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 ∎ssoclation. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit, Mich. 48235, VE 8-9364. Subscription $7 a year. Fo'eign $8. Second Class Postage Paid at Detroit, Michigan PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher SIDNEY SHMARAK CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager Advertising Manager CHARLOTTE DUBIN City Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the 18th day of Heshvan, 5729, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 18:1-22:24. Prophetical portion, II Kings 4:1-37. Candle lighting, Friday, Nov. 8, 4:59 p.m. VOL. LIV. No. 8 Page Four November 8, 1968 Hope for 'Everlasting Covenant of Peace' "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, that announces peace."—Isaiah 52:7. President Johnson gave the American people, and all lovers of peace throughout the world, a gift of peace on the night of Oct. 31. His long-awaited announcement of his order to halt the bombing of North Vietnam as a towards speeding peace negotiations heartened the American people and gave an assur- ance to mankind that our chief executive desires peace and strives for an end to conflicts. He gave all of us hope that in pursuing peace it will be along a prophetic line, in the words of Ezekiel (37:26): "I will make a covenant of peace with them—it shall be an everlasting covenant with them." Indeed, the prayer of all of us is that the covenant shall be enduring and that we shall not again be tormented by the oppressive experiences of he past decade. Then we shall have reason to hope that the peace that will bring amity among nations also will mark a beginning for good will and total justice and peace on the home front. e — We share the hopes of all who are concerned for the restoration of amity among all peoples that the South Vietnamese who have benefited from American aid should join in peace negotiations and have a voice and a share in ending the war. • • 1 May this be the beginning for an era of good will among men everywhere, and may it inspire also an end to that warfare which disrupts the Middle East and has turned the area that is so sacred to all faiths into a battlefield. May the greeting of shalom that stems from Prof. Martin Buber's earliest dedication to Jewish learning was in that area become the international salutation in reality and in fullest sincerity. the field of the Hebrew Bible. It remained among the chief interests "rot. Buber's Scriptural Studies Emphasized in On the Bible' in his life, and his philosophic-theological studies were primarily en- hanced by his contributions to the literature related to the Bible. While it was generally assumed that his Our community's inauguration of another for our communal groups? Why is it that interpretations of Hasidism, and also his "I and Thou" personal philosophy, were chief Book Fair again will be marked by more book reviewers do not include Barbara Tuch- among his devotions, it is important that his than mere expressions of rejoicing over the man's "Bible and Sword" in their scheduled studies of the Bible should be acknowledged celebration of a very noteworthy event on discussions of current books? The number and become generally known. our calendar of major community functions. of such volumes can be multiplied. They This now becomes possible with the issu- Jewish Book Fair has become an occasion could and should include Simon Dubnov's ance of Dr. Buber's "On the Bible" which con- for jubilation over a general acclaim of the "Jewish History," Uriel Weinreich's "English- tains 18 of his studies. great cultural interests of our people and Yiddish Yiddish-English Dictionary" — be- Edited by Dr. Nahum N. Glatzer, published the emphasis that we place on books as sym- cause such a creative work merits discus- by Schocken Books, this series appropriately commences with "The Man of Today and the bols of a spiritual elevation. sion and linguistic evaluation—but the men- The Jewish Community Center's role in tioned volumes are for the scholars and not Jewish Bible" in which the eminent author Dr. Buber sponsoring the annual event has gained dis- for the public, reviewers insist, and there- points out that "Religion was always real when it was free of fear, tinction for our community. Its pioneering fore they turn to the next interest subject when it shouldered the load of concreteness instead of rejecting it as belonging to another realm, when it made the spirit in- efforts have inspired other communities, and for which they crave the public's appeal: sex. something carnate, and sanctified everyday life." the high plane on which the cultural pro- And because this is an existing situation, At this point Dr. Buber emphasizes that "the so-called Old grams have been conducted merited the ap- Book Fair should be an occasion to discuss Testament constitutes the greatest document of such reality" and preciation accorded it for the very serious society's shortcomings which we help create that it has two traits: one in which "both events and words are efforts exerted in the enrollment of wide- when we place emphasis upon the less valued placed in the midst of the people, of history, of the world ... The spread interests in books, authors and pub- in our cultural spheres. Holy permeates history without divesting it of its rights." The other lishers. is that "in the Bible the law is designed to cover the natural course The encouragement that has been given Now we are confronted anew with the to books of low standards has raised some of of man's life. . . . The spirit wishes creation to attain perfection through itself." responsibility of translating the event into the most undesirable publications to the Thus we have in this collection of 18 essays, studies of leader- action, of assuring prolonged interest in status of best sellers. Those seeking the most books that will extend far beyond the single desirable reading are misled thereby. Why is ship as recorded in the Bibile, of prophecy and false prophets, human- ism, the Election of Israel, the Burning Bush, the Tree of Knowledge Book Fair or the brief period set aside for a platform given so freely to those who de- and there is an essay on "Plato and Isaiah." a Book Month. grade our publishing field? A number of prominent authors will be The latter, based on Isaiah 6, contrasts the views of the prophet We recognize, of course, the validity of and those of the Greek philosopher. "Isaiah does not share Plato's here to enhance the Book Fair celebration. fiction, of the contemporary novel, the sex belief that the spirit is a possession of man," Dr. Buber writes. We'll hear a great deal about best sellers, aspect in narratives. The respectable Jewish "The man of spirit—such is the tradition from time immemorial— and there will assuredly arise again the chal- Publication Society publishes worthy books is one whom the spirit invades and seizes, whom the spirit uses as lenge to readers—and especially to book re- of fiction and recently reprinted Ludwig its garment, not one who houses the spirit. Spirit is an event, it is viewers—as to whether, both in Book Fair Lewisohn's "The Island Within." What we something that happens to man. The storm of the spirit sweeps observances and their exhibitions and in the deplore is that reviewers give the sex appeal man where it wills, and then storms on into the world." months to follow—the emphasis will be be priority, often to the exclusion of major valu- Another point made by Dr. Buber: "Neither does Isaiah share on the sensational, on the popularly accepted, able works that plead for recognition. Plato's belief that power is man's possession. Power is vouchsafed man * * * or whether we can turn to the classical, to to enable him to discharge his duties as God's lieutenant." the historical analyses that demand attention. We acclaim Book Fair because we know Dr. Buber asserts: "The prophet's spirit does not, like Plato's, * * * that, in the main, the supporters of this believe that he possesses an abstract and general, a timeless concept A Book Fair does, indeed, confront us great effort, the vast audiences that the pro- of truth. He always receives only one message fox' one situation. That is with the challenge whether we will emphasize grams attract endorse the view of Milton: "A exactly why, after thousands of years, his words still address the the soul and the legacy of Jewry in the pub- good book is the precious life-blood of a mas- changing situations in history." Discussing "Redemption," dealing with Isaiah and the Deutero- lished works or whether the sensation-seek- ter spirit, embalmed and treasured up on Isaiah, Dr. Buber states that "through this work of liberating and ing that has a temporary appeal will receive purpose to a life beyond life." But if we are restoring humanity through the liberation and restoration of Israel, preference. going to embalm the more lasting literary the servant becomes the 'covenant of the people': through him the In many respects, our heritage has been works, we will be negating the very spirit people are bound together into one people; in him the people com- denuded in many of the book reviewing dem- of the book events we tow inaugurate for pounding of the peoples is represented." There is this concluding onstrations that are utilized as programing the current year. assertion: "The people of Israel is called upon to be the herald and appeals. But there are so many among the pioneer of the redeemed world, the land of Israel to be its Of course, there is respect for the book, modern current creations that lend them- because there is general acceptance, to quote center and the throne of the King. In this doctrine the biblical selves to enrichment of our values as Jews Milton again, that "He who destroys a good view of the unique significance of the connection between this people and this land reaches its climax." and our understanding of the world's needs book, kills reason itself." And because there In his postscript as editor of this volume, Dr. Glatzer makes as citizens, that we need re-evaluation of the is the universal respect for the book, we must i mportant comments on Dr. Buber as teacher, who in an address (1918) conditions which have led an over-sexed encourage the best in books. 'On Youth and Religion" counseled the student "to attempt to under- literary work to receive preference over the Our Book Fair's sponsors certainly are s labors of research conducted by our ablest dedicated to the higher ideals inherent in the tand the spirit of the Bible's original language, Hebrew—with an 1' nderstanding that has service as its aim; to approach the Bible as the authors. objectives of the celebration, and we applaud b asic documentation of the unconditional's effect on the spirit of the * * * their efforts. The current observance is ewish people . • . should read the Bible with an. appreciation of its Arthur Hertzberg's "The French Enlight- certain again to prove the seriousness of the r et tictrafoursmce, ubdust ualllsfouNrvm ith .,, an intuitive grasp of the suprapoetic element Our Book Fair and Our Legacies enment and the Jews" is among the most noteworthy books of the year. Why isn't a thorough work of research like his reviewed L undertaking and we welcome it among the most effective and the most creative efforts s The interpretive essays by Dr. Glatzer splendidly supplement the tudies f i n s p i r e d in stuDdry. uBfuth beer'B s itvlour.ks, both serving as an encourage - in our community. ment for further