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Incorporating The
THE t JEWISH NEWS
Detroit Jewish 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, Mich. 48235.
VE 8.9364. Subscription $7 a year. FoTelgn
Second Class Postage Paid at Detroit, Michigan
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Business Manager
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager
CHARLOTTE DUBIN
City Editor
Sabbath Hol Hamoed Passover Scriptural Selections
Pentateuchal portions, Exod. 33:12-34:26, Num. 28:19-25. Prophetical portion,
Ezekiel 37:1-15.
Hol Hanwed Passover Tora Readings
Sunday, Exod. 13:1-16, Nism. 28:19.25; Monday, Exod. 22:24-23:19, Num. 28:19-
25; Tuesday, Num. 9:1-14, Num. 0:19-25.
Scriptural Selections for Final Days of Passover
Pentateucha/ portions: Wednesday, Exod. 13:17-15:26, Num. 28:19-25: Thursday
Deut. 15:19-16:17, Num. 28:19-25.
Prophetical portions: We d nesday, II Samuel 22:1-51: Thursday, Isaiah 10:32-12:6.
Candle lighting, Friday, April 4, 6:44 p.m.
VOL. LV. No. 3
Page Four
April
4,
I96
Avoiding Divi iveness in Our Society
Black and white Americans should, can
and undoubtedly will get together ion com-
mon ground as fellow-citizens. There has
been a division in thinking and in approaches
that had created what may well be viewed as
a national tragedy. But it will be overcome.
Similarly, there must be a return to the
realism of Jewish-Negro cooperation and
friendship which has marked the deep-rooted
Jewish interest in the civil rights movement
and in every aspect of meting out justice to
all people, regardless of race, re igion or
nationality background.
But the issue has grown to such limmense
proportions, primarily as a result of the
teachers' strike in New York and T emerg-
ing anti-Semitism that clouded the entire
issue, that the prejudices have become more
apparent than the urgent need for coopera-
tion and common understanding that should
mark the best in citizenship. i
The issue involving Jews became much
more tragic as a result of the injtion into
the controversy that threatened to ruse
c use rifts
—the charges of "Jewish racism" and the
counter-charges of "Negro anti-Sginitism."
Adding fuel to the fire was the role played by
arti-Israel elements who utilized the rifts to
ers with
accuse Jews generally as being pa
Israelis in hatred for dark-skinned people—
an atrocious charge based on th bronzed
colorations of the Arabs.
Instead of cementing good rel tions and
mericans,
of assuring good will among all
new groups have emerged whose aim appears
to divide our citizens into racially conflicting
elements. For example, in a letter piled with
bias, published in the Catholic libeal weekly
t from,
Commonweal, a new group is he'rd
appearing under the name of " ederated
Americans Against Israeli Racism, ' and the
point made in that letter is: "Te
1 Jewish
religio-ethnic community must le rn to ac-
cept free dialogue about Jewish socio-eco-
nomic-political functions." Why should any-
one assume that Jews had refused to enter
into such dialogue, in view of our represent-
atives having been the leaders in s lch move-
ments? And since when is there j stification
for a campaign against "Israeli racirm" while
Israel and Israelis are striving to create
wholesome relations between Ariabs, Afro-
Asians and peoples of imderdevelqped coun-
tries as well as those in democratic icountires?
It is the injection of such rejudicial
T
views that causes a split in the ranks of
Americans, and only by striving to, eliminate
misunderstanding can we possibly
possibli hope to
remove from our spheres the
for
hatreds and suspicions.
Injection of the New Left's opaganda
against Israel, resort to the anti-Zignist bogey
as one of the means of proving, so unrealistic-
ally and untruthfully that it is the zionist and
not the Jew who is responsible fo the ills in
ab propa-
our society, and the yielding to
ganda, certainly have aggravated the issue.
There was an interesting rev w of the
New York situation in the New
public by
Joseph Featherstone, in an atticl "Inflating
blacks are becoming more aware of the ethnic
lines of battle in all city conflicts.
"The situation is the same in many cities: the
black push is anti-Irish in Boston, where the
Irish have dug in, anti-Italian in Newark, where
the Italians rule, anti-Jewish in New York. Like
their Irish and Italian counterparts in other
cities, lower- and lower-middle class Jews feel
that they are being asked to take the rap for the
failures of the whole urban social order. Their
resentment is understandable. So is the perma-
nent wariness of people whose relatives were
among the Six Million dead. So Is the bewilder-
ment of Jews who helped create and nurture the
civil rights movement only to see its gains
scorned by black power militants.
"New York's Jewish teachers, welfare work-
ers, and small shop owners are on the firing line
in one more episode in urban America's history
of grinding ethnic factionalism. The situation is
bitter and dangerous enough without bringing
in Hitler."
True: there is bewilderment over the rifts
within the civil rights. movement, and ex-
tremists have injected bitterness that inter-
feres with creative labors in support of civil
rights. The tragic notes that are sounded
must not be permitted to give rise to a view
that "racism" among Jews is a rule: it must.
not because it destroys every vestige of honor
and tradition in Jewish teachings and in the
basics of our very existence.
The practicality of a program of "commu-
nity cooperation" was manifested in the en-
dorsement by New York units of nine major
national Jewish organizations of the concept
of school decentralization which had created
so many rifts in New York City:
"To the extent that anti-Semitic and anti-
Negro sentiment have been injected into the issue
of decentralization, we condemn it as a disservice
to the racial and religious harmony indispensable
to the viability of our multi-ethnic city .. .
"We extend an invitation to all responsive and
responsible organizations, Jewish and non-Jew-
ish, White and Black, to join with us in the crea-
tion of a community relations effort to obviate
further crises and to assist in effecting a smooth
transition."
Rejecting both the anti-Semitic and the
racist trends, this statement calls for peace-
ful relations. It sets a pattern for action on a
national basis and should not be ignored.
* * *
When one examines the developments on
the university campus, the injection of anti-
Semitism in the local college newspaper, the
fusing of Negro grievances with the preju-
dices against Jews, there develops cause for
deep concern. We have no doubt that the
issues will be resolved, that there will be a
return to sanity both here and on the national
scale. When rational analysts begin to exam-
ine the existing situations, with a view of
reviewing the charges and counter charges,
we are confident that prejudices will vanish.
What is necessary is that what we call
-
dialogue should be on the basis of prag-
Youths' Glorious Masada Story
Reconstructs Yadin's 'Big Dig'
Masada's story, the complete account of the excavations, the
historic background referring to Josephus, written by Yigael Yadin,
the man who conducted the archaeological task of restoring the an-
cient fortress, was published less than two years ago by Random
House.
Now Random House makes available this Yadin story for young
readers, in a volume, popularly priced, as magnificent in appearance,
as splendid in content, as the larger and original work.
"The Story of Masada" for young readers is retold in the new
Random House book by Gerald Gottlieb, author of a number of chil-
dren's books.
Photographs, diagrams and a map are among the specific fea-
tures of the book, and by adhering strictly to the original historical
analysis by Gen. Yadin.
The long - buried secrets come to light again in a text so well pre-
pared for the young that the Masada story now becomes accessible to
people of all ages—in the original Yadin work and in the present
Gottlieb story.
Appropriately, Gottlieb's foreword is a tribute to the archaeo-
logical skill and the scholarly attainments of Gen. Yadin, now profes-
sor of archaeology at the Hebrew University. The author of this volume
states: "Many people have read 'Masada F..;
(the original Yadin book). Many have fol-
lowed the career of General, then Profes-
sor, Yadin. And many have seen the Ma-
sada exhibition, which was first shown in
London in 1967 and then began its tour of
museums in the United States. All these
people have come to respect and admire
— as I do — the achievements of Yigael
Yadin."
There is nothing missing from the orig-
inal story in the Gottlieb book. It explains
the beginnings of "the dig" at Masada and
relates the story of Rome and Judea—the
war between the great Roman Empire and
Gen. Yadin
little Judea in 72-73 CE that culminated in
the heroism at Masada and the mass suicides by those on the moun-
tainous fortress who preferred death to falling into the hands of the
enemy.
Gottlieb describes the enthusiasm of the volunteers who assisted
in "the dig." Yadin did not make it easy for them. He alerted them to
the difficulties involved in excavations under the hot sun. He had
written to them:
"We do not work on Saturdays and those of you who will have
enough energy left, after a week's exertion, to go for walks in the
beautiful surroundings of the desert will be able to do so in organized
tours. . . . Our evenings are going to be long and we cannot unfor-
tunately provide you with entertainment except for a weekly lecture;
therefore, equip yourself with reading material, musical instruments
and, above all, patience and good humor . , ."
In spite of the difficulties, they came from everywhere, Jews and
non-Jews, to work with Yadin, and the result is the reconstructed, un-
earthed Masada which has become anew a symbol of the indestructi-
bility of the Jewish spirit.
In this book for the young readers Gottlieb not only retells the
story of the Zealots (Prof. Solomon Zeitlin has challenged this claim,
stating that the Sicarii were the Masada occupants who committed
mass suicide in what Dr. Zeitlin calls was an un-Jewish act), but able
the drawing of lots as to the committing of the suicide act, and the
aftermath in which is related:
"Roman soldiers guatded Masada for nearly half a century after
their capture of the fortress. But finally the soldiers left, and Herod*
matism and truth, in a search for realities
that must not be overlooked. Just as the
racial issues affecting all Americans must be
resolved and the ill feelings healed, so, also,
the Threat of Black Anti-Semitism,' in which must there be a speedy realization in Jewish
and Negro ranks that divisiveness does not citadel was empty once more. It stood abandoned for centuries. The
he reached these conclusions:
mighty. Roman empire, meanwhile, weakened and at last collapsed,.
"The most reliable evidence indicates that help either group and harms America.
there's less anti-Semitism among ► lacks than
In the main, the elements who make hp The desert winds, sweeping Masada, blew also over the many Roman
among whites. (Someone has said that if all black both communities are honorable and are in ruins left in Palestine after the Roman armies departed and the Power
Americans were anti-Semitic, they wCould still be search of amity and of friendship. There is of the empire faded away."
Before Yadin, there were excavations, and Christian monks canto
outnumbered by anti-Semitic whitest) The anti- no cause for splits in American ranks and
Semitism of some black intellectuajs, and the there is no justification either for Negro anti- to Masada is the 5th Century. The big "dig" was, of course, Yadin eft.
anti-Zionism of black Marxist, Thir4 World and Semitism or Jewish and white racism. Let It is natural for the Gottlieb story based on Yadin's to conclude widt
an account of the issuance of the Masada medal in Israel, one side
Moslem groups does not find much a response there
be an end to this type of bias and bearing the words of Eleazar, the leader of the Zealots, "We Shall
among black people generally. It woVd be ironic
if the confrontation in New York le Harlem to hatred that serves only one purpose: to harm Remain Free Men," and the other the assertion: "Masada Shall ROI
book emerge8
adopt the anti-Semitism of the Utuoto League or America and to undermine our basic prhi- Fall Again." It is with such a message that the Gottlieb
written for our ybutb.I.
that a: ~ lP
q' a' ea'n 'Rik Ili it Se A/41 414w* emigre , dAYlfifh, jiigtory well
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