THE JEWISH NEWS
lucorporatin4 The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Member American Association of English—Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Associntion, National Editorial
Associa Lion.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mlle 'Road, Detroit, Mich. 48235.
VE 8-9364. Subscription MS a year. Foreign V.
Second Class Postage Paid at Detroit. Michigan
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ I CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher I
Business Ma
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising M
CHARLOTTE HYAMS
1, -
City Editor
Sabbath Hol HaMoed Passover Tora Readings
This Sabbath, llol HaMoed Passover, the following Scriptural selections will be
read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portions, Er. 33:12.34:26, NUM. 28:19-25. Prophetical portion,
Ezek. 37:1-15.
Fourth day 1101 IlaMoed Tora Reading, Sunday: Num. 9:1.14, 28;19-25.
Tora Readings for Concluding Days of Passover
Pentateuchal portions: Monday, Er. 13:17-15:26. NUM. 28:19-25; Tuesday, Deut.
15:19 16:17. N1011. 28:19-5. Prophetical portions: Monday, 11 Sam, 22:1-51; Tuesday,
Is. 10:32.12:6.
Candle lighting. Friday, April 28, 7:09 p.m.
VOL. Li. No. 6
Page Four
April 28, 1967
Testing Communal Interest in Our Past
The latter is the crucial question: can the
Our communities are in a quandry. There
is concern over the lack of interest among holocaust's lessons be taught properly to
of all ages, in order that the experi-
many Israeli youth in our past history, es- children
ences of the past should i serve as a lesson for
pecially in the events of 25 years ago when future generations to resist courageously any
a third of the Jewish people was annihilated and every manifestation of inhumanity and
by Hitler. And while worrying about the at- cruelty?
titude of Israeli youth we overlook the in-
Whatever indifference exists is not limit-
difference in matters Jewish in our own ed to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, or to
ranks.
Israel, or to any similar historic event. It
An example of the continuing attitude of applies in large measure to many community
unconcern in most affairs involving commun- functions, to cultural and other events that
al planning is the apparent decision to dis- are sponsored on a community-wide basis. It
continue the observance of t h e Warsaw has been found difficult to get an audience
Ghetto Uprising's anniversary. For many for a public lecture, and only the sensational,
years this had been an important function at the comic, draws a large turnout. Many im-
Passover time. But the lack of interest in portant public affairs have to be linked with
such an affair is forcing a change in plans. dinners, else the response would be even
Instead of a public function the Jewish Com- less.
munity Council, sponsor of the previous
The new community plan to take the
events, now plans to transfer the anniver- Warsaw Ghetto story into our schools will be
sary's observance to the schools. The idea is an interesting test. If it gets a response, per-
to have our children take note of the heroic haps it will serve as an approach to the prob-
period under Nazism when JewS revolted, ing of means of introducing even the saddest
when there was very active resistance.
stories of Jewish suffering into the curricula
This represents an interesting test. Will of our schools. In any event, it is a challenge
the children respond? Will they show an in- to our communal planners, just as the need
terest in a past occurrence? Will it be possible to continue to observe events that keep alive
to introduce into our curricula a subject the memories of the past are tests of our
dealing with the holocaust, communal vitality.
Bokser's 'Judaism, Christianity
Predicament' Shows 2 Faiths'
Non-Negotiable Differences
Much is being written about Christian-Jewish — especially Cath-
olic-Jewish — relations. Ecumenism has inspired many writers to
review the existing conditions, to evaluate differences and to judge
the apparent understanding. A most significant very recent work
that dealt with the subject was "Judaism in a Christian World" by
Dr. Robert Gordis, published by McGraw
Hill Book Co.
Adding invaluably to the discussion is
the scholarly "Judaism and the Christian
Predicament" by Dr. Ben Zion Bokser, pub-
lished by Knopf. In this extensive work we
have a great deal of emphasis on the Vati-
can Declaration on the Jews and particular
attention is given to the non-negotiable dif-
ferences between Judaism and Christianity.
The timeliness of the volume is very evi-
dent, and Prof. Frederick C. Grant of Union
Theological Seminary makes the point in a
foreword that "this is a book that had to be
written." Because of the effectiveness with
which Dr. Bokser demolishes the deicide
charge against Jews, these comments by Dr.
Detroit's Hebrew teaching staff emerges create interest, they certainly flatter the re- Grant are of major importance:
in an interesting role in the present critical cipients. They must take on new significance.
"The popular idea, on the Christian
Dr. Bokser
American-Jewish period when it has become They must serve as symbols of loyalty to
side, that the 'Jews' crucified Christ and
difficult to encourage able young people to traditions that are inherent in Jewish living.
persecuted his disciples, and were solely responsible for the ten-
enter the educational field, when it has be- And if such means of extending honors for .
sions that developed in the early days and have lasted through
the centuries--this widespread idea is mistaken, and has been
come so urgent that the priority that is being sharing in communal obligations can serve
responsible for endless hatred and crime. Dr. Bokser examines
given to cultural needs on our communal to perpetuate interest, to assure greater effort
the evidence and, with careful documentation, shows how flimsy
agenda should be coupled with serious plan- in propagating our spiritual and cultural
the charges against the Jews really are."
ning not only to retain the deepest interest heritage, then the teachers have introduced
Indeed, Dr. Bokser is especially effective in dealing with the
in our schools among parents and children an added means of strengthening our duties
but also to encourage young men and women to learning—to study and teaching, to acqui- - crucifixion charge. He quotes many authorities, Christians and Jews,
to
expose
the lie. He points out: "It fed the hatred of Jews, which
to enter the teaching field. sition of knowledge and to encouragement to erupted finally
in violence, whose climax was reached in 'the final
A group of dedicated men and women, all tasks that lead in that direction.
solution' of the Jewish question by the Nazis. By the lurid light of
having reached communal accord relating to Our teachers are the mainstays in this Auschwitz, it is distressing to see how lightly many Christians deal
the teachers' status, now is proceeding to struggle—if the tasks towards the advance- with the question." He makes the point: "The tension between Juda-
cope with the challenging aspects involving
ism and Christianity will remain essentially unresolved until there is
the teacher shortage, the need to increase ment of Jewish learning can be viewed as a adopted a policy of religious coexistence and Christians desist from
the length of Jewish studies, and at the same struggle—and by assuming the duty of labor- the preoccupation with converting Jews, even as Jews desist from
time to inspire an interest among parents ing with the community at large towards the the effort to convert Christians."
Informative, thoroughly analytical, Rabbi Bokser's book contains
that is especially vital if the educational perpetuation of Jewish cultural obligations,
problems are to be solved properly. they have major factors in the supreme tasks an immense amount of data regarding Jewish traditional practices,
basic
laws dealing with emergencies, interpretations of conducts ap-
One of the ways in which the teachers confronting us. They are the partners in a
to dealings with non-Jews. Jews as well as non-Jews will
seek to encourage the desired interest is serious effort to elevate the community's plicable
be enlightened by the mass of data which provides guidance to an
the inauguration of .a citation to be given standards and it is they more than those who understanding
of talmudic lore.
to a layman who, in the opinion of the receive citations who should be given the
Pointing to the injustice of condemning the Talmud as being
teachers, has rendered notable service to the respect due to banner-bearers in a sacred
"irreverent toward the beliefs and practices of the Church," Dr.
cause of Jewish education. Citations often communal duty.
Bokser writes: "It may seem paradoxical that the Christians
should have assumed that the Talmud contained references to
the messiahship and divine worship of Jesus. But this fitted in
with thecuoli
nlctezp
a ti
ttoo n ooff the JeHwebraeswa ees
rieiah
crla
eond
am
tutorG.e
sod
. aF
t s g oaso
riunsift,
the Talmudists believed that Jesus was th
BP: M
e
Those who have even the slightest 'aware- Now the overwhelming number of Arab refu-
and yet refused to give him due reverence, then this could only
ness of the seriousness of Israel's current gees are the children who are younger than
mean that the Jew was diabolical and satanic, knowing the truth
position are puzzled by the report submitted the State of Israel and for whom it is neces-
spurning it out of his hate for all that Jesus represented." Rabbi
Bokser explains that "the animosity toward the Talmud was often
by Senator Joseph S. Clark of Pennsylvania sary to provide new bases for rehabilitation.
instigated
by renegades from Judaism who exhibited the converts'
to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
There is no doubt that the refugee issue
customary
ristian
zeal
fiction
by a vilification
of a the faith
ibihey
they
had deserted."
in which some very distressing suggestions
Ch
must be solved before there can be peace,
are incorporated.
Judaism,
the
claims
that
the
New
Testament
and
the
new faith com-
His proposal that Israel should be urged but that must be attained on the basis of set-
and perfected the old, is part of a brilliant explanation and
to accept a certain number of refugees for tlement in Arab lands that are in such urgent pleted
of a refutation that sets a delicate and difficult issue straight for
a gradual return to their home comes with need of skilled labor.
the layman for whom Dr. Bokser has written with great clarity.
ill grace at this late period in the history of
There still are hundreds of thousands to
Dr. Bokser deplores the reaction by Christians to Jewish suffer-
Israel's emergence into statehood. When such be resettled from lands of ppression in the ing with a certain satisfaction instead of a sense of outrage because
plans were being negotiated more than 15 new Israeli state, and the is a prophetic "they found evidence for the truth of their faith." His impressive
years ago, on the basis of a proposal from heritage to be upheld. Nei er of the two book is a powerful appeal for the elimination of misunderstanding,
Israel that 100,000 should be resettled, the needs will be neglected in the • toric process while exposing untruths, refuting misconceptions and presenting facts
to indicate the basic ideals taught in Jewish traditional lore.
Arabs rejected it. That was the time to do it. of protecting Israel's security.
An Annual Jewish Education Citation
Senator Clark's Puzzling Report