THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commeneing u-ith issue of July 20, 1951
Member American Association of English Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Assoet•-
lion Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co. 17515 W. Nine Mile. Suite 1965. Southfield. Mich. 49075.
Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offica-s. Subscription $8 a year. Foreign $9
M. SLOMOVITZ
Business Manager
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
CARMI
Editor and Publisher
CHARLOTTE DUBIN
DREW LIEBERWITZ
City Editor
Advertising Manager
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sohhath, the •21si
doy of S., on,
read in our synagogues.-
Pentateuch&
porno,"
Candle
VOL. I.XI. No.
Num J
5732. 11, !,!louring scriptural selertzans
1 12 It; Prophet !cal
portion.
Zechartah
2 14-4:7
lithtin8. Friday. June 2. 7 it p m
12
Page Four
June 2, 1972
U. of M. and Jewish Professorship
Deepening interests in Jewish studies. in Jewish communities within an hour's drive
with an encouragement from federations and to the Flint study center.
Introduction to modern Hebrew, histor-
welfare funds, are resulting in the creation
of special departments for such courses in ical background of the Bible from the begin-
many universities. ning of Israel to Ezra and supplementary
Near Eastern studies are in the curriculum
Thanks to the positive attitude of the
of the U-M Extension Service. Offered as eve-
leadership of the Jewish Welfare Federation
ning courses, there will be opportunities for
of Detroit. a Jewish professorship soon will
such studies for men and women of all ages.
function at the University of Michigan.
It is like a cultural revival, in which com-
In recent years there has been evidence
munities share responsibility with universi-
of an increasing interest in such studies and
ties. Because the lay leadership in our com-
in courses in modern Hebrew, among the
munities encourages such processes, the op-
Jewish students in Ann Arbor. The Detroit
portunities may become limitless for acquisi-
Federation had a role in the realization of
tion of Jewish knowledge.
these aims and now the new professorship
Meanwhile, there also is the developing
will serve to offer more advanced courses.
interest in Hebrew studies in many high
The University of Michigan's role in estab-
schools, and both young and old are on the Guides to Changing Ideas
lishing such courses now has been expanded
agenda for a program of advanced Jewish
through the U-M Extension Service, and the
studies.
credit courses now offered in Flint, in the
These are heartening developments in an
f( :in of Hebrew and Near Eastern studies.
age in which there has been so much doubt
during the 1972-73 academic year, also are
about the responses to Jewish cultural-
heartening
spiritual appeals. The outlook for a better
Two volumes, a paperback and a large-sized hard-cover book,
and more positive response to appeals for
It is to the credit of the Flint Jewish
Jewish identification is certainly more en- issued by the Union of Arneridan Hebrew Congregations, serve as
Community Council that participation in such
Jewish movement and
couraging as a result of the deepening inte- guides toward an understanding of the Reform
,tudies, at the Flint 1."-M Graduate Study
the changes that have taken plac in it in the past two decades.
rests in Jewish studies and the high role of
center, is now being mobilized not only
"Reform Judaism Then and Now" by Rabbi Sylvan D. Schwartz-
.11117)rig Flint residents but also among those
t heir sponsorships.
Reform Jewish Observances
Defined in 2 UAHC Volumes
In Defense.of Jews in Moslem Lands
of a number of .News from Syrian
some hope that the position
Moslem countries nay
as a result of the worldwide
!n•• expose of the crimes cunt-
in those lands. primarily
q. the guilty countries y ill
-.on and
put an end 1, :he
-
Ir an s
ha 1
to 4 5 ■••■
:.,•,•7,
«Mill11.11111‘
.1 Iral:11011, troth 120.1)00
...in
Jewry
has s:milarl:,
f.• 3 - ton: and their et-
chre state tit
.7 ,
surl. ival 1. Ill
foll .s to place too mu n
,c
iii :.,tatnllty
- „al
l
it
gall t,i
st
intries. Their
77
777
,l• --7'.1 7 7 7 7.
55 n.lt
ow,
• oil
;,7•,
'
:•
.1
t - indescribable cruelties.
s
.1 1c
'1 hi
rescuing the rescuable. and of protecting the
opp-e,sed and persecuted In an atmosphere
of indifference and hostility in the United
Nations, it becomes necessary, in behalf of
the unfortunate , . to arouse public opinion in
civilized quarters. so that prejudices should
be reduced. persecution ended and justice re-
stored We must not be fooled into compla-
ren,v by the neWs that a handful of Jews
have hien released from prisons in Syria.
They still are ( aptive, of an oppressive gov-
ernment. They and our brethren in Iraq re-
main Insecure. The protests against the out-
practi( es against Jews in Moslem
••ii:tries must continue without interrup-
ti• Unless the demands for justice are
'el? widely. the horrors will surely add
es,t, 7..c.7ter intsery to the unfortunate vic-
. ■
i!
he
and Jordan
10:1L;
Jewish ei7,717
in bolt, ot
.77, Ocen vt.7:y tnfiuc'r'ta' lie
in an oicr-Ati
;7. 'tic
oe
,, entries 11:1•.€7 i7ecti
ett!ii r clii771:7,1not t7:17,77 • or reduced so
■
drasto.ili ■ and to u h a pariah state that
what has been a to , t; sand-year-long pi - ogres-
:•rve stators of Moslern-Jewish friendship
al t ) cooperation is now totall ■. finished.
There i s little security f7ir the Jei.vries
who rehiain its Moslem land,. There is a
typirai example of w hat is transpiring in this
cabled story to the JTA from Rabat "Alge-
rian authorities are threatening to expropri-
ate Kanoui Temple, the only remaining syna-
gogue in the .Algerian city of Oran. Since Al-
geria proclaimed its independence from
France in 1962, 17 of the 19 synagogues in
this western city have been nationalized. One
of the two temples 't.77', to: the Jewish cum-
niunit.'s use ‘1.1 , later rented out for (Till:
purposes Kamm,. bin:: to 1881 1 . 77
Ineri•Lii
therefore the city 7-7 ti.n,toLitie left for tie
in%
altpraxintateiy 31 1 0
■
Ugly Statesmanship
ilia an nature on an individual basis is-
Ortit - ott crown to judge. But when confront-
the problem mounts.
liei
'take a an example. Israel's role among
i Aii•:.-Jri nations. Even after the coin-
p•ete st - i 7, about Israel's role among the
. the world will have been written, the
asH.-tante the Jewish state has given the un-
der:ie‘eloped countries will be recorded in
golden letters Yet. there are interferences
with attempts to assure good will.
Uganda's politicians apparently could not
get some impossible offerings from Israel,
and in spite of all the assistance Israel gave
to that country her citizens were driven out
and diplomatic relations were broken. Now
conies Malta. Some impossible demands
were made upon Israel that she serve as an
intermediary under impossible conditions.
Therefore. a new enmity has developed. and
Israel, with a wish for good relations, is
helpless
Is it all ini4ratitude7 It may be more than
that It partly results from Asia-African con-
flicts. \rah pressures, Soviet antagonisms,
the Ltiture of the democratic countries to be
f assistam e ir. establishing antic its not a
man does exactly what the tit ,e implies: it describes the historic
experiences in Liberal Judaism and shows how drastic some of the
changes have been.
The 210-page paperback. "Liberal Judaism at Home--The Prac-
tices of Modern Reform Judaism. - by Rabbi Morrison David Dial.
describes the patterns of Return Jewish observances.
)
Because of the detaile' accounts of the manner in which
transformations have taken place, Dr. Schwartzman's definitive
work emerges as a valuable chapter in American Jewish history.
While his book traces the background of Reform and introduces
the personalities who had Molded the movement, the American
occurrences, the anti-Zionism of the past and the pro-Israel move•
ment of the present, the adoption of established traditions that
had been abandoned, the turn toward the established usage of
Hebrew in prayers—these are the strictly American development ,
that re-present historical changes.
In the main. both the Sch vartzman and the Bial books treat
Reform from the point of view o an ideology in Jewish life that needs
understanding, and use manner i which both developed the principles
and the movement's platform m ke the two books valuable textbooks
in the study of the liberal Jewiih religious movement.
young
Dr. Schwartzman states tha
conviction that Reform youn
people are entitled to know so ething of their faith has helped me
persevere, and this volume. is tie result." Since he has seen fit -to
introduce many historical (locum nts into the text, in order to make
the historical value of the book - complete as possible, Dr. Schwartz-
man has succeeded in turning dot a history that should prove meri-
torious not to Reform alone hit to all students of Jewish religious
elements as well as all students off theological thought.
Recause of his emphasis on the practice of Reform Jewish
rituals in the home, Rabbi Hial's book assumes an approach that
differs yet offers a aluable guidance in respect to various observ-
ances. He deals with observances of festivals, touches upon train-
ing of children and guides them towards Jewish involvement, and
urges that youth he encouraged to read books, that parents
become members of the Jewish Publication Society, that training
of youngsters be based on Icnowledge.
And so Rabbi Bial, in a fairly successful effort to touch upon
every aspect of Jewish life, explains various practices from birth to
the final days. and guides the reader in matters of engagement, mar-
riage, divorce, conversion.
He dues not ignore kashrut. le touches upon the question of fam-
ily purity. He does not advocate or say that Reform Jews do or should
practice these things. But they are defined, and because of it his
book assumes the role of a textbook that has an element of fairness
in its approach.
There is a chapter in Dial's blink on Tisha b'Av and the other fasts.
He does ritit advise on fasting one way or another, but he explains
the reasons. The impression is t at if Reform Jews do not practice -
or any reader of this hook does) not practice—he should at least be
informed. That's what makes th s volume important.
Roth volumes are extensively illustrated. Bial's photos are credite't
to the l'AIIC Synagogue Ar•hite rural Library. The illustrators of Dr.
SAiwartzman's volume are Louis Jefferson and Rose Zamonski.
In
UAW'', two volume; serve an important purpose as evaluator-
,bleeti,e fashion of a mover ent that has grown worldwide and
eunsid, r ably in this country in recent ears