-6;
Second Day of Rosh Hashanah, Sunday, Gen. 22:1-24, Num. 29:1-6.
Prophetical portions: Saturday, I Samuel 1:1-2:10; Sunday, Jeremiah 31:2-20.
Fast of Gedaliah will be observed on Monday.
Light Benshen, Erev Rosh Hashanah, Friday, Sept. 28, 6:02 p.m.
VOL. XLIL No. 5
Page Four
September 28, 1962
What Does 5723 Hold in Store for Jewry?
The New Year 5723 commences in a spirit of gravity. There is an element of
seriousness that reflects the sad experiences of the year we leave behind and the
numerous unfortunate developments which transformed the last twelve-month period
into one of tension and serious dangers.
While the events that transpired in Moslem counrties were to be expected—the
threats to the Jewries of Algeria and Morocco were foreseen—there were far too
many shocking occurrences to jolt the Jewish populations in free countries.
The anti-Semitic incidents in Latin American countries, the bigots' movement
to establish international headquarters for anti-Semites in England, the freedom with
which the spreaders of prejudice and intolerance navigated throughout the world,
were the evidences of a newly-emerging hatred enveloping the globe.
What could we possibly say to the communists in Russia, or to those who
purportedly are fighting the resurgence of Nazism in Germany, in condemnation of
bigotry, when the same elements whose destructive activities are threatening the
well-being of Jews behind the Iron Curtain and are defiantly re-creating the Hitler
idea in Germany, are brazenly propagating anti-Semitism in democratic countries?
What has happened in the past year serves as a warning not to Jews alone but
to all liberty-loving peoples not to be too complacent, to be on guard against
infringements upon their freedoms, to beware of danger every time a bigot raises
his voice.
There is never complete security against intolerance. Not all humans are
thoroughly prepared for an ideal life devoid of hatred. The need to educate the
unknowing; to enlighten the ignorant, to teach the masses the values of common
decency among men, never ends. What is disturbing is the fact that the constant
repudiations of evidences of
inhumanity of man to man
seem to have fallen on deaf
ears; that the lessons taught
by oppressions have not
been learned fully; that
even so tragic a conflict as
the last war and the dan-
gers of another world catas-
trophe have failed to teach
the masses the needs to
strive for total freedom for
all, regardless of race or
creed or nationality origins.
Rightwing extremists in
this country represent a
grave danger to the Ameri-
can way of life, and it is
inevitable that their venom-
ous propaganda should add
fuel to the fires of hatred
that emblazones some areas
of our land. Racial and re-
ligious prejudices are too
frequently expressed by
sponsors of movements
which were believed to have
passed into oblivion with
the dark middle ages, but
which nevertheless have
risen to some power suffi-
cient to give us concern.
Added to the concern
that has been aroused by
the racial and religious
prejudices that have been
revised in some areas is
the fact that the repudia-
tions of them too often
end in mere lip service
and in resolutions. What
is needed is firm action.
Even within the United
Nations there has been
hesitancy to deal firmly
with the problems of hu-
man relations, and that is
most regrettable.
Yet, we must not com-
mence 5723 in a spirit of
despair. We must have faith
that the evils we experienc-
ed in the recent months
will vanish and a new era
of justice and tolerance will
set in. If we begin the New
Year in a spirit of good
faith, while vowing never to
relax in vigilance against
inhumanity, we can indeed
await better days ahead. In
this spirit our good wishes
go forth to all for a Happy
5723;
New Year's Challenges, Duties
We are entering upon a period during which world
Jewry must face graver problems than have faced us
in more than a decade.
The terrors and tensions, the threats to the security
of Jews in many lands, the horrors that have been perpe-
trated in Moslem countries and the insecurities in com-
munist countries, have forced another unprecedentedly
large migration of Jews to Israel.
While this migration goes on, Israel's enemies are
concentrating upon the destruction of the only avenue
of escape left for Jews who have been and continue to
be dispossessed in backward countries.
The mounting tragedies, the continuing threats to
the lives of Jews in many communities, place increasing
duties upon us. While we must strengthen our own posi-
tion as a wholesome community; in the process of giving
substance and meaning to our educational efforts and
to those activities which are aimed at providing the best
facilities for social service and recreational movements,
we must keep in view the burdens that have been thrust
upon us by the re-emerging bigotries in many lands.
It will be the responsibility of American Jewry, more
than that of any other Jewish community in the world,
to provide the means to move large populations and to
make their lives secure in the haven established in Israel.
There has been a spirit of generosity in the past,
but it will have to be surpasSed in the months to come
because of the mounting dangers and the necessity for
speedy action to move populations rapidly. Unless the
United Jewish Appeal will have the necessary funds with
which to carry on its task of transporting the dispos-
sessed, the, dangers will become insurmountable.
The New Year 5723 may prove to be more challeng-
ing than any we have experienced in this century—
certainly it is the most trying since the establishment of
Israel's statehood. The duties that go along with such:
challenges parallel the dangers. Let us hope that the
year 5723 will be marked by honorable approaches of an
understanding people.