Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 October 1945 — Page 11

Friday, October 26, 1945

THE JEWISH POST

Strictly Confidential By PHINEAS J. BIRON

Scoops The long lived feud between the Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati and Dr. Stephen S. Wise’s Jewish Institute of Religion belongs to the past. . . . We are reliably informed that Dr. Wise will be the recipient of an honorary degree by the Cincinnati College before the year is over. . . . Dose this gesture presage an amalgamation between these two Jewish institutions of higher learning? . . . Dr. Chaim Weizmann will be the guest of honor at a monster banquet which will be tendered to him next month in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel New York. . . . His numerous friends will present him with a check for $1,000,000 for his chemical research laboratory in Palestine. . . . Investigators in the know do not agree with columnist Victor Riesel that the end of Father Coughlin’s saga has been written. . . . How would Riesel explain the fact that strenuous efforts are being made by Coughlin's friends to get him back on the radio? * * * About Persons Cameraman E. Elisofon is just back from an exciting trip through Europe. ... He is finishing a book that will contain food recipes ... in other words a cook book. ... Is it true that the former chief Itabbi of Rome, Zoli, now a Catholic holding a job in the Vatican is considering a lecture tour in America? . . . Pierre van Paassen will soon be honored with the title Doctor of Divinity for his great services to the cause of true Christianity. . . . Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain’s ex-Minister of War is in this country studying the newspaper and radio fields. . . . There are rumors that Charlie Chaplin will soon begin the production of an important movie dealing with the need for a just and secure peace. ♦ * 4 You Should Know There is renewed talk about a Jewish delegation from America to the Soviet Union. . . . The occasion will be provided by the publication of the Jewish Black Book sometime in December of this year. . . . The name of the sergeant who escorted Bundist Fritz Kuhn back to Germany is Lubeski. . . . Fritz promised Lubeski that he would return to the States but did not explain how. . . . The widow of Leslie Howard is coming to America to supervise a movie dealing with Howard’s life story. . . . We wonder whether the Hollywood story will tell of Leslie's Hungarian Jewish parents. . . . Harold Laski will take the lead of the anti-Attlee forces on the Palestine issue. . . . Laski is determined to bring about a showdown. . . . Luise Rainer, the stage and screen star is refusing alluring offers because of impending motherhood. Question Period * * * Why was the daughter of Nazi Reichminister Frank, infamous butcher of Poland and one of the highest ranking w ar criminals, given a secretarial position with the American authorities in Wiesbaden, Germany? . . . How come that the Zionist scribes neglected

RABBI LAZARON His Attack Unanswered

ASCII Isn’t It Strange?

to answer Rabbi Lazaron’s recent attack against Zionism in the Baltimore Sun? . . . Sholem Asch’s last book “One Destiny” which tries to interpret his conception of a Jewish-Christian civilization is selling to the chagrin of the great author . . . Isn’t it strange? . . . Credit is due to the sponsors and organizers of the School of Jewish Studies in New York which opened its first 12 weeks courses last w'eek. . . . The courses will provide a scientific fundamental analysis of the history, culture, and life of the Jewish people the world over. . . . Why not let this be the beginning of real Jewish University? . . . Walter Winchell has finally taken time out to second our motion to have the ex-Grand Mufti of Jerusalem placed on trial as a w r ar criminal. Walter also confirmed our story that the ex-Mufti lives scot free in France and that the British Colonial Office is seriously considering to use him once more politically... . What’s the answer?

U. S. Sets Up Wide Definition of Nazi JtwlKli Tel»|?rnphl« Agency WASHINGTON — The definition of a Nazi as any person who participated in racial persecution and discrimination and not merely “nominal participants in party activities” was set up by the State Department in a directive to Gen. Eisenhower, which was released here. The directive ordered the immediate release of •41 persons in the American zone

“detained or placed in custody on grounds of race, nationality, creed or political opinions.” And instructed that they are to be treated as displaced persons.

1944 marked a record in the rate of natural increase in the population of Jewish Palestine. Jewish births in that year totaled 15,583 as compared to 10,000 in 1939, while the death rate was the lowest of any year.

■jy^Y Christian friend, the Rev. Mr. Thirkettle, XT A has offered to preach my funeral sermon. (His name isn’t really Thirkettle, but Thirkettle has a lovely sound quite fitting to such a lovely gentleman.) Mr. Thirkettle is in no hurry to preach a funeral sermon over me and, in fact, hopes it will be a long time before he has to come to this painful duty. Recently he read in this column my meditations on the question: Would I care to be buried by a Presbyterian minister? The matter came upon account of some Jewish people I know being marr ied by a Presbyterian minister in the absense of rabbis. By the ministrations of the Presbyterian minister, a broad-minded gentleman, the wedding ceremony turned out to be as Jewish as if it were given by a rabbi. Well, after due meditation, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t mind being buried by any clergyman of good will. 1 suggested the pleasant idea of being buried by a rabbi, a Protestant minister and a priest, blessing me simultaneously. Now, the Rev. Mr. Thirkettle was quite pleased by this expression of brotherhood. The more he thought about it, the more he realized what a fine gesture of brotherhood it would be it my corpse were accompanied to the grave by a rabbi, a Protestant and a priest. He thought he himself would like to have part in the obsequies. He had always been a clergyman who was sure that God made no distinction between men praying to him. When the prayer of a Jew, a Catholic and a Protestant ascended to Him, He didn’t know the difference. Not that Mr. Thirkettle is any the less sure of his own faith to which he ministers. He believes in the deity of Christ but he knows very well that God isn’t down on people who don’t believe that way. God, he has always said, is no bigot. Whoever comes to Him with a sincere heart is accepted and He doesn’t bother about the churchly label a man wears. • * * SO, WHEN MR. THIRKETTLE read that 1 should like to be buried under the auspices of a variety of clergymen — Jewish, Protestant, Catholic Mr. Thirkettle felt T was a man after his own heart. He thought it would be a privilege to bury me. He thought awhile as to whether it would be proper to offer himself for this service. Ministers are not supposed to be hearse-chasers. He came finally to the conclusion that it would be all right with me and wrote the following letter of application: "Dear Mr. Segal: I should like to help officiate at your funeral, in accordance with your desire as expressed in your recent column. I think such a funeral might give pause to all the brethren who are so jealous of seeming religious differences. Yours sincerely, ” Mr. Thirkettle went even further. He enclosed a manuscript copy of the sermon he intended to deliver at my funeral.

In a postscript he said: "This is a copy of my sermon. I think it's a good idea for people to know in advance what's going to be said of them at their funerals. A man at 'his funeral is absolutely helpless and can’t say a thing about the remarks that are made. Will you be so good as to go over this and make any deletions or emendations that you think proper. I don’t want to say anything that might give offense to your ideas. “In any event, it should please you that my remarks are brief.” This is the sermon that the Rev. Mr. Thirkittle has written for my funeral: » * * "WE ARE ASSEMBLED here today for the final rites for a ' izen who, though faithful to his own religion, felt he had no special privilege before God on account of it. Here, around this bier, have gathered ministers of three religions in token of the unity of mankind before the Fatherhood of God, in accordance with this man’s desire. “If his ghost is aware of these proceedings, he must be enjoying his funeral. “He was a man who never thought of God as divisible. God had no Jewish part, no Protestant part, no Catholic part. He was One God, the Father of all men, and why did the brothers strive with one another to tear Him apart, each for his own? "This man did not quarrel with other men because of God. He knew that the religions were only different ways of looking at God. And why should he quarrel with his neighbor because his neighbor saw God differently? “As the last act of his life he brought together men of various religions to say these final words over his remains. His ghost must, be laughing at the small jealousies of people, outside this funeral home, who are reviling each other on account of their differences over God. “In his dead presence we who are assembled here can sense the ultimate equality of all men before God. Here, in these three ministers of varying faiths gathered around for this farewell to a fellovVman, is the symbol of the brotherhood. Where men gather in brotherhood is holy ground. We are on holy ground; not because a dead man is among us but because the living here have joined in an assertion of brotherhood. “Let us pray, not for the dead—he is probably safe in the arms of a just God—but for the living who by their prejudices blaspheme the God of love whom they profess to worship. In conclusion let us recite the prayer of the Jews in which they glorify the majesty of God above all the meannesses of men.” A note at the bottom of the sermon inquires: “How am I doing, Mr. Segal?” I have replied: “O. K. It’s all in line with my ideas and my corpse will have no occasion to rise up and kick. As you suggest, I should enjoy my funeral. It should be a good lesson for a lot of people. And thanks for making it so short. People do like to get quickly away from funerals, back to their own business. We are living in a quick time and a dead man shouldn’t be allowed to impede the hurried progress—or is it progress?” Copyright 1945 Seven Arts Features.

The Yiddish Press (Continued from preceding page) such a thing as shouting antiSemitism on all occasions, and endangering Jews in a real crisis, by such tactics. “In each case, have your facts and your evidence.” Don’t falsely label people that don’t deserve it. “One, for instance, may be a very conservative citizen, and yet a friend of Jews.” * * * Warner Bros. Charged With Fostering Anti-Semitism Warner Brothers, of Hollywood, are accused of fostering antiSemitism through their labor tactics, in a Los Angelas letter to the Freiheit. “This was the first studio to use methods against peaceful pickets, which shocked the country.” The studio-police, it says, threw gas-bombs at a mass of workers, and newspapers showed pictures of the affected ones, rolling on the ground in agony. “Anti-Semitic organizations were not silent. They began to spread rumors, that this is a Jewish . . . attack on Christian strikers.” The writer admits that the Warners "became famous for their anti-fascist movies.” But their recent action “is the first

attempt of reaction to destroy the unions; to wipe out the right of workers to belong to the union that they desire.” Our Dot’s “friend,” M. Danzis, is running a serial story in the Day, called “Secrets of Hollywood.” One of the characters is a Jew, newly from New York, who hears loud anti-Semitic talk from a movie star who takes cowboy parts. The Jew fells him with a blow, and walks off with a pal. “He is not the only one,” the pal tells him, “and not the worst. He’s only a bum. But there are prominent people here, important directors, and actors with names, who talk the same talk; not so loudly, when it doesn’t pay. But w'hen they feel free, their talk is no better than this one’s.” * ♦ * Margoshes Calls Yiddish An American language Sometimes my Yiddish friends go haywire. The Day’s Margoshes calls Yiddish “an American language” (with a small grain of truth), and goes on to say, “To my mind Leivick and Boraisho . . . and Goldstein and Zeitlin have contributed as much to American poetry as Robinson and Frost and Dickinson, and are

as American." He also thinks Shneour compares favorably with DosPassos and Hemingway. He wants Yiddish studied in the high schools. BUY U. S. VICTORY BONDS

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