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 Association. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 48235 Mich., VE 8-9364. Subheription $6 a year. Foreign $7. 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 fourteenth day of Tevet, 5725. the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentatenchal portion: Gem 47:28-50:26: Prophetical portion: I Kings 2:1-12. Licht benshen, Friday, December 18, 4:45 p.m. VOL. XLVI. No. 17 Page 4 December 18, 1964 Greetings to Our Christian Neignoors When Hanukah coincides with Christmas, there is a feeling in the Jewish community that the children have a "substitute" for the spirited celebration of the current season. It is on such occasions that Jews and Christians have gotten together jointly to mark the sea- son of the year during which the Maccabean festival is observed simultaneously with the most sacred Christian festival. It is not a most desirable way of cementing good will—since brotherhood must be a year-round practice based on merit rather than through the in- jection of religious ideas that are based on marked differences. This Year, however, the early occurrence of Hanukah obviated such a fusion of spirit in the community, and in some homes—and cer- tainly in the public schools—the Christmas spirit again may serve as a challenge to our children as they witness the decorative spirit of the holiday. It is on such an occasion that Jews often are told that Christmas has become a univer- sal holiday, that the tree is in reality a pagan symbol and should not be resented. Such claims develop. in the long run. into tempta- tions to Jews, and especially to the children who are impressed by the glamour of the fes- tival, to imitate their non-Jewish neighbors. While there is a lessening of Jewish resort to the introduction of the Christmas trees into Jewish homes, the temptation to imitate ex- ists, and it is well that the communities of Jews should be prepared practically to face the challenge they must meet to offset the threats to Jewish individuality and loyalty to our faith. Jews everywhere greet their Christian friends heartily on Christmas and exchange civil. New Year areetings with them on• the week following it. This is the good will of one faith to another in a spirit of amity that must dominate in the American setting. But the adoption of Christian ceremonials and the introduction of non-Jewish religious symbols into our homes must be prevented. else we will be permitting the injection into the Jewish household of strange customs that may eventually lead to the. abandonment of JewiShness. The claim in support of the Christmas tree that it is of pagan origin cannot be tolerated. We do not practice paganism, and this very pagan idea has now become inseparably linked with Christianity. Except for those who are dedicated to the task of. proselytizing. no sincere people would ask us to abandon our customs for theirs. It is not expected from us, just as we do not expect Christians to abandon their trees for our menorahs. . What we need in this season of the year is self-respect that should lead to mutual un- derstanding and respect one for another. This is the principle involved in the cultural and spiritual pluralism of America. It is in the spirit of expecting our people to remain faithful to their own practices and their own heritage, while believing that those of other faiths do likewise in their loyalty to their own beliefs. that we wish the.Cbristian community the Season's Greetings. Danger of Return of Former Nazis Lord Bertrand Russell's warning that, un- less the statute of limitations on the prosecu- tion of former Hitlerites is extended, Nazis will return to political activity. came simul- taneously with the urgent appeal to the Bonn government by the World Jewish Congress, strengthening the eminent British philosoph- er's plea for action against the war criminals. The American Jewish appeal, made in be- half of 300,000 constituents of 13 organiza- tions affiliated with the World Jewish Con- gress, has the endorsement of nearly all other Jewish movements which have become fully cognizant of an impending danger lest the statute of limitations should be enforced. The West German government had re- fused to extend the statute of limitations. In its pleas for the rescinding of that decision. the World Jewish Congress pleaded: "It seems a tragic incongruity that, as millions will memorialize the 20th anni- versary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps in the spring of 1965, simultaneous- ly those Nazi criminals, who have so far evaded their just punishment, will be able to appear in public. scornful of the sur- vivors and of a world still bearing the scars inflicted by Hitlerism. "Mindful of past efforts to bring to justice all German nationals accused of crimes against humanity, we urge the gov- ernment of West Germany to take all necessary legislative and administrative measures, including extension of the sta- tute of limitations, in good time to ensure that justice shall not be evaded in the fu- ture. "The American Section of the World Jewish Congress is also perturbed by the assistance being rendered Nasser-Egypt by German scientists in the development of the deadly weapons avowedly designed for the destruction of Israel, where hun- dreds of thousands of Nazi victims have found a new home and new hopes. No Ger- man national should be permitted to co- operate in building a deadly force which is committed to the furtherance of Hitler's diabolic anti-Jewish program. We urge the German Federal Republic to take such ac- tion as is necessary to bring to an immedi- ate end this indefensible activity on the part of some of its citizens." Two major issues are involved here: the danger of the return of former Nazis out of their hiding into active political life, and the aid that has been given Egypt in its destruc- tive aims against Israel by German scientists. Both are nefarious: both represent the conti- nuation of the wickedness of a generation of Germans. many of whom retain their poison- ous attitudes towards Jewry. Perhaps the appeals from men like Lord Russell and from major Jewish movements will bring results. But the issues at hand in- volve much more than yielding to the ex- pressed appeals: they are a test of the sincer- ity of the West German government. If the present Germany is sincere in its assertions that it deplores Nazism and will not condone its revival, then it must help uproot every vestige of Hitlerism. Otherwise it will be viewed as a mere perpetuation of the ghastly era that marked the destruction of many mil- lions of innocents in many lands. JDC's Alumni As has already been indicated editorially in these columns. the Joint Distribution Corn- mittee's 50th anniversary is a landmark in world international efforts. Jewish relief efforts, especially the generosity of American Jewry. served as encouragement and inspira- tion to other faiths to sponsor life-saving activities among the world's dispossessed and disfranchised. JDC's observance of its 50th anniversary at the annual United Jewish Appeal confer- ence especially emphasized the role of the "JDC Alumni"—the group of dedicated men and women who had labored—some still are laboring—in the humanitarian cause. It is to this group that we now add an extra word of commendation for a job well done. Jewish-Arab Contacts Through Ages Reviewed by Prof. Goitein An impressive history of the relations between Arabs and Jews, written by Prof. Shlomo D. Goitein, chairman of the School of Oriental Studies in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem provides material for a basic understanding of the cultural developments in the Middle Fas t. Dr. Goitein's "Jews and Arabs --- Their Contacts Through the Ages," re- issued as a paperback by Shocken Books (67 Park, NY 16), contains the data necessary for an understanding of the relationship between the two peoples. Especially now, in view of the Arab- i Israel conflict. this volume again attracts attention and serves as a guide towards better understanding between the two related groups. Dr. Goitein's work is an historical analysis of the Jewish and Arab co- operative efforts. Reviewing the history of the Jews who lived in Arab countries, it traces the legal position of the Jews under Arabic Islam and describes the economic transformations. It deals at length also with the cultural development of the Jews when they lived among Dr. Goitein the Moslems. Then there is a review of the new confrontation—the conflicts that arose since the emergence of Israel. Dr. Goitein points to two coinciding revivals in cultural efforts among the two peoples. He states "The Jewish people underwent a deep social and cultural rebirth, before it achieved its political independence; to the Arab countries the first half of the twentieth century brought nationhood and political autonomy; however, their social integration has still to come. There is little doubt that these future social changes — whether achieved by planned reforms or by violent upheavals — will not fad to bring about new ventures also in Arabic letters." Thus we have an optimistic view of the future in a volume that traces the great cultural attainments of both Jews and Arabs. Cohen's 'Natural Supernatural Jew' Available in Paperback Arthur A. Cohen's The Natural and the Supernatural Jew," first published in 1962 by Pantheon Books, has been issued as a paperback by McGraw-Hill Book Co. (330 W. 32nd, NY 36). Many of the issues raised in this work created controversies when Cohen's work first appeared. The author maintains that the natural and supernatural Jew are joined in every Jew." His contention is "The supernatural Jew may occasionally forget that he is also flesh and blood; he may detach himself from the world and disengage himself from history that he may oursue a path of self-denial and private illumination. Such a Jew is as much in error as is the natural Jew who forgets what links him to eternity. The natural jew, enmeshed in the historical, cannot help but despair; destiny disappears for him and only the hard and implacable fatality of life remains. The despair of the historical is but the consequence of fate obliterating destiny; while the ecstasy of the mystic, no less an example of fate, is centered exclusively upon the actuality of God, indifferent to his involvement in the contingent and dangerous' war of history." The World of Poetry A Review by BORIS SMOLAR A private edition of a book of poetry by Herbert J. Seligmann, former Washington correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, appeared under the title In Memory of Lilias" . . . It contains selec- tions from his previous three books plus a number of new poems—all representing the spirit of a person highly sensitive to his surroundings ... The new book puts the reader in a mood of meditation and transfers him into a world of beauty in, expression and in thinking . . . One would never suspect that Seligmann the , poet is the same Seligrnann who, as Washitigton correspondent, was preoccupied primarily with mat- ters of political nature . . . The private edition of his book, printed in 200 copies only should actually be republished in a regular edition ... Any American publishing firm would thereby do a service to lovers of poetry, since the book would definitely attract their interest . . . The volume is a dedication by Mr. Seligmann to his late wife, Lajas, who died last August in New York. . I