THE JEWISH NEWS ,usr,
275-520 1
Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issue of July 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 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075
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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
ALAN HITSKY
News Editor
Business Manager
HEIDI PRESS
Associate News Editor
DREW LIEBERWITZ
Advertising Manager
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the 25th day of Kislev, 5740. is the first day of Hanuka,
and the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Genesis 37:1-40:23, Numbers 7:1-17. Prophetical portion, Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7.
Prophetical Portions for Hanuka
Sunday, Numbers 7:18-29; Monday. Numbers 7:24-35:
Tuesday, Numbers 7:30-41; Wednesday. Numbers 7:36-47;
Thursday (Rosh Hodesh Tevet), Numbers 28:1-15,7:42-47:
Dec. 21 (Rosh Hodesh Tevet), Numbers 28:1 - 15, 7:48 - 53.
Sabbath candle lighting, Friday, Dec. 14, 4:43 p.m.
VOL. LXXVI, No. 15
Page Four
Friday, December 14, 1979
HANUKA AND JUSTICE
Hanuka has a message for all mankind.
The joyous celebrations of the festival, which inspire family unity, children's jubilations,
recollections of a great triumph over religious intolerance, also inspire faith in all mankind that
justice will triumph.
The Prophetic message of Zechariah 4:6 is the admonition of "Not by might, nor by power, but
by my spirit, saith the Lord."
In this era of violence and immeasurable inhumanities evidenced in a region where human
values have been shattered, it is necessary to differentiate between the ultra-military and the
aspiration for justice which assures freedom based on the rights of all peoples to be free to worship
as they please and also to live without fear.
The Maccabees fought for religious freedom. It was tantamount then also to protection of the
people's right to retain their independence. It is to the triumph of that ordeal that the Psalmist sang
a song of dedication to the Temple (Psalm 30):
A psalm of David.
A song for the dedication of the Temple.
I extol You, 0 Lord,
for You have lifted me up,
and not let my enemies rejoice over me.
0 Lord, my God,
I cried out to You,
and You healed me.
0 Lord, You brought me up from Sheol,
Preserved me from going down into the Pit.
O you faithful of the Lord, sing to Him,
and praise His holy name.
For He is angry but a moment,
and when He is pleased there is life.
One may lie down weeping at nightfall;
but at dawn there are shouts of joy.
When I was untroubled,
I thought, "I \slux11 never be shaken,"
for You, 0 Lord, when You were pleased,
made (me) firm as a mighty mountain.
When You hid Your face,
I was terrified.
I called to You, 0 Lord;
to my Lord I make appeal.
"What is to be gained from my death,
from my descent into the Pit?
Can dust praise You?
Can it declare Your faithfulness?
Hear, 0 Lord, and have mercy on me;
O Lord, be my help!"
You turned my lament into dancing,
You undid my sackcloth and girded me with joy.
that (my) whole. being might sing hymns to you endlessly;
O Lord my God, I will praise You forever.
Signifying it all, in defining the Hanuka spirit, it is not the terror that motivates the violence
of the soon to end, so-called progressive Twentieth Century but the spirit that leads people to a
higher goal.
The terrorists have no respect for human life, for the dignity of human beings, and instead resort
to taking hostages and torturing them. They have no place in the historic record of the Feast of the
Maccabees. They, too, resorted to military strength to power, to achieve their goal. Theirs, the
Maccabees' battle, was that human right which gave precedence to religious freedom and the
liberties that enable humanity to live at peace with itself.
The tyrant might interpret the speech of Mattathias to his sons the Maccabees to mobilize
armed forces for selfish goals, History disproves it. The historic record places emphasis on the
Spirit of the Lord, not on the Power of Man. What the Prophet implied is that when power is used for
destructive purposes it is defied by the call to justice.
It is this justice-inspiring principle that projects the Hanuka message to mankind. It is a call
for the right of people to worship freely. It is the basis for religious liberty. It also commends
mankind to apply the principles of justice humanely to all.
It is in this spirit that the Festival of Lights is entering on the calendar with an acclaim for
justice and freedom for all peoples, wherever they be. It is this spirit that rejects intolerance and the
brutalities that have transformed some into beasts, threatening the good-will that must make this
season of the year one of good-will for all.
Holocaust Library Volumes
Two Books Document
Warsaw Ghetto Revolt
The Holocaust Library in New York has published the
works of
two survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto: "The Warsaw Ghetto Revolt - by
Reuben Ainsztein and "On Both Sides of the Wall" by Vladka Meed.
Shocken Books is the distributor.
Ainsztein's account is painstakingly researched and documented
by a participant, written to combat the growing myth and alteration
of facts that have appeared about the Holocaust.
In the words of the advisory board of the Holocaust Library,
"With each passing day the memory of the tragedy of European Jews,
the greatest crime in the annals of mankind, recedes into history. The
witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust are still alive, their
memories remain vivid; yet, a malicious myth about their experience
keeps rising before our eyes, distorting and misinterpreting
evidence,
perverting history.
As new generations arise, so grows the incredible ignorance
about our tragedy. Millions of men and women, Jews and gentiles, are
unaware of the basic facts of the tragedy, many have never even heard
the word 'Holocaust' This is a seed of a new disaster.
"The Holocaust story should be untiringly told and retold making
the world aware of its lessons. This can contribute to that moral
reconstruction which alone may prevent a repetition of the catas-
in our hate- and violence-stricken world. "
Ainsztein's paperback volume is a complete, detailed history of
the revolt. In 200 pages he gives a detailed description of what hap-
1 pened and analyzes by using exhaustive interviews and Jewish,
trophe
Polish, German and Russian documents. He follows with 35 pages of
footnotes, bibliography and index, and includes a map and 53 photo-
graphs.
Meed's book, "On Both Sides of the Wall," provides a view of
Nazi-occupied Poland from a different perspective.
"Vladka Meed, or Feigele Peltel-Miedzyrzecki, her real full
name, was 17 when Hitler's army conquered Poland and entered
a
m
Warsaw.
rFroofmthte
underground.
he first
st r dao
r yu sn of.the
d
Nazi occupation, Feigele had been
"Feigele was transformed into 'Vladka' when she was called
upon to work on the Aryan side by the underground movement.
Thanks to her Aryan appearance, her fluent Polish, her gallantry a nd
resourcefulness in a variety of responsible underground missions. she
gained a reputation as a courageous, intelligent and alert under-
ground courier. She had an impressive number of narrow escapes.
"Vladka smuggled weapons across the wall to the Jewish Fight-
ing Organization during the revolt. She helped the Jews escape from
the ghetto and find shelter in the homes of Christians. As a courier of
the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations, she brought
help to Jews in bunkers and other hiding places. She looked for, and
found
d way
in th
s eolfaebsota
r b o l a im
shpis ng an cd in the aw
nd ooexten
ds ding help to the sur-
vivors
of the most telling chapters in her story is the epilogue ,
where she describes her return to Warsaw for a visit in 1978. The
almost total absence of Jewish life in Warsaw today, and the absence
ofPolishofrejceors, it i i s oa n n th ea y t e- t o h pe
e Warsaw
niar
nr Ghetto Uprising was the mar-
tyrdom
commentary.
ry.