THE JEWISH NEWS
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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
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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 15th day of Shevat, 5740, is Tu b'Shevat and the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion. Exodus 13:17-17-16. Prophetical portion, Judges 4:4-5:31.
Candle lighting. Friday, Feb. I, 5:29 p.m.
VOL. LXXVI, No. 22
Page Four
Friday, February 1, 1980
HOLOCAUST AS GUIDELINE
Human values sank to their lowest depth give added status to the special commission he
under Nazism, during World War II, when an had selected to assure that the sufferings under
indifferent world became an ally to the forces Nazism are not forgotten. The purpose of such
that caused the Holocaust. memorializing is that there shall never again be
More than 12 million people perished, 6 mil- a repetition of anything resembling the
lion of them Jews, as victims of Hitlerism.
Holocaust.
Now, with the horrors confronting so many
Nevertheless, the seeds of the inhumanity of
more nations, with the agonies of the Holocaust man to man are visible again. In Southeast
pursuing the conscience-stricken, the mass Asia, in Afghanistan, in. Iran, in other lands
murders of the last world war now serve as where medievalism retains its roots, the
warnings to the nations of the world that the menace of the past retains its image.
unconscionable must not be permitted to domi-
nate mankind, that unless there is concern lest
Therefore, the warning that "Never Again"
the bestialities are repeated, they may, indeed, as applied to the Holocaust must become the
emerge anew as a menace to the world.
motto of the civilized nations. Unless there is
In his State of the Union message last week, unity on that score, the world can be subjected to
President Carter spoke of implementing the fears which may develop into the realities of a
proposals to memorialize the Holocaust and to re-emerging tragedy for all mankind.
NAZIS AND LIMITATIONS
West Germany's conscience was awakened
during the lengthy debates over the statute of
limitations for the prosecution of Nazi crimi-
nals. The statute was abandoned, albeit by a
rather small majority. But the decision of the
legislators for the German people was to con-
tinue the prosecutions and to punish the crimi-
nals.
Why didn't this decision serve as well and as
forcefully as a guide for American action in
dealing with escapees from punishments for
crimes committed during the Nazi regime by
those who acquired asylum illegally in this
country?
It is admitted that there are hundreds of Nazi
criminals who have secured haven in this coun-
try by lying when they came here. Among them
is the Michigan clergyman Valerian Trifa. They
are here under false pretenses. Their back-
ground has become known. Yet they are pro-
tected under false interpretations of the laws of
the land or because they gained protection from
American officials.
There must be an end to the failure to bring to
justice the many scores who have come here
under the protection of industrialists or gov-
ernment agencies who found it convenient to be
the protectors of Nazis. They have therefore be-
come supporters of Nazism.
The demand for action is strong to end the
imposed statute of limitations in this country.
Nazis must be deported and brought to justice.
There should be no delay in bringing the mass
murderers to the punishments that should have
been decreed or meted out long ago.
AN OLYMPICS DANGER
The hesitant who fear politicizing the Olym-
pics as interfering with the glories of sport
would do well to recall the tragedy of 1936 and
the threat of a similar menace in Russifying the
Olympics.
An article in the current edition of "Freedom
at Issue," published by Freedom House, con-
tains this telling recollection:
"Aleksey Orlow, in the Russian emigre jour-
nal Kontinent, compares the Berlin 1936
Olympics to those of Moscow and speculates on
the impression Americans will get of Soviet
society. He remembers a New York Times head-
line of Aug. 16, 1936: 'Visitors to Olympics Car-
rying Away Highly Favorable Impression of Re-
ich.' It was the striking cleanliness of the city,
the well mannered guides and the great service
that did it. And when today's tourists return to
say, New York's filthy streets and dangerous
subway, it may be hard for them to remember
that clean streets, fresh paint and polite wait-
resses cannot be used as an index of freedom and
basic human rights or even success of a certain
political system in any country. Certainly they
did not count for much in the Berlin of 1936;
what will they mean in the Moscow of 1980?"
The application is direct and simple. The les-
son is effective. Who, under such circumstances,
would want a great sports event to be held in the
USSR?
WHEN NATIONS COMMUNICATE
Historic occurrences are on the calendar of countries.
events in the Middle East.
Such is the civilized result from proper coin-
While the free nations must defend them- munications between nations. When people
selves against the Communist threats emerg- speak to each other as neighbors they can as-
ing from an effort to dominate the Persian Gulf, sure amity and peace. In the other spheres there
there are joyous developments on the Israeli- is a quest for power. That's where the trouble
Egyptian border. Ambassadors are being ex- begins and ends: in the USSR aim to dominate.
changed and El Al Israel Airlines and Egyptair That's what the civilized in mankind will not
have begun tourist flights between the two permit.
`Encountering the Holocaust'
Links Historic Experiences
Searching for meaning in the Holocaust horrors, declaring that
"no work we can read can be definitive, no scholar can be considered
the authority," Byron L. Sherwin, co-editor with Susan G. Ament of
"Encountering the Holocaust" (Impact Press), presents essays by the
most noted scholars on the subject to provide necessary studies of the
age of horrors under Nazism.
The importance of this volume, distributed for Impact Press by
Hebrew Publishing Co., is the eminence of the authoritative writers.
Exemplary is the essay by Dr. Helen Fine, entitled "Socio-
Political Responses During the Holocaust." Dealing with "Actions
and Reactions of Allies, Axis Partners and Neutrals to the Destruc-
tion of European Jewry," Dr. Fine draws upon historic experiences to
draw this conclusion:
"German allies' and satellites' response to German pressure to
deport their Jews was first a function of how consonant the German's
end goal of eliminating the Jews was with the ideology of the state's
ruling class or elite. This could best be predicted by the degree to
which anti-Semitic programs had been incorporated by the state
(signified by adoption of the numerus clausus, other discriminatory
legislation, or divesting Jews of civil equality) and such movements
had attained a mass audience, there was no resistance.
"The Church proved to be the criticallegitimaiing institution in
all states. All instances where states refused to collaborate, or did not
implement agreements to deport, were instances in which the head of
the dominant church in that state had protested categorically and
very early against deportation and/or previous discrimination
against Jews. Roman Catholic Church heads in states allied to Ger-
many were less likely to protest categorically than were non-Roman
Catholic Church heads (ranking only states where each church was
dominant); predominantly Roman Catholic states produced substan-
tially more victims than did non-Roman Catholic states among Ger-
man allies. Adding up the Jewish population in Roman Catholic and
non-Roman Catholic Axis states separately, we find that three-
quarters of the almost 1,000,000 Jews in Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary
and Italy became victims as compared to less than half (48.5 percent)
of Jews in Finland, Bulgaria and Romania in 1941.
Dr. Fine summarizes:
"Why was rescue of the Jews believed by high Allied officials to be
contrary to other war goals — diversionary — even when it was
within their capacity and little cost was involved, e.g., in the request
to bomb the lines to Auschwitz? No satisfactory answer has yet been
given, but several plausible hypotheses can be proposed. The evidence
shows that Germany was successful in persuading the western world
that the Jewish problem' was constituted by the Jews' existence
itself: hence, the more Jews there were, the greater the problem.
Denying any claims to aid Jews by labeling their requests as dis-
criminatory or diversionary demands insured that one would not
increase the number of Jews in one's sphere of influence.
"Systematic denials also made it less likely that the Jewish
community of the Allies' homelands would press claims either unac-
ceptable to those nations' constituencies or adversely influencing the
loyalty of subject populations which the Allies were seeking to woo.
Marie Syrkin contributes an important chapter to the Holocaust
series in this volume. She deals with the diaries of the Nazi victims,
referring to Anne Frank, touching significantly on Emanuel
Ringelblum and others.
Much value in this volume will be found in the compilation of
data about Holocaust poetry, novels, short stories, dramas, films,
music and art.
In its totality, "Encountering the Holocaust" is a valuable addi-
tion to the literature on the Holocaust.