▪ TimikrRorrjeasn (A For and liFE D ErRonj Ewisfi etRora ctz , advantage of promoters. He has given time and energy such as few men ever divert to public service." And Professor Hart adds: and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE "I am not in a position to judge of other Published Weekly by The Jewish Chreniclio Publishing Cm, Low men of the same religious community who Metered ea second-clue matter March 1, 1916. at the Poet- have rendered distinguished services dur- wee. at Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 2, 11171. ing the last year. Doubtless many have General Offices and Publication Building deserved the dignity of your vote, and 525 Woodward Avenue will in due time receive it; but I do know Telephone: Cadillac 1040 Cable Addrew Chronicle that Sol Bloom has done a masterful work Office: Lent 14 Stratford Place, London, W. 1, England in arousing in the minds of the American $3.00 Per Year people the sense of what a great man like Subscription, in Advance... Washington can do to raise the mental and T. incur. publication.all correspondence and news matter oust reach this office by Tuesday evening of each week. moral standards of his countrymen. Per- When mailing notices, kindly use or.. side of the payer only. sonally it will be a pleasure to me if your The Detroit Jewich Chronicle invitee correopondence on sub. Peet. of interest to the Jewish people. but disclaim. responsi- committee sees fit to bestow this honor upon bility for an indorsement of the views ems eeeee d by the writer. him ; for Sol Bloom is not only a good public Sabbath Shabuoth Readings of the Law. servant—he is a good soul." Pentateuchal portion—Deut. 14:22-16:17; Num. We honor the judgment of Professor 28:26-31. Hart, who, as historian of the George Wash- Prophetical portion—flab. 3:1-19. ington Commission, was in close touch with Sivan 6, 5692 the work done by Congressman Bloom. We June 10, 1932 honor the eminent scholar for his sincere The Feast of Weeks. friendship for the Jewish people, particu- Shevuoth, the Feast of Weeks, is the holi- larly in support of our claims for deserved day set aside by tradition to commemorate tribute for Haym Salomon, financier of the the presentation to and acceptance by Israel American Revolution. Nevertheless we of the Torah on Sinai. It is the festival cannot agree that the Gottheil Medal this which marks the birth of the Ten Com- year should have gone to Congressman mandments and the handing down to man- Bloom. And we have one reason: because kind of the foundation for 411 moral law. our choice is Dr. Cyrus Adler, president of More than thirty-five centuries after the the Jewish Theological Seminary of Amer- birth of these moral laws, we find the world ica, president of Dropsie College, president remaining in need of teachers to interpret of the American Jewish Committee, leader and reinterpret these commandments anew. in the most important Jewish communal ef- On the verge of demoralization, the world forts, to list all of them becoming a virtual needs to hear again the message from Sinai. impossibility. Even though the world has long ago ac- It is true that Congressman Bloom has cepted these commandments, Israel re- reflected glory upon American Jewry by mains the standard bearer of these moral his activities as associate director of the teachings, and Shevuoth, now perhaps more George Washington Commission. But how than ever, challenges Israel to be strong does that compare with Dr. Adler's bur- in its adherence to its age-old holy heritage, dens as head of two important institutions and to retain its position of spiritual and of higher Jewish learning; as the leader of moral leadershrip. the important American Jewish Committee; Interestingly enough, it is a Shevuoth as an outstanding figure of the American hymn that best expresses the Jew's alleg- group in the Jewish Agency for Palestine, iance to his God and to the teachings that etc., etc. have been handed down thousands of years Perhaps it is best that no medal should ago. It is part of the Akdamuth poem, have been awarded this year, in view of the written in the eleventh century by Rabbi wide difference in the judges' opinion. But Moir ben Isaac Nehorai of Worms. The if our judgment were to dominate Dr. Cyrus portion we allude to is the following classic Adler would today be the possessor of the Gottheil Medal. verse: Could we with ink the ocean fill, Were every blade of grass a quill, Were the world of parchment made And every man a scribe by trade, To write the love Of God above Would drain the ocean dry; Nor would the scroll Contain the whole Though stretched from sky to sky! Writers throughout the centuries have copied and emulated these sentences, but the sentiment in Akdamuth, uttered on She- vuoth, remains the crowning jewel in relig- ious fealty and adds emphasis to the tradi- tions which are honored on the Feast of Weeks. No Gottheil Medal This Year. There will be no award of the Gottheil Medal this year, officers of the Zeta Beta Tau, national Jewish fraternity, report. There was a lack of unanimity on the part of the judges, thus occasioning this de- cision. Without divulging confidences—the bal- lots of the judges, who are the editors of the English-JewiSh publications in this country, having been secret—a few inter- esting elements assumed importance as a result of this year's contest for the medal which is annually awarded to the person who contributed the most to the American Jewish community. In the first place—and the facts we quote are revealed not in the correspon- dence between judges and officers of Zeta Beta Tau, but in the columns of the Jewish press—there were so many candidates for the honor that judging by the imposing list of names mentioned in this connection we should have had a period of great pros- perity in communal service. In the second place, for the first time, to the knowledge of the present writer, campaigns were con- ducted in behalf of certain candidates for this coveted honor. It appears to us that the imposing array of candidates rather speaks for hero-wor- ship and reveals the sacred awe in which we stand at the mention of titles. Other- wise, why should there have been such a division of opinion, whereas in previous years, which were marked by far greater Jewish activities, it took so little effort to select the winner. For instance, we were approached by several readers who asked us to cast our ballot for Justice Benjamin Cardozo of the United States Supreme Court. And we questioned the choice. We grant that a considerable amount of glory reflected upon the Jewish people in the selection of this eminent jurist for the high- est court in the land. For his extreme honor, honesty and ability as a jurist, for his brilliant legal mind, we honor him and are proud of him. But what were his di- rect contributions to Jewish life and to the betterment of the American Jewish Com- munity? There is much greater justification for the selection of the lion. Sol Bloom, mem- ber of Congress and associate director, with Lt. Col. U. S. Grant 3rd, of the United States Commission for the Celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of George Washington. Professor Albert Bushnell Hart, eminent historian, writing from Cambridge, Mass., urged that the Gottheil Medal be awarded to Congress- man Bloom whom he lauds for his "good judgment, good temper and patriotic spir- it." Professor Hart tells us that Congress- man Bloom "has steadfastly declined to permit the service of the Commission to be carried on with reference to the profits or An Important Anniversary. Canadian Jewry is at present observing an important anniversary. June 5 marked the final enactment of the law which defi- nately proclaimed the emancipation of the Jews in tho Dominion of Canada, and guar- anteed to Jewish citizens equal political rights. The act of emancipation, as passed by the Assembly of Lower Canada, was first pre- sented "for His Majesty's assent and re- served 'for the signification of His Majesty's pleasure thereon' " on March 31, 1831. On April 12, 1832 it was "assented to by His Majesty in His Council." On June 5, 1832, royal assent was "signified by the proclam- ation of His Excellency the Governor in Chief." The act itself reads "Whereas doubts have arisen whether persons professing the Jewish Religion are by law en- titled to many of the privileges enjoyed by the other subjects of His Majesty within this Prov- ince: Be it therefore declared and enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council and Assembly of the Province of Lower Canada, constituted and assembled by virtue of and under the authority of an Act passed in the Parliament of Great Britain, entitled, "An Act to repeal certain parts of an Act passed in the fourteenth year of His Majesty's reign, intituled, 'An Act for making more effectual provision for the Gov- ernment of the l'rovince of Quebec, in North America' and to make further provision for the Government of the said Province of Quebec in North America;" And it is hereby declared and enacted by the authority aforesaid, that all per- sons professing the Jewish religion being natural born British subjects inhabiting and residing in this Province, are entitled and shall be deemed, adjudged and taken to be entitled to the full rights and privileges of the other subjects of Ilia Majesty, his Heirs or Successors, to all in- tents, constructions and purposes whatsoever, and capable of taking, having or enjoying any office or place of trust whatsoever, within this Province. This one-hundredth anniversary of the final enactment of this law, grantng our people civil rights,- is important for many reasons. The fact that it antedated by twenty-four years the granting of equal political rights to Jews in England; coming as it did a decade before the actual politi- cal freedom even in liberty-loving Holland, and sixteen years before emancipation in Germany, the Canadian centennial celebra- tion acquires special significance. The story of the manner in which Canad- ian Jews won the battle for emancipation reads like a romance. The experiences of Ezekiel Hart, who was the first Jew to be electd to the Canadian Legislature, in 1807, later had its parallel in the election to the British Parliament of the first of the Roth- schilds. Both Hart and Rothschild insisted on a Jewish oath taken with covered head. Both were rejected by the Christian assem- blies to which they were elected. Both were returned again by their constituents. The determined efforts of both later led to emancipation acts in their respective coun- tries. We greet Canadian Jewry on its current celebration. Its triumph one hundred years ago was a triumph for the entire people be- cause it blazed the way for freedom and equal political rights in other lands. The present anniversary should be an occasion for rejoicing on the part of Jews every- where. Endek (anti-Semitic) students in Poland demand that Jews be barred even from the agricultural academy of Lemberg which was established with Jewish funds and en- dowed by L. J. Burger, Jewish philanthro- pist by whose name the institution is gen- erally known. It is the old anti-Semitic de- mand of the Jew: give all, get nothing. THE LEGAL CHRONICLE JOSEPH COWEN Our Film Folk rsissr•ssis agency, Inc.) By the death in London on May 24, at the age of 64, of Joseph Cowen another link with the Ilerzl epoch in Zionism was broken. Of the men closely as- sociated with the great leader, there survive now about a dozen. Kremenetzky, Schnirrer a n d Shalit in Vienna, Bodenheimer of Cologne, Adolf Friedmann and Dr. Heinrich Loewe of Berlin, Kahn of the Hague, Gas- ter and Herbert Bentwich, Sir Francis Montefiire, Leon Kessler of London. Zlosicti and Sohkin of Palestine, Gottheil and Ste- phen Wise in America. There were, of course, many others who knew Ilerzl, met him at Congresses, like Reuben Brain. in, Berthold Feival, Sokolow, Weizmann and Ussishkin, or knew him in London or else- where, but they were not closely associated with him. Perhaps did not share his views—stood afar off wondering. Joseph Cowen occupied a spe- cial niche. lie was a fervent acolyte in the llerzlian priest- hood. A native of the south of England, and a successful pio- neer in the shirtwaist industry, he came to Zionism via his cousinship to Israel Zangwill. In his youth he was interested in English politics. If I mistake not he was a devoted follower of Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of Irish Home Rule 40 years ago and had only the most perfunctory association with matters Jewish. UNDER HERZL'S SPELL Zangwill had in 1895 first in- troduced Herzl to the London community but in 1896 retreat- ed from the advance he had made from assimilation and the "melting pot" theory. In the summer of 1897, however, the two cousins toured Switzerland, and the Congress in Basle thus appealed to them as something worth observing. It was in this wise that they came as visitors, and Zangwill slowly edged him- self, with growing enthusiasm, to the press table. I still have in mind Zangwill excitedly wav- ing a great bandana handker- chief in the closing scene, and prior to that haranguing me, be- cause I had not distributed suf- ficient kadbudim among the handful of English Zionists. Zahgwill took no further part in Zionism till 1900. But Jo- seph Cowen, who knew no Ger- man or Yiddish—at that time he could muster a sentence or two in French—came under the spell of the leader. Of a stocky type, rubicund, typical Anglo-Jewish business man, at his best when smiling, he passed overnight from Irish to Jewish Home Rule. The Jewish state appealed to him. It was pal- , pubic and clear. A thousand ideas now incorporated into Zionism probably never reached him. But the organization of w political foice to gain a politi- cal end appealed to him over- whelmingly. In the fall of 1897 he invited me to meet him. The third man presented was Leo- pold J. Greenberg, who al- though at that time on the peri- phery of Jewish affairs knew much more about them than Cowen. There and then we formed a triumvirate for ac- tion which lasted 'till I left London in 1902. At times with Dr. Gaster and Sir Francis Mon- teliore the group was five. but we three held the fort in those ardent and arduous days. Under our pressure the Chovevi Zion practically dissolved in 1898, and political Zionism became the dominant factor in Anglo- Jewry. A GENEROUS ZIONIST Cowen was for a time treas- urer of the new organization, and he toured the country for the cause, but from his business office in St. Paul's churchyard he conducted a great deal of Zion- ist business daily. Cowen was practical, also he was wholly master of his own time. When in doubt he went to Vienna. Ile constituted himself a devoted and obedient aervant of Herzl, sharing in this with Wolfsohn. In a quiet and unostentatious way he was generous with his means. The most Englishmen of the group, his bearing ap- pealed to Herzl. He is the "Tschoe" of "Altneuland," the man who is told what is wanted and gets it done. He was ever ready to do. For years he had on his desk a steel letter file, in which he kept all his Zionist memoranda. He made notes on little slips of paper. When acted upon his pencil made a huge cancellation mark. Later he reviewed them and destrowed them. On the platform he would look at a small notebook, and stop to cancel a point where he had made it. His loyalty to Ilerzl did not always mean agreement. But when it came to arguing the matter out he was always mind- ful of the burdens of the leader. The personal regard, Herzl'a health, his family affairs, his financial position, these matters exercised Cowen a great deal. In 1901 he came to the front because he accompanied Herzl to Constantinople, and because he took an active part in the organization of the Jewish Co- lonial Trust. 'Till then he was at least publicly overshadowed by the brilliance of Gaster and the political resourcefulness of Greenberg, to whom Zionism owes so much that has never been recorded. (Coorricht. By HELEN ZIGMOND By JACOB DE HAAS (Coo) right, 1972. Jewish .8y- the-Way HOLLYWOOD.—Helen goes a hunting . . . and look what she's found! The Bennet girls—Con stance, Joan and Barbara—are of Jewish extraction. Their mother' (Adrienne Morrison) father was Jewish ... making the girls one fourth (25 per cent, to you) He braic via the grandfather route Just thought you'd like to know Al. Golfton, former theater- owner of Detroit, has bought the Novelty Theater in Los Angeles. • • • Tidbits and News By DAVID SCHWARTZ 1552. Jewish Telegraphic Agency, tae.) THE HOMELESS POET • "I see," commented a New York 'old timer the other day, as we quaffed the tea in an East Side kibetszarne, "that you devoted some space to Cyrus L. Sulzberger recently. "Did you know that Sulz- berger once offered the vagrant author of 'Hatikvah,' Naphtali Herz Imber, a room in his own home, but Imber preferred to remain on the Bowery? "I cannot say what it was, whether Imber couldn't stand luxury or that probably he was afraid that Mr. Sulzberger might seek to reduce his drinking rations—if he were under the latter 's eye. " That Imber should have written "Ilatikvah" ("Hopei"). What could be more ironical? Ile, whom everybody regarded as hopeless! • . • NOT A PROHIBITIONIST What drama could mat his life. The times he would go to Zionist meetings. That is—he would start out to go, but would stop at every That certain feathered creature saloon to get a drink. left seven pounds of bouncing boy One day he started out—but before he got very for he was rolling at the Ralph Blum's (Carmel on the sidewalks. Two Salvation Army lassies helped him rise. "I want to go to that meeting over there," said Imber. The Sal- Myers). vation Army lassies, one on each side, escorted Imber. Other Zionists were walking towards the same destination. There Patricia Ellis, a recent New York import for talkie reels, was was Imber, author of the' Zionist national anthem, walking arm in birth tagged Patricia Leftowich. arm with these ladies. "Shteitz—Imber. Shemm sieh." . • * But it made no difference to the poet. As they approached the Rouben Mamoulian, the Syrian meeting hall, the women let Imber go alone. Ile walked up the Jewish director, will megaphone steps. The strain of his song, "Ilatikvah," being sung by the audi- the filming of "R. U. R." ... and ence, penetrated to his ears. if you will believe Arthur Caesar, Ile walked up to the door. there are plenty of actors around The doorman knew him not. "Get out. You can't come in here. Hollywood who can play the ro- You're drunk.!' bots. "I am Naphtali Herz Imbed" shouted the drunken poet. "1 know. You're the king of England. Get out. No drunkards allowed in here." hs ago a Jewish au- A few mont The audience inside took up the second stanza of "Hatikvah." thor sold his Broadway play to ■ "Do you hear," exclaimed Imber, "that song they are singing— west coast studio that wanted it for • particular femme lead. When that is mine—I wrote it." "Get out, you're drunk," came back the answer again. the script arrived the studio head Now the chorus sounded through the door, rising in greater became so enthusiastic about • male character in the story, • volume. Imber stood still—and on the outside began to join it. rough and ready sailor, that he "Get away," shouted the doorman. was all for twisting the story to Imber went away—to the saloon, under the balm of whose spirits, give this character the lead. Well, an author doesn't like his brain- at least—"lost is not our hope of yore." HIS MISSION TO U. S. In the spring of 1904 Cowen came to America. He had come almost directly from Vienna and told me Herzl'a days were num- bered, and he had no heart for the job he came here to• study, the organization of a branch of the Jewish Colonial Trust. Af- ter the seventh Congress he re- fused to follow Zangwill into the Jewish Territorial Associa- tion through another relative Dr. Eder was associated in it. During the World War he came here also on a Zionist mission, but he found the Americans singularly lacking in support for what he wanted to do. I believe it had to do with the Jewish Colonial Trust. In 1918 he joined Weizmann in the Zionist commission to Palestine, and whatever his criticism he was singularly loyal to the leader- ship. With others in England he was swept aside in the peace negotiations, and the confer- ences that followed. He may have been present at the London Conference of 1920, but I do not recall him at a sin- gle session. Caster and Green- berg were equally conspicuous by their absence from these ses- sions. In the fall of 1920 he came to America and attended the Buffalo convention, but in no way influenced the situation. After that he appeared some- what fitfully in Zionist affairs, as president of the English Fed- eration, but he was out of tune with his surroundings. On the other hand, by taking office in the formal organizations of the London community he was able to butress Zionism in England. At the time of his death he held, I believe, the office of director in the London Jewish Chronicle, which his friend Greenberg edited. But he made no at- tempt to wield any influence over its policy. He had made himself respon- sible for flans Ilerzl's educa- tion, and being childless and well off the burden sat easily on him, but Hans, when he dis- cussed it with me, did not like the association. But Hans was a tragedy for which nature and not Cowen was responsible. My last long talk with Cowen was in 1925—in the last few years he had long spells of serious illness. He told me then "they don't want me around, and have crept into my shell." child mutilated, but he finally gave his consent. Sin weeks later at a WHEN IMBER REPENTED And the time that Imber was sick and was taken to some non- preview he anxiously watched the film unwind, foot after foot, hope- Jewish denominational hospital, where the Sisters sought desperately ful to the last reel that the old to convert Imber to their faith and lead him to repentance. They argued and pleaded with him to repent and get right with salt would appear . . . Now some- where around Hollywood wanders God. Imber enjoyed their pleas and played along with them to some extent but adamantly refused to get right with Eternity—as they an author in search of a character. • • conceived it—or to repent. "Why should I not drink?" Imber would say. "Didn't the Lord Both Sam Ornitz's "Haunch, Paunch and Jowl" and Lester Co- create drink, and if He created it—it must be good. Take it from me, it is good. I bless the Lord every day for having created a hen's "Sweepings" will be cinema- drink." tired this year. " 'Baruch atah Adoshem Elohenu asher boray peiri ha-gofen.' Do you know what that means? That is a blessing for wine. We If you doubt the Semitic lineage bless the Lord for having created the fruit of the grape. That is one of Doug Fairbanks, the elder, you of the blessings we Jews have—and it is my favorite blessing. should se e • photo of him taken in "But you," Imber shouted, "you are atheists—that's what you 1915. . . it'. on the wall of the Writers' Club . . . Is he Jewish? are. You are infidels. You are worse than atheists. An atheist at least does not insult God. But you insult God. You say that that . . . Are you asking? which God created is no good." So Luber would tantalize the Sisters, But the Sisters persisted. . Will Irving Fineman, who au- thored "This Pure Young Man," Ile must stop drinking. He must accept the one who, they told him, had died for all mankind—he must repent. the Longman-Green prize-winning Finally, Imber gave in. So he announced to the Sisters. He wan novel, succumb to the lure of low- ready to get right with God. brow, but high-paid, movie writ- "Praise the Lord," sang the Sisters. "Praise the Lord that he has ing? He's here working on a directed your heart to the ways of repentance." book, and—well, we were just "Yes, I repent," said Imber, "but I must repent as a poet should wondering. repent. I will write my affirmation of repentance in a poem. Sis- ters, will you hand me paper and pencil?" Ben Lyon's little daughter, Bar- They did. And Imber wrote: bara, was on the set the other day, There are still beautiful roses watching papa's performance be- With aroma blessed, fore the grinding cameras. Sud- There are still handsome maidens denly the gangsters on the scene Whose lips I have not pressed. began to get rough with hero Ben, This has me affected— and baby Barbara let out a scream I am full of remorse that ruined $500 worth of sound That of late I have neglected film. The girls and the roses. . • . I see near me the green table, Do you remember Bobbsi North, The gamblers play aloud, Hebrew comedian of vaudeville And I am sick and unable and "Follies" fame? No more To mix with the crowd. acting for him ... he's raised him- And so it went on. Imber repented—that he could not gamble self to the higher (?) status of more—and that he had neglected the girls and the roses. associate picture producer. still on that Mitci Green . . footlight tour . . . received • huge basket of flowers in St. Louis. The attached card complimented her as "the greatest of young an- tresses" and added that the sender missed one of her pictures. It was signed, Madame Schumann Heink. • . Teddy Hart, brother of Larry Hart, the song-writer, was given a small part in "On Your Mark." It was his first picture work, but he proved to be so comic that they are altering the script ... writing In extra scenes for him! _ • • • Did you know that Adolph Zukor was in the fur business be- fore he entered the movie field— some 30 years ago? Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Coeur were celebrating their fifteenth anni y. A friend asked Mrs. (Turn to Next Page). RANDOM THOUGHTS BLOCK'S INVESTMENT act there should be such a lack of Being generous has its price, Christian tolerance. While it is too. I have been toting the skep- quite true that scholarships are ticism with which Paul Block's in- given by Jews to Jews yet on the vestment for the mayor of New other hand a great deal of money York netted the mayor without in- is left by Jews for scholarships vesting a cent some $250,000. without such restrictions as the Everybody accepts the statement late Miss Dibbles placed upon her that Mr. Block was influenced to gift. These scholarships, by the do this generous act because of Way, are available at Columbia University. I am always glad to the suggestion of his 10-year-old son "Billy." Strange to say, record such bequests which are on knowing Mr. Block, I believe the broader lines but thus far I have story exactly as he told it. That is not beet obliged to work over- just what he would do. For years time. he and the mayor were intimate OUR NEIGHBORS' ETHICS friend and I am absolutely sure It would be extremely foolish to that Mr. Block didn't need any the fact that thus far very financial favors in return from the stress few Jewish names have appeared mayor of New York. He has en- in the investigation now going on joyed a big income and anyone in the Senate of Wall street who knows him knows that he has it must been most generous in his attitude manipulation. But at least our co-religionists with food serve toward those near to him. But it ou for thought, and perhaps seems that that kind of generosity is always open to suspicion to neighbors as well, when they dig cover that some of the most flag those who cannot conceive of any- rant violations of ethical conduc body being so open-handed. I sat one day in a room with two men, both of whom were very well What Makes a Jew? known to me. One agreed to do for the other exactly what Mr. "Judaism is something more Block did for Mayor Walker. The than a badge, something more offer was accepted and whatever than a birth-mark; it is a life. profit that was made from the To be born a Jew does not de- transaction was turned over by clare any of us to be of the man No. 1 to man No. 2, and the elect; it only designates no for latter did not invest a cent. It enrollment among the elect. was a gesture of generous friend- God signs the covenant., but we ship. have to seal it—seal it by a life of service. "What makes a man VARYING BEQUESTS • Jew?" is a question that is Perhaps it is not fair to criti- often asked. The answer is, cize but I can't help feeling that two things: membership of the in the will of one Charlotte Dib- Jewish brotherhood, and loyal ble'', a spinster relative of the fulfillment of the obligations Marshall Fields, that $18.000 which that membership imposes. should be left for scholarships to To be of the Jewish race but to asyoung man and young woman trample upon Jewish duty is to who must be "white and Chris- be faithless to lorael."—Morris I It seems too bad that in Joseph, 1903. the doing of such a "Christian" Joseph THIS AND THAT Herz! Weizmann, nephew of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, has just arrived in this country, for a visit. Justice Brandeis is now established at his summer home in Chat- ham, Mass., and the usual summer trek of Zionists to Chatham will commence. National Council of Jewish Women Answers Its Critics By HILDA KASSELL "The policy of the National Coun- cil of Jewish Women has always been one of co-operation." Thus spoke Mrs. Blanche Baum Gold- man, newly elected chairman of the executive committee of the National Council of Jewish Women, in an exclusive interview with a repre- sentative of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "In communities where Sister hoods are doing certain pieces of work in connection with Jewish en- deavors, we try not to over-lap them. however, the National Council of Jewish Women still has considerable work to do in small communities where there are no congregations, and also among those individuals in large cities who belong to no particular con- gregation," Mr. Goldman continued, in reply to criticisms levelled against the council because of its alleged "ostrich-like indifference" to what is actually happening in Jewish life and the Jewish world. At first Mrs. Goldman and her staff felt it would be undignified for them to reply to warranted crit- icisms levelled against the Council as to hating "devoted itself only to loose ends aruond the periphery of Jewish life," inasmuch as the National Council of Jewish Wo- men's accomplishments for the past few years can well speak for them- selves. in business have been committed by great names in great institu- tions SOME OF WHICH WILL NOT EMPLOY A JEW UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. As a minority group which has to suffer constantly for the shortcomings of its weak members, it is at least consoling to know that sharp prac- tice is not the exclusive property of the Jew, as some of our ene- mies are eager to point out. Where is the vaunted SUPERIOR ETH- ICS of our neighbors holding high positions? One is astonished to read the tactics adopted by lead- ing bankers and leading banks in New York which caused the gul- lible public relying upon the repu- Aided Under-Privileged. tation of the men and their insti- As an indication of the important tutions, to lose all they had with no more chance to win than at a achievements to be credited to the National Council of Jewish Wo- three-shell game in a circus. men in the course of its long career, Mrs. Goldman cited the Council's U. S. JEWISH LEADERSHIP Someone suggests that we need accomplishments not only in its so- cial service work, its educational more democratic and unified lead- program and cultural achievements ership In American Jewry. The but its position as a recogniztil American Jewish Congress appar- force in combating or aiding legis- measures touching directly or ently takes it for granted that it lative indirectly upon Jewish problems. fills the need very nicely. I see The Council of Jewish Women that on June 12 delegates to the has long been one to fight in be- Jewish World Conference, be held half of the rights of the under- this summer in Geneva, will be privileged, and through its member- nominated at the New York City ship and representation on the Wo- conference called by the Ameri- men's Joint Congressional Commit- can Jewish Congress. Perhaps tee at Washington, D. C., it has other delegates will be chosen by been known to: 1. Support the legislation to reduce the other organizations. The trouble, I fem. find with the Congress, that it does hig I. b ;I:Nr..11.'1. posus re•trietive irnmigrstion tattoo. calms edequate provwn I. made not seem to attract a broad enough representation, its personnel be- f 1." gpos ionelgPrortd hef.ree rnilin;atioo of ing limited largely of those who . Ilene. 4. OW.40 the Calendar Reform pro- are in sympathy with Zionist as- gram. 5. Support Maternity and pirations. I don't believe that leaner those responsible for the Congress Legislation. a. Work for the Protection of Child planned it with the idea that it Lebo. Law. This is but a cursory review of should represent only one element in Jewry, but unfortunately it the vital issues upon which the seems to have worked out that Council has taken difinite stands. Nor must we forget the significant way. role it played in fighting, and fight. ing hard, to achieve such legislative bills as the Old Age Pensions, Mothers' Pensions, and the like. Social Problems. These are all social problems, having a direct effect upon Jewish life. Problems, which, for all its surface value, and its obvious achievements in Jewish institution- al and cultural direction, go even deeper in its ultimate effect upon the Individual—the Jewish woman, whose voice is the National Coun- cil of Jewish Women. Educational Work. Since the passage of the Cable Act, giving independent citizen- ship to women, special activities have been carried on by the Council sections throughout the country to assist women to become naturalized citizens. Loan funds have been es- tablished In many communities to aid those women who are unable to pay the present high naturaliza- tion fees. The Council has also issued pub- lications of special Jewish interest . Outstanding amongst these are "Course of Study on Jewish Pray- er," "An Introduction to Jewish Music," "Musical Service for the Synagogue," "A Prayerbook for the Jewish DOeaf," "A Harvest Festival Service," and "The Tower of Dav- id,' a book of stories on Jewish life. For the cultural development of the indvidual members, study cir- cles for the study of the Bible, Judaism, Jewish History and cur- rent Jewish events, have been or- ganized and are functioning sc. tively in many Council sections. When the question of Palestine arose, Mrs. Goldman Once more repeated that any constructive work the National Council of Jew- ish Women would undertake, would only duplicate the activities of such organizations as Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. The National Council of Jewish Women, as far back as 1920, had established a Farm and Rural De- partment to assist farm women liv- ing in scattered rural communities . Maurice Bisyger, president of he National Association of Jewish Center Executives, referring to the National Jewish Ledger of Wash- ington, said in part: "The Council has, more than all, furnished the sinews for the various institutions in the way of leadership. Most of the women who are in the field of Jewish welfare as volunteers have secured their first training in the membership of the Council, or on their various committees."