T SL01110111111 TEARS

Striding Toward Statehood
With A Detroiter

T

High School, 22,000 people marked
Abba Hillel Silver of the World Zionist
began to trickle out of Europe about
here were many local Jews
the birth of the new state. "People were
Organization.
the
Nazis'
efforts
against
the
Jews.
A
who took active, even dan-
very
excited," recalled community
Even
in
victory
in
1947,
when
the
Jewish
Telegraphic
Agency
report,
pub-
gerous, roles in the founding
leader
Max Fisher. "The founding of
United
Nations
General
Assembly
The
Jewish
lished
April
7,
1942,
in
of the State of Israel.
the state was very
backed
partition
of
Pales-
was
headlined:
"Hundreds
Of
News,
But none could claim the lengthy
important." Fisher went
tine
into
Jewish
and
Arab
Dutch Jews Die In Nazi Forced Labor
record of support or immersion in the
on to become the
states,
Slomovitz's
weekly
Mines."
Zionist movement that marked
founding chairman of
Purely
Commentary
col-
It
was
one
of
many
arti-
the newspaper career and
the reconstituted Jewish
umn
in
The
Jewish
News
cles
over
the
next
three
years
Zionist underpinnings of Jew-
Agency
for Israel after
was
more
cautious
than
that
spotlighted
Hitler's
ish News founder Philip Slo-
the old agency, in
triumphant
as
Arab
ter-
"Final
Solution"
without
movitz.
effect, became the gov-
rorists and Arab armies
knowing the full context of
At the time he created the
ernment of the new
gathered
in
opposition.
the
onslaught
behind
enemy
newspaper in 1942, Slomovitz
state.
On
May
14,
1948,
his
lines.
had already been a Zionist
It wasn't the end of a
Purely Commentary
In 1945, with the war
advocate for at least three
road,
but the beginning
trumpeted
Liberation
finally
at
an
end,
Slomovitz
decades. It was during the
of
a
new
chapter. The
Week
in
Palestine,
became
accredited
to
the
World War I years as a student
brand-new State of
HITSKY
ALAN
despite
a
long
litany
of
new
United
Nations
organi-
at the University of Michigan
Israel, after all, began a
concerns: British treach-
Associa to Editor
zation. He made monthly
that the Russian-born Slo-
fight for its life which
ery,
Arab
armies,
dam-
trips
to
New
York
to
cover
movitz sharpened his two
has
changed, but not
aged
infrastructure,
the
peace
effort,
and
to
lobby
for
a
loves: journalism and Zionism. He
ended,
as it celebrates
underfunded govern-
homeland for the Jewish remnant that
wrote for the Michigan Daily student
The
Detroit
Jewish
News,
its
first
50 years.
ment,
hate
from
within
had suffered so terribly.
newspaper and served as president of
May 14, 1948.
And throughout that
the
U.S.
government.
He
became
a
close
friend
of
Michi-
the Intercollegiate Menorah Associa-
time, right until his
But, as always, he called
tion, a forerunner of today's B'nai Kith gan's U.S. Sen. Arthur Vandenberg in
death in 1993 at age 96, Philip Slo-
for
justice
and
decency
and
a
massive
an
effort
to
raise
support
in
Washington
Hillel Foundations.
movitz continued to champion the Jew-
for a Jewish state in Palestine. He linked turnout of Detroit's Jews to celebrate
Following graduation, Slomovitz
ish state with his calls for fairness,
the
founding
of
Israel.
the
senator
with
Israel's
future
presi-
worked several years as a reporter at the
equality
and nation-building. ❑
That
Sunday
at
Detroit's
Central
dent,
Chaim
Weizmann,
and
Rabbi
Detroit News, and then was named edi-
tor of the Jewish News' forerunner,
-
Detroit's Jewish Chronicle.
It was during this period in the
1920s that he organized Young Judaea,
a predecessor of the Zionist Organiza-
decency thus upholding the high-
iaspora will
tion of America's Detroit District, and
must be est principles of Americanism. Let us
be faced wi h *1414
he helped found the local chapter of the
all turn out en masse for the demon-
''have
prep
Jewish National Fund.
stration. No one should be missing
been incidents of a rather unpleasant
Abridged vm the issue
The storm clouds of anti-Semitism
from Detroit's gathering.
nature in this country. Anti-Semites
1948.
were on the horizon: At home, they
Sunday's demonstration also will
are resortinc, to the taunting cries of
took the form of industrialist Henry
serve
as a salute to Haganah, the fight-
"Go
to
Palestine
in
attatking
our
his is Liberation Week in
Ford and Royal Oak radio priest Fr.
ing
force
for freedom.
people.
A
Jewish
woman
\rvas
accosted
Palestine. On Sunday, the
Charles Coughlin. Overseas, Adolf
There
is an excellent story about
by
anon-Jewess
at
a
fruit
counter
in
a
Jewish community will take
Hitler and the post-Great War econom-
the spiritu.al power of Haganah.
local store with the shout, "Why don't
over control of the country.
ic depression were sowing the seeds that
"At dawn I was on my way from
you go to Tel Aviv?" She
A de facto Jewish govern-
would blossom destructively for Jews in
guard duty. I met an old man carry-
received the proper reply,
ment already exists. A Jew-
the 1930s and '40s — and led to the
"You. belong with the Nazis at ing his tallis and tephillin bag. He
ish republic is functioning.
founding of Israel in 1948.
stopped me, held on to my hands
the bar of justice in Berlin."
Barring obstacles from the
Walter Field, a longtime friend of
and said: 'Bless me, my brother.'
As we prepare to greet the
British and the massing of
Slomovitz and an investor in The Jewish
"I refused: 'What will my blessing
Yishuv
on
its
statehood,
we
Arab troops on isolated
News, feared Fr. Coughlin. "Coughlin
do
you? You are now on the way to
must
also
be
prepared
to
face
colonies, it is safe to say
could change America," he recalled
prayers,
while I am going to sleep.'
all
issues
in
this
country.
The
this is the end of Jewish
recently. "He was on the radio every
"But
the
old man was adamant:
present
administration
has
statelessness.
Sunday," blaming Jews for the econom-
`You are more important than I. You
played a shabby trick on jus-
With liberation Nvill
ic woes of the world. "It was bad."
are fulfilling the commands of God
tice and fair play- with its
come many trials and
Slomovitz reported these events and
movitz
p
Slo
Phili
with
all your heart, all your soul and
attempt to make an about-
tribulations. There Will be
the storm clouds that would lead to
all
your
life. I have not reached that
face
on
the
Palestine
matter.
difficulties in Palestine
World War II. But, after 20 years as edi-
stage
of
piety yet.'
The
defeat
of
the
abortive
trusteeship
since internal conflicts are not always
tor of the Chronicle, the newspaper's
"What
could I do? I had to bless
plan
may
be
held
against
us,
but
we
avoidable. There will be the problems
owners wanted to make room for a
since
then Haganah work is
should
be
ready
to
indicate
that
we
of financing the government projects.
family member at the top. Slomovitz
earer
to me.
have
saved
the
good
name
of
America
The postal, telegraph and telephone
was out of a job.
by effecting a defeat for injustice,
systems will have to be reconstructed.
It didn't take long, however, for com-
. , (71- ien we demonstrate on Sunday
We are confident that the Yishuv will
munity leaders to rally behind him.
(May 16, 19.48), in celebration of Li
know how to face the issues. Would
Within months — in March 1942 —
eration Day, let us resolve that we
that Jews outside Palestine could face
Slomovitz founded The Jewish News.
continue to fight for justice and
problems as bravely.
And shortly thereafter, news reports

.„

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5/1
1998

38