THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating The Detroit Jeivish 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. Subscription $6 a year. Foreign $7.
Second Class Postage Paid at Detroit, Michigan
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Business Manager
Advertising Manager
CHARLOTTE HYAMS
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the seventh day of Elul, 5725, the following scriptural selections
will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion: Deut. 16:18-21:9; prophetical portion: Isa. 51:12-52:12.
•
Licht benshen. Friday, Sept. 3, 6:45 p.m.
VOL. XLVIII, No. 2
Sept. 3, 1965
Page 4
Human Elements Defy Race Hatred
There are so many contradictions in the
tragic events that marred the peace of Los
Angeles last month that it becomes necessary
to plead for rational analyses before passing
final judgment on the developments.
A thorough study of the occurrences in
Newsweek magazine, published under the
frightening heading "After the Blood Bath,"
commences with a quotation from "The Fire
Next Time" by James Baldwin, stating: "The
Negroes of this country may never be able to
rise to power, but they are very well placed
indeed to precipitate chaos and ring down the
curtain on the American dream.
The chaos not only has been precipitated
but became a horrifying reality, resulting in
"the fire in our time," an entire area in the
city of angels having burned down.
The contradictions are recorded in the
Newsweek review of the situation in which a
group of able newsmen stated in part:
The looting and burning revealed, too, a viru-
lent strain of anti-Semitism—not so much blind
race hatred as fury against individual Jewish
store owners: the liquor store boss who refuses
to cash checks (many of which would bounce),
the pawnbroker. "They put the NAACP sticker
in the window and pat us on the back and say
`We know how it is because we been persecuted
too,'" fumed one young black nationalist. "But
every day they put the money in the sack and
get in their Jew canoes—those damn Cadillacs
and drive on out of here."
There were other signs that there was more
revolutionary fire than nihilism at the root of
the riots. When the shooting was over many of
the same young gang hoodlums who had been
on the rampage just days before were conscien-
tiously at work distributing government surplus
food to needy Negro adults and children.
Predictably, the rioters and those who stood
by or cowered in their houses hardly agreed on
what caused it all. "This wasn't a riot," insisted
one man. "This was the beginning of a social
revolution." "This is black versus white," crowed
Black Muslim leader John Shabazz. "The only
way we can get anybody to listen to us is to
start a riot," an old man in a leather cap said
softly. "They think Johnson's doin' a lot of gibin'
and sweet talkin', but it ain't reached them," said
another. "They're all so young. They want some-
thing now, but they don't know what it is."
There is reason to believe, based on pray-
erful hope, that even the temporarily crazed
hoodlums who rioted acted on the spur of
hate-inspired moments, that Negro leadership
will direct those who were rioters last month
towards a peaceful life and a wholesome
existence.
For this purpose it is necessary to merge
all efforts, on the part of responsible Negro
leadership in consort with government of-
ficials—in other words, the people, blacks
and whites together—to abolish restrictions
that arouse anger and create rebelliousness,
to create conditions tending to improve the
economic status of the Negro and to assure
better housing and educational opportunities
for them.
There has been more than a beginning to
assure such relief for the hitherto oppressed
Negroes. Now they must cooperate to assure
fulfillment of the dream of equality and
human decency. Let there be an end to race
hatred—and in ending it those who had suf-
fered must make realization of the need for
justice possible without rancor and by pre-
venting looting and rioting that has led to
many m u r d e r s and the destruction of
property.
Education Will Solve Israel's Internal Problems
Israel's problems have not receded with
prosperity, with economic progress attained
since statehood. There exist many issues in-
volving not only the external threats but also
the internal issues that inevitably arise when
differing cultures and opposing groups are
involved.
The Oriental-Occidental strife among Jews
themselves is sufficient to cause concern.
And there remains the struggle between Jews
and Arabs, the suspicions of a "fifth column"
among the Israeli Arabs and the enmity
among many of the latter against their Jewish
fellow-citizens.
While the Israeli Arabs are benefiting
greatly from their citizenship among Jews,
the inherited anti-Jewish bitterness persists
among many, and it is not unexpected that
there should be an occasional incident result-
ing from Jewish-Arab strife.
A year ago, on Yom Kippur Day, Arab
youths paraded in front of a Rishon LeZion
synagogue shouting threats, hurling insults
at the Jewish worshipers. There was self-
restraint, and incidents were averted. But at
Ramla last week there was an incident that
compelled serious consideration of the situa-
tion by the Israel Cabinet.
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol did not ignore
the occurrence. He is taking action. He is
cooperating with the police and the military
to avert a repetition of the incident, and it is
to his credit that he has called into action
not only the policing forces but also the edu-
cational ministry. It is a recognition of the
need to educate both Jews and Arabs to live
together in harmony, and it is sincerely to be
hoped that his efforts will result in a speedy
solution of a serious problem.
Responsible Israelis and Jews everywhere
pray for peace between Arabs - and Jews.
Perhaps the first step is to assure harmony
among the two kindred peoples in Israel it-
self. When there is unquestioned loyalty to
their state among Israeli Arabs, there will be
the better chance to spread such good will
among the kinsmen of the Arabs.
'The Johnson Humor' Includes
President's Entertaining Words
Bill Adler is the compiler of humorous stories by great men. He
is the author of a number of books, among them "The Churchill Wit"
and "The Kennedy Wit." Now he has edited another such attractive
book, "The Johnson Humor," which has been published by Simon &
Schuster.
Praising Lyndon Baines Johnson's "rare and delightful sense of
humor," Adler commences his work with biographical data about the
36th President of the United States and proceeds to subdivide the
collection under these classifications: "Famous Johnson Stories," "Sena-
tor and Vice President," "The Presidency" and "The Family."
One quoted story is from a Johnson speech in New York. Recalling
Al Smith as 'the great artist of repartee," the President proceeded:
"Once Al Smith was making a speech in this city and a heckler
yelled, 'Tell them all you know, Al. It won't take long.'
"And Al answered, 'I'll tell them all we both know and it won't
take any longer.' "
As an amateur photographer, Barry Goldwater once photo-
graphed Lyndon Johnson, who inscribed the picture: "To Barry
Goldwater from his favorite target, Lyndon B. Johnson." And
after he lost the Presidential nomination to John F. Kennedy,
Johnson pointed to the button on his lapel and said: "Someone
asked me this morning what LBJ on the Johnson lapel button
means. And I said, 'Let's Back Jack.'"
Some favorite Johnson sayings are quoted, among them:
"Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter
to build one."
"When you crawl out on a limb, you always have to find another
one to crawl back on."
Johnson displayed this sign in his office as Senator: YOU
AIN'T LEARNIN' NOTHIN' WHEN YOU'RE TALKIN'.
Senator Wayne Morse traveled with Johnson during the 1964
Presidential campaign and introduced him at a political rally in Ore-
gon. The President then said: "When you are traveling with Wayne,
you are always in for a surprise. I wish he made speeches that short
in the Senate—and that good."
The humor is wholesome, hearty, truly American. The compiler
did a good job gathering the best stories in the Johnson spirit.
The Merging of Two Cultures
Stuart Rosenberg's 'The Search
for Jewish Identity in America'
Originally published by Thomas Nelson, in 1964, under the title
"America Is Different," the volume by Dr. Stuart E. Rosenberg of
Toronto now appears as a Doubleday-Anchor paperback under the
title, "The Search for Jewish Identity in America."
Emphasizing the manner in which Jewish life merges with Ameri-
the wounds stemming from racial prejudice. can ideals, the fusion of two civilizations, "one ancient yet relevant,
This is especially true in our own community. the other modern, dynamic, but unshaped," the new Rosenberg book
May such patterns lead for continued good is subtitled appropriately "Jewish Life in America from Colonial times
will, among all elements in our population, to the present—its historical, religious and sociological currents."
and may the honor and the dignity of labor
A marked tribute to Rabbi Rosenberg's literary efforts appeafts
in the preface by Dr. Salo W. Baron, who welcomes "Dr. Rosenberg's
always predominate in American society.
attempt to discuss dispassionately but nevertheless searchingly the
relative position of Jewish secularism and Jewish religious thought in
the evolving communities of this continent."
Detroit is privileged to be among the cities
Rabbi Rosenberg deals in his study with patterns of Jewish cul-
selected for the Art Israel Exhibit, and the ture, the American moods devolving from the shaping of character
display of works by Israeli artists in this in various aspects of Atherica's evolutionary hiStorical stages, the Jews
community has the added distinction of the in non-Jewish environments and their quest for equality and emanci-
co-sponsorship of the America-Israel Cultural pation and the patterns of Jewish religious activities.
In his concluding chapter the author asserts that "America is
Foundation and the International Council of
different"
from Old World approaches and that for Jews the difference
the Museum of Modern Art.
"can be magnificent . . . if America forgets the hates, the hostilities,
The works of 26 painters will be on dis- and
the hurts, and if, in the midst of freedom and relative
play here commencing Tuesday. The Detroit Jews can remember their spiritual integrity and their need affluence,
to con-
Art Institute should draw large attendances tribute creatively as religious co-equals, then modern vision and
during this exhibit which has such an im prophecy" of a rich life as envisioned by the Prophets, "may yet :
portant appeal to our community.
come true."
Labor in the Biblical Tradition
Respect for labor, as emphasized in Jew-
ish tradition, is defined in the annual message
of the Synagogue Council of America.
`The word for work and prayer are synon-
ymous," the message points out. "In the Bib-
lical tradition," it indicates, "the first man
was not to taste of anything until he had done
some work."
The importance of the message is in its
admonition that there are "unmet needs"
in American life, that: , "The labor movement
must help eradicate the blight of discrimina-
tion. The cause of the racially segregated
should be the cause of those who only a few
de'cades ago were the underdogs of American
society."
To the credit of the labor movement, let
it be said that it has been a pioneer in
eradicating the ills mentioned and that it is
contributing greatly towards the healing of
White House Wit and Wisdom
Israel Art Exhibition
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