4 Friday, March 25, 1911
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with Ow issae
20, 1951
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile. Suite 8(15, Southfield. Mich. 4S075.
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 Ilitsky. News Editor . . . Heidi Press.
■ ssistant NeN,s Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the seventh day of Nisan, 5737, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Leviticus 1:1-5:26. Prophetical portion; Isaiah 43:21-44:23.
Candle lighting, Friday, March 25, 6:32 p.m.
VOL. LXXI, No. 3
Page Four Friday, March 25, 1977
The Duties to Self in AJCampaign
Already in progress for several weeks,
because of the urgent need always to build
up a community of generous contributors,
the urgency of assuring the success of the
1977 Campaign becomes more apparent as
the official opening date approaches.
These are challenging times. Israel and
the Diaspora'are equally in need of loyalties
from Jewish ranks. The dependence of the
Jewish state on the cooperative friendships
of the peoples in free lands, especially of the
United States, and the urgency of retaining
the spirit of One People for Jews
everywhere make it obligatory for all who
are concerned with the fate of all Jewry to
strive for the retention of the highest ideals
that serve to elevate the status of Jewish
life.
If the funds needed to assure the high-
est goals for Israel and the desired con-
tinuity for Jewish institutions could be ob-
tained by means of taxation, all problems
would be solved. But the need is for volun-
tary responses because there is nothing
compulsory in the quest for Jewish loyal-
ties. Therefore the voluntary responses
must be assured in a spirit of dedication and
utmost sincerity.
Israel's needs are apparent. The embat-
tled land depends on her own greatly over-
taxed citizens for military strength. It is
fortunate that the United States is the
guardian angel who supplies the Israelis
with economic assistance and with a certain
amount of military hardware. But the
major support must come from the eco-
nomically burdened -Israelis themselves
and with all possible assistance from world
Jewry. This is where the Jews of this coun-
try play an obligatory role.
The social services that are supported
with American Jewry's Philanthropic dol-
lars are vital and the need for such con-
tributions becomes greater with the years.
The economic plight of Israel makes many
Israelis dependent upon assistance for the
social services that include support of the
aged, help in integrating new settlers, and
in educational efforts — these _require the
added dollars which must be provided by
American Jewry.
Primary in the obligations is the sup-
port that must be given to Israel's universi
ties, to the secondary schools, to the cul- Sanhedrin Press Volume
tural and spiritual tasks of a country that is,
at best, struggling to attain the economic
goals in addition to the securities that are so
vital on the borders.
Bimbaum's 'Concise Jewish
The Allied Jewish Campaign is not and
never was one-sided. It is the cause to pro-
vide for all Jewish needs. It cares for the
school systems, for the aged, for the hand-
icapped who are in great need of vocational
training. It provides for the local and na-
tional causes.
The campaign opening signalizes the
urgency of the current appeal for funds.
Much work- is yet to be done, many people
are yet to be reached, to attain and possibly
to surpass last year's achievement in this
community's fund raising effort. Every
available volunteer worker must be enlisted
for the drive, and all who have a sense of
duty to Israel, to world Jewry and to this
community must respond first to self, not to
abandon faith and duty to the community,
thereby assuming the proper roles as a full-
fledged citizen of the community.
Peace a Sham Without Security
Only the very naive could possibly have
submitted to the frequent reiterations by gov-
ernment leaders in many quarters that peace
was possible this way, that the path has been
prepared for an end to war threats in the
Middle East.
At best, these were exaggerated prophe- -
cies.
This is not a one-sided issue. Israel's role
is vital in all considerations of the problems in
the embattled area. Therefore the basic respon-
sibility is to deal sincerely with the need to as-
sure Israel's security. In any other form, any
plan, no matter what the source, becomes un-
workable and unacceptable.
Double talk may be a commodity for some
diplomats, but they do not always blind the pub-
lic view with distortions. For some months
Arab leaders have permitted the spread of a
speculation that there is a readiness to pro-
claim recognition of Israel's right to exist. But
when they fraternize at Moslem gatherings
they speak of Israel as an intruder; when the
PLO makes proclamations in Beirut it keeps
re-affirming the ultimate aim of demolishing
the Jewish state. Under such conditions one
does not abandon the right to defensible bor-
ders, and it is hardly necessary for the Presi-
dent of the United States to make this a plank
in a platform for Middle East discussions: The
right to self defense is a basic one for nations
as well as individuals and therefore in the case
of Israel it can not be denigrated into a condi-
tion for discussions with avowed enemies.
There are 21 Arab states in the world organi-
zation. Israel stands alone in the United Na-
tions and must confront the 21 enemies and
their allies, who, for reasons primarily in-
volving the oil products, gang up on Israel. The
sole friend on the American continent can not
introduce visionary ideas of Israeli with-
drawals conditioned on fragmentary defenses,
even if Uncle Sam does offer to be a defend-
er—a proposal that is totally unacceptable be-
cause Israel must be able to defend herself and
can not depend upon promises that could never
be fulfilled anyway.
The new trend of speaking peace for the con-
sumption of the gullible while the enemy keeps
threatening Israel's demise revives the old
warnings not to depend upon unsupportive
peace mouthing. When the Arabs set a date for
face-to-face talks with Israel and accompany
the dating with proposals for business and cul-
tural relations and interchanges then there will
be a basis for peace. Until then there is only
suspicion.
Bible' Fills Comprehensive Need
That the entire Bible, including the Five Books of Moses (the
Torah), the Ketubim and the Prophets should be made knowl-
edgeable and understandable in a text of 234 pages is an achieve-
ment that could be attained only by a very great scholar.
"The Concise Jewish Bible" (Sanhedrin Press of Hebrew
Publishing Co.) by Rabbi Philip Birnbaum is this kind of suc-
cessful writing, editing and translating.
Dr. Birnbaum summarized, explained and translated-the
major portions of the 36 Books of the entire Bible.
Each of the books is preceded by a summary and followed by
the very portion which provides the basic text of the Book.
The author is the eminent scholar and authority on Jewish
traditional practices and writings who has guided the many
thousands — tens of thousands! — of his readers towards an
understanding of the concepts of Judaism, as contained in his
"Book of Jewish Concepts." The prayer books he has edited and
translated similarly serve as inspirations as well as texts and
guides for worshippers. His "Treasury of Judaism," his "Fluent
Hebrew," his commentary on Maimonides and other notable
works have been blessings for the student as well as lay reader.
Now, in this extraordinary new work, he provides a knowl-
edge of the Bible in the very conciseness indicated in the title of
the book.
A lengthy introductory essay adds meritoriously to the
"Concise Jewish Bible" as a commentary on the biblical values
and the historical merits of his labors. As Dr. Birnbaum asserts
in defining the clarity of his work as contrasted with other
biblical translations:
"Most editions confuse the reader with archaic expressions
and unnecessarily complicated passages." These are avoided in
the new volume marked by impressive conciseness.
As he defines his method in his introduction:
"In translating the contents of 'The Concise Jewish Bibl
direct from the original Hebrew text, I have chosen to follow th
wise counsel of Maimonides to the effect that whoever wishes to
translate each word literally, 'and at the same time adheres
slavishly to the order of the words and sentences in the original,
will meet with much difficulty.
"The translator should first try to grasp thoroughly the
sense of the subject, and then state the theme with perfect
clarity. This, however, cannot be done without changing the
order of the words, substituting many words for one word, or one
word for many words, so that the subject is perfectly intelligible
in the language into which it is translated' (Rambam's letter to
Samuel ibn Tibbon).
"It has been my aim to include in this volume biblical por-
tions to suit everyone's taste in terms of enlightenment, gui-
dance and interesting reading, and to make it all intelligible to
young and old without the aid of footnotes and marginal com-
ments.
"Books like Job and Ecclesiastes, which are scarcely read by
the majority of people, by reason of the difficult passages, have
been made accessibly and instructive by eliminating whatever
is unclear and of doubtful meaning.
"In this manner, the average reader is enabled to concen-
trate on that which captures the imaginatiOn and stirs the
heart."