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JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
The Jewish Western Bulled
Official Orgah of the A^aiicouver; Jewish Adnainis
Harold B. Kaiui..;J.:..-..........-i......„eiiairmahA(iministrative Council
Harry Musikaifflfey______ ..____................„]l^dit6r and lousiness Manager
2675 Oak St., BAy. 4210. - i
Businesa Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Saturday and Jewish Hol;^ Cfay^.
Entered as Second Class Mail Matter at Ottawa
Today, only those, az^e fit to live—:who are not afraid to die^
—Qnentin Beynolds.
VANCOTTirBB, B.0.; TlSLIDk% MABOH 6, 1942
TffilBute To FIghCeffs
It has become even clearer as to why the Nazis are broadcasting excuses for thor monstrous treatment of Jewish war prisonep. WMe they whimper that Jews sniped at their soldiers, the entire Soviet press paid great tribute to the valor and courage of Jewish "gneriiia" fighters who remained behind Nazi lines orgaoisdng raids against milituy posts.
Among Uipse who remained were women and girls and it is to be expected: that tiieir treatment was none the lighter at the hands lof the Nazis. It is a tribute to their peerless valor that the entire press took occasion to laud their actions in a war where bravery is an everyday matter of fact.
The Nazi wlmnper in the night then is a revesting insight into the effectiveness of these fighters. Their plaint of "undvilized warfare" directed against the Jews might better be called too effective warfare. And even their whimper and snivelings are good signs that they are beginning to ache all over from the many blows inflicted from every side. Oh yes, the rats are beginning to squimu
Stefan iweig
The Nazis Jiave just scored another triumph. They can^ point with,pride to the death of Stefan Zweig. They do not hiLve to share the spotlight with anyone. It is theirs alone. They are directly responsible for the loss of one of our finest writers and humanitarians.
In his farewell note to friends, Stefan Zweig wrote: ''I knew immense force would be necessary to reconstruct my life and my energy is used up by long peregrinatioh as a man without a country."
At 60, lonely, desperately tired, the author of many novels, stories, biographies, he could not find the energy necessary to reconstruct his life and find a new home. From 1938, when the Nazis enslaved Austria, he was forced to wander restlessly uprooted from his people, his country and his home. Yes, the Nazis may well take the spotlight for yet another victim of their "civilization." But the triumph was not really on their side. Though their way of life was responsible in the end for a tired, lonely man's death, they have not and will not succeed in obliterating his traces on our society. The countless contributions he made will continue to be read and to be effective. Just as through his death the Nazi "civilization" has been unmasked once more, so Stefan Zweig's life "which was dedicated biily to spiritual work, considering human liberty and my own as the greatest wealth in the world" has added immeasurably to the cause of liberty.
Efear iteader: "
Stf of^n I am confronted with the 'qu^stfon: "What's this book like. Any good?" With much (Mim e&mM i have to admit lgno2;ah6e of thib story and can only scan the ^y-lea^, if there is one, in iai effort to glban sbnie infionnaticttf^ '
Such a book was one I have Just finished readiher, "Hearken Unto tSy Voice" by Franz Werfel. Maiiy times ft' liaij' fedea picked Hip and termed, "Too dry" or "too heavy," etc. Shedi-curiosity compelled me to read it and if evear this is a star from heaven, this book merits the ai^llattcm. It is awesome—to say the least—trans-cendental—nothing of the present; day ihteinseness remains in ypiir mind wlule reading it. Yoii arie' carri^ back, back^ iiitb the plast-^-ahd Jbtb the life of the Ft^het Jeremiah; You axe given the glimpse of those ^stic and superstitious days.! wish I'could outline the story for you, but lack of space prevents me from dbiiog so. '■■■i :
When you read of the sufferings and' experiences of the prophet^< meet the kings of Judah ■ atid feel« the might of Jihe great armies of Egypt and of Babylon—tlie pendulum! swinging steadily biEick?nU'd—ydtirlife is no more in the 20th Century .-.. Human: nature, however; is fragile —the centuries -have not found the great Adonai—even today. We can stiU "Hearken Unto the Voice'' still listen to the great words of tl^ie prcn phets and who knows, we will find the true meaning of life.
"The Nation" of Feb. 21 contains a very interesting article: "Jews Aft^r the War" by Beinhold Niebuhr. It'S; worth reading, and if you care to seej it, 111 have it here on Sunday for those who are interested.
Yours for opening the books,
RUTH MAHRER.
By Bm§3L&^ WiM^BOCJSN
Porlm . as a symbol of victory over despair. Is also a reminder that life, laughter and hope are a part Mttf dur tiMei£^ fiittattttfiL though Piurlm Ss a few days past, we feel that this story Is Stiil timdyy^-EDITOB.
The names of Haman and itltler have a similarity of connotation which their progrcuns deservi^. Time, however; has allowed us to associate with H^an the Joyous holii^aiy oi I*ufim, which celebrates his downfall on.the fourteenth day of Adar; Charlie Chaplin has already given lis a caricatuiSs of Hitler in, hfe "great" dictator, Heinkie. We khi>w that history wihilrbwde Idr Hitler a fate similar to his predecessor's.
Haman was-the €h:and; Vizier .of King Ah£ksiietud of .Persia^oine 2,500 years ago whose evil designs against
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Confidential
Tidbits from Everywhere
By PHINEAS J. BIEON
YOU SHOULD KNOW ■---
Ihtiinates of the late novelist and a post-war world government that is biographer Stefa^n Sweig know that now being studied by the Board of the real reason behind his dramatic Economic Warfare in Washington,
suicide was this? Zweig had grown so pessimistic about the course of world events and the increase pf Fascist strength in the Western hemisphere that he was wonying lest his European experience would have to be repeated on this side of tiie Atlantic. . . . And he was too tired to repeat that experience.. . . New York's Governor Lehman recently addressed a great Victory Loan meeting in Montreal. . . . And that section of the French Canadian press which still carries on an intensive anti-Semitic campaign let loose a terrific barrage at the Governor, telling him that no advice was wanted from a Jew. . . . The New York press, while it carried the story of Governor Lehman's inspiring address, did hot report this outrageous discourtesy.. . . But nothing would be gained by hiding the fact that at no time in the last twenty-five years has anti-Semitism been permitted to run so rife in the Province of Quebec as today. ... All of which reminds us that Columnist Ed Sullivan, now reporting on the Florida scene, is burnt up about the French refugee who, having found a haven here from the Nazi oppressors who have overrim his homeland, has opened up a hotel that maintains a "No Jews Allowed" policy. . . . TRUE STORY
Benny Nussbaum, a Long Island City paperhanger and an air raid warden besides, found himself something of a public figure last week when an enterprising OOD press agent discovered that only hi 1935 Hitler had awarded him a special medal for bravery in the first world war. . . . Benny's bravery is a matter of record—he served as a dispatch rider in the German Army, and won the Iron Cross. . . . But the Hitler medal is something else again. . . . Nussbaum has lived in America for almost twenty years, and besides, being a Jew, has as little use for Hitler as Adolf has for him. , . . But he's keeping the medal against the day of Hitler's funeral, he declares. . . . Then he'll send it back to Germany, he adds, "to show I haven't forgotten aU he did to the country." . . . THIS AND THAT
Monroe Oppenheimer, a New York attorney, has worked up a plan for
which is headed by Vice President Wallace. ... Nathan Straus, they're now saying, will be returning to public life soon, and it may be that hell turn up in a State Department post. . . . The latest Hollywoodite to be drafted for the making of a Government film is a screen writer Leonard Spiegelgiass. . .. Paul Muni fans who practically never have a chance to hear him over the radio, were particularly delighted not long ago to find him participating in one of Uncle Sam's "This Is War" network presentations. . . . Hats off to Mrs. Sidney C. Borg, veteran worker in philanthropic and communal causes in both the Jewish and the general, field... . She's doing yeoman work as chairman of the Civilian Defense Volunteer Office in Manhattan. . . . FROM THE EASTERN FRONT
Soviet Ambassador Litvinov is quoted as explaining the effect of Russia's winter on the Nazi armies
Rosh Chodesh Nissan.....March 19|
Passover____.____..... April 2 to 9|
Rosh Chodesh lyar.....April 17-18|
Lag b-Omer Tuesday, May 5^
Rosh Chodesh Si van----Sun., May 17'
Shevuoth ______ Fri., Sat., May 22, 23
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz .. June 15-1^
Fast of Tammuz____.. Thurs., July Z,
Rosh Chodesh Ab ..... Wed., July 1^
Tisha b'Ab ......... Thurs., July 23.
Rosh Chodesh EUul .....Aug. 13-^
Holidays begin on the evening pre-t ceding the dates designated. |
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names in American Jewish life. . . But all we can tell you at this time is that he's the son of that great name. . . .You may have been wondering what has happened to l^e American Jewish Press Club. . . Well, the presiuent, Ixavlng fcund. a good full-time Job with an important information biureau, has resigned.... And so, "for the present, the club is leaderless. . .' . We told you long ago that popular composer Vernon Duke —Eddie Cantoris "Banjo Eyes" is his work—was borh Vladinilr D^ . . . But we didn't ^pw until just now that he uses his original mpn-iker on his serious musical comppsir
larger than that of composer Dukel-sky. . . . Novelist K Phillips Oppeh-heim, who in flfty-fomr years has written a hundred and fifty-six vol-
by pohitmg out that General Winter i umes, now has published his auto-4.r,«^ 4-^ Tiit-i^-^'e. blogTaphy. . . . And don't think that
knew better than to serve on Hitler's side—after seeing what happens to German generals when Adolf gets his flashes of intuition. . . . And via the trans-Atlantic grapevine comes the story of the Nazi soldier on the Russian front who wrote to his wife: "Please rush immediately ten copies of 'Mein Kampf. ... All the copies owned by our company are gone now, so we're all writing home for more. . . . Ten copies make a beautiful fire that keeps us warm for hours." . . . ABOUT PEOPLE
Dr. and Mrs. Chaim Weizmann's visit to this country, delayed because of the tragic fate of their son Michael, is now definitely set for the month of March. . . . It's only a few years since a young man looking for free-lance journalistic work tried to gain an entry to newspaper offices affiliated with Jewish organizations by pointing out the fact that he was the nephew of the Jewish editor and
Zionist leader Gershon Agronsky----
Today Gershon Agronsky gets a thrill when he's referred to as the imcle of that young man—Martin Agronsky, who promises to emerge as the Floyd Gibbons of World War Niunber Two. . . . The newly appointed Washington representative of the World Jewish Congress bears one of the best-known
his own adventures pale beside those of the heroes of his thrillers. ... As a war correspondent twenty-five years ago, and as one of the Americans caught in France during the current conflict, he has had some quite exciting experiences. . . .
LIVE AND LEARN
We've just discovered that we've lived imder a misapprehension for
all these years____We always thought
that the mother of Felix Mendels-sohn-Bartholdy, the famous composer, was an Aryan—and here she turns out to have been bom Lea Salomon, granddaughter of the original "Jude Itzig" of BerUn----This Daniel Itzig, who was the leader of the Berlin Jewish community in the latter part of the 18th century, was the first Jew to be naturalized in Prussia. . . . This was in 1791. ... A number of his descendants married out of the faith, and the story goes that in the 1870's three representatives of the Prussian Ministry of War, Finance and Public Works, meeting to confer on the laying of a cornerstone for an armory, discovered that the site chosen for the building had once been the garden of Daniel Itzig, who was a common ancestor of these three men who until then had been
Miniature MegUIahs of the Book of Esther from the Jewish Theological Seminary of .America.
the Jews were thwarted by the courageous intervention of the Jewish Queen, Esther, and her wise uncle, Mordecai. History itself provided the dramatic denouement for this story. Haman was hanged from the gallows on which he had hoped to kill Mordecai and the fetes and honors which'he had planned for himself fell to Mordecai ,the Jew.
The holiday is named for the Persian "pur," meaning lot, since Haman cast lots ("purim") to determine the day on which his decree of death for. every Jewish man, woman and child in the kingdom should be carried out. -But on that day of Purim, instead of the massacre which Haman had plotted for them, "the Jews had light and gladness, and Joy and honor," Purim, then, has come to be the holiday of the greatest Jesting and rev-elry. ;
One of the Purim customs which had come down through the ages is the rattling of the grager. which meets 'each mentidh of ' Haman's name when the Megiilah, the Bbok of Es-|:ther which 'recounts this story, is read at Piirim.: This probably orig-iinatsd w^ the practice of writing ^Haman's name in chalk on two small 'bosurds and vociferously clapping :these "together until the name was erased.'- ::'ie<^ ■■■■ -
'The first two chapters, pf the Megiilah contain no mention of-the name ,of the story's .yillain, but when^ at the-beginning Pf thes: third chapter, the name of Hainan is distinctly read by the Nazzan, pandemoniuin breaks loose. The children indulge in the noisiest fashion possible, and only fatigue and the adnaonitions of their
coin, dnd returns to his party. The .menu is of the best, with never a care for the stomach—and water is taboo! A special feast is: prepared with hala, wise, kreplach, Haman-Taschen and beans. The exchange of gifts is ■ associated with Purim, tbb^ and ti&esp rahged from charity gifts 'to ti^e . pbdr/ to excha^ of food among neighbors All these picas^t practices have endeared Purim to the Je^s, and it has beSii said that byen 1^ ilie other Jewish holidays fell into disuse, Puiim would survive bebaTUse of the eternal stii>ug-gie which it representsand the cheer it spreads. J:':'
lAthe Museum of Jewish Ceremonial Obects at the Jewish Thciolbgical Seihlnauy of AmeHca^ In York City, are many iiefloia iti^kbdatied with Ptirim feistlvitii^s,'/ inc^^ than 130 Megillahs. -scribed by Je^sh ^schdlai^ and irt-istS throughbui tibS ag^/ these Me-giliahd ^re in Wried sizes ah from many cbuhtriesl There sure examples datlnir back fb thp sixteenth cehtur^^ and r'Ppresehtiitkg iUmpst bver^ cbun-liry iii £:urope arid the'r^^^^ Inejuil-ed are ndany' beifiiti^^^^ Melrillalii^, ok iitaVchm f'ahg^ng in si^e'froih a s&^^^ wide tb bxie and II
the vrhpi^freS^ue^tiy e^ca&ed in atrt-
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^€(|bf|3fi^ il-luiiiiiEiiiied Meiriniili which depicts the hanging of Haman's ten sons, in the collection is alsb the Hook of Esther from the Gutenberg Bible, the first book ever printed, in 1456. 'Hiere are also many Purim gragers and about twenty plates of various kinds of metal and workmanship.
Although Purim is a holiday which particularly recommends itself to children, let Us not lose sight of its larger significance. The tradition of laughter and Joy are as much a part of us as our timeless tradition of suffering. In representing the victory of courage over despair Purim is a reminder that life and laughter—and hope—are with us too.
UJ.R. AND W.R,A.
loo
TOPAiESTINl
On Februa]:y-27ttiithe>'United Jewish Refugeei and War tteiief Agencies sent the sum>of $35,000 to Palesl^ tine. This the suni assign^ by the Joint Distribution Cfpmmitteefpr relief purposes in the Jewish Homeland and tb elTPct certain transfer Arrangements.^
The uijl. & W.rji. Is affiliated with the J.D.C. for the purpose pif carrying on relief work for Jeidsh refugees and war victims In the: va-riPus countries thrpughbut the world where it is possible to send aid. The U.J.r. sends money direct from.Glan-ada to the steirling coiintries. This is done in accordance with arrangp-ments made with the Joint Distribution Committee in the United States, which is thereby rplieyed of the task of trajismitting monies itself to bbun-tries which would Pfdinarily come within its orbit. Since iE^esilne is one of the sterling countries, funds may be sent directly from Canada for "Joint" acUvlties there. Refugees In European countries benefit ''as '^weU from help to Palestine, for many of them live with the hope Pf being'able to establish themselves in Palestine in the future.
We learn from the office of the U.J.r. & W.rX that it is making arrangements for a nuinber of lE^pI-ish-Jewish refugees at present in India to be enabled to migrate to Palestine.
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tions. . . . Needless to say, composer Duke enjoys an income considerably elders make thein'pause to gather
'energy for the next outburst.
Children in masquerade go beggring from house to house at Purim, chanting:
"Today is Purim, tomorrow no more; Give me a penny, and show me the door."
The host laughs, throws them a
Jewish Scientists Recalled From Ghettos to Work in Medical Laboratories
STOCKHOLM (WNS) — Jewish scientists, who formerly specialized in the development of anti-typhus vaccines have been brought from the Polish Ghettos to the famous laboratories of Dr. Rudolph Stefan Weigl, at Lwow University, recently re-op-oned under Nazi supervision, according to reports received here. These Jewish biologists had worked with Dr. Stfan Weigl, who had effected an anti-typhus serum, up till the Nazi invasion of Poland.
Statistics on the spread of spotted typhus published in the Nazi paper Gonieo Krakowski, which reached here, revealed that of 17,800 cases of typhus in Warsaw during 1941, 15,749 were Jewish.
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strangers to one another. ... If you iwant to know more about this most interesting family, just look it up in IVoIiune Five of the Universal Jewish jEncyclopedia, where you will find, irnany fascinating details. . . .
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