JEW IS H W E S T.B » N B U L LE TIN
Friday, December 8, 1939
The Jemsh Western Bu
Offidd Organ of the Vancouver Jewish Adminhi^^ S. W.                                           nhaim-ian AdiHinistrative Cotmcil Samuel Gillies        '___________--Editor
Harry Musikansky.
-Business Manager and Publisher
2675 Oak St., BAy. 4210. BtSBiness Honrs: 9 ajEU to 5 pjn., escept Saturday and Jeidsh Holy Day& .   Entered as Second Class Mail Iklatter at Ottawa
VAHCOUVBE, B.O:, FEIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1939
TPE WAR CEEST DRIVE
VANCOUVER'S first War Chest Drive is now past. This was a eombination drive of the Local Welfare Federation and the Red Cross. Although the objective was not reached, Vancouver gave a very creditable account of itself by raismg 90% of its quota. In comparison with this the Jewish division made a fine showing by reaching 93% of the amount set, something that we should all be proud of. To gain this enviable position meant a lot of real hard work, a smooth, efficient system which made possible the co-operation of the whole community. Thanks must be tendered to those who gave, to the splendid workers and captains who donated their valuable time, to the Community Centre Staff, to Alex Moss for his masterly handling of the returns, and above all to that old and tried campaigner. Director Harold B. Kahn, who was the power behind the scene. Special thanks go to the ladies for their untiring efforts which produced exceptionally good results. There were two donations which are due honorable mention. Beth Israel ReUgious School donated $15.00, which indeed is a generous gift from such a young religious group, and a fine understanding of the importance of local welfare and Red Cross needs. The pupils and Faculty deserve much credit for their thoughtful gesture.
Another donation of $15.00 was received from the Council of Jewish Juniors, who, in these days, find it hard to raise money for the many undertakings they have pledged to support yet recognizing the value of the War Chest Drive, and its humanitarian cause agreed to work hard and raise this extra money for the Drive.
Taking everything into consideration we unhesitatingly say, that the Jewish Division did its best—and done it well.
CHANNUKAH—THE LESSON FOR JEWISH SURVIVAL
THIS week, Jews the world over, usher in one of the most historical festivals in the Jewish calendar, Channukah, the Festival of Lights. Jewish hearts thrill when the tales of Maccabbean valor and heroism are recounted. In essence, this joyous festival is calculated to rally the drooping spirit of the down-hearted Jew in these trying times, no less than to awaken him to a realization of his worth, to a consciousness of his dignity, and the dignity and value of his spiritual treasures. Shall this, however, be the extent of our celebration? Shall it suffice us merely to glory in our ancient ancestry? What of us? Is the Maccabean spirit dead? Are we less faithful than were our forebears? Are our own times so very different from theirs? Are not the problems which they faced also the problems which confront us?  The external enemy they iought. We„.tftO, are being^jcompelled tojface., J'or.Ispiersjjhy.sJL-eal enemies are not yet extingtushed!  But fair greater than thi^ —far greater to us, then as now, far greater than the foe from without is the foe from within! More formidable than Antiochus, the madman, was the renegade, Menelaus. More formidable than the most rabid anti-Semite is the unfaithful Jew in our ranks. More threatening than all the malicious libels and frauds of such papers as DER ANGRIFF and DER DEUTSCHE BEOBACHTER, is the Jew who is IGNORANT of his history, ignorant of his literature, his tradition, his TORAH and his God.  We glory in the Maccabbean victory, yet do we realize that it was not by a superior might but with a superior SPIRIT, that untrained Judean forces did meet the enemy and vanquished him.  "Not with arms, and not with great strength, but by my SPIRIT, sayeth the Lord!" If We assure the survival of our people; if we are concerned with future once and for all, safety of Israel—then must we realize, that not with physical force but only by a conscious effort to restore our prestige as a SPIRITUAL people, as the AM HASE-FER, the people of the BOOK, can we and shall we be assured our rightfid and deserving place imder the sun. Therefore, there must be MORE Jewish EDUCATION. Jewish learning and scholarship MUST be resurrected.   There prevails an ignorance too abysmal and too ill-portending for us to ignore it any longer— and we are callously ignoring it at the risk of the future of the Jew and the Jew's dearest possession, his faith!   Parents must cease shifting the responsibility of the Jewish home, and the problem of their children's Jewish upbringing merely to these institutions—the Synagogue, the Religious and Hebrew schools—^which, without their aid and co-operation cannot single-handed perform the MIRACLE of the Jewish revival and survival.  There must be a conscious effort on the parts of all parents and children and workers—^Zionists and non-Zionists—Jews of every shade and opinion—^teachers and leaders—all must put their shoulders to the wheel and jointly, harmoniously, rally the spiritual forces of Israel. There must be a closer alliance, a sense of closer affinity, ia warmer consciousness of brotherhood between Jew and Jew and between the individual Jew and Jewry at large if we are to succeed—^nay, if we are to insure our future as a people!
Let us banish from our midst the paralyzing INDIFFERENCE and IGNORANCE which prevails. Only through the SYNAGOGUE, the RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND THE TALMUD TORAH, shall our efforts be crowned with fruitful blessings!
By AL SEGAL
White Paper
From London Mr. Segal received a white paper the other day. He liaH been getting white papers from Gei'-many right along. One white pap^ attempted to persuade him that Chiu'chill sank the Athenia. To DSj^. Segal this seemed an outgiving of thf, same Nazi mind that had thought up the plan to btirn the Reichstag in order to blame tiie fibre on the Com* munists with whom mtler was tip establish brotherly relations six years later. ,
Another of the Nazi white papers went to great length to disabuse Aih-erican minds of the thought that Coi. General von Fritsch could have been murdered by Nazis. It seems, according to the white paper, that the colonel general was killed by enemy fii^ while doing patrol duty just as Priv^ ate Schmidt or Private Metzger dies. (Oh, said Mr. Segal, it appears that generals do not really die in bed. We may yet hear of German generals dying under machine gim fire while digging trenches.) .-: ' \
But this white paper from London had nothing to do with the war. As Mr. Segal could see at once it wais concerning itself with timeless thingb while this war was only something Of the hour. In this white paper there seemed implicit the idea tnat wars are incidents. Wars had been before and the most powerful despots had oppressed the earth awhile and had gone their ways and been forgotten, like insects that live a brief hour.
The crash of their great victories were not even echoes in the worl^ and the fields they, ravaged came to bloom again and the pain they caused (though it was imbearable at the hour it was suffered) had been assu^ aged by the blessed anaesthesia thai time provides. Yes, today's agony would be healed, too, and Hitler would be only an evil name to scare children with, and in good time de* cent things would prevail again 09 the earth. _ , :
This was what Mr. Segal could read between the lines of the whit^ paper from London. It seemed to adr monish him that the good way of life was still ascending the hill o| the Lord toward the sunrise. Men had departed from it to go to the battles and it seemed rather a lonely path for the moment. The whit4 paper offered to give Mr. Segal directions to this good way.
It had to do with a new English translation of the Talmud in 32 volumes . . . "the grandeiu: and wisdoml the philosophy and the culture of our ancient race, enimciating the great principles of liberty and freedom fo^ which the world today is struggling'^
. . . and would Mr. Segal buy it. ' --X
litrr Segal felt exquisitely refreshed to find somebody in Europe offering the Talmud from among the bombs and the mines. This white paper, as Wc. Segal was aware, had cooie thrqugli ,s.Mis laden with explosives and infested by submarines to tell him of this chart of the good way of life . . . "moral reflections and apologues, maxims of worldly wisdom, metaphysical speculations, tales of Israel's past, visions of its future . . . a book of gems,^a book or gold."
(The white papers from Gwpaany had been trying to sell him the virtue of Hitler and the criminality of Churchill. Yet they were not altogether white. Mr. Segal covdd detect the blood stains of hands that had to do with the murders in Poland and the earlier mwders in the concentration camps in Germany, He found in them the smear of all the butcheries,)
Mr. Segal could find a certain satisfaction with being of the human race as he considered the white paper from London. Yes, he said, this is something of the spiritual character of people. They can still see stars even while they look anxiously in the heavens for bombers. While they wait for sudden death they take steps to offer me this book which will direct me on the way of my life.
(Mr. Segal does not believe much in the pride by which a man exalts his own group of the hiunan race as being better than another. He thinks the only pride that is really worthy is the pride that every man derives from his own self-respect and the merits of his own character. He felt it was something to the credit of the entire human race that amid the crash of civilization there were still men who were troubled about sptiit-ual values like the Talmud.)
It was all rather pertinent to what Mr. Segal had lately been thinking about. He has wondered: After this travail, after the tragic business of defense is over will there be anything left of which Jews can say. This is what we defended and this is what we saved—this spiritual quality of being Jewish, this way of life that is called Jewish.
Or will we have defended and saved only ovu" bodies—empty people who have nothing in particular left for which to live as Jews. All this trot^le is scarcely worth the pain if that is all that we will have saved. For then the Jews will have been.destroyed, as Jews and our real identity will be dead.
Already the signs of spiritual crumbling become evident. As Jews must give more and more of their substance for the defense of mere existence in the world, the sustenance of their institutions become less and less. The Nazi triiunph grows as Jews tax themselves in ever-increasing amount for the succor of the vicr tims while their institutions at home languish.
The absorption of their minds is in measures of defense; a Jew's mind is on Coughlin, Kuhn and Pelley—the devils of his demonology; the voices of his prophets are forgotten as ht' bends his ears to the Mephistophelian
BRINGING ORDER OUT OF CHAOS
IN THESE days of distress and need both abroad and at home, when much larger sums of money have to be raised than ever before, naturally we consider the best means to raise and disburse this money with the least possible waste. Locally, we have been striving hard to co-ordinate as many outside drives as possible and there is no question we have attained a certain measure of success. Nationally, we are far behind in this matter in comparison with the United States, who have co-ordinated three of the major drives, yet are not satisfied until all campaigns have been com bined, in order that the utmost success can be attained in securing funds, wtihout having heavy overhead expenses. The United States have learned the advantage of a united appeal, and we append a statment written by Fred A. Stem, Seven Arts Editorial writer, who has studied the subject closely.
Order in fund-raising activities for overseas causes has always been desirable. The situation created by the unparalleled misery abroad, bom of the war, makes such order imperative.
A great forward step was the creation of the United Jewish Appeal in 1939, combining the campagins of the Joint Distribution Committee, the National Refugee Service and the United Palestine Appeal. The united appeal greatly simplifid the t^sk of organizd welfare funds in making allocations.
But the U. J. A. is not a "united" appeal in the full sense of the word. Outside its fold remain the HIAS, the American ORT Federation and other worthy causes. These organizations are still
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obliged to use the outmoded method of individual appeals to welfare funds. The funds are faced with a multiplicity of demands on their resources which they aije not prepared to sift adequately.
The time has come to extend the principle (Of the united appeal, which has already proven so sifccessful in the case of the three major fund-raising agencies.
This need has been recognized by regional conferences of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Fi^ds. Extension of the scope of the United Jewish ,Appeal was recommended by the Eastem Central States Conference in Akrion, Ohio, on October 22, which requested its parent natiopal body to "secure this necessary facts and information as to the work and functions of the agencies in these fields and make them g,vailable to the proper allocating body" so that "proper allocatijons may be made for the funds available for those purposes." Similar resolutions were adopted by other regional meetings. ,
In response to the desires c^f the local welfare funds, as expressed at these regional parleys, the Council's board of directors on ovember 11 sponsored a conference of national organizations dealing with refugee and voerseas neds, in Nw York, at which an attempt to reach a basis for joint fund-raising, at least for organized welfare fund communities, was proposed by the Council and discussed by the representatives,present.
This is a milestone on the road to scientific allocation of welfare funds. If a United Jewish* Appeal for Overseas Causes can be created, then American Jewry will be able to pride itself on having developed a comprehensive instmment more fitted for grappling with the overwhelming problems that have been thmst on it by the magnitude of Jewish distress abroad.
At the last meeting of the Junior Council held Tuesday, November 28, members-were privileged to hW'Mis. Atigtis Mclnnis, well-known n^ember of the Women's ti^ague for iPenceand Democracy.
Another active season of Junior Council is well under way, with all groups functioning. ' i5ai^^ "i^ this year Is the combining of the Sewing Group and tiie Fireside Study Group, which will meet together in future. A very Interesting study group has been inaugurated which wiU include the study of the Biblcj; CiMTent Events, Jewish History, Contemporary -Aflairs, etc. This coiurse of studies will prove very beneficial and of interest to all attending. December Meeting
FollowiDig precedent, the December meeting will take the form of a luncheon to be held at Lack's Cafe on Sunday, December 17, at 1:00 p.m. An outstanding speaker has been chosen for this occasion and all mem-
bers are urged-to phone in theh: reservations immediately to Miss Esther • Gurevitch or Miss Lillian Wohnan. Coming Eventst :
Plans are ^eady imder way forj the Annual Junior Council Valentine Dance to be held about February 1*. This year the dance will be-definitelyp< informal with tickets priced nomin-3 ally so that all can take advantage of i the fun and enjoyment for which the! Jmiior Council social affairs are re-' nbwned.
Proceeds will go in aid of worthy local charities the Council supports.
8 Progressive Club.,
Tlie members of this organization are requested to make an effort to ^ttend the first Jewish Red Cross meeting at the Jewish Commimity Centre on Tuesday, December 12 at 2.00 a.m.
A social will be held at the home of Mrs. Victor, 915 East 23rd Ave., this Saturday evening, Dec. 9th, 1939 at 8.00 pjn.
accents of a Coughlin.
The question is not what will become of us but what will we be like after this is all oyer? One may fairly guess what will become of us: We will not die, since worse thah Hitler could not kill us in former thnes. But if we are men in whom no spiritual meaning remains it will not have been worth while to have saved oiur-selves.
The problem is how the American Jew may guard his own spiritual identity even while he taxes his purse and his energies to succor the exist-
ence of his brethren abroad, or stands, watchful against the current devils. It is a matter for the serious consideration of the national Jewish organ-izatiOQs.
*   * *
Mr. Segal regretted he had not $150 to spare with which to buy the Efig-Ush translation of the Talmud. He refers others who may have the $1S0 easily at hand to the valiant pub-^ Usher, the Soncino Press of London,^ England. The new Talmud is the work of the leading Jewish scholars of Europe and America.
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PARTY POLITICS
in Our City Hall!
Political interference with the freedom of our Civic leaders is an affront to Vancouver. Elect INDEPENDENT Citizens, and keep our City Hall free from the dictates of outside party or clique.
Clip and Keep for Reference on Election Day:**
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NON-PARTISAN CANDIDATES
ALDERMEN:
HENRY L. COREY     CHARLES JONES W. D. GREYELL        JACK PRICE
PARK BOARD:
E. H. GRUBBE R. ROWE HOLLAND
CHARLES J. MeNEELY
SCHOOL BOARD:
JAMES BLACKWOOD F. J. DAWSON
MRS. ADA CRUMP     ALLAN G. FELLOWBS
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On December 13
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