THE JEWISH NEVI S ' Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issue ())*Jnly 20, 11)51 Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press As,:ociation, National Editorial Association. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite Sti5, Southfield, Mich. -M75. Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offices. Subscription $10 a year. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ DREW LIEBERWITZ Editor and Publisher Business Manager Advertising Manager Alan Flitskv. News Editor . . . Heidi Press, .kssistant New s Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selection. This Sabbath, the fourth day of AV, 5735, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Dent. 1:1 3:22. Prophetical portion, Isaiah 1:1 27. Thursday, Fast of the Ninth of A (Lamentations is read Wednesday evening). Thursday morning, pentateuchal portion, Dent. 4:25 40: prophetical portion, Jeremiah 8:13-9:23. Thursday afternoon, pentateuchalportion, Elrod. 32:11-14: 34:1-10: prophetical portion. - - - Isaiah 55:6-56:8. Candle lighting, Friday, July 11, 8:50 p.m. OL. LXV1I, No: 18 Page Four Friday, July ll, 1975 American Jewry and 1976 Politics Political analysts have had their heydays for many years ascribing friendship for Israel and the Zionist cause to pressures from Jews who purportedly resort to the "voters' clout." Dating back to the leadership of the late Louis Marshall, who resented the very term "Jewish vote," in the early 1920s, and continuing through the decades, especially in the tragic years of Nazism when Zionism was the major necessity both for succor and for libertarian re- demption for the millions of oppressed among the Jewries of Eastern Europe and the Moslem countries, the "voters' clout" assumed added proportions in the propaganda now spreading from the Arab enemies of Israel and world Jewry. Resort to the "clout" is already in evidence, in anticipation of the 1976 presidential cam- paign. It was used in the issue that has arisen over the letter from 76 U. S. Senators to Presi- dent Ford, which urged adherence to the Ameri- can friendship policies for Israel and pragma- tism in planning military aid to assure Israel's security. American Jewish realism becomes an ur- gent necessity in the confrontations that al- ready seem unavoidable. The mere fact that a group has already been formed to create a battleground against Gerald Ford in the 1976 election serves as a warning not to be complacent in an era of possible menace to the dignity of American Jewry and to the re- spect that must be given to the American politi- cal system. A distinguished American Jewish leader has already sounded an opposite approach in an admonition of outright defense of the present administration while suggesting criticisms of Jewish leaders who had become aligned with an opposition party. Whatever the leadership that may emerge in Jewish ranks in the year ahead, whoever is at the helm of the major Jewish movements, may be faced with the grave duty of exposing misre- presentations and of setting the record straight: that Jewish tactics are not selfishly motivated, that there are libertarian principles involved, that the action in defense of Jewish rights are humanitarian. The responsibilities to assure justice for Jewish aims may involve and demand political action, but any reference to the "clout" could realistically be interpreted both as preju- dicial and based on misinformation. It stands to reason that individuals have the right to support any party they wish, any candi- date they prefer. It is the basic privilege of Americans to finance the party and candidates of their choice. In the process of making political analyses commentators have an obligation to re- frain from involving an entire group — in the instance of the present discussion the Jewish people — as if it were engaged in a scheme to capitalize on its possession of numerical strength as a pressure factor in elections. In a sense, such attitudes and approaches signify a lack of faith in political realities. The American experience has shdwn that in most instances responsible elected representa- tives in the U.S. Congress were motivated by a sense of justice in their reactions to support for the defense of Israel, the rescue of Jews from lands of oppression, securing the right of emi- gration for Russian Jews and other related mat- ters. If the battles for justice in these enumer- ated areas were to depend upon the strength of the Jewish vote, the pleaders for help could count on representatives from no more than five or six states. The fact that the recent letter to President Ford signed by 76 U.S. Senators car- ried the weight of members of the U.S. Senate from 46 of the 50 states is the most impressive proof that the legislators were motivated by fair play and a sense of justice and not by vote crav- ing. It provides the strongest incentive to reject the search for a "clout," as if there were in- trigues and selfish motivations. Irritating speculations by commentators and political analysts are certain to recur. There will no doubt be much to protest and many as- criptions of selfish motivations to aggravate Jewish readers. Inevitably, there is the obliga- tion to protest against misrepresentations. The basic appeals for help to the oppressed and en- couragement to libertarians who are defending their homeland must not be weakened. New Jewish Center Aims for Practicality Greater Detroit's very- progressive Jewish community is chalking up a new triumph to its many accomplishments. The cornerstone unveil- ing ceremony on the building of the Jewish Community Center that is nearing completion was a memorable event. It was a signal of undi- minishing interest and concern for the many services — recreational, educational, social — which the Center provides for the Jews of this community. Recognized nationally as one of the most creative in dedication to Jewish needs in the set- tings of a communal center, the Detroit Jewish Community Center has earned the role of guide in programming for centers throughout the land. The Hebrew language classes, the Yiddish programs, the Book Fair — these and many other achievements have given Detroit's center enviable status. In a matter of seven or eight months the Jewish . Community Center's address will be West Bloomfield. Its programmatic approaches will be the same, and it is to be hoped that the locale will be as approachable to the masses as well as the classes as they have been in the past. One need not be too touchy in resorting to terms "masses" and "classes" because they re- tain their realism everywhere, among all peo- ples; and a _ n address for the former becomes more vital with the changes that take place in neighborhoods and in the spreading of residen- tial areas. The new Jewish Center has a hearty wel- come from all Detroit Jews, and the architects of the impressive structure soon to be completed have earned their constituents' gratitude. Now the community must hope, as it awaits continu- ity in the established excellence of the pro- grams, that those who need its services will not be penalized by distance. Those who plan good programming also are expected to fulfill the need of fullest participation in such programs. Religious, Ethical Concepts 'A Philosophy of Mizvot' Dr. Gersion Appel has produced a classical work on "The Reli- gious-Ethical Concepts of Judaism, Their Roots in Biblical Law and the Oral Tradition." That is the sub-title of his new work, "A Philoso- phy of Mizvot," published by Ktay. Dr. Appel, chairman of the department of philosophy at Yeshiva University's Stern College, says: The "Sefer ha-Hinnuk" has long been recognized as one of the principal, medieval works in Jewish ethical and halakic literature, and as a primary source for an investigation of the meaning and the pur- pose of the mizvot. Notwithstanding this, there has been no system- atic study, either in Hebrew or in English, of the Hinnuk's ethical and religious philosophy, nor has there been a definitive evaluation of his contribution to the search of ta'amei ha-mizvot, the reasons for the commandments, to which Jewish philosophers have been committed in every age. "A Philosophy of Mizvot" seeks to fill this need, and also to relate the Hinnuk to the philosophical schools and the intellectual currents of Jewish thought which preceded him. In this respect, it is devoted not only to a study of the Hinnuk, but to a broader exploration of the main concepts of Jewish ethical and religious philosophy. The Hinnuk emerges as a towering figure in Jewish scholarship and, more significantly, as a great educator and moral and religious guide. His classic work is revealed as a treasure-trove of Jewish knowl- edge, moral insights, religious inspiration, and brilliant perceptions in the molding of human character. The Introduction of the book attempts to define the nature of mizvot and to indicate the necessary relationship between the mizvot, the Halakha and Jewish philosophy. Chapter I is a brief, historical survey of the subject of ta'amei ha-mizvot, and serves as an introduc- tion to the Hinnuk's work in this field. Chapters II through X are a study of the Hinnuk's exposition of the mizvot and his views in the areas of Jewish ethics and Jewish religious philosophy. Chapters XI and XII are an evaluation of the Hinnuk's thesis, and include, as well, a discourse on new perspectives and directions that may prove produc- tive in a further investigation of the subject. The Excursus concerns itself with the Hinnuk's sources and the problem of authorship. Notes placed at the end of the book are designed to provide docu- mentation and references to relevant sources, as well as additional information. Dr. Appel said they are intended not only for the schol: but also for the general reader who desires to follow the discourse oh deeper level. Also included are an appended index of biblical, talmudic and rab- binic references, the index of mizvot and an index of subjects. The mizvot are numbered according to the standard, printed edi- tions of the "Sefer ha-Hinnuk," which follow the scriptural sequence. Quotations from the "Sefer ha-Hinnuk" have been translated by the author from the Hebrew original. Dr. Appel's easily-read writing style is evident in this example, which discusses "Acknowledging God as Master:" "The service of God entails a true conception of God as Creator and Master of the universe. The thesis, frequently propounded by the Rabbis, that man must acknowledge God's proprietorship is at the basis of several of the mizvot. The reason we are commanded to dedi- cate our first-born and our first-fruits to God is 'that we may know that all is His, and that man has nothing whatever in this world but what God in His grace gives him.' "Similarly, we are to take cognizance of God's mastery of the world by counting the Sabbatical years up to the Jubilee year when all property must revert to the original owners. 'The reason for this mizvah is simply that God wished to make known to His people that everything belonged to Him, and that in the end it must return to the one to whom it pleased God to give it in the first place, for the land is His.—