gambling. In Italy, the craze was more surprising (unless you're Jimmy Connors); there, large numbers of Jews were placing massive bets on tennis games. Three hun- dred years later, European IJews had turned to lotter- i es. The rabbis were not impressed. They reluc- tantly agreed to some games of chance, but a Lconsuming Jewish inter- est in gambling was not permitted. The Mishnah labels the professional gambler a gutless good-for-nothing who wastes his time when 'Jie should be studying Torah and earning a , respectable livelihood. Some rabbis insisted the gambler should be shown no mercy, denying him ' tzedakah and the right to wed in the synagogue. 'From the 16th through the 19th centuries, scholars suggested troubles plagu- ing the Jewish community were the result of gam- bling. Dice players are sinners, the Psalms say, "in whose hands is crafti- ness." ) -/ All of this may at first ;--sound the alarm to the many Jewish groups for whom Wednesday would be incomplete without the friendly cry of "B-64," "I- 23," "N-6," "G-18" and "O- >55." No need to worry. Halachah notes the dif- ference between gambling in which one either wins or loses, and games of chance in which someone always wins. Synagogue bingo games ! and state lottos, the Vaad statement notes, bring funds to their sponsors, and "where the profits from the gambling go toward the building of schools and hospitals that serve the people, everyone ) is considered a winner. If there is no loser, there is no act of thievery." ❑ ( r Clarification A A headline that ran in the Dec. 4 issue of The Jewish News should have made clear that Southfield Fire Department Lt. DeWinter was not suspended for mak- ing slurs against Jews. He was actually suspended be- cause he refused to answer charges that he had made anti-Semitic remarks and racial slurs. 50 YEARS AGO... Maccabee Spirit Lives Again SY MANELLO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS I Artwork by Lisa Robinson, age 11, of West Bloomfield and Temple Israel. Record 500 Entries In Chanukah Contest ALAN HITSKY ASSOCIATE EDITOR aint, crayons, cut- outs and paste...The entries in The Jewish News annual Chanukah art contest were as varied in style and media as they were plentiful. Some 528 children entered the contest this year. Because of the large number of entries, Jewish News staffers decided to award honorable mentions as well as select first, sec- ond and third place finish- ers in each age group. All 24 entries will appear in next week's newspaper. Several appear in today's L'Chayim section of The p Jewish News. There were 148 entries in the up-to-age 6 catego- ry, 233 entries in the 7-9- year-old category, 134 in 10-12, and 13 in the 13-15 age group. All will be dis- played at the Jimmy Prentis Morris Jewish Community Center in Oak Park. Leslie Bash, managing director of JPM, said the entries will be mounted beginning the middle of next week. The 12 win- ning entries and 12 honor- able mentions will be given a special display. Because of the large num- ber of entries, not all may be displayed. ❑ Groups Aid Hungry he Men's Club of Congregation Shaar- ey Zedek and the Social Action Corn- mittee of Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel Moses have teamed up with the Salvation Army to feed 1,000 needy and home-bound persons in north central Detroit on Dec. 25, Christmas Day. Members of Shaarey Zedek's Men's Club have contacted other local Jewish institutions for financial support to pay for the meals, and to enlist volunteers to pre- T pare, pack and deliver the food. Volunteers will prepare the meals at the. Salvation Army's Southfield Corps Community Center on Dec. 23, from 2 to 8 p.m. On Dec. 25, the meals will be packed from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and delivered from the Southfield facili- ty starting at 10 a.m. Volunteers and dona- tions are still needed. For information call Dr. Mark Diem of Shaarey Zedek, 548-8398, or Kay Singer- Wolin of BAHM, 851-1010. he end of the Chanukah season made the emphasis on the Maccabee spirit a timely one. The front page was devoted to photos of the valor of our men in the service on all fronts. Subheads called attention to the honor roll of Detroit Jews in the military and the strong support being voiced for the Palestine home appeal. Four inside pages contained a partial list of Detroit Jews in the armed services. In a section which looked back 20 years, notice was made of good news and bad news for Jews of the world. The good news involved a thank-you message sent by the newly-elected Jewish deputies of Sejm, Poland, to the Jews in America for their gen- erosity. The bad news was of a renewed wave of anti-Semitism in Rumania. In and around Detroit, war efforts continued to claim the interest of the Jewish community. A War Brides Group was formed to give communi- ty service. A program was set up at the JCC under the chairm.anship of Bess Levin to provide dancing, cards, games, etc., for newcomers en- gaged in war work. United Dairies employ- ees and owners received an "E" flag as a token of their investment of 10 percent of their income in war bonds and stamps; Max Weiss accepted the flag in the name of the company. Sorrow was expressed throughout the communi- ty at the passing of the "master builder" Albert Kahn; one of his then recent achievements was the Ford Willow Run Bomber Plant. Another milestone was noted in the honor accorded to Maurice Aronson, of the Aronson Printing Co., on his 50th birthday; in the way of celebration, Mr. Aronson entertained 500 service- men at dinner and a the- ater party. People who made the news included Henry Lapides, who was elect- ed president of the House of Shelter; Harry Zausmer, who was elect- ed worshipful master of Perfection Lodge 486; Alex Schreiber, presi- dent of the Fresh Air Society, who was elected president of the Old Newsboys' Goodfellow Fund; Seymour Lipkin, 15-year old pianist, who was selected as the musician to be presented in concert by the Music Study Club. The community played host to some noted schol- ars. Dr. Louis Finkel- stein, president of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, spoke at a luncheon of the Detroit Round Table. Dr. Reinhold Niebhur, of the Union Theological Seminary and former pastor of the Evangelical Church in Detroit, also spoke under the group's auspices. Several couples brought added joy to the holiday season by joining in marriage. They included Edythe Cohen and Benjamin Feldman; Shirley Razzman and David Taub; Gertrude Mendelsohn and Max Silverstein. Several families had added faces around the menorahs this year as we noted the births of Charles Schubiner, Dennis Foreman, Will- iam Feinberg and Michael Golden. Today we jog and aerobicize; 50 years ago an ad, addressed to wives whose " husbands are tired," advised the use of the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, claiming that " an hour's dan'cing on his way home will invigorate him phys- ically and improve his dancing no end!" ❑ This column will be a weekly feature during The Jewish News' anniversary year, looking at The Jewish News of today's date 50 years ago.