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 kasociation. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 48235 Mich., YE 8-9364. Subscription $6 a year. Foreign $7. Second Class Postage Paid at Detroit, Michigan PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher CARMt M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager CHARLOTTE RYAMS City Editor Sabbath Hol Ha-Moed Passover Scriptural Selections Pentateiuchal portions: Ex. 33:12-34:26, Num. 28:19-25. Prophetical portion: Ezekiel 37:1-14. Hol Ha-Moed Passover Scriptural Selections Sunday: Num. 9:1-14, 28:19-25. Scriptural Selections for Concluding Days of Passover Pentateuchal portions: Monday, Ex. 13:17-15:26, Num. 28:19-25; Tuesday, Deut. 15:19-16:17, Num. 28:19-25. Prophetical portions: Monday, II Sam. 22:1-51; Tuesday, Is. 10:32-12:6. Licht Benshen, Friday, April 7, 6:47 p.m. Page 4 VOL. XLIX. No. 7 April 8, 1966 Record of Our Giving: Must Enroll More Donors On only four occasions, since 1947, have incomes from Allied Jewish Campaigns ex- ceeded the amount raised in 1965. But in 15 of the 19 years under review there were more contributors than those who were en- listed in the drive last year. The fund-raising record for the years 1926 to 1965, given here, offers a complete outline of the past record: Year 1926 (a) Number of Amount Pledged Pledges 3,185 $ 738,242 (a) Funds were raised for a three-year period- 1926, 1927 and 1928. 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 (War Chest) 1944 (War Chest) 1945 (War Chest) 1946 (War Chest) 1,599 130,473 5,047 326,017 4,646 218,270 4,302 140,113 3,330 112,913 4,752 139,500 8,063 220,454 8,235 318,421 9,908 350,690 13,374 390,732 19,080 651,889 20,440 735,970 21,118 835,633 22,445 897,341 850,000 960,000 1,135,940 3,744,351 (b) 22,120 (b) Includes $912,091 from the War Chest Campaign conducted by the Community Chest of Detroit. 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 (Incomplete) 3,968,572 5,756,133 5,409,276 4,650,538 4,733,354 4,354,228 4,469,252 4,150,612 4,148,639 5,296,804 5,918,268 4,943,739 4,895,939 4,860,022 4,6'32,909 4,825,026 4,622,772 4,712,151 5,100,000 27,454 30,734 28,923 28,003 28,533 28,625 28,401 26,795 26,583 25,319 25,960 24,525 25,031 24,072 23,678 21,764 23,588 23,512 23,600 This is an impressive record, and the commencement of another increase in giving is, to the credit of a dedicated community and good campaign direction, accompanied by enlarged participation. This is a factor to be welcomed, and the need for an increase in the number of contributors proportionate to the rise in giving power must be considered as one of the basic responsibilities in the present drive. Campaign leaders and workers maintain that this year's drive will come close to the periods of highest giving. The goal is to raise a minimum of $5,500,000, possibly approach- ing the $6,000,000 mark. If this is to be at- tained, it must be on the basis of a great rise in the number of participants. We have no doubt that there are in our community many hundreds, possibly many thousands, who have not been reached, who may be disinter- ested, who are indifferent to the needs. If they are approachable, it will require the ingenuity of volunteer workers, or an in- crease in the forces of the solicitors, to reach the unenrolled. If the problem is one of in- difference, then there must be a new means of educating our people not to ignore their kinsmen and to understand fully their responsibilities. The campaign is nearing its end, and all indications are that a new high will be set in the current drive's solicitations. An encouraging factor was the Phon-0- Gift campaign during which the women alone enlisted many hundreds of additional contrib- utors. With the same procedure as a major aim of the other divisions, there is hope that thousands who should contribute to the cur- rent drive will yet be enrolled as contribu- tors. The 1966 Allied Jewish Campaign must emerge not only with great results financially but also as a great enrollment effort to assure as large a participation as can pos- sibly be mustered in a great humanitarian effort. Jewish Welfare Board's Golden Jubilee When the Jewish Welfare Board was this country. During World War II, JWB again became founded 50 years ago, it was aimed at provid- ing for the needs of the Jews in the armed the major Jewish organization that cared for forces during World War 1. During the war the needs of the men and women in the armed forces, and today, wherever there are Jews in years, it served a most valuable purpose - of caring for the spiritual wants of the tens uniform - whether it is in Vietnam or in of thousands of men and women who needed Germany or France or Japan - and in all inspiration, who craved for Jewish services, areas where our armed forces are stationed- who asked for religious guidance and many the Jewish Welfare Board is alongside the of whom were in need of kosher food which servicemen, providing them with religious was secured for them by the active chaplains. inspiration, assuring them of holiday cele- The JWB became the parent movement brations, ascertaining necessary food provi- for the many Jewish Centers throughout the sions. Thus, JWB is active on behalf of men in country and it may well be said that at this time more than 1,000,000 Jews of all ages the armed forces as well as in the centers are benefiting from guidance in that field. where Jewish programs are planned and in behalf of which JWB's staff prepares the The fact that JWB has pioneered in proper programing. sponsoring Book Month through the Na- The golden jubilee of JWB to be inaugu- tional Jewish Book Council it was instru- rated for an entire year's celebration through- mental in organizing; the preparation of out the country at the movement's national program material for Jewish Centers; its biennial convention in New York on April 9 encouragement to youth to participate in merits the interest of Jews everywhere, since athletic tournaments and many other JWB- the JWB program reaches out not only in the inspired projects have added greatly to the United States and its territories but also in enhancement of communal Jewish pro- many lands where Americans are serving our grams. It is because of the variety of the JWB country. The golden jubilee celebration is an programs that encouragement has been given occasion for observance by all American Jews to Jewish leadership and has enabled youth because of the vital Jewish Center program to graduate into adult Jewish activities in assured by JWB. Smolenskin Portrayed as Zionist Pioneer, Leader in the Haskalah Much has been said about the period of Haskalah-enlightenment -in Jewish life, but all-too-little has been written about the great scholars who were the Maskilim. The biography of Peretz Smolenskin, one of the noted Haskalah leaders, who, in his short life-1840-1885- left an indelible mark on Jewish studies, is, therefore, to be heartily welcomed. Dr. Charles H. Freundlich, who now holds an educational direc- tor's post in New Bedford, Mass., who studied in this country and in Israel and who was ordained rabbi by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Isaac Halevi Herzog, has written an interesting study in "Peretz Smolenskin-His Life and Thought," published by Bloch. It is a valuable work because it deals with the renascence of Jewish nationalism, because it reviews not only the influences of nationalism- but also of Reform Judaism and other forces in shaping the ideals of the Haskalah period. Dr. Freundlich goes into detail in his discussion of the relig- ious-nationalist controversies preceding and during Smolenskin's time, and the anti-Zionist sentiments that ensued. He clarifies the misunderstood position of Moses Mendetssohn who, he states, "hoped that the Jews would receive emancipation without having to pay the price of assimilation." Changes in liturgy, use of the organ in the synagogue and other developments are recalled. These and the "easing of Sabbath restrictions" were,- according to Freund- lich, "more the natural outcome of Teutonized Jews than a planned reform ideology." "Smolenskin attacked Reform" for its "inadequacy," but Freund- lich asserts that the Maskil who is the subject of his biography "exag- gerated the faults of Reform Judaism with its cosmopolitanism," and he adds: " 'Cosmopolitanism' was indeed the world view of western intellectuals. But whereas the Italians, Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Belgians and Irish had outgrown this cosmopolitanism, the Jews in Western Europe had just begun emphasizing it. Smolenskin, whose roots were from Eastern Europe, did not properly appreciate German Reform Judaism. It was not Reform Judaism alone that belittled the national element of Judaism. It was perhaps more the 'climate of opinion' in Western Europe, which being Christian, made the idea of Jewish nationhood most disturbing." Further reviewing critically the Smolenskin attitude on national- ism, Reform and the status of the Hebrew language, in his discussion of Smolenskin's "Am Olam," Freundlich makes the interesting observation that many Zionists, Joseph Klausner among them, were confused "to view his anti-Reform views strictly as a case for politi- cal-territorial Zionism. "The fact is," Freundlich writes, "Smolenskin nowhere mentions the role of Palestine, or a state, in his program for Jewish nationalism. His favorable view toward the Hebrew language misled Eliezer Ben-Yehudah into thinking that he was advocating the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language. In reality, Smolenskin believed that Hebrew should not be a spoken language but a medium to study and write Torah!" The critical reactions to "Am Olam," Smolenskin's idealistic re- lation to other Jewish scholars of his time, his zeal for Torah and other factors are among the many aspects of a thorough study of the Maskin in the Freundlich work. Smolenskin first advocated the cultural aspect of Jewish nationalism and then turned to the prac- tical and emerged among the Zionist precursors of Herzl. "With the exacerbation of the Jewish problem in Romania and pogroms in Russia in 1881, the optimism of the Enlightenment was shat- tered," the biographer writes, and he points to Smolenskin's accep- tance of the view that "Palestine is suitable for mass immigration." "The word 'Torah'," Freundlich writes, "is used by Smolenskin to mean the Spirit of Israel, e.g., all its ethical and ideological content. The settlement (in Palestine) would house an elite of Jews who would be the vanguard of the regeneration of the nation. The center would not be a community receiving halukah (charity), but would have a definite obligation towards the Diaspora. Like Ahad Ha-am later on, who was to articulate the idea of a 'Spiritual Center,' there was not to be a complete negation of the Diaspora. Nevertheless, both maintained that there would definitely be a spiritual hegemony of the Israel community over the Diaspora." The historically significant legacy of Smolenskin receives ac- knowledgment. Freundlich writes: "His evaluation of anti-Semitism from the Darwinian perspective led him. to advocate the colonization of Palestine. In Palestine, where the Jews would become a majority, there was envisioned a refuge from anti-Semitism. He had little faith in the optimism of the Enlightenment as a solution to the Jewish problem . . . It is indisputable that Smolenskin's thought was instrumental in building the road to Zion . . . A world that has been ravaged by the evil and inhumanity from a variety of nationalisms, from Fascism through Nazism, would be well advised to pay heed to Smolenskin's message. Rooted in the high ideals of Israel's prophets, Jewish tradition and the humanism of the modern age, he underscored the fact that nationalism was a movement of the Spirit. The human spirit was the most vital ingredient in the making of a nation. He thus drew up a blue-print of nationalism worthy of Israel and a universal family of nations."