Purely Commentary
Detroit Jewry Prepares for Historic Campaign
to Assure Protection for Israel .. . . Withdrawal
Demand Gets Cartoonist's Realistic Definition
Humor and Pathos in Historic Campaign, Mottoed 'Survival Israel'
A vital campaign is in progress. It has its murders and the crematoria. The parents
humor and its pathos. There are challenges decided to return to Poland: certainly there
the
and rebukes. There is much to be proud of is always the love in Jewish hearts for
lands of their birth. This particular family
and a bit to shame us.
wanted to forget. Poland was their homeland
There are, fortunately, primarily the good and old ties were to be regained. There was
people who, in the thousands, recognize what to be no mention of Jews or Jewish back-
is to be done in our own community, under- ground: they were returning as Poles.
stand the needs on a national level and have
Why risk more humiliations and indign-
a feeling for the world structure that involves ities?
The Jewish background was to be for-
Jews and effects the status of the redeemed
gotten and the children were to be Poles.
national Jewish homeland.
Then, one day, the 12-year-old son re-
We have never been without the indiffer-
ent, and we must not despair when a few act turned from school and with joy reported:
rudely to volunteer workers who have dedi- "We had so much fun today! We beat up
cated themselves to the needs of their people. one of the Jews in my class."
That was it! That's when the father ap-
Yet, we wish *e could reduce the numbers
of those who haye no feelings for their kins- plied for a visa to Israel: there was no time
to be lost to rescue the lad from beasthood.
men.
Those who have worked in campaigns Yes, many are the lessons, and if the
have experienced to reactions of some who elders will recognize it perhaps they can pass
tell them they are too busy to consider giv- on to the youth the lessons of experiences
ing because they mat pack for vacations— that have made us a race of martyrs who
refuse to bow heads to tyrants. This is a
to Hawaii or Japan or Florida. And among lesson not only of the Holocaust but also of
them
been
people
who
either they
hesitated
to give have
or cut
their
pledAs
because
need the Israel that has emerged to rescue men's
the money to complete tilt homes they are in souls.
the process of building.
Indeed, there would be a lot of fun exam-
Oh—there was the lady -'who delayed pay- ining the excuses for not giving. A book
should be compiled introducing them. The
ing a pledge of three years ago because she fun would be mingled with pathos. But it is
had to buy some shower gifts! good to know that there is a bit of humor
how
the service
gal who
was
angry:
she And
needed
an about
adoption
and
was
hav- even in a most serious situation. We would
campaigners
if we
not recognize
ing difficulty securing one. Yet she failed to be
the poor
satiric
while treating
the did
compelling.
understand that with the aid of funds we
* * *
have been giving, some 100,000 or more or-
phans whose- parents were murdered by the
In any event, a campaign is in progress,
Nazis have found shelter and a homeland in the money raised is intended to protect our
Israel!
"own dignity by assuring the security of our
many kinsmen, and self-respect should ad-
Many lessons need to be taught in our monish every member of our community to
communities:'
the Holocaust.
For
those who Some
plead relate
that it to should
be for- feel the self-reglect if his or her name is not
gotten there are experiences not to be over- in the list of those who share in the Survival
Israel efforts. And Survival Israel means both
looked.
would like to share one story the land and people of Israel— and that's us
with our We
readers.
It is about a family that escaped the mass as well as our Israeli fellow Jews.
That Withdrawal Demand
There are many ways of withdrawing from an assumed position.
You can either turn around and walk back leisurely or you follow
threats and step back precipitously.
Statesmen can confuse, but a good cartoonist can see through the
shenanigans of false prophets and double-talking diplomats. Therefore,
let's share this splendid cartoon by Mauldin that describes the existing
situation so well:
Judge Clarkson Awards Spicebox to Doris Karmann
After Lengthy Study of Talmudic and Civil Law
Both talmudic law and civil law
-court de-
were incorporated .
cision Wednesday afternoon that
awarded possession of a century-
old Havdala spice box to an Oak
Park woman who had brought suit
for ownership of the treasure
against her cousin.
Doris Karmann, granddaughter
of the creator of the unique silver
spice box, won the suit against Dr.
Myron J. Bakst. District Court
Judge S. James Clarkson rendered
what has been dubbed a Solomon's
decision after studying religious
law and custom, as well as civil
law.
Miss Karrnann claimed that
when her grandfather died, he
gave the spicebox to her father,
Herman, the eldest son. Michael's
other two children were Jack, who
was childless, and Rose (Bakst),
Myron's mother. According to tal-
mudic law. Doris said, she was
entitled to the box by right of de-
scendency. (According to that law,
Doris' brother, Dr. Stuart Kar-
mann, an eldest son, would be en-
titled to possession of the box.
But he was not involved in the
suit.)
Myron claimed in his defense
that his grandfather gave him
the spicebox and that, even with-
out evidence of such a gift, he
was of an equal degree of kin-
ship with his cousin Doris.
In Doris' favor was the fact that
when her father Herman died, she
filed probate for his estate. The
probate z..Turt gave her an order
to the right to claim the spicebox.
Thus, while he could find no
evidence of a gift either to Doris
or to Myron, Judge Clarkson felt
that Miss Karmann's claim of title
was greater and thus awarded the
spicebox to her.
Shazar Honorary Zionist Member
This is the silver spice box,
created out of Russian rubles,
that has been the object of con-
tention between two grandchil-
dren of its creator, Michael Kar-
mann. Mr. Karmann was a boy
of 15 in Romania when he com-
pleted the object for his father,
spinning out the rubles into fine
wire, then assembling each piece
on a plaster base. When the tow-
er was fashioned, he carefully
soldered it together. Mr. Kar-
mann, who immigrated to this
country in 1886, came into pos-
session of the spice box when his
widowed mother bequeathed it
to him.
The first and only honorary membership bestowed by the Ameri-
can Zionist Federation was presented to President Zalman Shazar,
on his visit to the United States, by Rabbi Israel Miller, president.
Federation is seeking to enroll a million members in the Zionist
movement before the forthcoming World Zionist Congress. From
left are Jacques Torczyner, Federation board chairman; Rabbi
Miller; President Shazar; and Mrs. Max M. Matzin, Federation
executive committee chairman.
By Philip
Slomovitz
"Back up first and we'll negotiate later."
Jerusalem Redeemed as a Symbol of Holiness for All
Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem made a good case for his pro-
gram of strengthening Jerusalem's present position and of assuring
for the Holy City a role of sanctity for all faiths.
There was a controversy over the alleged massive development
program which, antagonists charged, was to reduce the historic posi-
tion of the city. He replied, in an article in the New VOrk,Times that
was appropriately titled "They shall build in Jerusalerhtfuoting
from Isaiah.
He quoted "a distinguished American visitor" as asking: "Where .
are the huge buildings which you are putting up between Gethsemane
and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?" And he showed him "the
modest four-story houses already completed several miles away in
the north of Ramat Eshkol . . ."
The opportunity thus was provided for .Kollek to explain Jerusa-
lem's role in the present scheme of things. He was asked to turn to
Isaiah for guidance—by his critics! And he did! He wrote in his article:
"I found the following verses of the Prophet:
"And /- will rejoice in .Terusalem and in my people. . . And they
shall build houses and inhabit them . . . (Isaiah 65:19-22).
"This vision of the future has sustained the Jewish people through-
out almost 2,000 years of exile. Today the prophecy is being fulfilled.
After centuries of longing to return to the city of David, Jews from
Israel and all over the world are coming here to settle. Can anyone
truly deny them that right after so many generations of suffering and
sacrifice? When Isaiah's vision of peace is similarly fulfilled, Jews,
Moslems and Christians can rightfully claim their place in the Holy
City, in which even today they live in tranquil neighborly relations,
albeit, with different political ambitions.
"Yet I do not deny the importance of town planning and proper
design. We invited the experts from the Jerusalem committee, whose
members come from all corners of the globe, to discuss our plans just
because we recognize the vital role of planning in the future of Jeru-
salem. The criticism voiced by the members of the committee, though
perhaps exaggerated by temperament (as some have since admitted
themselves), has been taken most seriously by citizens and officials
alike. We have already adopted some of the proposed suggestions re-
garding the walled-in Old City and its historical and religious sites.
"Jerusalem cannot be preserved as a monument or a museum. Both.
the historical Old City and the new are living entities, whose people,
of all religions, require the faciities of modern urban life. The vision
of a City Center and a processional from Mount Herzl to Mount Scopus
is one way to forge a link between history and the present. We share
this dream and are planning to make it a reality."
It is well that the opportunity thus is provided to Jerusalem's able
mayor to clarify a point that has been turned into an issue which may
have compelled Pope Paul VI once again to speak in terms of nation-
alizing the Holy City. The surest protection for all holy places has
been proven by admissions from Christian churchmen that there is
fairness in Israeli administrative tasks. Fairness demands justice
also for the Jewish position. That had been denied for 20 years. It
was regained and thereby there was restored practical and honorable
supervision which makes religion free in Israel for all to worship as
they choose and for Jerusalem to have its historic role—as the City
of David that is the capitol of Israel.
2—Friday, March 26, 1971
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS