Editorial Passover: Its Lessons of Joy, Libertarianism In Passover we have the foundation for the M a g n a Charta and the BilL of Rights and in its ideals, which perpet- uate our people's yearning for freedom, are incorporatedthe libertarian teachings that are the very _roots of mankind's democratic hopes. As we approach the Festival of Freedom, we renew o u r- faith in the basic teachings of Passover and in its admoni- tions that liberty is -.for- that if justice is to , rnle all mankind must share its bene- fits and responsibilities. Passover is, therefore, a fes- tival with serious admonitions • to all. While it marked the be- ginning of libertarian move- ments, it represents a continu- ous demand for action lest hu- manity lose its grip on man's basic rights. , - * * Passover also marks the be- ginning of Spring, the com- mencement of a new season of joy and creativity, nature's call to the inhabitants of the earth to share in song and the glo- - ries of Creation. It is symbo- lized in the Song of Songs, whence we quote: For lo, the winter is past The rain is over and gone The flowers appear on the earth The tune of singing is come And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig-tree putteth forth her greetings And the vines in blossoms give forth their fragrance. The spirit of joy also is rep- resented in the Prophetic promise that joy will gladden the lives of the redeemed, that, as we are told in Isaiah 35:10: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come with, singing unto Zion, And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: They shall obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. It is a. promise of better days for the unransomed to share in a world that must be redeemed from slavery. * These traditional Jewish lessons are linked, in the fes- tival we are to usher in on Monday evening, with the joys that Passover has in store for our children. T h e exciting preparations for the Passover, the enthusi- asms that are generated by the Sedarim, the ceremonies and the foods—all serve to make the festival a truly joy- ous one for all members of the family. - The fact that Passover con- tinues to serve as a reunion for families, that the Sedarim link young and old, that the beautiful Passover story in- spires a loyalty to. great heri- tage, makes the Festival of Freedom a major qualitative force in Jewish life. May the joys and the great lessons of this festival serve to inspire Israel, and may its heritage of libertaiianism give courage to freedom-1 o v i n g people everywhere. A Happy Passover to All! . 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., 17100 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 CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager HARVEY ZUCKERBERG City Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the twelfth day of Nisan, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Lev. 6:1-8:36. Prophetical portion, Malachi 3:4-24. Licht benshen, Friday, April 5, 6:44 p.m. Passover Scriptural Selections Pentateuche selections: Tuesday, Ex. 12:21-51, Num. 28:16-25; Wednesday, Lev. 22:26-23:44, Num. 28:16-25. Prophetical. portions: Tuesday, Joshua 5:2-6:1; Wednesday, II Kings 23:1-9, 21-25. VOL. MAIL NO. 6 Page Four April 5, 1963 Freedom's Demand: Break . Shackles of Want and Suffering Merely to pay lip service to freedom would be an abomination. If there is to be true appreciation of the blessings of justice and liberty, there must be serious undertakings by all mankind to remove the shackles of the oppressed, to relieve want, to provide help for those who hunger. Passover's distinguishing blessing is that it takes these duties into account, that it causes those who observe it to assert, at the very beginning of the Seder ceremony: "Let all who are in need come and share our food with us . . ." This principle remains one of the distinctive elements of the Passover and is one of the very first ideals we must pursue and fulfill. That is why the Mo'os Hitim tradition of providing food for the needy for Passover had .become such a ._ . major undertaking before Passover. That is why the principle of Mo'os Hitim is unending and must continue, on a large scale, after we will have aided the needy in our own midst. That is why, as Passover approaches, we must, during that festival, pledge ourselves to provide the funds that are needed to assure relief for the masses of Jews in lands of oppression, and to plan to provide for their rescue and for their settlement in the land of freedom — Israel — towards which they gaze and for which they hope at their own Sedarim. Passover's lesson of freedom can be learned and fully applied only when we will have provided the necessary relief through the campaign that now calls for our aid—the Allied Jewish Campaign. Since monetary relief alone is not enough, since it is so vital that there should be understanding of the values of freedom, the other Allied Jewish Campaign objectives — of assuring the continuation of our educational activities, thereby creating aknowledgeable and understanding constituency—must be supported to the fullest. Our current fund-raising effort aims- at fulfilling all the mitzvot--all the good deeds—taught by Passover. Let there be complete fulfillment of these duties by our community, in order that our Passover should be a truly sanctified and joyous occasion for all of us.