THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issn• of July „20, 111:31
"n413
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 mi5, Southfield, Mich. 48075.
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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
DREW LIEBERWITZ
Business Manager
Advertising Manager
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News Editor . . HEIDI PRESS. Assi , tant Ness. Editor
Sabha' h Seri pi oral Select ion ,.
This Sabbath, the 12th day of lyar, 5737, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Leviticus 16:1-20:27. Prophetical portion, Amos 9:7-15.
■
Nitt 6. Lag I;Ottier
(:andle lighting. Friday. April 2k). 8: I() p.m.
VOL. LXXI, No 8
Page Four
April 29,1977 •
THEMBIN AFF ,11/:
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Overlapping and Soul Searching
Evidence of soul searching involving Is-
rael's and American Jewry's relationships,
based on severe criticism of the manner in
which the objectives of philanthropy are being
tackled, must receive serious attention and
should be viewed as a blessing for the future.
Without criticism there is no hope for improve-
ment, and the expose of fallible conditions de-
serves commendation. It is certain to lead to in-
stallation of practices to avert inefficiency and
to lead to a strengthening of the roles of both
the U.S. and Israeli Jewries.
Rebukes to leadership and to the organized.
American Jewish community often relate _ to
the overlapping and to the failure to combine
the efforts of the major civic-protective move-
ments. This has been an issue for American
Jewry for many years,-and it is deplorable that
suggested elimination of waste has not led to
practical decisions. Vested interests unfortu-
nately perpetuate the roles of some organiza-
tions. Perhaps the developing criticisms will
lead to the desired results of instilling realism
in the American Jewish community.
Major in the new critical approaches to the
Israel-American Jewry relationships is the
manner in which the philanthropic needs are
both fulfilled and officially dealt with.
Some weeks ago the Jerusalem Post pub-
lished an article by a former shaliakh, an emis-
sary from Israel to this country, Hirsh Good-
man. Exposing the overlapping, Goodman espe-
cially devoted the study resulting from his expe-
riences to a shocking appraisal of the current
status of U.S. Jewry. He was uncompromising
in his evaluation in which he stated:
"Whatever the goal is, and no matter how
much any particular person has given, the re-
sult will be pitiful in terms of potential. Pitiful
but not unexpected. For of the six million Jews
in the U.S., some 54 percent have no organiza-
tional affiliation whatsoever. They simply can-
not be reached.
"The number of disaffected Jews' is in-
creasing and the rate of inter-marriage will
rise to roughly one in two within the next dec-
ade. According to a demographic estimate the
Jewish population would number 11 million
Jews if there hadn't been intermarriage and as-
similation. Thus one can argue that the multi-
plicity of American Jewish organizations have
not been effective in doing their job—which is
to ensure Jewish survival.
"But even the term 'Jewish survival' is
complicated by religious and other consid-
erations. The Orthodox community, for in-
stance, do not consider those who eat pork, and
who drive on the Sabbath, as Jews."
Could he have been challenged when he as-
serted:
"We have also failed in our efforts to edu-
cate the American public. The American who
is conversant with elementary Hebrew, let
alone modem Hebrew literature, is a rarity.
Very few American Jews know much about
'modern Israel. Only 9 percent of them will
ever visit Israel. And excellent salesmanship
and large subsidies are apparently required to
get American youth to come to Israel for a
summer vacation."
He' said very much more and it would be
acting like ostriches if he were not taken se-
riously in this additional quotation from his
lengthy article on "Wasted Dollars":
"How many cents in each dollar Israel will
eventually get depends on the needs of the par-
ticular community.
"The leaders of the various Jewish commu-
nities are chosen not so 'much for their lead-
ership qualities as for their fund-raising tal-
ents. Accordingly, most of these leaders are
wealthy people. Since the professionals within
the community are dependent on the good of-
fices and good humor of the lay power struc-
ture, they will not antagonize them, with the
strange result that the policies of many Jewish
organizations in America are being determined
by unqualified persons who control the purse
strings, while perhaps the most highly-trained
Jewish communal workers in the world stand
idly by."
Hirsh Goodman is not alone in his critical
challenges to American Jewry. A former De-
troiter, Prof. Robert Rockaway, who presently
heads an important department in history and
in international relations at Tel Aviv Univer-
sity, writing in Haaretz, evaluated a study he
made of American Jewry during his visit here
last year as a visiting Jewish Agency lecturer
as follows:
"The situation within the Jewish commu-
nities is quite sad. The Jewish population is not
increasing. Less than 50 percent are affiliated
with synagogues or organizations. The percent-
age of mixed marriages is nearing 40 percent.
"Despite the positive feelings toward Zion-
ism, the ties with Israel and Zionism on the
part of non-Zionist organizations tend to be su-
perficial and misguided. The concept of 'Zion-
ism' meets a cold and apathetic reception on
the part of most Jewish federations, but they
do not hesitate to exploit the name of Israel or
Zionism in collecting funds for their philan-
thropic institutions.
"The former and present Israeli leaders
are largely at fault for this situation. Concentra-
ting on seeking financial and political help
from America's Jews for Israel, they neglected
to develop a sense of full identification and
shared responsibility with the fate of Israel.
The result is that American Jews are Zionists
during periods of great historical events such
as the Six-Day War or the Entebbe Raid and
not in their everyday lives."
If there are faults to be found, they can be
traced to many areas. If there are corrections
to be instituted they must be sought both in Is-
rael and in the United States. In this country
primarily there must be a revaluation of condi-
tions, an arrival at facts relating to leadership,
an affirmation of truth about tourism if less
than 10 percent of American Jews are inter-
ested in visiting Eretz Yisrael.
Much has been said about the need for di-
rect involvement in non-political affairs in Is-
rael by American Jews. Leadership has been
challenged on this score. The demand for new
approaches must not be brushed under the rug
and hidden from view. It is clear that there is
need for corrective action. From somewhere
must come the proper assumption of corrective
actions.
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2x11540:
Home at Last' —Impressive
Essays on Israel's Rebirth
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So fascinating is the romance of Israel's rebirth that scores
of books have been published on the subject. -The Zionist ideal
has been defined by scores of writers and the agencies and
institutions relating to the redemption of Zion have received the
attention due to libertarian movement.
Nevertheless, the simplicity of a new such work, the
thoroughness with which it covers the factors related to the
fulfillment of the Zionist hopes, gains for it added status. "Home
at Last" (Bloch) by Azriel Eisenberg and Lea Ain-Globe is such
a volume. Both are highly qualified to deal with the subject at
hand, Dr. Eisenberg is one of the top leaders in movements for
the advancement of Jewish education and is the author of a
number of books on Jewish history and traditions. Ain-Globe
has gained recognition as a free lance writer and artist.
"Home at Last" is not only _an excellent summation of
Zionist and Israeli experiences and evaluations of the several
.causes that are involved in the labors by Jews for Zion's redemp-
tion. It is an anthology in which Dr. Eisenberg and Miss Ain-
Globe have drawn .upon the views of the most distinguished
Jewish and Israel authors and Zionist leaders.
The memoirs, like "Earth From the Land of Israel" by
Shumel Agnon, provide an introductory definition of the his-
toric hope for redemption. It is an ideal commencement of a
splendid compilation of all that is related to state-building and
redemption in the Eisenberg — Ain-Globe edited book.
The two editors are themselves authors of special articles
and an explanatory preface to this work.
The roles of the Jewish National Fund, United. Jewish Ap-
peal, Hadassah, the various organization tasks, receive due
consideration here.
Asa reeapituTation of Zionist-lsraeli history and as a defini-
tion of Jewish libertarianism, ."Home at Last" makes a- good
'contribution to instructive works that encourage knowledgea-
bility in both the Jewish and non-Jewish rankS.
`Anti-Semitism in Europe':
Souice Book on Holocaust
"Anti-Semitism in Europe: Sources of the Holocaust" is a small
paperback of less than 110 pages. Nevertheless, it is anthological. It is
composed of important documentary excerpts from major authoritative
sources giving the background and relating to the Hitler era. The Hitlerian
speeches are not excluded, thus making the collection a truly resourcefni
guide for an understanding of what had occurred and how the venom
Nazism grew and developed. The book is published by Behrman. House.
David W. Zisenwine edited the collection and an explanatory note is
contained in the introduction by Robert Chazan.
Late 19th Century occurrences, the issues revolving around the
Emancipation Period, the Affaire Dreyfus and related events introduce the
subsequent happenings that preceded the Holocaust.
The documents revealing the emergence and rise of Hitlerism include
the Nuremberg Laws, the refugee problem, the murderous practices, the
subsequent testimony at the Nuremberg Trials.
Data relating to the horrors imposed on Jews is included in the
gathered material, and among the revealing documents is the last letter of
Mordecai Anilewicz as well as informative material about other sufferers
from Nazism whose testaments provide historical facts about the era of
Hitlerian murders.
The persecutions, the mass murders, the torturing of the victims of
Nazism are related and the testimonials are from actual sources and from
eyewitness accounts of the events of the tragic era.