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_
EW1SR ROMICIE
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sisal
PEPETROHJEWISII OROXICLE
Published Weekly by The Jewish Chreniele Publishing Co., Inc.
Entered as strand-class matter March 3, 1916, .t the Pools
office et Detroit, Mich.. under the At of March',
General Offices and Publication Building
525 Woodward Avenue
Telephone: Cadillac
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London 011ice.
Address: Chronicle
14 Stratford Pace, London, W. 1, England
Subscription, in Advance
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To insure publication.•Il correepondence and news matter
must reach this office by Tueeday eveningof each week.
When mailing notices, kindly use one side of the paper only.
The Detroit Jewish Chronicle Invites correspondence on subs
jorte of Interest to the Jewish people. but dieclaime responels
bllity for an indorsement of the views eepreesed by the writer.
Sabbath Reading. of the Torah.
Pentateuchal portion—Lev. 21:1-24:23.
Prophetical portion—Ezek. 44:15-31.
May 16, 1030
lyar 18, 5690
Lag b'Omer—The Scholars' Festival.
35,1'1
Ts
T:;$
ro
campaign. It was a gathering anxious for
unity and to make a common effort for
good will among Jews toward Jews. In-
sofar as this desire for co-operation is con-
cerned, the drive may be considered a suc-
cess in advance, for unity has been attained.
And it was a privileged assembly that
gathered at Hotel Statler last Sunday night.
To hear the inspiring message of Rabbi
Abba !fillet Silver was worth the doubling
of contributions—an act actually per-
formed by at least one donor who was
moved by Rabbi Silver's masterful plea for
the most pressing Jewish causes.
Rabbi Silver has done the Detroit Jewish
community a great service. Never before
has a plea like his been heard in the cause
of Jewish education. Never before have
pressing needs been brought so near home.
The ideal of Eretz Israel, the needs of the
downtrodden and physically and economi-
cally oppressed in Eastern Europe, the
cause of a Jewish center—these have found
a great exponent in Rabbi Silver, and when
the campaign closes this silver-tongued ora-
tor will get much of the credit for its suc-
cess.
Since the second night of Passover, the
counting of the Omer, or Sefirah, has ush-
ered into the traditional Jewish commun-
ity a period of sadness, occasioned by the
sad memories of massacred Jews in Pales-
tine in the days of Hadrian and in the Dias-
It is fortunate for the Jewish commun-
pora as well as in Zion in the (lays of the
ity that at the head of the campaign is an
Crusades. These sad memories in a sense
able leader. Mr. henry Wineman contin-
overshadowed the more historic reason for
ues to distinguish himself in the service of
the counting of the Omers, or sheafs, com-
his people, and in the present drive he is
memorating the counting of the offering of
adding glory to the honors which have
the first fruits, lasting for seven weeks, un-
justly been accorded him in his being
til Shebuoth. The ancient agricultural
placed at the helm of things Jewish in De-
reason for Sefirah is linked with the tragic
troit.
events in our history, interrupted during
The interest displayed by non-Jews is
these seven weeks by Lag b'Omer, the
another significant factor in the present
thirty-third day of the Omer, observed as
an occasion for joy because a plague which campaign. The voluntary contributions
from Gentiles, including one for $1,000
raged among the scholars of Rabbi Akiba
ceased on that day. It has since become from Tracy McGregor, president of the De-
troit Community Fund ; the sympathetic
known on the Jewish calendar as the
messages from non-Jewish officials and the
"Scholars' Festival."
friendly sentiments of President Hoover—
Lag b'Omer, observed this Friday, sig-
these add joy to the work. The messages
nificantly demonstrates the emphasis
of President Hoover and of Governor Fred
placed on learning and education in the
W. Green, addressed to the workers in the
tradition of the Jew, Because more than
campaign through The Detroit Jewish
eighteen centuries ago a plague that threat-
Chronicle, reveal an understanding of the
ened the lives of students in a Talmudic
problems of the Jewish people and lend en-
academy came to a stop, Jewish history has
couragement to the leaders who are faced
perpetuated the day as a festival of schol-
with the responsibility of carrying the ob-
ars. Sixty generations have remembered
ligations of the present campaign to suc-
the day, and in our own time young and
cess,
old are commemorating it in a manner
which has earned for our people the title
of Am Ila-Sefer, the People of the Book.
Much Ado About Mencken.
Unfortunately there are many who have
In
his
"Treatise on the Gods" II. L.
to be reminded of the significance of learn-
Mencken, stormy petrel of . American jour-
ing in the life of the Jew. It is devotion to
learning that has given our people strength nalism, editor of the American Mercury,
wrote;
to endure hardships, sufferings and perse-
cutions. It is this love for the book that
The Jews could be put down very plausibly
has won for Israel immortality. And on
as the most unpleasant race ever heard of.
this Scholars' Festival, in the midst of a
As commonly encountered, they lack many of
campaign in which our Hebrew schools
the qualities that mark the civilized man:
courage, dignity, incorruptibility, ease, confi-
play an important part, it is well that we
dence. They have vanity without pride, volup-
again remind our community of an obliga-
tuousness without taste, and learning without
tion as old as the people itself : the obliga-
wisdom. Their fortitude, such as it is, is wasted
idea to the school, the book and the scholar.
upon puerile objects, and their charity is
If it were for the sake of the United Hebrew
mainly only a form of display.
Schools alone, the Allied Jewish Campaign
The result is well known by this time.
should be successful.
Rabbis from pulpits, editorial writers, lec-
It is a source of deep regret that many
Jews, who are themselves affiliated with turers, authors of letters to newspapers,
Jewish life through their temples and Jew- have launched an attack upon this notori-
ish clubs, should be so lacking in vision as ous editor and in the minds of many Jews
to oppose the very existence of the Hebrew it is now definitely established that II. L. M.
schools on grounds so narrow and reac- is an anti-Semite. This attack has, in turn,
tionary as to warrant condemnation by the given Mr. Mencken a chance to open even
entire community. It is for the benefit of wider fire upon Jews, especially the "pro-
Jews who have so estranged themselves fessional Jews," and we are now advised
from the finest traditions of their people by the editor of Mercury to assimilate, in-
that we quote an interesting fact about the termarry, and disappear.
This tempest in a teapot was very un-
noted Jewish musician and composer, Gia-
como Meyerbeer, whose two daughters wisely started by some Jews. The best
married Christians. This very deeply af- reply to Mencken would have been to
fected the musician who said to a writer ignore him. We doubt whether he is an
of the Archives Israelites, in an interview anti-Semite. Ile is just a smart Bohemian
published in that periodical in 1864, that and he lets loose from time to time on every
living element. As a matter of fact, Chris-
if he had a son he would consider it his
sacred duty to give him a Hebrew educa- tians have suffered more abuse from his pen
tion. Meyerbeer, in that interview, made and mouth than the Jews. When a man
like Mencken charges that Jewish charity
this significant statement: "I owe part of
my Jewish feelings and of my affection for is "mainly only a form of display," the best
Judaism to the few Hebrew verses, to the thing is to ignore him. Therefore we blame
Hebrew words, which still sling to my mem- not him but those who started the whole
ory. And not only boys • but girls, too, fuss about H. L. M.
Benjamin De Casseres, the noted Jewish
ought to know Hebrew. They would then
be less likely to surrender their religion to writer, made an interesting statement in an
interview regarding Mr. Mencken's out-
the least temptation."
There is a lesson and a warning in this burst. Said De Casseres:
to the disloyal. Jews who seek happiness
Stenches an anti-Semite? He certainly has
in their Judaism will find it in the tradi-
a funny way of showing it. His best friend, as
tie is, the books, the schools of their people.
everybody knows, is George Jean Nathan. The
man who befriendul hint and published his
disloyal. who forsake Hebraic learn-
first
book was Philip Goodman. The man who
ing and fail to offer a Jewish education to
did
most to help him build up his reputation
their children, only seek spiritual misery
and who published all his works is Alfred
for them:elves and their offspring.
Knopf. On his last trip to Paris his insepar-
An Inspiring Campaign.
-H
During the weeks that preceded the
opening of the Allied Jewish Campaign for
$305,000, Detroit Jews must have specu-
lated in their minds at the possibility of
actually attaining unity among all elements
in the'community. This campaign for the
first time embraces all causes—European
relief. Palestine reconstruction. the Hebrew
rchools, the tradition of Gemilath Chasso-
d.m—and for the first time an effort was
made to bring all elements represented in
these movements to an amiable and co-op-
erative understanding. A week ago the
question was on many lips: "Is such unity
possible?" Now the answer has been giv-
en : "Yes."
It was an inspiring and most representa-
tive gathering that assembled to open the
able chum there was, not any of the native
froggies, but Ludwig Lewisohn, than whom
there is no more intense Jew. Of Mencken
you can say not that some of his best friends,
but that all of his best friends, are Jews. He
criticizes in Jews those things which any intel-
ligent Jew deplores. Because he is a non-Jew
and says them does not mean that he is an
anti-Jew.
Aside from the fact that Jews will accept
the latter as healthier, if not much friend-
lier. criticism, it stands out as evidence that
for every unfriendly opinion about us we
can always count on at least another equally
as forceful sympathetic viewpoint. So that
if the Jewish people would only attend to
its own business and ignore those who
would invite Arabs to this country to do
their stunts--as Mencken did in an inter-
view—we would be much wiser and better
off.
IZZ4V iMaginSt
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fit ealP103•370E1M331 031.34:VadelfiCS•W.M4m13.144,V3W1
t"01.
Scanning the
Horizon
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
WHY WAS HE EXILED:.
I see by the papers that He: inan
Bernstein has presented his cre-
dentials to King Zogu of Albania.
The best comment that I have
yet heard about it is that of Dr.
Czernowitz, probably the foremost
modern talmudical scholar in the
world, and at the same time a man
with a genuine sense of humir.
Said Dr. Czernowitz in French,
relative to the Bernstein appoint-
ment : "Vir vas haben sie ihm ver-
shikt? Er hat doch gar nischt
getun?"
For the benefit of those who may
not know, Dr. Czernowitz is pro-
fessor of Talmud in the Jewish In-
stitute of Religion.
A GREAT JURIST AND
SCHOLAR.
Justice Samuel Kalisch of New
Jersey is dead. We have all read
the news chronicles of the pa,ing
of this great jurist whom Presi-
dent Wilson appointed to the Jer-
sey bench, when Wilson was gover-
nor of New Jersey.
But the real Kalisch neverthe
less is known only to those who
were privileged to be his friends.
He was besides being a great
jurist, a scholar of the first rank.
If it were necessary, Justice Ka-
lisch could have written his legal
decisions in Ilebrew, so thorough
was his knowledge of that lan-
guage. the was a master, too, of
several other languages.
HE DEFIED THE BOSS.
As everybody knows, Frank
Ilague is the "boss" of New Jersey
politics, and all jurists in that state
nowadays owe their appointment
and reappointment to the grace of
Hague.
And thereby hangs a tale con-
nected with Kalisch. Recently, a
bunch of Hague's henchmen were
on trial before Judge Kalisch.
Word was passed from Hague that
the men were to be acquitted.
Justice Kalisch thought the men
were guilty, but the jury listening
to the llague voice, declared they
were unable to reach a verdict.
Kalisch insisted and insisted but
to no avail.
One night shortly after the trial,
a prominent Jersey politician
phoned Justice Kalisch.
"You have a good opportunity
to quash this case without noise.
The boss, (Mr. Hague) doesn't
like the way you are handling it."
"Well, you tell the boss," re-
plied Justice Kalisch curtly, "that
he need not renominate me for the
next election, if it doesn't suit
him."
Meanwhile, bossism continues to
flourish.
ONE BY HUNEKER.
Dr. Bloch of the Jewish Division
of the New York Public Library
(one of the judges in our national
joke contest) tells a good one. Of
course, his entry is barred from
the contest, by reason of his judic-
ial position, but the story shall be
told anyway.
And the story happens to be
very true.
It relates to James Huneker, the
famous critic and author of "The
Pathos of Distance," who, you will
recall played so vital a part, years
ago, in moulding our present Mr.
Mencken.
Iluneker, although not a Jew,
had a penchant for tracing many
of the great to Jewish origins. Ile
was always making discoveries that
this and that great man were of
Jewish descent.
One day, after ransacking in the
libraries, he came home and op-
praised his mother of a new Jewish
discovery. He had discovered, he
told his mother, that Brahma, the
great musician, was of Jewish de-
scent.
His mother listened. Finally she
turned to her son:
"Jim, some day you are going to
come home and tell me that Christ
himself was a Jew."
WAS REMBRANT A JEW.
Talking about this Jewish de-
scent business, reminds me of a
Jewish family in New York City,
who claim that Rembrant was one
of their collateral ancestors. The
New York family allege that they
haev absolute proof that Rembrant
was a Jew.
And the many Jewish convasses
that he painted its lend some cred-
ibility to the theory. Soon, a bi-
ography by Van Loon on Rem-
brunt is to make its appearance.
Perhaps, he will offer some explan-
ation.
SLIPPERS FOR MEMORY SLIPS
A friend of the writer of these
lines recently returned from Wash-
ington where she visited at the
home of Congresswoman Florence
Kahn. She noticed on the mantel
of the living room a pair of eve-
ning slippers. Slippers resting on
the mantel? What was the idea?
Finally, Mrs. Kahn explained.
She has formed the habit, she said,
when she has an evening engage-
ment of putting her slippers on the
mantel in the morning. Arriving
home, the first thing upon which
her eye falls in her living room is
the pair of slippers, which instant-
ly remind her that she is dated for
the evening. "It's very simple,"
she concluded.
The idea interests us, because
we have always generally followed
a similar system. Our trick is to
place a book right in the middle
of the floor, and when we look at
it and wonder how its there, we
recall our appointment.
A THEATRICAL FIGHT.
Keiths and Loews, in New York,
are having a little interesting
squabble. It all happened because
of Molly Picon.
Last year, Molly signed up by
Keith' for a contract for the Jew-
ish houses—that is. the theatres in
Jewish sections. It was expected
that the contract would be repeat-
ed this year, but somehow Keiths
delayed for • while in meeting
Molly's terms. So Molly's repre-
sentative impatient at the delays
(Turn to Next Page)
4A
1 1(tstruifU,
PASSING MY WINDOW
Charles H. Joseph
^' '
By PIERRE VAN PAASSEN
*,131.7..4`,Pliyark.,7„a
I NOTICED an editorial in the Rochester N. Y. Jew-
ish Ledger suggesting a Jewish Book of the
Month Club on the ground that there are enough
meritorious Jewish books written in English to keep
it supplied indefinitely. Of course I presume the
editor had in mind books of special interest to Jews
written by Jewish authors. It may be of interest
to know that Milton Schayer the well-known col-
umnist in the Jewish press clinic to see me one day
asking my co-operation in just such a project. I
told him at the time that I thought it a splendid
idea and that the publishers would surely encour-
age it. And don't make any mistake in thinking
that there wouldn't be a large membership; there
would be. There are enough Jews in this country
who I am sure would be glad to get a well recom-
mended book on a Jewish subject such as "Power"
or "Upstream" or any of a thousand more written
by Jewish authors. And what a blessing it would
be for the authors! Who will start it?
HEYWOOD BROUN talked the other day to a
group of women affiliated with the American Jew.
ish Congress. Broun usually says what he thinks. Ile
spoke of the seriousness of the discrimination
against Jews in the matter of employment. He said
a lot of other things too on the subject of discrimin-
ation that didn't matter so much. But the fact that
an outstanding writer who has unusually wide con-
tacts should take the opportunity to stress the mat-
ter of an economic boycott against the Jew gives
us something to think about. For after all this re-
fusing to give a Jew the opportunity for employ-
ment just because he is a Jew is just as much of an
economic boycott as is going on in Poland today.
We have organizations and individuals in Jewry who
are busying themselves with some things that are
not so important and their time and energies really
might be invited to greater profit to Jewry by tak-
ing up this serious matter of employment-discrimin-
ation.
JACOB LANDAU, director of the Jewish Telegra-
phic Agency dropped in the office the other day.
I said to him that I didn't like the looks of things in
Palestine, that the Jews seemed to be in for a rath.
er uncomfortable time. lie smiled and answered
that wherever the Jews are they seem to be in for
some discomfort and that Palestine was no excep-
tion of the rule. Well that did take a little wind
out of my sails, but I recovered sufficiently to sug-
gest that the Jews in Palestine don't have to go out
of their way to make conditions more uncomfortable
than they have to be. That I thought the day was
coming as inevitably as the rising sun when the
Jews and the Arabs MUST get together on a work-
able basis. And I use the word MUST advisedly.
Bitter enders are sometimes all right, but it seems
to me that in the Palestine situation they are all
wrong. It is necessary to compromise and the best
UNPREJUDICED minds should be called in to help
solve the problem.
T
HEY
are having quite a lot of conversation down
Boston way over the suggestion that a committee
of non-Jews join with the Jews in obtaining sub-
scriptions from Gentiles for the Boston Jewish char-
ities. It seems that one side thinks that the Jews
should take care of their own and just because they
spend money extravagantly on social activities is
no reason why Gentiles should be asked to cover
the shortcomings of the Jews. On the other hand
the contention is made that since Jews contribute
to general charities the remainder of the community
should contribute to ours. But the reply is made that
it's rather shoddy business for the Jewish groups
engaged in the campaign to keep a set of books, so
to speak, showing exactly what the Jews have done
for non-sectarian institutions and charities. Espec-
ially as the Jews do to some extent benefit from
the general welfare movement. The Jews have al-
ready prided themselves in taking care of their own,
an advertisement that tickles their vanity and in-
creases their pride. And generally speaking, I think
that Jews should take care of their own, but that
by no means signifies that our neighbors should be
refused the opportunity to contribute if they so de-
sire. We act as if the other fellow will think that
we are too poor or too stingy to pay for our own
charities, which, of course, is ridiculous. Let's
broaden out a little along these lines of wider com-
munity co-operation.
• •
item just sent to me by a reader ought to
T HIS
hearten our Zionist friends:
Aimee Semple McPherson, Los Angeles evan-
gelist, according to rumors, has converted two
Moslems during her stay in the Holy Land. In
an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agen-
cy she said she thought Zionism was "wonder-
ful" and that it thrilled her "beyond words."
Maybe Aimee could be induced to stay over for
a few years and by converting the Moslems remove
one obstacle to the development of the Zionist move-
ment.
I
NEVER for amoment experienced the slightest
heart palpitation when I noticed the New York
papers had suggested the appointment of Justice
Benjamin Cardoza of New York to the Supreme
Court of the United States. I felt that as eminent
as he is a jurist, and he undoubtly ranks with the
highest in the nation, l'resident Hoover would not
appoint him because he is a Jew. Not that Presi-
dent Hoover has any prejudice in the matter but
from the standpoint of practical politics, it would
have been inadvisable to have sent Cardoza's name
to the Senate, even had he so wished. With one
Jew on the Bench it is hardly likely that the appoint-
ment of a second would have been viewed with fa-
vor. And the situation was extremely sensitive
due to the rejection of Judge Parker. Therefore,
President Hoover wanted to be sure that there
would be no occasion for opposition in the case of
his new appointee. That's why I think he selected
Roberts of Philadelphia.
• —
THERE has been so much confused thought on the
Soviet government's attitude toward religion
that I am going out of my way to call the attention
of the readers of this column to an article in the
May issue of Harper's Magazine, written by Rabbi
Philip Bernstein of Rochester, N. Y., on the subject.
Perhaps I am unduly partial to Dr. Bernstein's
analysis of the situation because he writes me:
Your article on the "Anti-Religious So-
viet" is the most reasonable and clear-headed
interpretation of the religious situation in Rus-
eta on the part of one who has not been there,
that I have seen.
And it seems that my attitude is in a large meas-
ure supported by Rabbi Bernstein, who has dis-
cussed the issue in Harper's at far greater length
than was possible for me in a few paragraphs.
T
ills is the first time that I have found courage to
pin a bouquet on myself in public. In the
course of years many comments have been made on
Random Thoughts but this paragraph from the
B'rith Shalom News has touched me so deeply and
reflects my attitude toward my readers that at the
risk of seeming immodest I shall reprint it:
Charles H. Joseph of Pittsburgh is a well-
known Jewish columnist writing under the title
of "Random Thoughts" which appears in a
number of Anglo-Jewish weeklies throughout
the country. 'We—all of us—have various
ways of looking at life and its aspects and thus
it is but natural at times to disagree with the
thoughts expressed by Mr. Joseph. in the main
they are sound, logical, fearlessly expressed.
But recently he has given expression to a
thought so beautiful and so humane that we
take the liberty of reprinting it. Mr. Joseph
said: "I want to say this and I mean it from
the bottom of my heart. If I had not been able
to use Random Thoughts as a medium of serv-
ice to my people throughout the country I
would stop writing tomorrow. If it lies within
my power to use this column to bring a mes-
sage of cheer to some lonely soul hidden in
a tiny hamlet somewhere In this country, I'd
rather do that than glorify a leader in Israel."
From hie v•ntage post In Paris l'ierre
Van Paassen. one of the outstanding
new/reaper correepondente In the world
and chilly contributor to the column
"Through My Window" In the new York
Evening World, commente in his own
inimitable way on Jewieh events and
personalitiee of Europe In his incisive
column "hoting My Window."
WHO AND WHAT IS THE
"GRAND" MUFTI OF
JERUSALEM
The disturbances in Palestine
last autunui, and the subsequent
political uneasiness in that coun-
try have served to bring before the
footlights of the international scene
a young man whu bears the title
of Mufti of Jerusalem. In non-
Jewish circles in America, I have
reason to believe, the notion seems
to have grown up, that the Mufti
of Jerusalem fills an other, which
for exalted dignity and majestic
prominence corresponds somewhat
to that of the Pope of Rome or the
Archbishop of Canterbury, that is
to say, he is regarded as the head
of an important religious world-
communion. The fact of the mat-
ter is that in reality no such im-
portance is attached to the office
of *Jerusalem mufti in the Moham-
medan world itself. I have this as-
sertion upon a declaration made to
me, in the presence of creditable
witnesses, by the Sheik-President
of Al Azar University, the famous
institution of Koranic learning
and Moslem religious law in Cairo,
whom I specifically went to ques-
tion upon this subject. According
to this authority the office of mufti
is a purely religio-judiciary one,
corresponding to that of rabbi in
a Jewish community. Every Mo-
hammedan community of any size
in the world has its mufti; Jaffa,
Teheran, Bombay, Rabat, as well
as Jerusalem. "The task of a Muf-
ti," said my Cairo informant, "is
to interpret the Koran and to set-
tle religious disputes that may arise
between members of his commun-
ity. If he engages in any other
activity but this, no Moslem is
bound to follow him, not even those
in his own community, and far less
Moslems living outside the religious
jurisdiction of Jerusalem."
As to the prefix "grand," which
the Jerusalem dignitary has placed
in front of his title, it is simply
unknown in the Moslem world. An
aged ulamah, teacher of Koranic
law in Cairo, who was present at
the interview which I had with the
Sheik-President, interjected at this
point that if anyone were entitled
to place the world "grand" before
his title, it surely would not he the
Mufti of Jerusalem, but the Mufti
of Cairo, who is, ex-officio, the su-
preme arbiter in contentious mat-
ters and the final authority to
whom all the muftis and the liti-
gants who appear before them, may
appeal. "Moreover," added this
gentleman, "Although we do not
deny the holiness of Jerusalem, it
must not be forgotten that it is at
the same time a very small parish
in the Moslem world, so to speak,
compared with Cairo or Calcutta,
for instance!" I objected that the
Jerusalem Mufti in his own words
to me had attached particular prom-
inence to his office because as a
member of the Ilusseini family,
he was a direct descendant of the
Prophet himself. There were eight
ulamas in the room, besides the
Sheik-President and an Egyptian-
French interpreter. When my ob-
jection had been translated by the
latter, the eight men burst out in
a roar of laughter, holding their
sides and slapping their knees as if
I had told them an immense joke.
It cannot be denied however, that
Amin el Husseini has more influ-
once or at least more of a standing
in his own community in Jerusa-
lem than a Jewish rabbi, or even
Chief Rabbi Kook, enjoys corres-
pondingly among the Jews of the
town. But this eminence is not
based exclusively upon the exalted-
ness of his religious office. The
Jerusalem Mufti belongs to a fam-
ily of landowners. He is 33 years
of age and has been occupying the
post of Mufti for 10 years. Ile was
not elected to the office of president
of the Moslem Supreme Council,
but appointed by the government
under Sir Herbert Samuel's high
commissionership. His appoint-
ment Wlea made in direct opposition
to the Moslems of Jerusalem, who
had settled upon another candidate.
Sir Herbert, however, hoped to ap-
pease the influential Hussein' tam-
ily by his appointment and to se-
cure their co-operation in the paci-
fication and orderly development of y.
the country. Previous to this Amin
Ilusseini himself had been found
guilty of sedition and had fled the
country. Sir Herbert called him
back from Syria.
Once back in Jerusalem, the Slur-
ti had to face a determined opposi-
tion on the part of the rival Nash-
ishibi family, the head of which is
the present mayor of Jerusalem.
Other influential Arabs joined the
Nashishibis in a campaign of sland-
er and vituperation, which lasted
for the better part of 10 years.
Amin Ilusseini was not popular.
He is not a great Koranic Scholar.
But he is an extremely shrewd in-
dividual, in the manner that peas-
ants are sometimes, shrewd and
cunning.
Ile appealed to the
wealthy !Moslems in India and
elsewhere to help him repair the
Mosque of Omar. Within a few
years the donations had run up, on
the Mufti's appeal, to 60,0011
pounds. With this great sum in
his possession the fight against him
doubled in furore and scurrility.
He was called all the vile names of
which, in this respect, the rich
Arab language is capable. His "po-
lice de smears" record as a student
in Egypt was held up to the faith-
ful. Ile was a hundred times
called upon to make an accounting
of the funds received. The Mufti
remained silent. He seldom speaks.
At interviews with foreign corres-
pondents it was his cousin Jamul
Hussini, now in London with hint
on the Arab Delegation, who talked
for him. His evidence before the
Shaw Commission was taken in
camera. Why? Because Amin Ilus-
seini has very little to say. And
what he soya, are mere parrot-like
repetitions of his cousin's argu-
ments. But he certainly makes an
impression. He looks like a Saint.
Ile has the most perfect red beard
East of Suez. Ilia china-blue eyes
bespeak the engaging candor of a
child. Every foreign correspond-
ent in Jerusalem last year con-
fessed to have been fascinated by
the spell of his acting. Ile was
;57
talked of over the entire world.
..57
Descriptions of his appearance and
his frank smile appeared in all the
capitals of the two hemispheres.
And no a legend grew up around
him. The press took care of this.
Thereafter Arab opposition at home
began to dwindle. Today Amin
Hussein' is the champion of Mos-
lem rights, the Defender of the
Faith, the silent hero of Palestine.
Ile will be welcomed back to Jeru-
salem shortly by friends and foes
alike with acclaim and shouting.
But the legend will evaporate as
soon as he opens his mouth to emit
anything beyond his habitual plat-
itudes and childish babble.
I.
(Copyright, 1930, J.
THE BOOK CASE
Comments on Jewish Authors and their Books.
By FRIEDA R. BIENSTOCK
TWO NOVELS OF JEWISH LIF E
were Aaron Traum's because h
I can think of no contrast gres I. "did not want to be a horse" and
er than that represented b y
desired to escape from the slavery
"Aaron Traum," the work of Hy .
of a mechanic and the filth and
man and Lester Cohen, on the on e
suffering of the East Side.
hand, and "Give Up Your Lovers, a
But "Aaron Traum" is not
the story of the English-Jewis h wholly sad, it is pervaded by young
novelist, Louis Golding. The for
Traum's unswerving ambition and
mer is the story of the heartach e hope. If we had
space we'd say
and struggle which is the lot o f
more about some of the lovabl
young Traum, a son of immigran t
and unlovable characters. As it i.
Jews, who,aspires to learning an d
we'll simply note that the author.
culture and hungers to fulfill his
by the way, are father ant
ideals. On the other hand, we have
son—have certainly collaborated
a rather weird story based on the
with splendid results.
problem of intermarriage but con-
—4—
taining innumerable strange and
A WORK OF MAGNITUDE
unreal characters.
Th e idea that Jews should inter-
Robert Neumann in "Flood"
(Covici, Frede, $3) has produced
marry in order to keep their de-
a work whose magnitude, at first
scendants from degeneracy and
glance, is almost overpowering. It
even madness is not a newly ad-
is the story, on the one hand, of
vanced theory, but certainly it is
the Abel family, which emerges
one which does not hold water as
from dire poverty and achieves
even biologically it has not been
high position only to be disgraced.
proven that the marriage of two
On
the other hand is the Feuerbach
related beings of perfect health
family, which gradually declines
would endanger the well-being of
to
degradation
and misery.
possible offspring. And religiously,
There is no optimism in the
Judaism has specifically barred
book.
The
author
has taken count-
marriages between close relations .
less numbers of poverty-stricken
We're rather fed up, anyhow
Germans
in
a
tenement,
which, be-
with our young Jewish authors
fore the war, was just another
who constantly preach the beauties
dwelling
for
poverty,
but
in the
and perfection of intermarriage.
decadent period following housed
There is no school of Gentile auth-
a
lodging
house
for
bums,
a
baby ,
ors who balance the score by nov-
farm, a sporting house and untold
els on similar themes.
t i
misery
and
degradation.
Outside of our indignation at
Despite the magnitude of the
the theme and the extreme wood-
work
the
author
has
evolved
a
enness of the characters involved
readable, if sordid, story, and one
we grant those who sit before the
which can only be contrasted in
shrine of Golding one point, and
its spread of canvas and number-
a large one in his favor. Golding
less
characters to the work of Zola.
is a master of prose and as such is
undoubtedly worthy of the repu-
JUSTICE BRANDEIS AIDS
tation that has become his. We
MALARIA FIGHT
do not, however, believe that
The story of the successful war
"Give Up Your Lovers" will en.
on malaria which has been waged
hance his name.
in Palestine in the last eight years.
As for "Aaron Traum," all we
largely as a result of the work
can gay is what we have raid of
begun
in 1921 with funds provided
Michael Gold's "Jews Without
by Justice Brandeis under the su-
Money" and what we would have
pervision
of Dr. Israel J. Kligler,
said of "Haunch Paunch and Jowl"
is told in Dr. Kligler'a book, "The
if anybody were willing to listen.
Epidemiology
and Control of Ma-
It is a book which we could read
laria in Palestine," which has just
over and over. This is no sordid
been
published
by the University
tale of intermarriage or degener-
1,
of Chicago Press. Dr. Kligler is
ates except as we catch • glimpse
of them through the eyes of the
now head of the department of hy-
giene in the Hebrew University in
suffering Jews. It is rather •
Jerusalem •
story of tragedy and pain which
(CoPyricht. 1930.
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