Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/915129
58 December 14 • 2017 jn Children at the Jewish Community Center nursery school collect Chanukah gelt for Israeli children, 1985. • looking back Courtesy Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives (JCC.79.2) S eventy-six years ago this month, there was only one big story: the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and soon after, Hitler declared war on the United States. But this event was not noted a year later in the Dec. 4, 1942, issue of the JN. There was no need to remind Americans about the war. Indeed, the main headline read: "Nazi Mass Murders Arouse World Protest." There was also, however, an uplifting story on the front page — a large photo of a Jewish soldier on the front page, holding a little girl in his arms as he lit the menorah to begin Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. Part of the caption read: "These lights strengthen our faith in ultimate victory of right over might." Indeed, the reports on page 2 demonstrated that Jews did their part toward the "ultimate victory." At the top was this statement: "Hanukah, 5703, Finds Jews Repeating Maccabean Heroism on All Fronts," but a sub- headline was more succinct: "Jews Fight Back." Three great stories were presented on this page. One of them, "Fear not," is a lengthy story from a war correspondent following Jewish soldiers fighting the Germans in the North African desert. This is dra- matic reading, to say the least. Another interesting little bit buried deep in this issue caught my eye. It said that the Allied forces had ordered a large quantity of oranges from Palestine. Once the State of Israel was estab- lished in 1948, its chief export at that time was the orange, par- ticularly Jaffa oranges. I assume this was one of the first major orders for this essential commodity. And, for a soldier in the field, a fresh orange was a luxury of the highest order. • Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org. From the DJN Davidson Digital Archive Historic photos are curated by the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan. Mike Smith Detroit Jewish News Foundation Archivist