■•••••11. 4 Friday, 'Sepferrilier 15, 1944 THE JEWISH NEWS Page Fifty-three A Few Chelm Ancedotes Greetings Community of Rome status, was given only to the Jew. ish and not to other religious mi- Many Stories Have Made From JWV To Hold Elections norities in Italy, and the adminis- tration of the community was Polish Community Famous By VICTOR BIENSTOCK By Archie H. Greenberg made responsible to the govern- (National Commander, and ROME, (JTA) — The Jewish ment. A Normal Jewish City, New Seat of Polish Government Both as Americansa nd as community here will hold its first Rabbi Zolli, who was formerly Formed in Liberated Territory, Chelm's Fables Jews, we greet the New Year elections since the liberation of the rabbi of Trieste, had accused the city within a month's time Are Unknown by Many Detroit Jews with happiness in our hearts and the president of the Council, Ugo thanks in our voices: With our when it will install a new coun- Foa, and other members of the The report that Chelm had '7WY: cil to assume control over Jewish council of being fascists. Otto- note to hide it. I intended to communal affairs. been chosen as the seat of the come back in the evening, after lenghi was named commissioner Polish government fOrmed in shul, and take it away, but Authorization to hold elections for the affairs of the Rome Jew-. the territory liberated by Russia when I came I found neither to the Jewish Community Coun- ish community at Rabbi Zolli's caused is to ask a cross-section money nor fur coat." cil was requested from the Rome recommendation. of Detroit Jews whether they Jewish lawyer, Silvio Ottelenghi, A group of 1,500 Jews who suc- The people were very much ceeded in escaping from the knew the fable about the "Chal- impressed by the story, but designated by Lt. Colonel Charles - mer Naronim," who also are re- Poletti of the Allied Military Nazis and are now hiding in they wanted to hear the story Yugoslavia are in dire need of ferred to in Jewish folklore as of the second man too. Government as commissioner for "The Wise Men of Chelm." Jewish community affairs early assistance, the Yugoslav Red .It was amazing to find that "One night," he began, . "I in July when he . dismissed the Cross informed - the authorities most people never heard the was sitting in my easy chair Council after a dispute between here. stories ascribed to this corn- chatting with my wife. It became it and Chief Rabbi Israel Zolli. late and I told her to go and munity, whose Jewish popula- The Italian Government and tion has been wiped out by the bolt the door. Huns. " 'You go and bolt the door,' members of the Jewish commu- said my wife, who is by nature nity are studying proposals to The number of stories ascribed abolish the special legal status of to the "foolish" people of Chelm a strong-headed woman. New Year's the Jewish community, establish- is legion. " 'You go,' said I. Well, we ed under. Mussolini's decree of Actually, Chelm was a normal kept on argfang for a full hour. October 30, 1931, which in effect Jewish community. But the fact At last I said: 'Let's stop now compelled all Jews to belong to Greetings that the stories coined about and the one who starts talking the community, and which was Chelm were ascribed to its peo- shall bolt the door.' invested with official power to ple have made the name of this " 'Good!' said my wife. ARCHIE H. GREENBERG tax its members. This peculiar community famous. "We sat, and sat, and sat, Here are a few of the Chelm neither of us' saying a word to anecdotes: herc4 armies winning the vic- the other. At last the angel of tories that make possible libera- War I and the half million Jew- Sipall-Town Solomon sleep overpowered us and we ish servicemen of World War II. A few days ago, the Christian tion from the threat of Nazi tyr- went to bed, the door remaining anny, the liberty loving people It is in this spirit — in behalf The Science Monitor repeated a open of course. of our membership of veterans Chelm story withOut giving in- of the world enter into a new "Soon I awoke and noticed era of freedom and democracy. of the first World War and our dication that its source is Jew- 80,000 service members still that thieves were in the house. To the free Jews of the U. S., HACK ish. The story as published in Into a sheet that was spread on in uniform — that we salute the the Monitor follows: Great Britain and the other Year of Liberation, that we wish SHOE CO. the floor they gathered all the democracies, it means a final In the small village of Chelm, silverware and bric-a-brac we a Happy New Year to the people in Russia, a public bath was_ in repudiation of the false concept of Israel wherever they may live. had in the house. Yet I kept of Nazi racism; it means the tri- the course of construction, when quiet. For I did not want to be a -controversy arose concerning umph of democracy over dicta- it. Some of the citizens de- the first man to talk. Finally torship. And Jews,' in keeping the thieves came ' over to the manded that the flooring be with their historic tradition that made of • smoothly planed boards bed and wanted to take the very glorifies the dignity of man and pillows on which we slept. This so there would not be any the sanctity of the individual, was too much for me, so I gave New Year's splinters, while - another , know more poignantly than most group a vigorous cough in order to maintained that a smooth floor people the virtues of the demo- Greetings- would constitute a source of wake up my wife. It did wake cratic way of life. danger—it would be ' slippery her up, and outright she shouted —`0i. ganovim! Help! Thieves!' ThUs, the New Year is a happy and people might fall and be occasion, a happy occasion that injured. So she was the first to talk JEANETTE STUDIO after all. carries with it added responsibil- The matter was brought be- ities for the Jews of the United Formerly Century Furniture Shoppe fore the venerable patriarch of The second man was chosen as president of the congregation. States, the strongest Jewish corn= the village, whose duty it was * * * munity in the world. We must 7404 W. MoNICHOLS RD. to keep peace among the people. The Moonshine of Chelm not seek to evade our destiny; "My decision," he said, "is we must join together in all our that boards should be planed." It has been some time since the merry doings of the Jews strength to preserve Jewish lives "But," continued the sage, turn- and the Jewish way of 'life. ing to the rough-board cham- of the renowned city of Chelm have been reported in these To this task the Jewish War To Our Policy Holders and Friends, pions, "in order to remove the columns. danger that might ensue from Veterans of the U. S. dedicates smooth boards, I shall direct The shammas of the Chelm itself. We are the organization We Extend Our Best Wishes for the carpenters to day the boards synagogue wa especially fond of, by and for the quarter of a with the smooth sides down- of the prayer of the ftell moon. million Jewish veterans of World ward." He loved to see the pious *- * * Chassidim gather late at night "Election of a President at the synagogue for this devo- A Happy New Year-- The City of Chelm was in a tion. But one day he was state of great excitement. The stricken with a dread thought. two men who were both stand- How can there be a full-moon- A. J. Blumenau Nathaniel Pernick prayer if there is no moon? How ing for the presidency of the synagogue drew an equal num- about the rainy or cloudy nights, Walter Berlow Albert Oppenheim ber of votes, and neither wanted when- the moon cannot be seen? to stand aside for the other. This thought worried the hon- So the leaders of the com- est shammas for some time un- munity called a mass meeting to til' -he finally hit upon a happy consider what . should be done. solution to the problem. He Crown Life Insurance Co. After a long and heated discus- waited until a night arrived during \k"Phich the moon shone. sion, in which the cleverest 1559 NATIONAL BANK BUILDING men of Chelm took part, it was full and bright. Then he filled decided to let each of the two a barrel with water, moved it men tell a true story which to a place where the moon's should show his wisdom, and reflection could be seen in it, the one who made the better and clapped the top on. impression by his story was to "Now we'll always have a full become president. moon in Chelm whenever we This was the story the first want it," he cried triumphantly. man told: —P. S. "On Saturday afternoon I was walking down the street when I noticed' a ten-pound note on the ground. As a good Jew I could DIEXTER- Here are two child asthma cases not possibly pick it up on the who found new health at the Na- Holy Sabbath, but I hated to DAVISON tional Home for Jewish Children in leave the money.