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THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

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THE

JEWISH

CHRONICLE

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Issued Every Friday by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Company.
General Manager
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ANTON KAUFMAN
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RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN,

Editorial Contributor

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Hebrew in its most recent issue, prints side by side the "Call for th e
American Jewish Congress" and the "Instructions to Zionists," sent
out under the official signature of the Chairman of the Organized
Zionists of Greater New York. In the call for the Congress occurs
this paragraph :

Entered as second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at Detroit,
Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879

"No resolution shall be introduced, considered or acted upon at the Con-
gress which shall in any way purport or tend to commit the Congress as a
body or any of its delegates or any of the communities or organizations which
shall be represented therein, to the adoption, recognition or endorsement of
any general theory or philosophy of Jewish life, or any theoretical principle
of a racial, political, economic or religious character, or which shall involve
the perpetuation of such Congress."

In the Instructions to Zionists, on the other hand, occurs this not-
able paragraph

"The Federation of American Zionists asks every Zionist not to fail to
vote on June 10th, and to see to it that his friends and acquaintances also cast
rote ballots and for Zionist candidates only. * * * Of course, the Zionist
organization is interested in having a majority in the Congress of delegates
sympathetic to the Zionist cause. If the voters elect a majority of organized
Zionists, so much the better, and so much is thereby added to the prestige of
the Zionist movement. But wherever there is no Zionist candidate, the prcier-
owe should be for a candidate who, sympathizing with Zionism, may be de-
pended upon to vote with the Zionist delegates in the Congress. Under no
circumstances, for personal or other reasons, should a Zionist vote for any
candidate who is outspokenly against Zionism or Jewish nationalism."

The instructions to the Zionists of Greater New York arc fairly
representative of the expressed wishes of Zionists throughout the
country. The agreement entered into by them at the beginning - of
A Candid Examination of the Congress, Its the agitation for the Congress, has simply been forgotten and if the
Congress shall take place as scheduled in September next, they will
Purposes and Methods
attempt to further the propaganda for Zionism in the name of united
Now that the election of delegates to the Jewish Congress is a American Jewry. It is essential, because of this that Jews who do not
thing of the past, one may take a dispassionate view of the whole situ- svmpathize with the nationalistic interpretation of Jewish history, and
ation without running the risk of being charged with a desire to influ- athose view will not be represented by the Congress, shall speak out
ence the election of this or that candidate. From the very beginning deafly and in no uncertain tones, so that the whole country may know
of the movement we have been frankly and openly opposed to it. that despite the splendid publicity campaign organized by the Anleri
None could question our attitude. We opposed the Congress for the
can Federation of Zionists, the Congress does not and shall not speak
c•
reason, which to our thinking has become more and more pronounced
for all of us, but only for that group whose representatives have been
as time has passed, that in the first place it would not represent, but sent as delegates.
would rather tend to misrepresent the ideals of a large and important
We realize full well, and we regret it as much as anyone that the
part of American Israel, and in the second place that a Jewish Con- Congress is likely to make for an open breach within the house of
gress, especially at this time, would in all likelihood be a source of Israel in America, but it is better that the breach should come than
danger rather than of help to the Jewish cause the world over. As that there should be a running sore forever in the body of our people.
preparations for the election of delegates progressed, other reasons for
In all that we have said we have refrained from repeating that
opposition gradually developed themselves. It was clear to any even if the call for the Congress was justified in the beginning, its very
thinking man during these past months, that the Congress was no reason for existence has been taken from it by recent events in Rus-
longer even intended to be representative of the opinions of all classes sia. The eloquent Stephen S. Wise, whose emotional appeal is likely
of American Jews, but that speaking for all, it was really the mouth- to sway his hearers into accepting as absolute truth whatever he says,
piece of the nationalistic group with whose interpretation of Judaism contradicted himself even in what he had to say to a gathering of
a vast number of the men and women who have rendered and are pen- Zionists in our city last week, when he denied that in the Russian
dering yeoman and unselfish service to..Judaism, are not only out of revolution there lay any hope or promise for better things for the
sympathy, but definitely in opposition to it. The Congress, so-called, Jews. In the very next sentence he proudly asserts that the first great
will in fact, as everybody who has studied the .situation must concede, meeting of Jews that has been possible these many decades on Rus-
be a Zionistic convention under another name. It may be said by sian soil was a meeting of Russian Zionists. How can the learned
some that this very fact only tends to prove that the majority of Jews doctor harmonize these two statements? If the Russian revolution
in America are Zionists. This specious argument can, however, be has no promise, of bettering the condition of the Jews, how does it
answer readily enough. Despite the vociferous joy that is expressed happen that one of its very first results is to make possible an open
it
in the Zionistic press at the large vote cast in the recent election, a meeting of Jews on Russian soil for any purpose, or under any
study of the situation will reveal that but a small minority of Jews auspices? We are more optimistic than Dr. Wise in this matter.
eligible to the franchise in this election, actually cast a vote. In a We see in the Russian revolution the hand of God in history. We
city like Detroit, where it was estimated by those having charge of see in it the opening of the gates of freedom and of opportunity to our
the Congress, that some twenty thousand votes would be cast, report afflicted brethren. We see in it the disappearance of the last excuse
has it that less than three thousand men and women actually went to for political Zionism. We see in it especially a final answer to the
the polls. And this, we understand, is a rather high proportion as advocates of the Jewish Congress.
compared with other communities. Moreover, throughout the entire
It has seemed to us necessary to write these words because of the
land, with but the rarest exceptions, the leading congregations had no studied effort that has been made to spread the opinion among Jews
part or parcel in the elections, for they were unwilling to identify and non-Jews alike, that the Zionistic position is the position of all
themselves with a movement that did not reflect their true convic- Jews in i America and that the Jewish Congress will voice the senti-
tions, .or to .lend themselves to methods of which they could not ments of a united Jewry. For those who sincerely hold that the
approve.
nationalistic interpretation of Jewish history is the correct interpre-
Of the methods pursued in certain quarters the less said the bet- tation, we have no word of criticism. They are entitled to their
ter. That they were worthy of the tactics of ward politicians, is easily opinion, as we are entitled to ours. We believe that such an interpre-
provable. That in certain instances local organizations on their offi- tation is a mis-reading of Jewish history and Jewish destiny. Nor
cial stationery sent letters to voters urging the election of certain have we any quarrel with the advocates of the Jewish Congress. Our
candidates is known. That the American Federation of Zionists only point of difference with them is as to their claim of representing
-... brazenly published in the Jewish press that only Zionists must be practically all the Jews of this country, and as to the methods that
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is open to proof by ail - reference to recent issues of certain Jew- have been used in gaining representation. In these views we do not
ish newspapers. That the Organized Zionists of Greater New York stand alone. Men eminent in and representative of Reform and Ortho-
truly estimated the character and caliber of some of its constituents is Boxy alike, arc in full agreement with us. It is a pity that in times so
apparent by its astounding warning that they must vote once and not critical as these, there should be even a semblance of division in the
twice or thrice. That certain well known men, whose conversion to house of Israel. But responsibility for that division does not rest
Zionism was announced within only the last three or four weeks were upon those who have opposed the methods of the Congress. It rests
elected as delegates to the Congress, is highly significant. With fairly and squarely upon the shoulders of those who have repudiated
methods such as these some Jews whose loyalty to the cause of Israel
an agreement made in good faith and who have used means to attain
cannot be questioned, would not and could not have anything to do.
their ends that some of us are forced to construe as unworthy of high
Moreover, the implied repudiation by the Zionists of the agree- minded and unselfish men and women.
• ment fairly and openly entered into at the time of the peace meeting
between the Congress and Conference advocates, that Zionism as
. such should play no part in the Congress, indicates how far some of . The Death of Mr. Abraham Benjamin
In the passing away of Abraham Benjamin, Detroit Jewry loses a
the nationalistic group are willing to go in order to accomplish their ,
purposes. Under the head "Zionizing the Congress," the American man whose service to the community cannot be overestimated. As

- "... 'FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1917

