THE JEWISH NEWS

Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951

Member American Association of English—Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National ;Editorial
csociation.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 48235 Mich.,
1lb: 8-9364. Subscription $6 a year. Foreign 57.
Second Class Postage Paid at Detroit, Michigan

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor and Publisher

SIDNEY SHMARAK

CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ

Advertising Manager

Business Manager

CHARLOTTE HYAMS

City Editor

Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the eleventh day of Heshvan, 5725, the following scriptural selections
will he read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion: Gen. 12:1-17:27; Prophetical portion: Isaiah 40:27-41:16.

Licht benshen, Friday, October 16, 5:31 p.m.

VOL. XLVI, No. 8

Page 4

October 16, 1964

The Electorate's Responsibilities on Nov. 3

-74

The remaining 17 days before the crucial will rue the day on which we were too com-
national election place a serious responsibility placent about the choice of men who are
upon every qualified voter. without bias.
Let us not overlook the importance of the
While the emphasis inevitably is on the
candidacies of men like Judge Benjamin Bur-
Presidential race, a duty devolves upon the
electorate to become acquainted with the dick, who should be retained in our Circuit j
Court; of Charles Gershenson, who has shown
other candidacies.
great devotion to duty as a member of Wayne
Judgeships are to be filled, members of
the board of governors of Wayne State Uni- State University's board of governors and who
has earned sufficient confidence to be re-1
verSity are to be selected, we are to Make our
tained in that post; of Abraham L. Zwerd-
choices for the boards of education, locally
ling, who is so well qualified for member- 1
and statewide.
ship on the Detroit Board of Education.
There must be no blackout on information
Many young men have entered the poli -
regarding the urgent obligations for us to
tical arena and are candidates for legislative
be fully informed about the campaign issues
positions. Their qualifications should be
and the candidates.
Books by Two Presidents
If we should so narrow our interests that
have the ablest men represent us in Washing-
we will be concerned only with the major
ton and in Lansing.
task of defeating the right wingers nationally..
We are challenged politically. We believe
without giving consideration to the important
people will reject the ex-;
that the Ameican
r
obligations on the home front, we will be tremism of hatred and bigotry propagated by of LPJ in Newly Published Books
contributing towards the type of indifference
immoderate groups. We hope there will be
Two especially timely books. by the former and present Presidents
that aids a community's decline.
serious consideration for the candidates who - of the United States, undoubtedly will receive serious attention during
are seeking vital roles in legislative and edu
We must concern ourselves with the city
the current political campaign.
cational fields. Let there be the wisest choices
government, and if we do not prevent the
One is valuable because it outlines the in-
when we go to the polls on Nov. 3.
cumbent's views on major issues. It is Lyndon
injection of bigotry in the city council we

JFK View on Imm igrat i on, Credo

•

.

Timely Expose of Danger on the Right

A.

An examination of the right wing move - .
ments in this country, offered in a new Ran-
dom House book, "Danger on the Right,"
bv Arnold Forster and Benjamin R. Epstein,
officials of the Anti-Defamation League of
Snai Brith. reveals that the bigots' activities
are growing, that they are spending large
sums of money to spread their venom and
the dangers from their quarters present a
real menace to this country.
The authors of this expose show that while
Robert Welch, the founder and leader of the
John Birch Society, is not himself an anti-
iite that anti-Semitism is not a part
of the program he has enunciated for his
society, Birch members have resorted to anti-
Semitism in many of the activities and their
injection of hatred against the .Jews has domi-
nated many of their meetings.
As part of the right-wing efforts to spread
the germs of hate, some of America's biggest
stores — including Walgreen Co., Kresge's,
Sears Roebuck, Woolworth's — purportedly
were intimidated to yield under Birchites'
pressures to stop buying goods from East
European countries. The AM, leaders ex-

I

..

tween our own citizens, but also between

A merica and the world community."

The other. "A Nation of Immigrants," by

John F. Kennedy. with an introduction by Robert
plain how Birch members walk into stores
F. Kennedy, published by Harper. deals with an
issue that finds the two candidates for the Pres-
they brand as "offending" and tuck secretly
idency divided. Johnson favors the elimination
printed cards on shelves, under merchandise, '
of the discriminatory elements of the existing
reading: "Always Buy Your Communist Pro-
immigration law. while Rep. William Miller,
ducts at . . .•', supplying the name of the local
speaking for the Republicans as the vice pres-
store in the hate-inviting leaflets.
idential candidate, is anti-immigration.
It will readily be recognized how such
It is as "President of all the people" that
tactics can inspire fear. with what efficiency
LBJ Lyndon B. Johnson offers his views in his
the spreaders of venom can create suspicions "Hope for America," outlining his faith and vision.
and introduce boycotts against innocent
Di , cussing the many issues that face him as President. Johnson
storekeepers who are thoroughly unaware refers to the Civil Rights Act as a challenge of justice. The war on
of
of what happens to them until the injected poverty, the movement "Toward the Great Society." the. nature
the Communist threat, the necessity for strength and the quest for
hate leaflets are called to their attention.
peace are among the subjects on which the President
These and many other methods resorted , places
emphasis in his book. A group of photographs
to by unscrupulous members of the lunatic showing the President in action is included in this
wing are certain to instill hatreds, to create p paperback
aperback .
and suspicions, to divide our popula - '
The late President Kennedy's "A Nation of
Immigrants" is a powerful reaffirmation of the
tion.
Is it any wonder that so many are con - , liberal view in favor of the changes proposed to
amend the unjust McCarran-Walter Act. Kennedy
cerned over the new political developments i strongly supported the move for the liberalization
and that the Republican standard bearers : ; of the existing law, and the posthumously pub-
have become objects of suspicion lest their lished book contains the complete text of his
July 23, 1963 Proposals to Liberalize Immigration
JFK
triumph at the polls should encourage the Statues.
There
are
selected
comments
on
that
message
to
Congress.
and
element that seems to have taken control of
among those quoted in praise of the Kennedy statement is Sen. Philip
their party?
.
Hart of Michigan.
I A.
illustrate the sufferings is enriched by Many photographs which
'
erings that need to be alleviated and which em-
phasize the
importance of assuring justice for newcomers as well as
Kennedy
in this land.
Communities which have become affected for those who seek haven
In more than one sense. the Kennedy book is a history of the
by prolonged strikes that have shut down immigration
movements to this country. It begins by recalling the
newspapers must wonder, upon reading this statement of the French aristocrat, Alexis de Tocqueville, on his
statement, what might happen to our Dem- arrival in New York May 11, 1831, that America was a society of
ocracy—in the capitalized form used by the immigrants, and the late President asserted that we are "a nation
President—when our people are deprived of of nations." Kennedy then proceeded to explain why immigrants
post-
the instruments which must serve as the came. He outlined immigration waves, the pre-revolutionary and
revolutionary forces and the contributions that have been made to
guardians of our country's ideals.
this country by immigrants.
How will it be possible to "expand our
Kennedy recalled the role that was played by Haym Salomon
horizons of knowledge" if these instruments in the Revolutionary war. While he did not devote a special section
are to be weakened, if their circulation is to to the Jews. he wrote about the "immense contributions to thought"
cease, if their functions are to be interfered by Jewish immigrants.
It is in his outline of America's immigration policies, in his review
with?
of the historical trends and of the changes that were made, that
The President's message has much rele- Kennedy served a special purpose with his book, leading up to his
vance to the Jewish press. The Yiddish news- proposals for liberaliiation of the unfair provisions.
A vital chronology of immigration, from 1007 to date, suggested
papers have for many decades fulfilled the
this an outstanding work to
task of deepening "our understanding of both reading, impressive illustrations, by make
the late President
be listed among the best written
domestic and foreign affairs." Now that Kennedy.
role is shared in greatest measure by the
In his introduction, Robert F. Kennedy recalls his
English-Jewish perioditals whose status is brother's interest in immigration problems and con-
perfectly described in President Johnson's cludes: "In this book, President Kennedy tells us what
immigrants have done for America, and what America
message.
has done for its immigrants. It is one of the diarnatic
Newspaper Week serves to call attention success stories of world history. I am very happy that
to this important role of assuring "our consti- this book is being reissued now, so it can stand as a
tutional freedoms." The President's message testament to a cause President Kennedy cherished, R. F.iennedy
and which we should carry on."
must not fall on deaf ears.

Newspapers' Rote in Preserving Our Democracy

In his . message "to the newspapers of
America," on the occasion of annual News-
paper Week, currently being observed, Presi-
dent Johnson expressed confidence that "our
press will sustain and enhance its indispens-
able role in the life of our Democracy." He
stated in his message:
"National Newspaper Week affords a wel-
come opportunity to salute America's free
..nress and to applaud its vital and essential
!unction in the daily life of our democratic
society.
"The right to know is the natural pre-
rogative of every American citizen and forms
ci continuous thread in the development of
our constitutional freedoms. Newspapers
have throughout the years contributed sig-
nificantly to the preservation and propaga-
tion of this cherished right. As spokesmen
for the ideals - which emanate from our rich
heritage, they expand our horizons of knowl-
edge and deepen our understanding of both
domestic and foreign affairs.
"In serving as guardians of these ideals,
our newspapers fortify the ties 'not only be-

B. Johnson's "My Hope for America," published
as a paperback by Random House.

