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
Issociation.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 48235 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
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Business Manager
Advertising Manager
CHARLOTTE KYAMS
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the eighth day of Nisan, the following scriptural selections will
be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion: Levit. 14:1-15:33; Prophetical portion: Malachi 3:4-24.
Licht benshen, Friday, April 9, 6:48 p.m.
VOL. XLVII. No. '7
Page 4
April 9, 1965
The Williams-Javits Anti-Boycott Bill
A measure introduced in the U. S. Senate
There are many courageous establishments
by Senators Harrison Williams of New Jer- that have defied the Arab trends. The Hilton
sey and Jacob Javits of New York has for its hotel chain, the Sheraton group and others
objective the protection of American indus- have informed the Arabs that they will not
tries against blackmail from abroad.
yield to threats. But there are others that
While it is intended to put an end to the need protection. That's what the Williams-
anti-Jewish acts of the Arabs who are out to Javits bill intends to attain. It's unfortunate
destroy firms that do business with Israel,
that the State Department has seen fit to op-
the basic principle involved is the avoidance pose this measure.
of terror in commercial fields and the pre-
Our representatives in Congress should be
vention of resort to threats to any one who urged to support the measure. Senator Hart
has legitimate dealings with friendly nations. is one of the co-sponsors of the -bill. He
Arab League representatives have resorted should be commended for refusing to yield
to outrageous methods of threatening those - to unnecessary pressures against the pro-
who have business relations with the Israelis. posal.
Israel's Museum and Billy Rose's Gift
When the Jewish Museum, the great ar-
tistic product of Israel, will be opened offic-
ially on May 11 in Jerusalem, it will be able
to boast of a great possession: the 105 sculp-
tural works, said to be worth in excess of a
million dollars, that have been shipped to the
impressive museum as the gift of Billy Rose.
Israel's strength lies not only in her man-
power, in her well trained army, but more
especially in her desire to elevate the arts,
to place emphasis on culture, to aspire to the
highest values in literature, science and the
arts.
Thus, while the Arabs are waging war
on the minute Israeli state, the Israelis are
advancing culture, are establishing a great
museum, are elevating the people's spirit. It
is this that gives courage and strength to a
people.
Fortunately for Israel, the greatest of the
world's artistic minds recognize this value
in the small Jewish state. That is why the em-
inent violinst, Isaac Stern. serves as president
of the American-Israel Cultural Foundation.
That is why Billy Rose has decided to give
his prized sculptural treasures to Israel. He
has offered an interesting explanation for his
generosity.
Having started his collection 25 years
ago, Billy Rose pointed out that "about 200
of my friends see it in a year at my house.
Perhaps 20,000 people will see it on an average
Sunday in Jerusalem. I decided to give it to
Israel because it is hungrier for culture than
any other country in the world. I decided to
give it away while I' was alive. It doesn't take
much generosity to give things away when
you're dead. I'd rather do it now. rather than
have some thin-lipped banker give them away
later on."
There is a marvelous lesson in this for
many people of wealth who can share their
possessions with their fellow men while they
are alive.
Billy Rose is not only giving his own
prized possessions: he has set out to encour-
age others to present their val'iable paintings
and other art works to the new Israel Museum
— and he is succeeding.
Thus, while a great museum opens in
Israel, men of culture are sharing in provid-
ing it with great art works. To Billy Rose,
among others, goes the credit for assistance
in establishing the art center in Jerusalem.
Two Major Problems Affecting Israel
Israel Prime Minister Levi Eshkol's recog- in our opinion, on a worldwide scale) has
nition of the realities that mark the sad situ- never opposed UN assistance to the Arab
ation in the Middle East should alert the refugees, but we demand that such assistance
nations of the world to the dangers that exist not be used to establish an army whose de-
in that area. Admitting that peace is not Glared purpose is Israel's destruction."
in sight, Israel's head of state said during We concur in the views of the two Israel
his visit in London that "for peace, like love, spokesmen. Under existing conditions, Israel
you need two partners." Israel is willing, the should be given arms for self-defense, and
Arabs are resisting all peace offers.
Arab refugees who are on the alms list re-
It is a tragic condition, but if it is recog- ceiving mostly American charitable aid
nized, and if Israel is provided with means should not be permitted to organize an army
of overcoming the imbalance of power in that seems the destruction of another people
the Middle East there will be hope for the whose aim is peace but whose appeals for
continuation of the present state of an un- amity are being either ignored or rejected
certain but nevertheless lasting truce. outright.
Mr. Eshkol said he would welcome an
"all-embracing arms embargo," but since the
Arabs reject that, too, he defended Israel's
A basic obligation related to Passover is
need to be pToperly prepared against attacks
by stating that "Nasser is strong, and that to provide for the needs of the less fortunate.
While preparing for the sedorim, in the
gives us good reason not to be too far be-
course of making arrangements for sumptu-
hind."
It is a most regrettable situation. Instead ous holiday meals, an individual is obligated
of laboring for the advancement of human to remember that there is a tradition to think
needs, for the raising of the standards of the of those who do not have the means where-
Middle East's living conditions, all nations in with to secure the Passover necessities.
For that purpose, a Mo'os Hitim idea has
that area are spending most of their funds
for arms. Would that therecould be an end been incorporated through the ages.
It is the Passover fund for the needy who
to such a situation!
At the same time, there is the continuing must be supplied with matzoth, with wine for
problem of refugees who—in their camps— the Four Cups and other necessities.
The Kimha d'Paskha, the ancient flour
are mounting in numbers because of the
Arab refusal to repatriate them, to make for Passover appeal, now resolved into the
them productive and self-sustaining. Israel's Mo'os Hitim ideal, beckons to the more afflu-
Foreign Minister Golda Meir was justified ent to share a little of their means with the
in objecting to the recruiting of Arab refu- poor.
There have always been such needy in our
gees for the "Palestine Liberation Army"
midst. They are among us and we must pro-
which is being mobilized to destroy Israel.
Mrs. Meir reiterates what we have said vide for their welfare for the approaching
again and again, that "Israel (like Jewry, festival.
Mo'os Hitim Tradition
Pilgrimage Through Darkness
Donat's 'Holocaust Kingdom'
Tells Dramatic Story of Survival
Was there resistance to Nazism? Did Jews survive the holocaust
in dignity?
A memoir of Alexander Donat, "The Holocaust Kingdom," pub-
lished by Holt, Rinehart and Winston (383 Madison, NY 17), provides
proof of courage, of survival with honor, of assistance given a Jewish
family by non-Jews in a spirit of justice.
This is the true story of a Warsaw family, parents and a son,
who survived a number of concentration and death camps. It also
is the account of how a Polish woman, a Christian, Mrs. Maria Ma-
ginski, aided this family, risking her own security, sheltering the
5-year-old child who was turned over to her. She hid the boy in
her home, later took him to a Catholic orphanage. When the parents
survived the horrors of the war, they recovered the child, Wlodek
(William). In the chapter entitled "The Marrano and the Christian"
Mrs. Maginski gives her own account of her experience in protecting
the child.
The author's original name was Michal Berg. He, his wife and
son came to the United States in 1946. He is now in the printing
business in New York. His son has graduated from Colgate University
and now has a family of his own.
The parents' separation, their life in different death camps, in
Germany and in Poland, their reunion, form the dramatic portions of
this important work which serves as a valuable addition to the library
devoted to the experiences of Nazi victims.
The collective story about the parents and their son is, indeed,
a "pilgrimage through darkness." Lena Berg had gone through
Maidanek, Auschwitz, Ravensbruck. Michal. Berg had suffered at
Dachau, Auschwitz, Radom. Their son was subjected to a !earful
pressure from a proselytizing nun in the Catholic orphanage where
he found refuge until he was reunited with his mother and later also
with his father.
Lena had the horrifying experiences of seeing the most brutal of
all German doctors, Dr. Josef Mengele, in action as he introduced his
inhuman experiments upon the victims of Hitlerism. Both she and her
husband had occasion to witness the brutalities not only of the Germans
but the threats that stemmed also from Polish ranks. There were
Poles who aided the victims, and Maria Maginski and her friends
were among the noblest. But there also were the blackmailers who
extorted what they could from the Jews and subjected them to constant
fears of betrayal to the Nazis.
The pressures that were exerted upon Wlodek in the Catholic /
orphan home are among the most horrifying in the book. To get 1 " '-
consent to be baptized they injected him with fears, impaled him IA:.
every libel ever concocted against the Jews, including the ritual murder
lie, and he acquired a hatred for Jews. In a note inserted in the record
told by Alexander Donat in "The Holocaust Kingdom," Wlodek re-
veals: "Miss Krysia told me that Jews were very bad. They drank the
blood of Catholics on their holidays. They kill a young boy or girl,
suck out their blood and put it in jars. They add it to the dough
when they make their matzos. . . ."
This is just part of the story. The poison that was injected In
Wlodek sounds like an echo from the medieval ages. It took time and
patience for his mother to eradicate the hatred for Jews and the
injected prejudice from her young son.
Hundreds of eye-witness accounts have been written about the
Hitler era and the horrors in concentration camps. This one, by
Donat, must be ranked among the most deeply moving, arousing
the consciousness of mankind, causing people to recall what had
happened and then to remember the holocaust.
The author's approach to the tragic events that affected him, his
wife and son is humble. His style is clear, effective. The accuracy
of his narration and the supplementary material cause his work to
stand out in its forcefulness.
Donat's memoir is most impressive. It is a faithful descrip-
tion of a family's tragedy which also was the tragedy of an entire
people. It reveals the horrors and brutalities from which only the very
few fortunate and strong-willed survived, and the Donats were in that
remnant that was blessed to live and to .tell the tale so well as it is
related in "The Holocaust Kingdom."