THE JEWISH CHRONI
The only Jewish publication in the State of. Michigan
Devoted to the interests of the Jewish people
Vol. IL No. 15
DETROIT, MICH., MARCH 30, 1917
$1.50 per Year
Single Copies10 Cents
Jewish Women Organize for American Jewish
Congress
Russian Revolution Solves Perplexing Problems
For United States
One Million Members to Be Enrolled to Demand
"Equal Rights" for Jewish Women
Washington Sees Solution to Treaty Questions and
Status of American Jews
Mrs. Nathan Straus has been elect-
ed honorary president, and Mrs. Jos-
e- ph Fels, the well-known single-taxer,
active president of the women's or-
ganization for an American Jewish
Congress. The date for this Congress
will be definitely fixed at a conference
which will be held in New York City
on April 1st, and has for its purpose-
the solving of those problems which
vitally concern the welfare of the
Jewry of the world, and which have
been intensified by the present world
crisis.
Ever since the outbreak of the war,
it has been felt by the Jews of this
country that there should be presented
to the peace conference a program
for the emancipation of Jews living
in lands of persecution and oppres-
sion; that would secure for them
equal political, civic and religious
rights in all countries, and national
rights in such countries where the
rights of national groups are recog-
nized. An important part of the pro-
grainwhich the Jews will present to
the peace conference will be the rec-
ognition of the national claims and
.rights of the Jews in Palestine, with
the possible creation of an autono-
mous settlement, with a Jewish admin-
istration and an international guar-
antee.
Universal Suffrage Proposed.
ft is the plan of the organizers, who
include representatives of every Jew=
ish organization in America, that
there shall be a democratic election of
representatives to this congress, and
the right to vote for delegates, is
based on the lines of universal suf-
frage. Every Jewish woman of voting
age is thus accorded • the right, not
only to vote for delegates to the con-
gress, but to be a candidate for this
:office. The Women's Organization,
of which Mrs. Straus is president, is
organizing all the Jewish women of
the country, yvho number more than
a million.
. This movement has received the
whole-hearted support of a large num-
ber of women in the Jewish world,
and the enrollment already numbers
over ten thousand, especially in New
York City. •
In addition to Mrs. Straus, the
other officers are: Miss Henrietta
Szold, of New York City, and Mrs.
Julius Rosenwald, of Chicago, vice
presidents; Mrs. Stephen S. Wise,
treasurer, and Dr. Dora Askowith, in-
structor in European history at Hun-
ter College, national director.
The Central Executive Council,
which is the main working body, in-
cludes, besides the national officers,
chairmen for eight congressional dis-
tricts in Greater New York, who arc:
Mrs. Hillel Solotaroff, Dr. Rosa W.
Straus, Miss Rose Shooter, Mrs.
David de Sola Pool, Mrs. Samuel
Mason, Mrs. Charles Spivack, Mrs.
Charles Zunser and Mrs. Robert D.
Kesselman.
The advisory Board includes; Mrs.
Richard Gottheil, Mrs. Daniel Gug-
genheim, Miss Lillian D. Wald, Mrs.
Maximilian Richter, Miss Eva Leon,
Miss Mary Antin, Mrs. Solomon
Schechter, Miss Emile Bullowa, Mrs.
Mortimer Menken, Mrs. Irving Leh-
man, Mrs. N. Taylor Phillips and Mrs.
Henry Moskowitz..
Similar organizations, including the
most prominent Jewish women in the
United States, are being effected
throughout the country.
Will Aid General Suffrage Movement.
The Woman Suffrage Party has
taken a great interest in thC work of
this organization, on the ground that
this aptation to induce Jewish women
to vote for representatives to a Jew-
ish Congress is an important step in
the ultimate attainment of suffrage
for all the women of America upon -
all questions that are decided by gen-
eral balloting.
• Non-suffragists, too, are interested
in this movement, for the reason that
the Women's Organization for an
American Jewish Congress has not
committed itself to any one policy
or platform, but is an absolutely neu-
tral body, for the free discussion and
carrying out of all work for the
amelioration of the conditions of the
Jewry of the world. It is, therefore,
of intense direct interest to every Jew-
ish woman.
From the offices at 44 East 23rd
street, a national campaign is being
• carried on, tinder the supervision of
Miss Askowith; literature is being
disseminated, lectures, public meetings
and forums are being arranged, and
a monthly bulletin will be issued.
RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AID TO
ALLIES THROUGH JEWISH
BANKERS.
matter, the rest of the firm for the
last two and one-half years have loy-
ally approved his standpoint.
Mr. Schiff's decision, however, has
cost his firm . a great deal of money
and has cost the allies the support of
one of the ablest banking houses in
the world. But now that the situa-
tion has changed Mr. Schiff is willing
the fire with
to draw his chair up to
the rest of the bankers standing be-
hind the allies.
NEW YORK.—One highly.interest-
ing developMent growing out of the
Russian situation was the week's news
that Kuhn, Loeb & Co. from now on
would join J. P. Morgan & Co., the
National City Bank, the First Nation-
al Bank, the Guaranty Trust Company
and other private and international
bhanking concerns in financing the al-
s. Through sympathy for the per-
secuted Jews in Russia, Mr. Jacob H.
;Schiff, the head of the firm of Kuhn,
Loeb & Co., haS steadfastly refused to
loans anything to do with the war
'oans of the allies. Mr. Schiff argued
that he could not help the house of
Romanoff either directly or indirectly
and be true to his own convictions.
O ut-of respect for his views in the
HOSPITAL FOUNDED BY
BRODSKY HEIRS.
K EFE—The heirs of Lazar Brod-
sky have expended 75,000 roubles on
the founding of a special section for
contagious diseases, which has been
added to the local Jewish hospital,
• (Special Correspondence.)
Jewish Problems Absorb Attention.
It may perhaps also be admitted
that to an• extent the pleasurcablc
manner in 'which the revolution has
been hailed here may be traced to the
realization on the part of. practiCal of-
ficials, that much of their present
worry will with time naturally disap-
pear. It should be remembered that
although Jews form only three per
cent.- of the United States population,
being the most recent arrivals, they
arc in. constant communication with
the state department over a dozen
knotty questions, and a certain de-
partment here can with right be called
"the Jewish division," even though
this is not its official designation.
Since a very great portion of the both-
ersome questions arose over difficul-
ties in connection with Russian sub-
jects, officials may well rejoice at
the altered status of six million Jews
in their native land, and numberless
others already in 't h is • country.
The permanency of the new gov-
ernment and its possible overthrow
by a counter uprising are the most
debatable considerations. Diplomats
are, however, almost unanimous in
their belief that the revolutionary gov-
ernment has conic to stay, and a new
era has dawned for that wonderful
land of unexploited possibilities. The
differences between the present move
pointed out, and the conclusion is .
drawn that the populace generally
and the soldiers especially, have
changed radically in their attitude
toward the ruling powers that were,
and that the loyalty of 1905 is not
to be looked for in any direction to-
day.
It is the open forecast here that
many. of the remaining kingdoms will
before very long be swept away in a
similar manner. Among . those men-
tioned in this connection are Ger-
many, Austria and Roumania, with
Greece heading the list. It is related
that the deposition of King Constan-
tine had been arranged for months
ago by the allies, and would have been
carried into effect, were it not for
the interfering influence of the Czar,
who feared that the precedent boded
ill for others similarly situated. Evi-
dently, the prospect of being himself
the one to set the example did not
then strike Nicholas II. as at all feas-
ible.
RUSSIA REVOLUTION INSURES
PETROGRAD JEWS SUPPLY
OF MATZOHS.' •
acle would enable them to observe.
"Pessach." Fortunately, the miracle
in the shape of the revolution came.
STOCKHOLM.—A telegram from
Petrograd informs your correspondent
that the danger which previously ex :
isted of Petrograd Jews being left
without Matzohs, is now over. The
new authorities are providing the ne-
cessary rail accommodation in order
to enable local Jews to observe their
Passover. The former government
while on the one hand refusing to al-
low special permission to have Mat-
zohs baked in the place, also refused
the plea of a special delegation headed
by Rabbi Dr. Fisenstein and Dr. Katz-
enelenbogen, to allow the railroads to
bring it from the province, claiming
that they had no spare cars. Petro-
grad Jews were left hopeless with the
prospect that nothing less.than a mir-
DEFENDER OF DREYFUS DEAD.
Washington.—The capital is still
engaged in discussing the Rus-
sian Revolution, and not a little of its
attention centers on the relationship
of the Jew to the event. Jews gener-
ally are inclined to believe that they
are the only ones who appraise the
new situation as inseparably bound
up with their own fate, but this is
far from being the case. To appre-
ciate this fact, it must be • borne in
mind that the Jew is practically the
accepted local representative of Rus-
sia, and that lie is in greatest measure
the creator of the American's concep-
tion of Russia. To illustrate this
point, one need but mention the fact
that, according to the official census
of 1910, the mother-tongue of Russia
(as far as the United States is con-
cerned) is not Russian, but Yiddish.
The census returns in that year show-
ed that the majority of Russian-born
in this country gave Yiddish as their
mother-tongue, and the official bu-
reau gives it recognition accordingly.
Coupled with the fact that the Jewish
question has been very much to the
fore lately, it becomes evident why
official Washington naturally links
the Russian upheaval with everything
that is Jewish. .•
The very first day the Russian rev-
olution was mah public, the press as-
sociations, in their reports from Wash-
ington, reflected the influence of the
revolution on the Jewish question.
Since then, every possible effect of
the new conditions on the Jewish peo-
ple generally, and American Jewry
in particular, has been under discus-
sion. Thus, the status of American
Jews tinder a new treaty, the likely ef-
fect of American Jewish enterprise on
Russian commerce, after the war, and
the manner in which local Jewish fi-
nanciers might aid the new govern-
ment. The extent to which the an-
ticipated immigration flow after the
war would be halted by the new de-
velopments and the stimulant it 'might
prove to Jewish emigration for Rus-
sia, all these are points of interest and
were originally, raised by official
Washington.
PARIS.—Fernand Labori, who was
attorney for Captain Alfred Dreyfus,
died 'today .after a long and painful
illness. •
Fernand' Labori, long prominent at
the Paris bar, sprang into interna-
tional prominence as the result of his
activities in the celebrated DrCyfus
case, in the late nineties. A conspicu-
ous service in this connection was per--
formed by him in behalf of Emile
Zola, when that noted author was ac-
cused of libeling the French president
and the French army in his defense of
Captain . hreyfus. Later Maitre Labori
acted as.the defender of Dreyfus at
the treason trial at Rennes.
•