America Awish Periorfical Carter

CLIFTON AMUR - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO

PAGE NINE

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

THE JEWS OF FRANCE

for hours before the altar of the Vir-
gin in an old church of Rennes.

BY STEPHEN LAUZANNE

Politics Only

Member of the French War Mission to the United States.
Editor-in-Chief of the "Matin."

I hesitated a little after having tragedy have performed deeds that
written these four words, "The Jews have aroused universal admiration.
of France." Why, when speaking of They were the first to understand the
France, should the Jews be mentioned importance of the drama in which was
in any particular way—the country being decided the fate of the powers
which first realized the principles of of liberty versus the powers of op-
equality and fraternity knows no dis- pression.
tinctions of race or religion—and why,
I can hear some say: Then, after
when speaking of the Jews, refer es- the war, anti-Senntism will be a thing
pecially to those of France?
of the past in France?
My hesitation, however, did not last
This is my answer: To become a
long. When speaking of France it is thing of the past it would have had to
well to speak of her Jews, not only be, at some time, a thing of the pres-
of the older Jewish citizens, but of the ent. Anti-Semitism has never existed
great number of them who have only in France as a deep-seated or serious
become French in recent years. It is condition.
a matter of peculiar interest to see,
It was only—like anti-clericalism—a
how, in the turmoil of war, they have political weapon. It gave rise to
acted as to the manner born. When newspaper articles, to plays, to a few
speaking of the Jews, it is well to speak street demonstrations, but it has
of those of France, because in France, social ostracism or official persecu-
more than elsewhere, they were called tion. Every profession, every office,
upon to take part in the struggle, to every honor is open to Jews in France
endure and suffer and fight.
—just as is every hotel and every
An Incident.
drawing-room—including the "salons"
One incident sums up the attitude of the old French aristocracy.
of the Jews of France in the war.
I can hear still others say: You
That incident occurred on the very forget the Dreyfus case.
day war broke out. It has been re-
No, I do not, and it is an absolute
fated a great many times, but it is
well worth repeating, for it is sym- historical error to make of the Drey-
fus case an episode of the struggle
bolical.
On July 31, 1914, when mobilization between Gentile and Jew.
It cannot be denied that most of his
was decreed—the people responding
loyally and enthusiastically—the "Uni- co-religionists sided with the pris-
oner of Devil's Island, but it must
versite l'opulaire Juice," in Paris,
drew up an appeal addressed to every not be forgotten that some of his most
Jew who was then in the metropolis, ardent defenders were noted Catholics
to all those who came from Russia, —Labori, Duruy, Cornley.
And among his most relentless op-
Poland, Rumania, and who had not
ponents were two Jews—Mr. Arthur
had time to become naturalized.
The appeal requested them to enlist Meyer, editor of the "Gaulois," and
without delay under the tri-color flag, Mr. Gaston Pollonnais, editor of the
and to fight side by side with the "Soir."
At the two councils of war held in
French soldiers. It was written in
Rennes, two judges declared them-
both French and Yiddish, and was im-
mediately posted in all the windows of selves in favor of the innocency of
Dreyfus, and one of them was Lieu-
the Jewish quarter in l'aris.
who every
The following day an enormous tenant-Colonel de Brien,
morning before the trial, and every
crowd surged into the rooms of the
evening after it was over, would kneel
"Universite Populaire Juice," each
wishing to be inscribed without delay
and to be given a card affirming his
enlistment. An entire legion was
formed in this vi ay within a few days.
Less than a month later, all these
men were on the battlefield.

Dreyfus was not sentenced by the
first council of war because he hap-
pened to be a Jew, but because that
council had almost received orders
from the Minister of War to so sen-
tence him. Dreyfus was not con-
demned by the second war council of
Rennes because he belonged to an-
other race, but because that council,
rightly or wrongly, deemed it proper
to maintain the prestige of the heads
of the army and not run counter to a
decision of the first council.
The two forces confronting each
other were not Catholics on one side
and Jews on the other, but rather Jus-
tice and the Army—the former placing
above all other considerations the
principle of justice, the latter refusing
to admit that the heads of the army
could be disavowed, or their authority
weakened.
Does all this mean that the Jews of
France form a perfect and model sec-
tion of the cotumunity?
By no means, and the Catholic wo
is writing these lines and who has
given them ungrudgingly the praise
that is their due, has also the right to
criticize them, without laying himself
open no misunderstanding.
The greatest fault of the Jews of
France is that they have not remained
Jews in the religious sense of the
word. Many of them are to he seen
in the salons of the Faubourg Saint
Germain, very few in the synagogue
of the Rue de la Victoire. . . . They
are quite willing to proclaim their
origin, but not their faith.
In this connection, no better por-
trait of the ideal Jew has been drawn
than that given in a letter—one of the
fittest I have ever read—from a Jewish
officer to Mr. Maurice Barres. Ile
has done better than merely give us a
picture of the Jew as he should be: lie
is that Jew.
"I would that we were better
known, we Jews who are not ashamed
of our race and who do not spend our
fortunes in offering shooting parties
to ruined noblemen. I fear that you
only see two kinds of Jews:

Anti-Semitism Dead.
So in this war, the Jews of France,
with unswerving devotion, courage
and eloquence, have risen, both
individually and collectively, to
the heigths, and during this world

enormous fortunes, and who are of
little interest (characterized by its
humility before the great names of
Ca tholici sin).
"Secondly, the l'olish Jews, who
overrun our c iuntry, and who, in or-
der to live, follow all employments
(these latter only interesting because
of the misfortunes which they have
endured in Russia).
"But there are still the orthodox
Jews, svho are sincere, profoundly lov-
ing their country, not seeking to daz-
zle others by their fortune and their
luxury of bail taste; in fact, the good
middle class. You are too prone to
think that the Jews are a people apart
having some peculiar mentality. Be-
tween a 'Nucingen' and a 'Gobseck'
there is something else.
"At the front I have experienced
some trying times, for during the first
winter we had not yet accustomed
ourselves to this war of 'moles,' and
in the N'osges (col de Sainte-Marie)
we suffered terribly from the cold.
The only thing which counted for the
men was physical suffering, but, as an
officer, 1 passed painful days. The in-
action weighed upon sic. The soli-
tude of our wooded mountains engen-
ders melancholy, unhappy sentiments,
and finally a general sense of lassi-
tude.
"It was then that my faith came to
my rescue and saved me morally. I
remembered tine prayer that I had
been taught to say when a child before
kissing my mother at night and which
is very similar to your 'Our Father.'
I prayed, and the Lord 'sustained me,
gave me calm. Each time that I was
forced to a decision I thought of HMI
and I was at rest.

Faith Aids.

"At the moment even of attack, duty
imposes enough upon you, enough to
do, so that one has little time except
to receive orders and to carry them
best one can. But before that!
out
The half-hour preceding the advance
or the offensive, reconnoitering as-
sumes a tragic grandeur. Everyone,
Catholic, Protestant or Jew, pulls him-
self together and the real believers at
this moment are easily recognized by

time that I saw I was facing death I
thought of Him, and my-duty seemed
natural and unworthy of any praise.
When 1 lay buried, I thought that I
was mortally wounded and my first
thought was still of my God.
"The Jewish religion is not made
for the masses, for it does not consist
of small, external practices, but solely
of the idea of God and of the survival
of the soul. This explains why there
are so few believers.
"It has so happened to me, wishing
to fortify myself, that I have gone
into a church and knelt down, and I
cannot feel that this was any sacri-
lege.
"I have shown you simply the very
state of my soul, knowing that I could
reply upon your sympathy."
(Letter from Sub-Lieutenant L.,
December 29, 1916.)
This letter is admirable because
from beginning to end there breathes
through it deep religious feeling, and
all religious feeling makes for beauty
and sentiment. It is like a great
torch lighting up the (lark corners of
life and helping one to find the path.
The kind of torch matters little; the
important point is that it should
burnt.
The Jest's of France, splendid
Frenchmen, will be splendid Jews if,
following the example of the co-
religionists in America, they remain
as true to the best traditions of their
faith as they have been faithful in
serving the land of their choice and
the cause of humanity.

JEWISH WOMEN'S
CLUB TO BANQUET
RABBI FRANKLIN

Honoring Dr. Leo M. Franklin, one
of it's most interested and loyal
friends, the Jewish Woman's club will
give a banquet at Hotel Spitler, Feb.
ruary 26.
The occasion Is the 20th anniversary
of Br. Franklin's honorary 'limber.
ship in the club. Plans for the pro-
gram in connection with the banquet
have not yet been completed. The
guests will be limited to the members

ISADORE FELDMAN,
TORONTO ARCHITECT
DIES IN THIS CIT

Former Detroiter Brilliant and Kind
Young Man Is Widely Mourned.

Pour' days before he was to has
been Installed as Worshipful Master
of Mt. Sinai Lodge, Masonic Order,
Isadore Feldman, brilliant young
architect, of Toronto, died of pneg-
mottle while on a visit with his wife
and baby at the home of his sister-In
law, Mrs. Harry Melsner, of 190 East
Hancock avenue, Friday, January 10.
Though only thiLiyone years of age,
Mr. Feldman had already wan fame
and recognition in his profession, 11e
we a junior member of the firm of
Hynes, Feldman and Watson, one of
the most noted architectural firms I.
Canada, and a secretary of the Archi-
tects' Association of Toronto. A man
of high ideals and expirations, active
in civic) and communal affairs, an
artist and a musician, charitable In
thought and In deed, kindly In manner,
Mr. Feldman was one of the most pro-
minent and beloved of men in his
community.
Honoring their dead brother,.a dele-
gation of 30 members of Mt. staid
Lodge came here from Toronto to at-
tend the funeral of Mr. Feldman,
which wee held Sunday morning.
Other warm friends from Chicago,
New York and other cities came here
to the funeral.
Surviving are his widow, Mrs.
Ihirothy Feldman, a son, Herbert, 14
months old, his father, Mr. William
Feldman of Chicago, III., two sisters,
Mrs. Joe Koploy of this city, Mrs. A.
Kraus of Chicago, and three brothers,
Capt. Herman Feldman In France.
Sam Feldman of Des Moines, Ia., and
another brother In service in France.

The Bolshevik government has ap-
pointed M. Kameneff to the post of
ambassador of the Soviet Republic at

Vienna. The Austro-Hungarian gov-
ernment has announced its willing-
ness to receive him in that capacity.

Sale of Wiltons

New Records.

That they fought admirably no one
could possibly deny. In the first place,
the many Jewish names to be found
in the long list of citations in the order
of the war bear witness to that fact.
Another proof will he found by turn-
ing to an account of the Zouave regi-
ments in the war; the citations are too
numerous to mention, and the Zou-
ayes have more Jews in their ranks
than any other corps-30 to 35 per
cent of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 8th
Zouaves, organized at Algiers, were
Jews, and these regiments were among
those who played a decisive part in
the Battle of the Marne.
In this world drama, more impor-
tant than the man who performs some
deed of valor on the battlefield, is the
snail who towers above the masses—
writer, philosopher, thinker—whose
• words, actions and attitude are sources
of strength and light and beauty. Of
this type of man there have been many
among the Jews of France.
There was that great rabbi of Ly-
ons, Abraham Bloch, who heard a
Breton lad—a Catholic—ask for a cru-
cifix as he lay wounded on the battle-
field; he got one and brought it him-
self to the lips of the dying boy. He
paid with his life for that admirable
act of religious solidarity.
Then there was the great rabbi of
Paris who each week attended the
meetings of the National Relief Coun-
cil, sitting at the council table side by
side with the Cardinal Archbishop of
l'aris and Pastor Wagner, recognized
as the head of the Protestant churches
of France.
Brotherhood.
Who can ever tell the story of those
meetings of the National Relief Coun-
cil? The best means of alleviating
misery and misfortune of every kind
would he discussed. and "in no case"
—I was told by Mr. Louis Barthou,
who often presided—"was any attempt
made to find nut to what religious
creed or to what political party such
and such a group or such and such a
family belonged.
"When a Catholic needed help, the
mose eager was the rabbi of Paris.
There was never at any time any dis-
cussion—and a vote was never taken,
every decision being invariably unan-
imously adopted."
Again, there is that writer who,
more than any other, has contributed
to sustain French morale- by the
steady, clear and patriotic articles he
wrote for four years in the "Figaro."
I refer to Joseph Reinach, also a Jew.
And there is that great philosopher
who served France's cause abroad,
traveling through the world, and
speaking to every thinker, every
philosopher, every mind where there
still lingered some doubt, Ilenry
Bergson, another Jew.
The Jews of France are prominently
identified with the academic, scientific,
artistic and commercial life of the
country, the legal and medical pro-
fessions, politics and journalism. They
hold high commissions in the army;
we find them as Cabinet Ministers and
in the government service and with all
their heart and soul they are serving
the cause of France and of civiliza-
tion.

----- -----
of the Jewish Woman's club and their
a calm which cannot be fictitious.
Two Kind..
"I
write
this in all sincerity. Each gentlemen escorts.
"First, the small aristocracy with

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9

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