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

DAWN/

BY HENRY LEONARD

Association.
Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 48235 Mich.,
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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor and Publisher

SIDNEY SHMARAK

CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ

Advertising Manager

Business Manager

CHARLOTTE HYAMS

City Editor

Sabbath Scriptural Selections

This Sabbath, the seventh clay of Tevet, 5725, the following scriptural selections
.
will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuch& portion: Gen. 44:18-47:27; prophetical portion: Ezekiel 37:15-28;

Licht benshen, Friday, December 11, 4:43 p.m.

VOL. XLVI. No. 16

Page 4

December 11, 1964

World Zionist Congress Objectives

When the delegates from many lands as- fact, our external situation is better than per-
semble at the 26th Zionist Congress, in Jeru- haps at any time in our history. But on the
salem, the end of this month, • they will
front, the danger has become in-
. be internal
comparably more acute. Nations go to ruin
faced by many problems, chief among w
when they lose the will to remain a nation.
will be the setting of new goals for the move-
We are living in a period when the internal
ment that laid the foundation for the Jew-
front of the Jewish People is growing daily
ish State.
weaker.
Zionist Congresses, since the convening
"That is why I say that it is a deadly il-
of the first international gathering in Basle,
lusion to think that the aim of Zionism,
Switzerland, by Dr. Theodor Herzl, 'in 1897,
which is to secure Jewish existence through
tackled serious problems and faced many
the creation of the State, has already been
vital issues. The stubbornness and determina-
more or less achieved. Psychologically we can
tion of Zionist leaders had conquered many
understand the enthusiasm over the ma-
crises, some of which threatened the very
terialization of the unexpected miracle of
existence of the movement which at the out-
the establishment of a Jewish State, but with
set aimed for "a legally secured, publicly
the 'passing of the years we have come to
assured home for the Jewish people in Pales-
realize how unfounded this illusion is.
tine."
"And that is why I believe that the psy-
Then came Statehood, and with it devel-
chological atmosphere for a new beginning
oped a new kind of skepticism — one that
for Zionism is much improved. Orgagizations
questioned the need for the very movement
in America whose sole program had been to
that had established the foundation for State-
fight anti-Semitism and to conduct relief work,
hood.
support old-age _homes, hospitals and welfare
Thus, there was an era of pessimism.
funds, are now finding an entirely new ori-
Now, after 16 years of Israel's statehood,
entation. They are beginning to realize that
Zionists meet again, and there is a new note
a Jewish future cannot be secured through
of optimism that from Jerusalem there will
Jewish hospitals and orphanges but only
come, at the beginning of 1965, a new era for
through Jewish schools. This is a revolu-
Jewish life and Jewish hopes and aspirations.
tionary process in American Jewry."
a a
There is no doubt that the points ad-
Perhaps the very problem relating to our
vanced by Dr. Goldmann are indisputable.
youth inspires the new feeling that out of
How is the problem to be faced, and what are
Zion will come new motivations for Jewish
the tools wherewith to tackle it? Dr. Gold-
action at the Jerusalem World Zionist Con-
mann's views have much merit when he
gress sessions.
declares: .
The reality of Israel may have created
"I believe that the psychological atmos
apathy. It may be responsible for the com-
phere around the Zionist Movement today is
placency in Jewish ranks that results from
good and may even improve in the future
the feeling that the major goal of the People
provided we can make use of the situation
Israel has been attained and that there no
to start a new chapter in our history. And
longer is any need for a Disapora movement
there is no Jewish Movement which by its
in defense of Israel's position.
ideology and historical record is as capable of
The period of indifference towards Zion-
carrying' out the decisive task of the present
ism may have passed because there has be-
generation—to make use of the Jewish State
come evident a desire in Zionist ranks to re-
as a means of securing the future of the
vert to educational efforts, especially in deal-
Jewish neonle throughout the world — as is
senti-
new
ing with youth, and because of the
the Zionist Movement. 'What other movement
ment that has emerged in Israel proper in
realizes as we do that the dangers threaten-
support of Diaspora Zionism.
ina our f u to re cannot be overcome without
Thus, Dr. 'Nahum Goldmann. the presi-
the
instrument of the State? That is why the
dent of the World Zionist Organization, now
Zionist Movement must launch a new of-
entertains the feeling that there is a unified
fensivp in Jewish life.
desire in Jewry to dispel the illusion about
"Zionists must be prepared to start a new
the realization of Zionist aims and at the
spiritual offensive among the Jews who are
same time "to dispel the illuision that the fu-
far from being Zionists — one can be an
ture of the Jewish people in the world is
ardent friend of Israel and yet be far from
secure."
accepting the Zionist prognosis, the concept
It is the latter aspect of need for world-
that the center of Jewish life and history is
wide action by Jewry to strengthen Jewish
and must continue to be the existence of the
cohesiveness and to increase the spiritual
State, and that Jews, individually and collec-
and cultural unity of our people that needs
tively, must increasingly bind themselves to :
enecial attention .
the State. The majority of the Jewish People
* * *
are still far from accepting this and it has
Dr. Goldmann, in a pre-Congress state-
been one of the great illusions of people in
ment, explained that Zionism "desired to
Israel to believe that the whole Jewish People
solve the Jewish problem by securing the
further existence of the Jewish People and is more or less Zionist, even though they do
it wanted to do this by means of a sovereign not belong , to the Zionist Movement.
Jewish state." He then pointed out that these "We must be prepared to emerge once
aims are far from obtained because the State more with the Zionist concept of the solutior
a
is not yet secure and because there remains of the Jewish problem, and we now have
the problem of assuring Jewry's existence. climate more favorable than we have had for

Regarding the latter, Dr. Goldmann believes: the last 15 years, to start a new and construe-

-

'I do not have the slightest doubt that tive chanter in the history of our movement."
While this sounds like an internal party
compare the situation of the Jewish
matter, it is much more vital than that. While
People in the year 1897, when Herzl con-
vened the first Zionist Congress in Basle, it is an appeal to the Zionist movement, it
with that in 1964, the situation today is far also is a challenge to all Jews — for action
more dangerous, from the point of view of and dedication to an effort to provide the
Jewish continuity and the security of our security that is so necessary for our existence
existence. What was called the Jewish prob o as a spiritual and cultural entity.
The test will emerge in Jerusalem, at the
lem 67 years ago and what induced Herzl to
conceive of the Jewish State, consisted of World Zionist Congress sessions. If the delib-
external dangers: anti-Semitism, pogroms, erations in which world leaders will partici-
hunger, oppression and emigration. Today pate will bring the desired result of enroling
these are no longer considered major the participation of all Jews in the self-
dangers. We are not threatened by anti liberation movement, Dr. Goldmann's opti-
Semitism: Jews no longer suffer famine. In mism will be affirmed.

when I

-

-

"Hurry up and hop on, Sam, or
we'll be late for Mincha!"

Copr. 1964, Dayenu Productions

Rabbi Gershon Hadas Writes
New Translation of Psalms

the Hebrew
In an effort "to provide an honest reflection of
rather than a word by word translation," Rabbi Gershon Hadas of
Kansas City has produced a new translation, "The Book of Psalms
for the Modern Reader." It has just been published by Jonathan
David (131 E. 23rd, NY10).
He has, indeed. simplified the translation. He explains that in
a desire to continue to read Psalms with his congregation on Saturday
afternoons he concluded that to continue the tradition he must resort
to translations apd that they must be "intelligible as well as honest"
In producing his own translation he states that he had to "take
some privileges with the original," that he "had to make the number
to transpose
of the tense fit the rest of the verse or the chapter . •
lines on occasion. He explains:
offer insurmountable
"Where individual words or phrases

difficulties to the translator, I selected from among the Hebrew
commentators that meaning which seemed to me most acceptable
to a contemporary reader."

producing an

The best way to judge the new translation is by
of the Psalms:
example. Here is how he treats one of the best known

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want:
He makes me lie down in green pastures:
He leads me beside the still waters.
He guides me on the path of righteousness:
He revives my soul for the sake of His glary.
Though I walk in the valley of darkness,
I fear no harm, for You are beside me.
.
Your staff and Your rod they comfort me . .
how
There is enough .evidence in these three, stanzas to indicate
Rabbi Hadas has pursued his task of simplification. It will be inter-
esting to see how the forthcoming Jewish Publication Society will
whether the JPS translators will resort to
treat these Psalms and
oversimplification
as
"I fear no harm."
such
Yet, the new approach is interesting, it does not deviate from
text except for the mild diversifications indicated by the translator.
A prefatory essay by Rabbi Hadas makes interesting comment on
the value of the Psalms in synagogue services and as reading material
for traditional Psalm Circles. There are. accompanying commendations
Van Doren and Rabbi Theodore
for Rabbi Hadas's efforts from Mark
Friedman, president of the Rabbinical Assembly.

Felix Frankfurter's Essays , Mass
Media Volume, i n Paperbacks

in paperbacks by Beacon
important volumes have been issued

Press.
Tw
. o
"The Public
Originally published by Yale University Press in 1930,
S. Supreme Court Justice Felix

and Its Government", by former U.
Frankfurter, now is made available to a larger public in -a popularly-
priced edition.
The essays, texts of a series of lectures
delivered by Mr. Justice Frankfurter, are on
the subjects "The Demands of Modern Society
Upon Government," "Does Law Obstruct Gov-
ernment?", "Public Services and the Public"
and "Expert Administration and Democracy."
- The other paperback just issued by Bea-
con Press is "Culture for Millions? Mass Me-
dia in Modern Society," edited by Norman
Jacobs. It has an introduction by Paul F. La-
zarsfeld and contributing writers are:
Hannah Arendt, Leo Rosten, Oscar Han-
dlin, Ernest van den Haag, Edward Shils,
Frank Stanton, James Johnson Sweeney, Ran-
dall Jarrell, Arthur Berger, James Baldwin,
Stanley Edgar Human, H. Stuart Hughes, and
Arthur Schlesinger.
Major issues related to the communica-
Frankfurter
tions media and the problems emerging from
re-
them are discussed by the participants in this volume, and the
produced panel discussions add to the merit of the debated issues.

