THE JEWISH NEWS
incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with arse of July 20, 1951
Member American Memtattoo of EnglishJewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, NaUonal Editorial Association
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co.. 17515 W. Nine MUe. Suite MS, Southfield. Mich. 48075.
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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
CHARLOTTE DUBIN
City Kegler
business Manager
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the 12th - day of Tevet, 5731, the following scriptural selections
will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 47:28.50:26. Prophetical portion, I Kings 2:1.12.
Candle lighting, Friday, Jan. 5, 4:59 p.m.
VOL. LVIII. No. 17
January 8, 1971
Page Four
Need to Round Up Hidden Community Forces
Accepting the fact that United Jewish
Appeal income must be doubled and Israel
Bond investments should be at least twice
the income hitherto provided to assist Israel's
economy, and taking into consideration the
urgency of providing large sums for new
buildings in new areas for centers, the aged
and our schools; considering the necessity to
supplement community agency funds with
added means of providing for salary and other
increases, there will be need to find added
ways of raising the large quota that is being
speculated for 1971.
We use the term "speculated" advisedly,
because no official quota has been set here,
and because quotas always are considered
with tongue in cheek. There is the factitious
approach: if we ask for more we may get
more. This way of facing issues won't work
in our time. The funds requested are too
urgent to be treated with a lack of firmness.
Therefore, there is need to study existing
ways of enlarging both on income and on
the contributing forces.
While we have broached the subject of
the number of contributors in our commun-
ity in the past, it is urgent that the subject
be renewed for serious consideration.
In the accompanying chart, there is a
record of Detroit Jewry's gifts to Israel and
to our national and local agencies. We have
gone far from the year 1926 when 3,185
donors provided $738,242 for all needs, to
the present. Last year 24,832 people gave a
record sum of $11,609,107. Twice this sum
is required in 1971, and if anything approach-
ing it is to be raised, we must probe the
possibility of enlarging upon the number of
donors.
There is no way of judging the accom-
panying figures on the basis of community
strength. There is no positive way of know-
ing whether the Greater Detroit Jewish pop-
ulation has grown or declined. But there
is justified reason to believe that at least
5,000 more Detroiters should be enrolled in
the ranks of the givers, and that number
could make a difference between total suc-
cess or partial failure.
It is true that 1948 was the year of nation
building in Israel. That year the Allied Jew-
Anti-Semitic Stupidities
There is only one way to describe the
attitudes toward the Jews and the
USSR policies in relation to Israel: they are
utterly stupid!
Think of the great goals that could be
attained by actually' striving for peace!
Friendly relations between Jews and Russians
would redound to the benefit of the USSR.
Every effort toward establishing amity be-
tween Arabs and Jews would help create
friendship not only in the Middle East, for
Russia, her allies and the Israelis, but with
Russian
the United States as well.
But if the type of diplomacy we witness in
Russia can be labeled stupid, imagine how
much more stupid is the Communist role in
destroying a ll the steps towards friendship
with the
Unit
ed States!
A great nation, having progressed im-
mensely since the days of the Czars, the
existing Russian government, instead of ad-
hering to the highest humanitarian ideals, has
chosen a path of return to Czarism. The latter
was cruel as well as stupid. The Communists
are not too far behind the days of the Black
Hundreds in emulating their medievalism.
ish Campaign had 30,734 contributors. This
year is a critical one-for Israel and for
local agencies whose services must not be
interrupted. For Israel, in the philanthropic
sphere and as investments, this community
is asked for $16,000,000. Can we round up
the 5,000 or more indifferent people to under-
stand the needs and to share in the responsi-
bility of giving generously?
A serious duty devolves upon our com-
munity's leaders. They must review the
planning processes on the basis of these facts
which describe the - manner in which this
community will share in providing for life-
giving means to Israel and to our established Contributions to World Peace
institutions.
Are we in the position to make our com-
munity a total or near-total participant in the 'Religion of Ethical Nationhood'
goals ahead of us for the current year-and
for the years ahead? The challenge is di- Advocated by Prof. M. Kaplan
rected at the community planners who must
Dr. Mordecai M. Kaplan, the venerable scholar, who will observe
find a way of making Detroit Jewry a seri-
ous partner in the great tasks that confront his 90th birthday next June 11, continues his literary activities, in addi-
tion to lecturing-he was at Shaarey Zedek recently-and insofar as
us at this time.
his leadership in his Reconstructionist movement is concerned he is
ALLIED JEWISH CAMPAIGN RESULTS 1924.1970 as alert today as he was decades ago. This is attested to in his newest
Number of book, "The Religion of Ethical Nationhood," published by Macmillan.
Amount Pledged
Year
Pledges
It is another of his thought-provoking and faith-inspiring works,
3,185 and its subtitles point to the meanings he imparts. They state that the
738,242
1926 (a)
1,599 book deals wth "Judaism's Contribution to World Peace," that it is
130,473
1929
"a call for ethical humanism" and he is rightfully referred to, in de-
5,047 scribing this call, as "one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of
326,017
1930
4,646 our time."
218,270
1931
4,302
140,113
1932
Always primarily the advocate of extensive educational efforts,
3,330
112,913
1933
Dr. Kaplan pleads for the "fostering in the adult Jewish population
4,752
139,506
1934
a passionate desire to transmit the Jewish heritage to their
8,063
220,454
1935
children."
8,235
318,421
1936
He urges formation of a World Ministry of Jewish Education, and
9,908
350,690
1937
13,374 among the functions he advocates for it are the canvassing of college
390,732
1938
campuses
for students to teach in Jewish schools, stimulation of high
19,080
651,689
1939
school classes in Jewish studies, higher standards for graduation from
20,440 Jewish high schools, scholarships for Jewish children in Jewish
735,970
1940
21,118 schools, higher standards for teacher employment.
835,633
1941
22,445
897,341
1942
The eminent scholar and author is always also the man of faith,
850,000
1943 (War Chest)
interpreting the Jewish role in the world, asking for the loyalties that
960,000
1944 (War Chest)
are due Jewry from Jews. He makes this emphatic assertion:
1,135,940
1945 (War Chest)
"With Judaism conceived as a civilization, we are in a position to
22,120
3,744,351 (b)
1946 (War Chest)
study
its religion for the purpose of identifying in it those aspirations
27,454
3,968,572
1947
which
unmistakably foreshadow the urgent need in our day for ethical
30,734
5,756,133
1948
28,923 nationhood as a means to universal welfare and peace. Moreover, in
5,409,276
1949
addition to contributing to the purpose and meaning of Jewish life in
28,003 our day, the conception of Judaism as a civilization does much to deepen
4,650,538
1950
28,533 the sense of greater reality to factors than to facts, since they create
4,733,354
1951
28,625 facts. Among such factors are values, collective consciousness and God.
4,354,228
1952
28,401 Those factors answer to man's awareness of the needs. That is of ut-
4,469,252
1953
26,795 most significance with regard to the belief in and conception of God.
4,150,612
1954
26,583 Therein is the essential dfference between-the Hebraic and the Hellenic.,
4;148,639
1955
25,319 attitude toward the idea of God. Whereas to the Hebraic mind God is
5,296,804
1956
25,960 a factor that answers most particularly to man's spiritual needs for
1957
5,918,268
24,525 controlling and directing his efforts to satisfy his biological and psycho-
1958
4,943,739
25,031 social needs, to the Hellenic mind God is an answer - to the logical de-
1959
4,895,939
mand for the cause of nature."
24,072
4,860,022
1960
To Dr. Kaplan, "the Hebraic conception of God as answering to
23,678 man's needs is relevant to the ultimate concern of mankind for uni-
1961
4,632,909
21,764 versal peace" and he adds that it "becomes apparent when we realize
4,825,026
1962
23,588 that there can be enough in the world to satisfy men's needs, but not to
4,622,772
1963
1964
4,712,151
23,512 satisfy men's greeds for pleasure and power."
5,175,092
1965
23,524
Dr. Kaplan is ever the advocate of the Zionist idea, of which he is
5,627,136
1966
23,449
5,760,000 (c)
1967
23,605 also the critic when he proposes changes, new approaches and his ad-
1967 Israel
Emergency Fund
1968 AJC & IEF
1969 AJC & IEF
1970 AJC & IEF
(Inc.)
6,188,369 (d)
5,930,000 (c)
and 3,606,122
6,200,000 (c)
and 4,173,958
8,800,000 (c)
and 5,009,107
(a) Funds were raised for a
1928, 1927 and 1928.
three - year
11,052
24,264
24,424
24,832
period-
(b) Includes ;912,091 from the War Chest Cam-
paign conducted by the Community Chest of De-
troit.
•
(c) The amount raised beyond this total was added
to the Israel Emergency Fund.
herence to an Ahad Ha'Am view when he states that Zionism and the
Jewish State should "reassert the historic right of the Jewish people
to the Land of Israel as its spiritual homeland."
He is the universalist who advocates: "If Jewilh religion is to
speak to our day, it must do so in the language of moral responsibility
as embracing all of humanity."
The stand he takes on allya and on the variations between the
views of Israelis and American Jews are of special interest. He
acknowledges the need for ally* and makes this obeervatke:
"Zkwism should inspire many Jews to migrate to Israel and help
in its imbnikling. But ft should at the same time motivate those who
remain behind to perpetuate their Jewish group individuality and foster
their spiritual. heritage. They should be encouraged to resist those
forces in their own environment which tend to alienate themfrom the -
Jewish people, from its past achleVements and Idsioric loess of
destiny. If their adherence to Judaism and ZiselIni is to be' ielbined,
they must be made to recognize that they need the Jewish people and
that the Jewish people needs them." • '
Dr. Kaplan dedicated his book to AMC TheAm, Justice Louis
(d) Supplementary Campaign. Includes $500,000 Brandeis and Prof. Solomon Schechter, thus indicating his major ad-
from United Jewish Charities.
herences to leading ideologists of his youthful years.