Epigrammatically, Lewis Browne
based the title for one of his books
on the saying .

How Odd of God
to Choose
the Jews . . .

It's Not
Odd,,
the Jews
Chose God

A bit later
Prof. Leon
Roth punned .

S ip

In their punning the Jews created

a religion that spells freedom,

even for atheists . .. The story of

a `Dabar-Aher' in Purely Commen-

tary column on Page

Tribute to
Leadership of
Louis Berry

Zionism's

New Aims as
Challenges to
Jewry at
World Congress

f=1

Roc kwe I I's

Disguises and
His 'Tough
Young Men'

-1- 1=;2C)t —r

A Weekly Review

Editorial
Page 4 •

of Jewish Events

Commentary
Page 2

Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper—Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle

Vol. XLVI, No. 16

2.

ignt iVidn st:e op

17100 W. 7-Mile Rd.---Detroit, Mich.,

48235—VE 8-9365—Dec. 11,

19.64--$6.00 Per Year; Single Copy 20c

Bnai Brith Will Rejoin. NCRAC;
Ends Community Relations Rift

Max M. Fisher to Assume
UJA Leadership Sunday

At the concluding session of the 27th annual
national conference of the United Jewish Appeal,
Sunday, at the New York Hilton Hotel, Max M.
Fisher, distinguished Detroit Jewish leader, will
assume the general chairmanship of the UJA.
The Jewish News will dedicate its issue next
week to Fisher. It will carry congratulatory messages
from the leading national and local leaders.
Initial tributes to Fisher are contained in
the "Between You and Me" column by Boris Smolar
in this issue.
The largest Detroit delegation ever to attend
a national conference is in attendance at the sessions
to greet Fisher and to inaugurate the 1965 Allied
Jewish Campaign. A specially chartered plane took
100 Detroiters to New York for the sessions and for
a formal dinner in Fisher's honor.

,

WASHINGTON (JTA)—Bnai Brith took formal action toward closing a 12-year breach in
Jewish community relations activities, through reaffiliation with the National Community Rela-
tions Advisory Council. The Bnai Brith board of Ggovernors adopted a proposal to reaffiliate with
NCRAC, a coordinating body of national and local Jewish groups engaged in combating anti-Semi-
tism and religious and racial discrimination.
Label A. Katz, president of Bnai Brith, said his organization's stand is conditional, requir-
ing similar approval by the national commisson of the Anti-Defamation League, its community
relations arm. The ADL commission, whose executive committee has already recommended ap-
proval, meets in February.

The move to reaffiliate came after two years of discussions and negotiations between a
joint Bnai Brith-ADL committee and NCRAC representatives. The negotiators ironed out the
differences which had caused Bnai Brith and the American Jewish Committee, then the two
largest constituents of NCRAC, to resign from that body in 1952.
The differences grew out of a study by sociologist Robert I. Mactver who proposed a divi-
sion of activities and responsibilities among Jewish community relations organizations. A major
controversy erupted in the Jewish community. When a majority of NCRAC affiliates—these now
number six national agencies and 74 local community relations councils—voted to implement the
Maclver report, Bnai Brith claimed that the status of NCRAC had been altered from that of
an advisory "roof organization" to a functional agency.
Katz said that Bnai Brith's decision to rejoin NCRAC "on the basis of mutually
agreed terms which provide for a coordinative process that respects voluntarism and the integ-

Continued on Page 5

Expose: 'Tragic Lie—Evilly Wrought on an Innocent People'

Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus by Romans

Proof, gathered from the Four Gospels, that Jesus was tried - as a political offender by Pilate; that
crucifixion was a Roman, not a Jewish, penalty; that the religious Sanhedrin had nothing to do with the
trials of Jesus"; that hostility in the Fourth Gospel, John, is directed not merely toward the Pharisees
but against the Jews as a whole, is included in this article—the fourth installment of the condensation
of Prof. Solomon Zeitlin's Who Crucified Jesus?" The Jews, under Roman law, were crushed and held
as hostages. The attempt to absolve Pilate of guilt is a distortion of truth since "the Apostolic fathers
never accused the Jews of the crucifixion of , Jesus." Ignatius and Tacitus confirmed that Pilate put
Jesus to death, These are some of the historic facts in this article.

The Trial and the Crucifixion

It was only natural that the narrative of the Passion, as the story of
the death of Jesus has come to be called, should have seized tremendous
hold on the Christian imagination; indeed, many Christian scholars believe
it was the first part of the Gospels to be committed to writing. For the
trial and crucifixion of Jesus was the culmination and denouement of the
whole dramatic struggle that gave birth to a new faith for mankind. This
new faith wielded great influence not only ern the life of its Christian
devotees, but molded the whole course of human civilization.
The Passion narrative is recorded in the four Gospels. As men
tioned previously, there is fundamental discrepancy between the first
three Gospels and the fourth Gospel in so crucial a matter as the date
of Jesus' crucifixion. It is not to be wondered at, then, that in the
story of the trial and crucifixion the Synotic Gospels are themselves
replete with inconsistencies and obscurites. They are not even n
accord in their portrayal of the events which took place from the time
of the arrest of Jesus to his crucifixion.
As we attempt the historical reconstruction.of the trial and crucifixion
of Jesus, in the light of our preceding research, we must, first of all divest
our facts of their theological accent and so far as possible, lay strong
hold on the realities as we can discover them.
On the night of Passover, while Jesus was eating the Paschal meal,
the Last Supper, he was arrested. His arrest was made possible through
an act of betrayal. Judas, one of his twelve disciples, betrayed him. Judas
came, with a cohort and a multitude of men from the high priests and
the elders. Judas kissed Jesus. That was the sign given to the cohort that
this man should be taken into custody.
Jesus showed indignation at the time of his arrest. "Be ye come out
as against a lestes? (robber)?" he asked. Jesus was offended not because
he was arrested, but because they came against him armed with swords.
Jesus objected because they took him to be one of the followers of: the
Fourth Philosophy, who sought to effect their ideas by force. Jesus, on
the gontrary, preached submission and even love toward the enemy.
Jesus was then led into the house of the high priest, who, as we know,

By PROF. SOLOMON

ZEITLIN

Here is the meat of Prof. Solomon Zeitlin's
book "Who Crucified Jesus?" He dissects
the versions of the trial and crucifixion in the
Four Gospels, reconstructs one unified ex-
position. and explains why the Jews did not
crucify Jesus. Publication of these excerpts
from the noted scholar's book is through
courtesy of the author and his publishers,
Bloch Publishing Co. Condensation is by
Ruth L. Cassel.

was the political representative of the Jewish. people for the Roman
authorities. In his house, the high priest, the elders, the scribes and the

entire Sanhedrin were assembled. \
This was undoubtedly the political Sanhedrin and consisted of
men who were called together by the high priest to determine the guilt
of the accused. They were in turn merely the "rubber stamps" of the
high priest. This assembly sought out witnesses against Jesus, but
found none. Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, did not follow him to the
house of the high priest.
The high priest asked Jesus "Are you the Messiah Christ, the Son of
the Blessed (Son of God)?" To this Jesus replied, "I am, and ye shall
see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of Power (God)." When the
high priest heard the words of Jesus, he tore his clothes and said that
there was no need for witnesses, since he had heard with his own ears
abusive language against God. Thereupon the entire assembly th - ought
such a man was liable to the death penalty.
On the morrow morning, according to Mark and Matthew, the high
priest and the elders and the scribes and all the Sanhedrin held a council
and they delivered Jesus to Pilate. Luke, hoWever, records only 'one
session of the Sanhedrin, that of the morning. Apparently there had to be
one continuous session the whole night after Jesus' arrest, since they
could not bring Jesus before Pilate in the middle of the night, and they
had to wait for morning.
In establishing that the Sanhedrin which was assembled in the house
of Caiaphas (the high priest) was not a religious Sanhedrin: but was a
political Sanhedrin, we remove automatically all the apparent discrepancies
and illegalities in connection with the trial of Jesus. Note that the first
query put to Jesus by Pilate was whether hd was the "King of the Jews."
To this Jesus answered, "Thou sayest." This laconic answer was evasive.
He neither denied nor affirmed this accusation against him. -Luke adds
that when Jesus was brought before Pilate, the Jews accused him of
forbidding them to pay tribute to Caesar, "saying that he himself is Christ
(Messiah) a King." To this Pilate inquired whether he was truly the
"King of Jews." Thus, it is quite clear that Jesus was arrested and brought

,

Continued on Page 40

