THE JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
Friday, February 7, 1947.
Plain Talk
By ALFRED SEGAL .
Hie opinltms addressed by ibe
atEthosr of this colnnm are not
necessarily subscribed to by this newspaper.
DAUGirPER-IN-IiA.W . . . -Dear Mr. Segal: Yfna. and I, as men, are more xinderstanding tiian women gsnerallyare. I vraok you to -write something for fhe imdesv standing of my wife. I have failed.
It concerns our new daughter-in-law. She is not Jewidi and because she is not Jewish my wife hJas taken a hostile attitude toward her. Shb has not accepted her, evMi to the point of refusing to receive her in our hiouse. The ^1 is a .fine person, college-trmned. ^e comes from a very descent family.
i haw reasoned with my wife ttst hours at a time and haven't moved her in the least from her obstinate position. She reads your column and adnurcs yoiir wisdom anci maybe you csai spesSi to her. EVoon reading your column regularly I feiel your mind is like ioune oii this subject. You tell her.
(Signed)- -
. WeU,. this Mr, Segal can't feel too sure ^Ihat wisdom is aU on <he male side always. In a long life he has found that stupid obstinacy is afoovt equally divided between the sex^, Nor can he guarantee his ovm wisdom at all times. Looking back over his life-tisac, he finds hie h«ys been wrong as often as ri^t. His own wife doesn't consider him any too bri^t in most ordinary natters. It is ho complaint to one pha$e^. of his wisdom that^she kj^ejMi (iharge of the bank accounts
SQ,.by reason of varied experiences of being wronft he isn't a fdlow who hands down opinions with such authority as o£ God (himself, though there are others in the writing trade who do. In the matter of the distressful problem of. this citizen he can only say what h^ would do or say in the same drcuihstances.
he miijht say to his vdfe, so our' son is married, tv a girl of foioithier religion. Believe m^ I would rather have sesn him nuarry a Jewish- girl for a variety of resons.. The main, reason is the melancholy religious confliict that may : come, out of it: when the children arrive. She may want to bring them up in her'reli^m and <nif son may want to take his xeli-gioiis 'uiheritahce. You know how it is:' Evien people wlio' haven't worked hard at their religion may get mad at the possibility of this inheritance being lost. Thatfs what mainly worries me.
iHhen there is the pride of Jewis wlio know that their Identity is a pisss^sion that has been-hard-kept thiztyu^ ages. It's not easy to see it yielded by intermarriage with one of the Gentile people whose attitude friendly through many centuries of Jewish living.
If the Gentiles really had all been Christians the stoiy of the Jews would have been differ^t If Gentiles had been Christians they would-have followed the way of
CHAMISHO
OSOR B'SCHVAiT
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TREES
. 1 Hsip a Vitol •••• • • and ■
J. N. F.
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brotherhood of the Jew who is their Master. He gave them a vexy good teaching, indeed, and if s a pity nothing much has been done about it.
, But there's no use speculating on that. We must face the feet of our life: The boy is married to that girl, and, as forthri^t lookers at
facts, we must ask ourselves, what ' should we,.as reasonable parents, do with this fact? Reasonable people face a feet and make the best of it, since th^ can't diange it. Would you change,it even if you could? Our son—whether he's right or wrong—has found happiness in his marriage and would you, if you could, do a thing to destroy this happiness? For example, would you, if you could, force him into the divorce coiurt?
No! lhat's the last thing you'd ever think of. So there's left to us our duty to put the best i»ssible face on it, to behave like people ■who have had long experience of intolerance and, therefore, sliould' be the most tolerant Lets look at our daughter-in-law. Lefs judge her in the way we as individual Jews say we want to be judged: Each by his own icharacter; we don't like to be all lumped together in one bundle of condemnation.
Well^ we do know .isfae is a fine girl by character em.d education. . We know she comes from decent people. From all Ihear they're as nice as we are.
That's a good beguuung from which to start trying to.be reasonable. At that point we ms^ ask ourselves: What good will it do us, as Jews, if we sc(»ii this girl? Will she re^>ect Jews more if we b^iave that way? No! She will know. Jews as an obnoxious, stIfiE-necked people, repripsented in her: pax«nts-in-law wha denied her the hospitality of their house, to say nothing of the respect they owed her as their daughter-in-law and as a good human being.
When and if tliere are children will she be.more inclined or less inclined towards the faith of theu-Jewish fether, if his parents b^ve like fanatics? Certainly, we wouldn't be honoring the good name of Judaism if that were our way of being Jewish. If we reject her won't we be contributing to the conflict that we're afraid of? Aren't we helping to wreck a marriage that but for our obstinacy might come to a happy ending?
And v/hat of our bs^s happiness? From his e£urliest day you worried to protect him. You were so meticulous to get him safely across the streets. You were practically up all night with him when he had a loold in his nose. The way you worried the time he had the measles! You can't let him down now.
Let's invite her and him to dinner some evening this week. I think you should include blintzes in the menu. I do like blintzes and they would be a gastroaioniacal revelation for the girl among her new relations. Yes, my dear, call her up right now.
Thus Mr. Segal woidd speak up if he were in the same position as his correspondent. He hopes that the correspondent's wife, who is an admk-er of Mr. Segal, will accept this counsel as not unwise.
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The Jewish Western Bulleri
OfiBdal Organ of the Vancouver Jewish Administrative Comidl ^ i Published Weekly Every Friday at
Busness Houi^ 9 a.m. to 5 Saturdayvaijid Jewish Holy Days. Nathan Slujt^ky — Coixunittee Ckaixman
Ruth ToiAimaiM-
I shall try to corteet enoxs when show^ to be drroir^ and I ihall adopt nieW'Views so fost as they shall appear to be true
Entered as Matter js^ Ottawa..
' i EblTORI AL
' By Nathan Ziprin * THE AMEmCAN JEWISH
When the founders of the American Jewish Conunittee decided to form an organization with a view to preventing "the infraction of the civil and religious rights of Jews in any part of the world" and render assistance' "ip.- the event of threatened or actual invaglon of such rights" they little dreamt, despite their foresight and vision, that forty years later the question of Jewish rights would be as real as it was then and as far from j^utictXL' The impetus to the formation of th6 American Jewish Coniimtte^^^^ November of 1906, \yais Jbe Kishinev ma^acrept|.9d3 and the ensuing pogroins in Czair-ist Russia. :V --^^ . ■
Much blood, mpstljr Jewish blood, has passed liiider the bridge of hunMm rekt^^ those da3^. Since tiiat time we
have witnessed two w'ars, one to make the world safe for democracy and the other to crush an ideology that threatened to engulf and enslave the world. Since those days the world has undergone-a material transformation beyond imagination. Time and distanjce h^ye been'conquered by htiman ingaiuity.
With the scientific revolution marking the tarn of this c^-tury, there wiis hope in human hearts that scientific progress woldd lead to equivalent progress in hlun'ah"i^elations, that'the obUteratipn of. ignorance would lead to bettter understandings among men, that greater knowledge of the physical world would forever extinguish the prejudices we inherited from the dark past. But after close to fifty years of unprecedented development in the field of physical science we are forced to pause and reconsider values. True, there have been men with prophetic vision who cautioned against too much reliance on materialism as a panacea for the human spirit. True, there have been men who. raised their voices against the concept that materialistic achievement holds the key to higher spiritual attainment, Bilt we often scorned them, top often. We looked at thein as Visionaries, as men living in the past.
Now the world is paying for its disregard of spiritual values and we Jews are the greatest victims of the error. Had the world devoted as mudi energy, brains and determination to the improvement of nl^'s heart and spirit as it devoted to the anielior,ation of its physical conditions we, of this generation, might not have known wars and social plagues.
These are some of the thoughts that come to mind in connection with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the American Jewish Committee. These are: things that must come to mind when contemplating about an organization which is dedicated to the eradication of hate, prejudice and bigotry.
The American Jew^h Committers record of accomplishment in the past forty years is ah imposing one, that is appreciated by every segment of American Jewry. And though there have been times when the Committee was attacked by its opponents on questions of wider Jewish policy, even the critics, we are sure, will join us in cpngratulating the American Jewish Committee as it celebrates its fortieth anniversary.
tSB
Announcement ...
WE WISH TO ANNOUNCE THAT
REV. WM. SHUSTER
of Quebec City
has been engaged as shoichet for our Congregation. Rev. Shuster has already taken up his duties as shoichet and will also be available for services as Moheh
Until further notice, Rev. Shuster will attend for the Kosher killing of poultry at the Poultry House, 423 Powell Street, on the following schedule:
Wednesday.-r-1:00 p.m. to 4:00 pjn.
Thursdays — 8:00 fo 10:00 aon. and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Congregation ScSiara Tzedeck
NATHAN A. SLIJTSKY, Seoiet^
By. Phineas J. Biron
PLEASE NOTE
A privately owned skating rink, "THie Icdandia" in Torontos, refused admission to a young Jewish girl because-^e was Jewish .. . -^Tbe Jewish icomimiiy is very much surprised and aroused.
NOTHING TO LAUGH AT
Newsreels treat Ihe Gero^a Gu-ernatorial crisis humerously, ssd audiences have a good time when the news-conunentator jokes about it Nefws editors should haye known better. We might remind them that an late as November 18, 1946 Herman Tahuadge sfpoke at a Ku Klux :KIan barbecue held.in Ihe Muni-apsl Auditorium of Alanta, Georgia.
BATHER STEIANGE
The Protestant noagazine in its current issue gives 1|ve imprefssioa that Pierre van Pass^'s. recent resignation as OontrUniting Editor liad nothing whatsoever t(> do with the resignation of Joseph Brainin as Associate Editor. This might well be so. But strangely enough both editors.resigned on ihe same day— if not for the same reason.
MORE THAN DISPLACED
IssaoL. Asofs^, Executive Director of HIAS^ reporting on his tour of Europe where he studied the Jewish DP situation, said lhat the word "displaced" is a misnomer. He described the refugees as "deserted, dejdcted, destitute, despoiled, despondent, desperate, demised, diallusioned,^ defeated and deceived*' Pje^sons. Asofsky; also prdsed the Polish Govertunent; for its uiuemitting^ fight to end anti-Semitism.
BROADWAY GOSSIP
Daniiy Kaye, currentiy drawing ^,000 per week (uh-^huh—7 days) for his hilarity at Mianu's Oopaca-bana, flattened a ringside hedder a few nii^ts bac^. The Kid from Bix>oklyn ^dn't like that Hne from Berlin. iDaimy, by -&e way, may^ be co-stared with CSiarlie Chaplin in a new film, l^iat's'on^e we wbiiidii't xniss. Milton Berle, whose deesdon
to take the airwaves left that Copa job for Danny, will preview performances of his new radio show in children's hospitals in the New v=^k ares. A diffsrsit ens sash
• week. Arthur Mayer and Joe Bur-styn, distributors of "Open City", are going into producti<m in Itlay with Roberto Rossellini, director of the dassidEtalian anti-fascist film. Jules Munshin, of the "Call Me Mister" cast, is paddng thein in at New York's Cafe Society Uptown. Krishna Nehru, Pandits sister, took-in the show the other night Her. raves join many otho^ including the New York Stodc Exdumge. Club's. Jules is getting their placpie as the best comic to emerge fM»n the armed forces. Watch tiiis lad, he's headed for stardom. It^s liioy, thev thin^ for the Albert E. Kahns. ■ He's the former Darfaoumth traick' star, and more recently is the Prsd--dent of the Jewish Peopk^st EVater-nal Order, LW.b., and co-author of "The Great Con^iracy Against Russia".
„ DID YOU KNOW
That the Jewish population in Palestine has increased by 165,000 in the past seven years—or 33 per cent dnce the outbreak of the war. Half of this xs accounted for by immigration and the other half by natural increase. The present Jewish population iotals 630,000 as compared with 455,000 m 13S9-It is twelve times greater than in 1919.
WELL DONE
The fourth and final editaonof "American Jews ia World war H" is now in preparation. This two volvune saga of Jewish par-ticipati<m in the -wbt has been . written by Irving Katzfman, a well known oorxe^ndent in both European and F&dfic theaters of ivrar. It os based on the scrupulously authentical' material comr piled by the War Riecords Btiireau of the National Jewish Wel£are , Board. Facts like these ^are i^itad weapons against '^triotic" hate-^ merdiants.-
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