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PURELY COMMENTARY

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

American Jewry And The Constitutional Heritage

Assumption by former Chief Justice
Warren Burger, upon his retirement
from the U.S. Supreme Court, of the
chairmanship of the commission that
will supervise the celebration of the
200th anniversary of the American Con-
stitution, signalized an invitation for
recognition of the basic principles of the
great document that has its roots in the
highest ideals of the multiple traditions
of the peoples who make up this nation.
The Jewish experience, the ethical
codes inherent in it, the historiography
related to it, combine to provide pride
and responsibility in the upcoming cele-
bration by the Jewish citizens.
Tracing of a noble record in con-
stitutional American observances is a
natural sharing of historiography by the
Jewish scholars.
Noteworthy as an interpretive con-
tribution to the celebration of the Con-
stitution's anniversary, commencing next
year, is the informative brochure now
available from the American Jewish
Archives in Cincinnati. Entitled "Jews,
Judaism and the American Constitu-
tion," the pamphlet is one of the impor-
tant historical documents edited by
Jacob R. Marcus and Abraham J. Peck.
In addition to a very important in-
troduction by Dr. Marcus, the pamphlet
includes two essays by eminent Ameri-
can Jewish scholars. "The Confluence of
Torah and the Constitution" by Prof.
Milton R. Konvitz, and "Jews and Con-
stitutional History" by Leo Pfeffer, pro-
fessor of constitutional law at Long Is-
land University and -American Jewish
Congress counsel, serve as inspiration
for studies in depth of the Constitution
as they relate to Jews.
Prof. Pfeffer outlines the activities
by American Jews, via important move-
ments like the American Jewish Con-

gress in advancing and pleading for civil
liberties. He shows his activism, de-
veloped from virtual indifferences to ef-
fective efforts from the era of non-action
to the seriousness of efforts in the past
half-century.
Important briefs for civil rights, in
matters like capital punishment and
other issues like the teaching of evolu-
tion, are reviewed in this essay.
The effectiveness of actions in the
many incidents involving American. ex-
periences is emphasized by Prof. Pfeffer
who states:

Pride Of Identification
In Jewish Laureates

An interesting question has arisen
from the assembly of Nobel Prize win-
ners in New York on Nov. 12. Those
who accepted the invitation to be par-
ticipants in the event that acclaimed
them as the representatives of the
American Jewish Nobelists joined in an
affirmation of Jewishness. The question
that arose in some minds was whether
there should be such indentification
rather than the desired emphasis on
the universality of the awards.
One American Jewish Nobel Prize
winner is known to have refused to
participate in the Nov. 12 event. He in-
sisted that, in his view, it was wrong to
give the impression that he was chosen
as a Jew. This argument must be dis-
missed at once because there is no dis-
puting the fact that a Nobel choice is
for distinction in the sciences, litera-
ture, economics, and for a human value
that merits the Peace Prize.
But the minority rejection of the
invitation to accept the medal that was
being awarded by the Jewish Academy
of Arts and Sciences became a chal-
lenge in an opinion of one invitee who
is not an American Jewish winner but
comes from a European country.
An Italian Jewess, who was in
Washington for a week prior to the
Jewish Academy event, for a similar
function sponsored by the Italian Em-
bassy for Italian Nobel Prize winners,
was called to take part in the Jewish-
sponsored function. She was indignant.
She was resentful. She told the inviter
who called her in Washington from

Continued froni. Puge 24

.

Whatever effect these inter-
ventions by Jewish organizations
may have in respect to the
Court's ultimate determination of
the suit before it, there can be lit-
tle doubt that they serve as an
important educational influence.
They demonstrate to all Ameri-
cans the importance of religious
freedom and the necessity of
church-state separation to
American Jewry in particular
and American democracy in gen-
eral.
Drawing upon Torah examples to
emphasize the idealism inherent in the
Constitution, Prof. Kovitz relates
numerous legends as links between
Jewish experience and the mark left by
Jewish - devotionalism upon
Constitution-framing.
There is a truly inspirational refer-
ence to the earliest American commen-
taries in the Konvitz essay. The influ-
ence of the Bible on the Puritans and
thereafter receives special treatment in
his enlightening study of the subject.
Here are passages from the article that
gain special significance in preparation
for the celebration of the important an-
niversary:
In the history of American
political thought, the roots of
constitutionalism are to be found
in biblical ideas: that man is born
free but is limited by laws or-
dained by God and by the terms
of covenants made between God
and men; but men can, and
should, further limit themselves
by covenants made among them-
selves for their own civil gover-
nance, and by covenants between
themselves and the governments
that they institute. Thus the
United States Constitution is only
the Mayflower Compact written
large.
No man was more responsi-
ble for the success of the Puritan
political order in New England
than John Winthrop, Governor of
the Massachusetts Bay colony
and one of the most remarkable
men in our colonial history. In
1630, while aboard the Arbella as
it made its way across the Atlantic,
Winthrop wrote, and probably deliv-
ered to his fellow passengers, a ser-
mon in which he tried to tell his fel-
low passengers what it was that
they were trying to accomplish.
Using biblical language and figures
of speech, Winthrop said that just as
God had entered into a marriage
covenant with the people of Israel in
the Sinai wilderness, so, too, had
God made a covenant with those
who are on their way to the Ameri-
can wilderness. The articles of the
covenant must be strictly observed.
Quoting the prophet Amos, Winthop
said that God speaks to those aboard
the sail-ship and says: "You only
have I known of all the families of

Jacob Marcus

the earth, therefore will I punish
you for your transgressions." Winth-
rop went on:
"Thus stands the cause between
God and us. We are entered into a
covenant with him for this work. We
have taken out a commission. The
Lord hath given us leave to draw

our own articles ... Now if the Lord
shall please to hear us and bring us
in peace to the place we desire, then
hath he ratified this covenant and
sealed our commission and will ex-
pect a strict performance of the arti-
cles contained in it ... We shall find
that the God of Israel is among us
when ten of us shall be able to resist
a thousand of our enemies, when he
shall make us a praise and glory
that men shall say of succeeding
plantations: 'The Lord make it like
that of New England.' For we must
consider that we shall be as a city
upon a hill. The eyes of all people
are upon us ..."
The covenant, Winthrop went on
to explain, was conditional, like the
covenant at Sinai. The people of the
colony have the option to choose the
blessing or the curse. "Therefore," he
concluded, in the famous, moving
words of Deuteronomy,
let us choose life,
that wee and our Seede,
may live; by obeying his
voyce, and cleaving to him,
for he is our life, and
our prosperity.

Dr. Konvitz provides guidelines that
create prideful texts for recalling the

Continued on Page 24

Michelson and Simons: Inspirers
of Adcraft Professorship At WSU

L

Larry Michelson

Leonard Simons

Leonard N. Simons continues to be
the recepient of many communal
recognitions for notable services in
many movements. When accepting
them, he never overlooked mentioning
his partner of some 57 years in their
advertising firm.
Now their names are linked jointly
in a distinct mark of honor sponsored
by Adcraft Club, the leading profes-
sional advertising association in De-
troit. Its president, R.H. (Ham)
Schirmer, has made known the estab-
lishment of an advertising section in
the journalism department of Wayne
State University. It will function under
the name Leonard N. Simons and
Lawrence Michelson Advertising Pro-
fessorship.
This honor at a leading American
university gains distinction in the joint
title in 'honor of two of 'Detroit',s,m9st
active advertising executives: In ,the 57
years of their association there. has
never been a destructive dispute. The

mutual accord distinguished them in
this community as partners who
planned together, always contributing
toward the welfare of their fellow citi-
zens.
The establishment of a professor-
ship in their honor by an association of
high repute, with a planned $280,000
fund, more than half of which has al-
ready been subscribed, marks acclaim
that gains wide approval. Because
Larry now shares equally with Leonard
an important role in the university, the
educational aim at WSU adds im-
mensely to the partnership that ac-
quires so much merit. If Leonard's
popularity ever exceeded that of his
partner, it now gains the equal treat-
ment it always merited.
S. & M. combined honor is a mark
of honor f9r, the -university:as well as
the cityand, state which have .benefited
from the merited partnership's • ethi-
nence in their midst.

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