THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

6

Mr. Roosevelt and the D. A. C.

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

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FRIDAY, MAY 26, 1916.

Jewish Aspects of the Housing Problem.

One ,who knows the true facts could not repress a smile Nvhen
reading Roosevelt's response to the splendid introduction ac-
corded him by Mr. I lug - h Chalmers, President of the Detroit Athletic
Club, on the occasion of the banquet that was tendered him there last
week. In that response Mr. Roosevelt, with characteristic vigor,
flayed as inimical to the best interests of the country, any form of
hyphenated Americanism. Especially did he emphasize the fact that
Americanism cannot divide men upon racial or religious lines.

We wonder whether he knew that the club whose hospitality •
he was enjoying at the time, and to whose members in large part
he was speaking, does represent just that sort of Americanism which
lie so roundly condemne(1. We \yonder whether anybody had
whispered in his ear that the Americanism of the 1). A. C. is a hyphen-
ated Americanism, that is to say a "Christian-Americanism" insofar
as concerns its attitude to American citizens of Jewish faith, that no
matter how high the character of their citizenship ideals, no matter'
how unquestioned their loyalty and devotion and service to this
country may be, they are ineligible to membership in that organiza-
tion just because they huppett to be Jews. If Mr. Roosevelt knew the
true facts, we wonder how he must have felt when he spoke his words.
l int we hardly believe that he knew. We are quite sure that the Presi-
dent of , the D. A. C. did not take pains to bring the true facts of the
hyphenated citizenship of the I). A. C. to Mr. Roosevelt's attention.

To the housing problem which is now So desperate in Detroit
there are certain distinctly Jewish angles. At a time when there is
said to be a shortage of some twenty to thirty thousand houses to
adequately care for the resident poptilation of our city, it is natural
that the stress of the situation should be most keenly felt in those
sections of the city that normally are most congested. And since
the densest center of population in all large cities is that which is
peopled by recent immigrants, it is not surprising that a recent survey
showed that in the city of Detroit there is no more congested district
than that known as the "ghetto."
Much has been said and written as to the responsibility of the
Jewish immigrants for the conditions amid which they chose to live,
and those who do not know the facts never tire of pointing out that
if these newly arrived Jews would move out into the suburbs of the
cities, it would not be necessary for them to be crowded together as
they are.
Undoubtedly in this argument there is sonic small degree 'of
justification, but it is very small indeed. In the first place it must be
remembered that most of the recent Jewish immigrants have come
here as the victims of persecution in their home lands, and what is
more natural than that such victims should seek the companionship
of those whose tragic story has been the same as theirs? Moreover,
the bond of a common language is a very close one, and it is small
wonder that the Yiddish speaking people seek to-live in close prox-
imity to one another and thus establish neighborhoods.
Beyond these obvious facts there are certain other basic conditions
tending to the same end, and these are essentially religious in char-
acter. First and foremost it must be remembered that Orthodox
Jews, laying great stress upon the observance of the Jewish dietary
laws, must live in the vicinity of their butcher, baker, and where their
table supplies arc easily available. Nor can the Orthodox Jew live at
any great distance from his synagogue, since he will not permit him-
self to ride to his house of worship on the Sabbath and holy days.
Further, in dealing with this problem, one must bear in mind that
while the character of the ghetto district does not seem to change
very greatly from season to season, as a matter of fact its inhabitants
arc constantly changing. This is witnessed by the continuous estab-
lishment of new neighborhoods and the pushing out of the Jewish
population to new sections of the city. In truth, it is likely that an
intelligent survey of housing conditions will indicate the fact that
there is no section of the immigrant population in a great city that so
soon emancipates itself from untoward living conditions as does the
average Jew.
All these facts should be well borne in mind by those who arc
accustomed to accuse the Jew of a willingness to live in crowded,
dark and insanitary quarters, just for the sake of saving money. Truth
is, that rents in the crowded districts everywhere arc infinitely higher
in proportion than they are in the most fashionable sections of the

city.

In the light of recent happenings, the striking letter to the editor
that was published in these columns two weeks ago concerning the
Detroit Jewish Society Book, ought to make exceedingly interesting
reading, especially to the advertisers in its columns.

Detroit and the War Fund

In the last Bulletin, issued 1)V the 1111efiCall jcwish Relief Com-
mittee for Sufferers from the \\ ar , a very high tribute is paid the
Jewish citizens of D etroit for their generous contribution to the relief
of their' stricken brethren in the war zone, and it is correctly stated
that in this matter Detroit has taken a place among the few cities
in the land that have greatly honored themselves.
however, we in Detroit while graciously accepting this and sim-
ilar compliments that have been showered upon us, must not be mis-
led by them, and we must not take unto ourselves the nattering
unction that as yet we have done our full duty. As a matter of fact,
there are many hundreds of lows in Detroit who have not yet con-
tributed one cent to the war relief and many others who have not
given in accordance with their means. Here may still be heard the
urgent, heartrending cry of our brethren across the seas, and we
Should not rest satisfied so long as there remains even a small number
among us Who have been remise in their duty. It is impossible for
the Committee, though it is continuing its work in an aggressive
fashion, to reach every individual with its appeal. Those who have
not given should, therefore, not wait until they are personally ad-
dressed in this matter, but they should make it a point, to send in their
contributions to the committee promptly, cheerfully and generously.
Such contributions may be sent to the Chairman of the Committee,
Mr. David A. I ;rown, Washington Arcade.

The latest arrival in the circle of American , Jewish journals is
the American Jewish Chronicle of New York. This periodical which
made its appearance on May 12th is an honor to American Jewish
journalism. If the first issue augurs the standard that it shall set for
itself in the future, the Jews of this country may congratulate them-
selves upon having a national Jewish weekly worthy of the name.
It will deal exclusively with issues affecting the Jews at large and
will have nothing to do with purely local matters. We wish the new
publication the success that it will undoubtedly deserve.

Says the Hebrew Standard : "That New York is the quintessence
of the American melting pot has been known for a long time, and that
the best place to visualize this local conglomeration of races is the
inferior criminal tribunal known as the Night Court should be equally
known. The other night the Jewish court officer there swore a
Chinese witness in the case of a Russian' woman before a Unitarian
judge. The arresting police officer in the case was an Irishman, the
other policeman concerned an American Yankee, while another wit-
w ith a
ness was an I talian. New York, the modern IlahvIon

vengeance!"

I f only we could assure every contributor to charity that wide
publicity would be given to his name, we feel assured that the United
Jewish Charities and other related philanthropies would not have to
live as they do at this time, from hand to mouth,