2 Friday, July 21, 1919 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Purely Commentary `Gemilut Hassodim' Regains Status as Act of Benevolence Increased allocations made by the Detroit Jewish Wel- fare Federation to aid in the settlement of the hundreds of Russians coming to this community include a very special item. For the first time in many years it was found neces- sary to make a special grant to the Hebrew Free Loan Association. Newcomers who will be in need of loans to establish themselves in business, to pursue studies for trades or professions, to furnish their homes, will be able to reach out to the traditional agency. In Hebrew, in the origin of granting loans without interest, the basis for this noble effort is Gemilut Hassodim. Traditionalists will recall that in the years when securing a loan without interest was a necessity in life, those seeking such assistance asked for a Gemilut Hesed. It is the highest form of benevolence. In "A Book of Jewish Concepts," (Hebrew Publishing Co.), the noted scholar, Dr. Philip Birnbaum, defined "Gemilut Hassodim" as "Benevolence," as follows'. Gemilut Hassodim (practice of kindness) is a virtue which includes every kind of help: visiting the sick, comforting those who mourn, escorting the dead to the'grave. The Mishna counts it among the things for which no limit has been prescribed by the Torah (Peah 1:2). Since Gemilut Hassodim consists of personal acts of kindness, it can be practiced by rich and poor alike. Commenting on Genesis 47:29, where Jacob asks Joseph to deal kindly and truly with him after death, the Midrash Tanhuma points out that kindness shown to the dead is indeed an act of true love, since there is no prospect of repayment or gratitude: a poor man may one day be in a position to repay his benefactor, but the dead man cannot repay. According to the Talmud, whoever is merciful is certainly of the children of Ab- raham. The Jewish people are characterized by modesty, mercy, and benevolence (Betzah 32b; Yevamoth 79a). In his Mishneh Torah, Maimonides writes: 'The quality of mercy is characteristic of the Jewish people. They are like brothers . . . and if a brother shows no mercy toward a brother, who will? On whom, then, should the poor of Israel depend? .. . Alas, their help must come only from their breth- ren . . . The highest degree of righteousness (tsedaka) is to aid a man in want by offering him a gift or a loan, by entering into partnership with him, or by providing work for him, so that he may become self-supporting." Gemilut Hassodim finds expression in' all ef- forts of goodwill, and is exemplified by receiving all men .cheerfully, by loving peace and striving for peace (Avoth 1:12,15). There was nothing more sacred, more noble, more hon- orable, more helpful than a "Gemilut Hesed." Now it is in practice again. The need of the hour re-created the instru- ment for benevolence on the highest scale, since those in need will be able to get help without being burdened with interest charges. It is to the credit of the Jewish Welfare Federation that it serves as the agency to revive a great tradition. The Boat People, the Humanism in Assisting Refugees and the Evil Record of World War II By Philip Slomovitz Tragic Refugee Tactics of World War II Recalled in Current Efforts to Assist the Boat People . . . Tradition of `Gemilut Hassodim' Revived With Aid of Free Loans to Russian Arrivals generally (and erroneously) accorded Mr. Roosevelt by humanitarians. The facts indicate that, far from being a crusader for the rights of refugees, Mr. Roosevelt's plea was too little too late. The inten s ifying pace of persecutions of Ger- • man Jews during 1938, increasingly apparent after the annexation of Austria, prompted a surge of immigration applications to foreign consulates - in Germany, the largest number since 1933. The American consulate was invaded by literally thousands of panic-stricken Jews. President Roosevelt was under strong public pressure to do something about the refugees. He accepted a proposal for an international confer- ence, but the agenda for what was known as the Evian Conference declared that the United States could not change its immigration laws. Mr. Roosevelt insisted on living up to the letter of the immigration law, maintaining the restric- tionist elements in Congress would block any re- form. As James McDonald, a specialist in interna- tional affairs, who had been chairman of the Foreign Policy Association observed: "Just as President Hoover, by administrative interpreta- tion, in effect instructed the consuls to block im- migration so now President Roosevelt could make easier the admission of a few thousand additional Germans a year." (letter of Oct. 29, 1935 to Felix M. Warburg). But there was no relaxation. On Nov. 10, 1938, the Nazis burned 195 I synagogues in Germany, hauled 25,000 innocent people to concentration camps and shattered the windows of more than 800 Jewish establishments in a fit of rage and destruction which came to be known as Kristallnacht. Five days later, at a White House press confer- ence, a reporter asked the President, "Would you recommend a relaxation of our immigration re- strictions .so that Jewish refugees could be re- ceived in this country?" The President's response: "That is not in contemplation. We have the quota system." (N.Y. Times, Nov. 16, 1938) On Nov. 23, 1938, President Roosevelt sent Myron Taylor, head of the American delegation at Evian, a confidential letter instructing him to renew immediately the efforts of the Inter- governmental Committee for Refugees (the Evian Committee): "I do not believe it either desirable or practicable to recommend any change in the quota provisions of our immigration laws." (President's Secretary's File, Confidential File: State, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y.)• I share Mr. Ferencz's hope that the Indochinese refugees be offered a haven, but his recommenda- tion that "President Carter follow the Roosevelt precedent" is an invitation to disaster the likes of which we should never have to live through again. It is not pleasant to recall the indifference of a genera- tion that could have rescued millions. It is unfortunate that the guilt of an otherwise great President must be kept on the record. The guilt is inerasable. The memory of it should be an inspiration for expiation by this and future genera- tions. Leonard N. Simons at Seventy-Five:. Dynamic Leadership Acclaimed Wayne State University academicians and heads of the Wayne State University Press, together with their associates in the community, are honoring Leonard N. Si- mons on his 75th birthday. They are not alone in the large circle of his admirers who are thinking of him and are expressing appreciation for his multiple services to every cause of merit. Wayne State University, the Detroit Historical_ Museum, Wayne State University Press, Hillel Founda- A new era of humanism is being experienced by this generation. The Vietnamese tragedy, the plight of In- dochinese refugees, has resulted in a spurt of decency, in expressions of kindness, in the opening of many doors to those in flight. Israel's Prime Minister Menahem Begin was among the first to advocate an open-door policy for the Notes refugees and Israel provided refuge for some of them. In tracing the history of refugee wanderings, the plight Washington was under of the Jewish victims of Nazism was forgotten. Some even credited the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration with siege that Sunday night of the compassion that was missing in the 1930s and 1940s. the famous address by the True, some recalled incidents like the St. Louis ship . President. Now it is recover- tragedy in which hundreds of escapees from Hitlerism were ing from the Potomac Mas- sacre. denied admission to Cuba, although their fare was paid for. The record of the July They were ignored by the United States and were returned to their homeland to perish as Nazi victims. It was one of 1979 events poses some puz- the inexcusable evidences of guilt which was shared by this zles for the future and espe- cially into 1980. country. The political indentations Our nation's guilt under FDR was exposed in a letter to the New York Times by Mitchell Weiss of Cambridge who are towards the balloter. refuted the claims of humanism for the Roosevelt Adminis- Will he ask: If the wholesale discharge tration by stating: of notables from the Benjamin Ferencz's letter extolling President President's Cabinet was Roosevelt's call for a haven for World War II's overdue (quoting Jimmy refugees (June 24) is symptomatic of the esteem tions, Hebrew University, Jewish National Fund, Weiz- mann Institute, Detroit Historical Society, Fresh Air Society, Michigan Cancer Society, Detroit Round Table of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, United Negro College Fund, American Jewish Committee, Allied Jewish Cam- paign, Jewish Publication Society of America, Jewish Home for the Aged, Brandeis University . . . all are move- ments and causes in whose behalf Leonard has written enriching pages recording his contributions and services. If a cause has a human aspect, Leonard Simons re- His it. to sponds encouragement to the Asso- ciation for the Jewish tarded was as spontaneo as soon as he learned merits, as his assistance to the Hebrew University, JNF, the causes in Allied Jewish Campaign. He was the inspirer of ac- tivities for the Hillel Foun- dations in Detroit and Ann Arbor. He helped people iii- dividually and movements collectively. He was born in LEONARD SIMONS Youngstown, Qhio, July 24, 1904, and he came here young enough for Detroit to claim his as if he were a native of this community. Perhaps the best way to honor him is to quote a piece he had written as "Reflections at 75:" I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED . THAT there is much more to life than "begin, beget, and be gone" .. . THAT the most important words in the dictionary are Love, Respect, and Generosity . . THAT if I do well in business, I should never forget to share because a shroud _ has no pockets .. . THAT essential to happiness is something to do, someone to love, something to hope for .. . THAT life's greatest satisfaction comes. from realizing your -own capabilities as fully as possible for the benefit of others . . THAT there is a difference between putting your nose into other people's business and putting your heart into other people's problems .. . THAT schools of higher learning should be assisted because the salvation of the world lies in the education of young men and women. * * * AND, if I had a chance to live my life over again I would try to do the very same things because I believe in-them. His sense of history and his sensitivity to Jewish ex- periences is expressed in the excellent article he had writ- ten on the Jewish role in Egypt, that country's attitude towards Jewry and the Jewish community of Cairo. This newspaper welcomed the article with appreciation. It is another evidence of his abilities and his communal and historic perceptions for which he is being admired on his 75th birthday. to the Historian: Wh ither the Memories of 1.979? Carter), is it forgivable if 1980 won't bring panacea? And if memories play their role in politics, does one now reconstruct Chap- paquidick as a reminder in 1980 of what happened in 1969? If memories are to be tested by time, why not draw upon Shakespeare's <,. . . the evil lives after them, the good is oft inter- red with their bones . ." But for a religious man there is prophecy in mem- ory. Perhaps the Devotional President may search for guidance in Nehemiah 5:18. "Remember unto me, 0 my God, for good that I have done for this people." Memory will be put to the test in the year to come. Now it is Calculation enforced by Power. For the voter it will be a choosing of judgment between Politics of Power and Power of Poli- tics. Prophecy is a debatable subject. Why anticipate the future when the present is strewn with obstacles? . Therefore, the wise, in Jewish tradition, draw upon the code which asserts "Barukh haShem yom yom .," blessed be the Lord from day to day . .. on a daily basis. It is today that counts and if we make it good and productive, the morrow will benefit. Will the White House staff learn from this admon- ition and carry it forward to the Chief?