THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
47—Friday, March 17, 1967
■ waawre ■ o4........o.m.r.t. ■ oormre.m... ■ .•••....04 ■o■ Nottomenmas.
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
.. and Me'
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1967, JTA, Inc.)
COMMUNAL AFFAIRS: With the growing expansion of Jewish
Community Centers throughout the country, the question of non-
Jewish membership in these Centers is now developing into a serious
issue .. . Ten years ago, it was estimated — on the basis of studies
— that the non-Jewish members averaged 5 per cent of the entire
membership in the Center field . . . In some Centers they constituted
7 per cent but, in others, the percentage was lower . . . Today, the
National Jewish Welfare Board believes that there has been no sub-
stantial change in the proportion as a whole since 10 years ago . . . In
some communities, local Jewish leaders claim however that the
proportion there exceeds 10 per cent . . . In all the Centers and Ys
throughout th country affiliated with the National Jewish Welfare
Board there are today more than 700,000 registered members . . .
The JWB points out that, while the proportion remained the same as
in 1957, the actual number of non-Jewish members increased in pro-
portion to the rise of total membership in the Centers . .. Thus, the
impression that there is today a greater number of non-Jewish mem-
bers in Centers is supported . .. The impact of this is most marked
in Centers that opened new facilities . . . JWB experts believe that
non-Jewish affiliation is related to special programs of the Centers
which meet the needs of Jewish and non-Jewish families alike . . .
Activities and group projects for children in the Centers have, for
instance, attracted sizeable numbers of persons who are not Jewish
. . . The experts note that programs with high emphasis on Jewish
purpose and content attract principally Jewish participation . . . In
contrast, programs in the Centers which have a limited relation to
the factor of Jewish purpose and content have attracted relatively
more non-Jews . . . The issue is coming more and more to the fore-
front as the Jewish Centers are increasingly becoming the nerve center
of local Jewish family activities — communal, educational and athletic,
especially in the small communities . . . By the beginning of this year,
Community Centers and Ys affiliated with the JWB have built 107 new
buildings since World War II, at a cost of approximately '$102,000,000
. . . During 1966 alone, eight buildings were completed at a cost of
more than $9,000,000 . .. And it is expected that, by the end of the
1966-75 decade, the total original investment in all center buildings —
including $8,000,000 representing pre-World War II buildings — will
be approaching the $200,000,000 mark.
Pleas for Ratification of Convention Against Genocide
Fall on Deaf Ears; Senate Defers Action for Entire Year
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A sub-
committee of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee on March 8
dererred for a year proposals to
urge the Senate to ratify the
United Nations Convention Against
Genocide. This action was taken
although the subcommittee heard
massive testimony from spokesmen
for major national Jewish organiza-
tions and local Jewish communal
councils throughout the United
States, as well as other witnesses,
calling for early Senate action on
the anti-genocide convention
adopted by the United Nations in
1948. The Convention has been rati-
fied by more than 50 countries, in-
cluding the Soviet Union.
Sen. Thomas J. Dodd, Connecti-
cut Democrat, chairman of the sub-
committee, said it is "a great pity"
that the Senate has not yet acted
on the genocide issue. However, he
pointed out that his group had not
been given authority to tackle the
issue by its parent body, the full
Senate Committee on Foreign Re-
lations. Disappointment over the
subcommittee's inability to take the
action on the issue of major inter-
est to American Jewry was also
expressed by Sen. Joseph S. Clark,
of Pennsylvania, and Sen. William
F. Proxmire, of Wisconsin, both
Democrats.
, Administrative sources revealed
that the genocide issue was de-
ferred due to opposition by con-
servatives in the Senate. State De-
partment officials are also opposed
to action on genocide, presUmably
fearing that the -United States
might, under the U.N. Convention,
be charged with genocide in Viet-
nam. Advocates of ratification of
the Genocide Convention were told
it would be "easier" next year, af-
ter the Senate has ratified three
other U.N. instruments on human
rights, dealing with prohibition of
slavery, outlawing forced labor,
and giving political right to women.
The Jewish spokesman cited be-
fore the subcommittee America's
traditional concern for international
human rights, and marshaled an
array of arguments in support of
the constitutionality of the Geno-
cide Convention's ratification. They
stressed that continued U.S. failure
to ratify all four of the UN human
rights documents, including one
forbidding genocide, afford U.S.
enemies the opportunity of charg-
ing the U.S.A. with hypocrisy re-
garding human rights. The March
8 subcommittee hearing was the
first held on the entire human
rights issue by any Senate body
since 1949.
Later, in Geneva, Gustav War-
burg, B n a i Brith director in
Geneva, speaking at the current
session of the Human Rights
Commission, expressed the hope
that the UN General - Assembly
would adopt the same system of
implementation against religious
discrimination as it has accepted
for the convention against racial
discrimination.
He spoke not only in the name
of the Coordinating Board of Jew-
ish Organizations, his organization,
but also for several other Jewish
groups. These include the World
Jewish Congress, the Consultative
Council of Jewish Organizations,
the International Council of Jewish
Women and Agudath Israel.
JWV's 5th Region Honors Gubow, Hears Attorney General Hit Extremists
Representatives of Jewish War
Veterans posts in 14 states, com-
prising the 5th JWV Region, met
last weekend at the Sheraton-Cadil-
lac Hotel, and reviewed many
problems involving the situation in
Vietnam and the emergence of a
rightist movement of bigots. They
also reaffirmed the movement's
role in efforts to protect the demo-
cratic way of life.
One of the sessions Saturday was
devoted to a review of civic-pro-
tective activities. Michigan's Attor-
ney General Frank Kelly gave an
address in which he pointed out
that there can be no restrictions on
freedom of expression, which
makes the job of uprooting bigotry
all the more difficult.
In a symposium on "Reacting to
the Extreme Right," Kelly said:
"There is a new extremism with
which we must now contend . . .
the new extremism has developed
to the, far right of the main current
of American life. Its chief occupa-
tion is with the threat of the Com-
munist movement. It views welfare
measures as Communist-inspired.
It can and most often does, equate
any action which it opposes with
evidence of Communist influence
. . . an almost paranoid reaction
that every opponent must neces-
sarily be a part of the Communist
conspiracy or a dupe of that con-
spiracy."
The attorney general reported
that in Michigan the John Birch
Society flourishes with a reputed
225 chapters, one half of which are
in Metropolitan Detroit.
"We also find in Michigan," he
said, "Pockets of that particularly
obnoxious and despicable group,
the American Nazi Party."
There were heated debates over
the current' situation in the Far
East and there are strong expres-
sions of support for President
Johnson's policies.
The conference banquet Satur-
day night was devoted to trib-
utes to the region's president,
U. S. Attorney Lawrence Gubow,
whose labors for civic and Jew-
ish causes were praised by a
number of veterans' leaders and
by the guest speaker, U. S. Sena-
tor Philip A. Hart.
Senator Hart's speech was de-
voted to a review of the American
way of life which emphasizes the
democratic traditions. In the course
of his address he spoke with ad-
miration of the Jewish traditions
which is a bulwark of strength for
liberalism. "Your sense of history
is the kind of lesson which en-
riches Americanism and makes us
all the more rooted in our ideals
for possesSing it," he said.
He appealed against "narrowing
the scope of freedom" while em-
phasizing "the right to dissent,"
and he implied in his address a
plea to the veterans to support the
President in the difficult struggle
he is directing at this time. His
plea was against using dissent to
propagate errors but rather to ar-
arive at truth.
"We must not encourage weak-
ness of will," Senator Hart de-
clared.
He praised Gubow as a man of
great sensitivity, for his "crafts-
manship as a lawyer," for his
"sense of deep feeling of what the
Bill of Rights is 411 about."
In behalf of Mayor Cavanagh,
Robert Knox brought a citation to
Gubow from the 'City of Detroit,
and a specially engraved procla-
mation.
Sidney Shevitz greeted Gubow on
behalf of the Jewish Community
Council. An award was given Mary
Love on behalf of JWV women,
and he was honored with a Golden
Award by Jay Gutlow in behalf of
the Allied Veterans Council, in
brief speeches by Shan Shaikowitz,
former national JWV commander;
Mrs. Betty Bulger, women's army
veterans corps, who presented him
with a plaque; and Marian Kozlow,
women's JWV national president.
There were many messages of
greetings, including one from the
new U. S. attorney general, Ram-
sey Clark.
Jack Berman, commander of the
Michigan Department, and Irving
S. Cane, who presided, added to
the encomia for Gubow and re-
viewed the history of the veterans'
movement.
Gubow, in his response, ex-
pressed gratitude for the oppor-
tunity given him to serve the
causes he is aligned with. He
joined in reaffirming the dedi-
cation of his fellow workers to
the JWV movement.
In business sessions Sunday, the
following resolutions were adopted
by the Fifth Region: Support for
the enactment of the consular
treaty with the Soviet Union now
before Congress; a plea for the up-
grading of the Selective Service
Act to eliminate inequities and in-
justices; a reaffirmation of JWV's
support of the government's Viet-
nam policy with the commitment
to negotiate whenever North Viet-
nam shows a genuine willingness
to resolve this conflict; and a posi-
tive program for mobilizing opposi-
tion to the American Nazi Party
or any other extremist group,
whether of left or right.
He placed special stress on the
right of individuals to complain
to an international body against
violations of their rights.
The commission completed its
deliberations on the religious con-
vention. However, time was not
available to deal with the articles
on implementation of the conven-
tion. That issue will go directly to
the General Assembly.
Strengthening of a draft reso-
lution that would ban statutes
of limitations on the prosecution
and trial of war criminals was
requested by Israel before the
Human Rights Commission,
As the d r a f t stands now, it
would bar statutes of limitations
for court actions against persons
accused in general of "war crimes
and crimes against humanity,"
linking the definition of such
crimes to the Allied charter which
guided the Nuremberg war crimes
trials.
Israel's Supreme Court Justice
Haim H. Cohn, a member of the
commission, insisted that the defi-
nition stress particularly "crimes
of murder and mass murder." He
was supported by the representa-
tives of Jamaica, Italy, Dahomey,
Guatemala and the Philippine
Islands.
A plea that the commission
speed its actions on banning war
crimse statutes of limitations was
voiced before the Commission by
Dr. Maurice L. Perlzweig, who
represents the World Jewish
Congress. The ' WJC is among a
number of world-wide non-govern-
mental Jewish organizations that
have a voice, but not a vote, before
the commission.
er Malcolm A. Tarlov in recog-
"There is need to work swiftly,"
nition of the cardinal's role by Viet- Dr. Perlzweig warned, "so that
nam and elsewhere as military the General Assembly could adopt
vicar of the armed forces.
this convention this year. Other-
The first JWV life membership wise, many war criminals might
awarded a veteran of Vietnam was escape just punishment."
bestowed upon Col. Melvin Garten,
much-decorated Jewish paratroop
officer wounded in recent action.
* * *
YETZ-COBEN AUXILIARY will
meet 8 p.m. Monday at the home
of Eleanor Schwartz, 24260 Keno-
widower seeks manag
sha, Oak Park. First nomination of 47-year-old
position. Will invest. Heavy
officers will be , held. Members of erial
experience in controllership, B.A.
the auxiliary will service the D. J.
Degree. Ask for resume.
Healy Home Saturday with movies,
Box 790
games, refreshments and new
clothing. Raye Weimer, Battle
The Jewish News
Creek Hospital chairman, an-
National JWVA Head
17100 W. 7 Mile Rd.
nounces that it is planning the an-
Detroit, Mich. 48235
Pays Visit to Detroit
nual Passover seder for the Jewish
Mrs. David Kozlow, national patients at the veterans hospital.
president of the Jewish War Vet-
erans Auxiliary of the U.S.A., on
her official visit to the Depart-
ment of Michigan Monday, saw
an American flag presented to the
Sherrard Junior High School in
honor of her visit.
Patriotic Instructor Mrs. Sol
Goldberg presented the flag to
Principal Mrs. J. Weston. Modera-
PRESENTLY SERVING ON
tor for the program was Past De-
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
partment President Mrs. Jack Iden,
who is national legislative chair-
OF THE MARRIED GROUP OF
man.
TEMPLE BETH EL, AND
Also present at the program
were Michigan's only past na-
THEIR DELEGATE TO THE
tional president, Mrs. John
JEWISH COMMUNITY
Nemen, and the presidents and
patriotic instructors of Michi-
COUNCIL OF METROPOLI-
gan's 12 auxiliaries. Approxi-
TAN
DETROIT.
mately 250 students will be
present.
A testimonial dinner honoring
SOUTHFIELD COMMITTEE TO ELECT
Mrs. Kozlow was held at Green-
field's Restaurant. Mrs. Kozlow
later heard reports of the Michi-
Basil B. Nemer Councilman
gan Department and responded
with a report of her travels to
presents
JWVA auxiliaries and departments
throughout the nation.
"SNEAK PREVIEW at STUDIO-8"
Jack Berman, Department of
GREENFIELD - 8 MILE SHOPPING CENTER
Michigan commander, b r ought
greetings from his department.
FILM'S FIRST SHOWING IN MICHIGAN
Business Administrator
Accountant
X
COUNCILMAN
SOUTHFIELD
.
Basil B.
NEMER
•
*
*
Veterans Honor Cardinal
MIAMI (JTA) — Francis Car-
dinal Spellman was awarded the
Jewish War Veterans Medal of
Merit by JWV National Command-
WEDNESDAY, 'MARCH 29
Fund Donation $5.00
Per Person
9:15
P.M.
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