PIE PgriliOrr, NOR LA Rana!'
August 6, 1937
and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE
7imPentor1P, Awn
never be broken; and as a realist—we con-
&MIME tinue
to base our disagreement with him on
his own appeal that "we must face reali-
and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE
ties"—he knows that an unfriendly world
Publla,•4 Weakly by The Amick Mudd. Paltlialdag C., lam. forces those who might otherwise reject
Itatorod u Batton4.clast matt. Muth I, I'll, at the Toot- the Palestinian appeal to embrace it and
Oleo, at Detroit, itta6. ander the Lit at Nana I, ISIS.
to pray fervently for its realization.
General Offices and Publication Building
In his anxiety to prove his point, Rabbi
525 Woodward Avenue
Schulman errs in several other ways. He
Ifebsplso•es Cadillac 1040 Cable Address: Chronicle insists that "the English did not fail." This
Lead.. oaks,
is, indeed, being blind to facts and to real-
14 Stratford Place, London, W. 1, England
ity. On every front Great Britain is being
Subscription, in Advance...-..-....--...$3.00 Per Year assailed as a betrayer of trust. Rabbi
To Insure publk ► tion, all eorrespondence and news matter Schulman alone makes a deep bow to the
must reach this office by Tuesday
of east week.
When mailing noticed, kindly nee *wield. of the HP. mar. English and is ready to eat out of the
117.111,
The Detroit 'wide Chronicle invites eorreeyendeisee on sob.
Ieets of Interest to the Jewish People, hat dieclaime resPonei-
bility for in indorsement of the views expressed by the writer.
it
Sabbath Rosh Chodesh Elul Readings of the Law
Pentateuchal Portion—Dent. 11:26-16:17; Num.
28:9-15.
Prophetical Portion—Is, 66.
Rosh Chodesh Elul Second Day Reading of the Law
Num, 28:1-15,
August 6, 1937
Ab 29. 5697
Schulman's View of Zionism
It is unfair to expect that persons who
during their entire lives believed in certain
political dogmas should completely alter
their views. Opponents of Zionism, even
if they have, during the Hitler crusade,
become converts to the movement, appar-
ently were never more than prosperity
Zionists. It is easy to support a cause when
it flourishes. It is even easier to turn
against it when it faces a crisis. The test
of Zionist allegiance lies in adherence to
the movement during its most trying per-
iods. The present is the hour of trial
which will bring to the fore the courageous
and will leave the faint-hearted behind.
Many converts have been won for Zion-
ism in the past 20 years. German Jewry
made an almost complete about-face. Re-
form rabbis in this country have come so
close to the movement that resolutions
adopted at their conventions commence to
sound like decisions made at Zionist con-
ventions. The movement has made great
and lasting gains.
But there are some who have not for-
gotten their old prejudices. The great
crisis in Zionism again educes from them
their natural opinions. It is unfair to ex-
pect that all converts should completely
merge with the newly-adopted creed.
Some will always turn back. ,
Rabbi Samuel Schulman, one of the most
brilliant of the Reform rabbis in this coun-
try—some of us consider him the most
brilliant man in the Reform rabbinate—
proves our point. He was a most rabid anti-
Zionist. He came closer to the movement
when the Jewish Agency was formed, and
later campaigned for funds to rebuild Pal-
estine. The proposal for the partition of
the Holy Land has drawn from him an
opinion which smacks of Schulmanism of
pre-Jewish Agency days.
In a two-column letter published several
days ago in the New York Times he re-
iterates the views he held, as he states,
for a generation and more," that "na-
tionalism and racialism are a tragic mir-
mre for Israel ;" that the overwhelming ma-
jority of Jews are "primarily and essen-
tially a religious community and nothing
else." An attack upon nationalism then
leads Dr. Schulman to state in his letter
that "every Jew should realize that alto-
gether too much thought has been center-
ed upon Palestine as a so-called solution
of the Jewish problem." He then proceeds
to state: "The problem of the 2,000,000
Jews in Poland and of others persecuted in
other lands; the problem of the Jews in
Germany, cannot be solved by whatever
will be done in Palestine. We must face
realities, and we must insist upon the fact
that the sin of western civilization which
it carries on its conscience is the injus-
tice to the Jew. The Jewish problem must
be solved in the lands in which the masses
of Jews live, and it can only be solved by
the recognition of Christendom's respon-
sibility for the equality of human rights to
which the Jew is entitled."
Apparently Dr. Schulman remains blind
to many realities—in spite of his own ap-
peal that "we must face realities." He in-
sists that we are primarily a religious com-
munity at a time when our houses of wor-
ship are empty (except on three holy days
in the year), and when the temples and
synagogues are being saved from bank-
ruptcy by the new religious fervor that
has been injected in them by the national-
ism evoked by'Zionism. The nationalism
tnd racialism that he decries as being
,"a tragic mirage for Israel" is not the sad
creation of the Jew, but the horror im-
posed upon us by the peoples with whom
we must live—we not only agree, we in-
sist upon this point—and among whom we
must solve our problems.
But it is not on this score that we differ
with Rabbi Schulman. We disagree with
him when he belittles the great Palestin-
ian experiment as a solution to the prob-
lem of the persecuted Jews in Poland, Ger-
many and other countries. Dr. Schulman
forgets that the mass of refugees from
Germany and emigrants from Poland have
been settled in Palestine. He forgets that
for a quarter of a million Jews—among
them close to 60,000 from Germany—Pal-
estine has proven an island that lies be-
tween death and life. Rabbi Schulman,
we are sure, would be the last to deny that
havens of refuge are needed for millions
of Jews—not because we shall ever stop
insisting that we must fight for our rights
wherever we may reside but because we
are fighting against a hostile world. If
Jews must be settled soinewhere, and if
Palestine has proven the only certain
place of refuge, then why deny that Pal-
estine is the major element in solving an
important part of the Jewish problem?
Furthermore, Dr. Schulman knows that
for the vast Jewish masses the lure of Pal-
estine can never be replaced, even by the
most attractive colonization centers. As a
brilliant Jewish thinker, as an able rabbi,
as a Hebraist and Talmudist he surely
knows that the link with the past can
hands of the betraying colonial officials.
He apparently desires to be holier than
the British partitioning saints themselves.
In the House of Commons and the House
of Lords loyal Englishmen condemned the
inefficiency of the British administration
in Palestine; Jewish periodicals in Eng-
land. whose loyalty no one would dare
question, deny that the mandate is un-
workable and blame the English for the
Arab-Jewish strife in Palestine; the Royal
Commission blames the Palestine govern-
ment for the riots. But Rabbi Schulman
tells us that "the English did not fail!"
The New Judaea of London, in its con-
demnation of the Royal Commission's
plan for the partition of Palestine, states:
"On its own presentation of the case, the
commission has not proved that the Man-
date is not workable. The utmost that is
proved is that those responsible for the
working of the Mandate have shirked re-
sponsibility. The method of 'keeping the
balance' might work well if it were based
on the principles of justice. Too rarely
has the Palestine administration acted in a
spirit of equity. It had a singular concep-
tion of keeping the balance. If an Arab
newspaper happed to be suspended for
open incitement against the Jews, the au-
thorities thought it necessary equally to
suspend a Hebrew newspaper for drawing
attention to the dangers of such incite-
ment. If Arabs attacked defenseless Jews,
and the Jews happened to resist such an
attack, the authorities thought it well to
describe such an 'incident' as friction be-
tween Jews and Arabs . . . To sum up, if
the Mandate did not work as well as it
might have done, it was clearly not be-
cause of inherent contradictions, but be-
cause those responsible for discharging the
obligations of the Mandate refused, for
various reasons, to carry them out. And
yet, despite all obstacles and difficulties,
whether natural or artificially created,
Palestine has been built up during the last
two decades and has been transformed
into a modern and progressive country, and
that, as the commission agrees, is a result
primarily of the intense efforts of the Jew-
ish people. On closer analysis, therefore,
the conclusion that the,present Mandate is
not workable is baseless and unsupported
by facts."
Rabbi Schulman wants us to face reali-
ties,. but his own arguments are as base-
less and unsupported by facts as those
which seek to prove the Mandate unwork-
able, whereas all the trouble arose as a
result of the inefficiency of British, colon-
ial officials. We could excuse Dr. Schul-
man for reverting to his old arguments
against Zionism, but not for condoning
the English. This error alone vitiates his
thesis in its entirety.
Sir Henry McMahon's Denial
Sir Henry McMahon's statement, deny-
ing that the pledge to the Arabs assuring
them their independence included Pales-
tine, is important. But it would have been
more just had it come 15 years sooner.
Today it is of lesser significance.
Fifteen years ago, islcMahon's state-
ment might have saved aggravation, inter-
racial strife, the lives of hundreds of Jews
and Arabs.
Why did Sir Henry McMahon wait until
now, when Palestine is being offered for
a surgical operation?
Apparently the present time makes his
declaration more acceptable to Britain's
policies. The delay in its presentation
makes the great betrayal all the more
shameful.
Hearst Press Against Partition
The Detroit Times, together with other
Hearst newspapers throughout the coun-
try, conducted a most vigorous campaign
against the proposed partition of Pales-
tine. It was a ttnost interesting effort to
enlist public opinion in the fight to de-
feat the plan for the slicing of the Holy
Land into three parcels, with the most
strategic points remaining in England's
control for obvious military reasons.
Articles by David Lloyd George and
Winston Churchill, expressions of opinion
by William Green, president of the Amer-
ican Federation of Labor, and by promi-
nent members of the United States Senate,
and statements by local leaders helped to
explain the unfairness of Britain's latest
interpretations of her duties as mandatory
power.
The Hearst press rendered a distinct
se•ice to the cause for the redemption of
Palestine as the Jewish National Home.
There is reason to believe that the cam-
paign conducted against the partition plan
will bear fruit, and that the boundary lines
drawn by the war ministry and the Royal
Commission for the proposed three-state
division of Palestine will be completely
changed. William Randolph Hearst and
his newspapers have helped the cause of
Palestine's redemption.
Fiddletown, Calif.. derived its name
from an early experience of this commu-
nity whose first settlers fiddled for rain and
received a cloudburst in response. Now
Dave Rubinoff, violinist of radio and screen
fame, is the city's mayor. Rubinoff might
try fiddling for a few things—the end of
the persecution of his people, more amity
among the nations of the world, less hatred-
among religious and racial groups every-
where. But—will Providence be as kind
to him as to Fiddletown's early settlers?
Lights from Once More a David Has Arisen Strictly
Shadowland Emil Ludwig Writes Remarkable Book Confidential
PURELY COMMENTARY
About David Frankfurter's Assas-
sination of Nazi Leader
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
By LOUIS PEKARSKY
Reproduction in part or whole forbid.
den, without permission of the Seven
Arts Feature Syndicate. Copyrightere of 1/le DAVOS MURDER. Ily Emil Ludwig. Poblished by
this feature.
Methuen it Co., Ltd., 311 Essen it., London, SC. C. a,
(Copyright, 1137. 8. A. F. 8 )
England (3s. Id.).
BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO
SLYVIA SIDNEY
Movie fans the world over will
send greetings to Miss Sylvia
Sidney, noted star of the Broad-
way stage and Hollywood motion
pictures, when she celebrates her
birthday on Aug. 8. Miss Sidney,
five feet, two inches tall, is one
of the really tiny Hollywood stars,
but in stature only. In talent and
ability as an actress, this black-
haired star ranks with the great-
est of them.
Miss Sidney is a native of New
York City. She was born there
in 1910, and much of her child-
hood was spent in a flat over-
looking a "dead end" street in
the Bronx. Samuel Goldwyn, the
famous producer, therefore felt
she was right at home in the
New York East Side setting for
the film, "Dead End," which he
constructed on the United Artists
Studio lot in Hollywood at a cost
of $50,000. Miss Sidney plays
the leading feminine role in the
film. Goldwyn paid $165,000 for
the screen rights to this play by
Sidney Kingsley, and Lillian Hell-
man authored the scenario for the
film which was recently complet-
ed. After completing her role
in "You and Me," for which Para-
mount Studios loaned her from
Walter Wringer Studios, to which
she is under contract, Miss Sidney
will go to New York.in September
to begin rehearsals for Ben
Hecht's Theater Guild play "To
Quito and Back."
UNIVERSAL DENIES FEAR
OF HITLER
Answering a widely-circulated
rumor to the effect that Univer-
sal Pictures had changed the end-
ing of Erich Basin Remarque's
novel, "The Road Back," to glor-
ify Hitler and to appease Nazi
indignation over the film version,
R. H. Cochrane, Universal presi-
dent said: "The story is a com-
plete falsehood from start to fin-
ish. Nothing but malice could
have created it."
The film has never been dis-
cussed with any German official,
he contended. During filming of
the picture, Dr. Georg Gyssling,
Nazi consul in Los Angeles, noti-
fied players in the cast that they
faced a Nazi boycott because the
story was regarded as "unfair"
to the new Germany. Protests
of this action were successfully
made by Hollywood League
Against Nazism and the Screen
Actor's Guild to the U. S. State
Department in Washington.
Said Mr. Cochrane: "The sim-
ple truth is, that after showing
the picture to the public we de-
cided to add several romantic
scenes. Politics and fear had
nothing to do with it."
The Universal chief's state-
ment recalled the classic Holly-
wood legend anent "All Quiet on
the Western Front," to which
"The Road Back" is a sequel.
When the picture had been corn-
pleted and previewed, the pro-
ducer in charge demanded a happy
ending. Lewis Milestone, the di-
rector, fumed, because no more
somber story ever had been
brought to the screen. At last
he remarked pointedly:
"The only way we can give
'All Quiet on the Western Front'
a happy ending is to have Ger-
many win the war!"
The tragic ending, which made
millions weep, remained. But
with "The Road Back" romance
won out.
From the mighty pen of Emil Ludwig, biogra-
pher of some of the world's outstanding personali-
ties, comes a most significant book. In "The Davos
Murder," now available from Methuen in an Eng-
lish translation by Eden and Cedar Paul, Mr. Lud-
wig writes a commentary on David Frankfurter's
assassination of Wilhelm Gustloff which reveals an
unusually wide knowledge of legal formalities and
makes a passionate plea for justice.
"The Davos Murder" is one of the most effec-
tive attacks on Nazism, anti-Semitism and every
effort at the suppression of human rights. The
genius of a very great author here passionately
pleads the cause of a man who was given a long
prison sentence for premeditated murder, but whose
act, on the basis of historic precedents, should
have been condoned.
It was the Nazi system of ruthless oppression
that was on trial at Davos, Mr. Ludwig points out.
Published in several languages before the trial,
he authorized its publication without alteration in
the present English form stating that "the trial
confirmed every word of it."
In his defense of Frankfurter Mr. Ludwig tells
that more than 30 years ago he studied the prob-
lem of homicide committed under stress of power-
ful emotion at the Berlin seminary of his distin-
guished German teacher, Franz von Liszt. "When
I took my degree as Doctor of Laws at Breslau,"
he writes, "my thesis was devoted to the same
topic. Subsequently I considered the question in
a number of historical portraits. At that time,
in imperial Germany, we were not taught that
right meant no more than what was advantageous
to Germany. Our instructors, being citizens of
the world, based criminal law, as they based civil
laws, upon moral principles, while Liszt, in his
lectures and writings, was careful to explain why
German law provided for a mitigation of punish-
ment when the offender had been grievously
wronged."
Thus, his thesis is considered in an historical
setting, by drawing comparisons with other .politi-
cal murders. He points out that "revolutionaries
extol Harmodius and Aristogeiton, who killed
Hipparchus, tyrant of Athens; and admire Brutus,
foremost of the conspirators that slew Julius
Caesar." He adds that "dictators hold other
views, and Napoleon had excellent reasons for pro-
viding that in the schools of his empire the assas-
sination of Julius Caesar should be described as
Rome's misfortune."
The Jews, he further refers to historical inci-
dents, gloried in the deed of Moses who slew the
Egyptian; Judith is praised as a virtuous widow
for hewing off the head of the sleeping enemy of
her people; Charlotte Corday was eulogized as "the
angel of assassination:" when King Henry IV of
France was stabbed by Ravaillae "many pious
hearts exulted."
Mr. Ludwig refers to the most important politi-
cal murders which received approval or condemna-
tion, "according to the party to which a news-
paper belongs." The three most important in-
stances closely akin to the murder at Davos, to
which Mr. Ludwig devotes many of the 132 pages
in his book, are: The murder of Vorovsky by his
countryman Conradi and the acquital of the as-
Bassin by a Swiss court; the death of Petliura
at the hands of Shalom Schwarzbard who was freed
by a French court; the acquital of the Armenian
Teilirian by a Berlin court for the assassination
of Talent Pasha who had been grand vizier of
Turkey during the war. "Three different Euro-
pean states, three centers of culture, had allowed
murder to go unpunished because they profoundly
sympathized with an act of righteous vengeance."
Then follows a chapter in which is described the
reaction of David Frankfurter to the German per-
secutions of his people. A medical student in
Germany who witnessed the reaction that set in
with the rise of Ilitlerism, Frankfurter transferred
his studies to Switzerland. There he saw the rise
of Nazism and the manner in which a ruthless
movement began to threaten the safety of Swim
democracy. Mr. Ludwig explains Frankfurter's
act by giving a lengthy description of the young
Jew's early childhood, the religious influence of
his home on his character, his physical weakness,
his bodily sufferings and the torment that he ex-
perienced upon reading news of the sufferings im-
posed by Nazis on his people. Comparing his act
with those of Conradi, Schwartzbard and Teilirian,
the author states:
Ile did not seek vengeance for any Mend or rela-
tion, or for any loss of position or money, but Wished
to avenge the entered honor of his moo Ile did not,
like the three others, art are or nix veers after the
PLEASIE TORN To NICXT PAGE )
Tidbits from Everywhere
By PHINEAS J. BIRON
(Copyright, 193, s. A.
PARTITION PARTICULARS
Some British politicians are
seriously pushing a scheme to
settle the British war debt to the
United States by giving Uncle
Sara Palestine in payment of half
the debt . . . That Comite d'En-
tente to set up international con-
trol of Jewish philanthropy took
definite form at a meeting in the
JDC's Paris office on July 21
It is said that Nathan Katz, new
JDC European representative, has
been charged with chief responsi-
bility for effectuating the scheme
. . . Back of Viscount Samuel's
scheme to limit the Jewish popu-
lation of Palestine to 40 per cent
of the Arab population is the skil-
ful , diplomacy of the non-Zionists
. . . Responsible spokesmen for
the Jewish Agency Executive re-
gard the Samuel plan as worse
than partition .. . A new Zionist
party has been formed in Czecho-
slovakia with the sole purpose of
combatting partition . . . Two
factors held responsible for Eng-
land's postponing of final on par-
tition are the opposition of Egypt
to a Jewish State and fear that
partition might interfere with
negotiations for an Anglo-Ameri-
can reciprocal trade treaty . . .
Polish anti-Semites are howling
that the Revisionists have sent
secret instructions to all Jewish
reserve army officers throughout
the world to register for service
in the army of the proposed Jew-
ish state,
POLITICAL DEPARTMENT
If the anti-Nazi issue plays a
part in the forthcoming New York
mayoralty election, Samuel Un-
termyer may find himself in an
embarassing spot , .. Untermyer
has endorsed the candidacy of
Grover Whalen, who in 1933 in-
dignantly demanded that Unter-
myer's Anti-Nazi League repud-
iate a press release claiming that
Whalen had joined its board of
directors ... And he got the re-
traction . . . Mayor La Guardia,
on the other hand, who'll be
Whalen's opponent, is a vice-pres-
ident of the Anti-Nazi League
. .. We weren't fooling when we
warned you that those vigilante
committees springing up every-
where had an anti-Semitic tinge
. . . One of the leaders of the
Citizen's National Committee, an
outgrowth of the Johnstown, Pa.,
vigilantes, is Don Kirkley, for-
mer editor of a KKK sheet . .
State Senator William A. Dolan,
an ally of Mayor Frank Hague of
Jersey City, was the lawyer re-
tained by the Nazis to search for
the title of the 100-acre Camp
Nordland at Andover, which is
in Dolan's district . . . Nests to
H. W. Prentiss, Jr., president of
the Armstrong Cork Co. of Lan-
caster, Pa., who told the Ameri-
can Chamber of Commerce in
London that the United States
will have a Fascist regime in a
few years . . . Wall street is
whispering that the real reason
why Governor Lehman. blasted
FDR's Supreme Court bill is Mrs.
Lehman . . . A hundred German
residents of Florida cabled a mes-
sage of congratulations to U. S.
Ambassador Bingham in London
for his bold denunciation of dic-
tatorships .
WE REPORT
What Reform rabbi recently
refused to officiate at the wedding
of the son of one of his most dis-
tinguished congregants because
the bride insisted on a chupah?
. . . To please his ,bride, the
groom, whose family has long
been prominently identified with
Reform Judaism, got another
rabbi, also of the Reform persua-
sion.
Christians and
BOOKS 84 AUTHORS Jews
in America
2 JEWS IN NAZI-LAND
The Experiences of Two Students
Who Retain Faith in
Justice
"IF I FORGET TI188—". Ity Josef
Donner. Published by Dulann Press,
no Rhode Island Ate., N. 8, Wash-
the pen name of Germanicus wrote
a diary of his experiences in the
Saar election in January of 1935.
In the fall of that year, at the in-
vitation of the Jewish fraternity
Phi Sigma Delta, he came to the
United States to continue his so-
ciological studies. Ile has written
a book on European trade uhron-
ism, and the present is his second
volume he wrote since coming to
this country.
"If I Forget Thee," a well writ-
ten volume, replete with interest,
M apparently a semi-biographical
work of this young author.
Mr. Dunner's novel recounts the
experiences of two young Jews in
Germany before and at the time of
the rise of the Nazis to power.
The story of Devorah Berg and
Alexander Roth is in effect the
story of the average Jew in Ger-
many. It tells of the conflict of
generations and the hopeless
struggle against Nazism.
SUNSET AT NOON. Br Ruth Feiner. J.
It is an interesting conversa- B. Lippincott co. Philadelphia (91.10)•
tional discussion on various sub-
jects, including Zionism. Devorah's
"The Story of a Career" is the
mother is anti-Zionist, while her subtitle of this book. In more than
daughter is an avowed nationalist. one sense it is more fitting than
Alexander is drawn closer to the the major name given this novel
radical movement The merits and by Miss Feiner.
demerits of their respective causes
It is the story of a young girl
are interestingly discussed.
who made up her mind that she
The story is replete with action. would succeed where her father
There are campus fracases, love failed—that she would have a
affairs, beer garden and dance hall career and make a success of it.
parties. Alexander is compelled to
After her father's suicide, Con-
leave Germany, goes to Palestine, stantine Flemming gets a job in
later is called to Basle and finally her uncle's factory. There she
gets • position with a reputable falls In love with a young worker,
American university.
and on his account gives up her
The student battle with the work and sets out in search of
Nazis, the various counter-move- something else to do. A hectic
ments against the rise of Hitler- career begins after she loses her
ism, the nationalistic discussions lover who, having forced her to
between the Jewish characters — give him her honor, leaves in
these help make an interesting shame over his action. Constan-
theme in this book which appears tine begins to write, enters into
simultaneously in German and a controversy with a man who
English editions.
criticizes the feminists, later ac-
The author, now 29, left his cepts work in an office, and
Berlin home at the age of 14 to reaches the height of her career
become a worker, first on a farm when she succeeds in selling her
and then in a factory. Hailing first novel. Then come new suc-
from a famous family of rabbis, he cesses, the dramatization of her
felt the sting of the "exterritori- first work for the movies and the
slity of labor" imposed upon the financial success which gives her
Jews and sought an avenue in the the chance to save her uncle's mo-
field of labor. But after four years tor plant.
he resumed his studies and spe-
In the end Constantine yields to
cialized In sociology and economics the courting of the professorial
at German and Swiss universities, antagonist with whom she had the
obtaining his doctorate.
feminist controversy. When she
He was the first to write a book- lands in a hospital after an acci-
let on "What is National Social. dent he comes to claim her and
ism" in 1928, when he warned of she yields to hie entreaties — after
the growth of Nazism, He covered all admitting that ultra-feminism
Europe and Aria as lecturer and Is not the ultimate goal for worn-
foreign correepondent and under
(PLZAell TURN TO NEXT PADS)
Feminism on Trial
e. say
By DR. A. W. FORTUNE
President, Disciples of Christ,
Lexington, Ky.
(Copyright, 1937. N. C. J. C)
The Jews of America are
very shortly to observe their
New Year. I believe that this is
an occasion when we Christians
should examine our attitude to-
ward the Jews and see what we
ran do to engender mutual
goodwill.
I am interested in the Jewish
problem as it presents itself in
Europe because of my humani-
tarian interest. My chief in-
terest, however, is the problem
as it presents itself in our own
country.
When America was settled,
Europeans brought with them
prejudices and intolerance from
the Old World. Those who
came here for liberty were not
willing to grant it to others.
Quakers and Catholics were per-
secuted because they wanted to
worship God according to their
own convictions. Thus was the
spirit of Europe transplanted to
the new land.
As time passed and more dif-
ferent elements came into the
colonies the various groups be-
came more tolerant of each
other. In the revolution, the
colonists rose against all tyran-
ny, and they fought in the
revolution not as Protestants,
Catholics or Jews, but as pa-
triots.
It is In the Declaration of
Independence and in the Con-
stitution that the true Ameri-
can spirit of tolerance is stat-
ed. America was dedicated to
the principles of freedom and
toleration.
MUST STAND TOGETHER
That don not mean that
Mann MN TO MIT PAGE)
Maurice R. Schochatt, who writes a column
for the Baltimore Jewish Times, is one of the most
conscientious of the younger Jewish writers in
this country. Ile reads a lot, hardly misses an
item of importance to Jews in the press—whether
secular or Jewish—and is ready to take up a
battle for a principle. It is no wonder, therefore,
that he should have become hot and bothered
when the Baltimore Public Library net out to out.
Boston the Bostonians in the censoring of books.
"Outmoded Policy" is the title Schochatt appro-
priately gives the following item in his column:
For the past amend weeks I had been pondering
over the question as to whether I should publicise
the fact that Enoch Pratt Libror7 hat voted thuntbe
down on "The Old Bunch" by Meyer Levin (Viking)
• • • tinily and senate the courteous reply reeete,..d
from Dr. Joseph I. Wheeler, I decided the Incident
should be brought out In the open—In all fairness to
• splendid novel . . . Now for the detail., .. In slew
of the encouraging critiques given to "The Old Bunch,"
Branch No. 11 of l'eatt Library (Central near Balti-
more) with (i.e population In the skinny predominant-
ly Jewish, put to a request for • copy of the volume.
The request was denied ... And to Ms letter he sent
me, Ito. Wheeler merely states U,at "we cannot at all
times meet the Ideas of our mob& constituents and
supporters"—and nothing else ... But It Is felt the book
was banned because the author sans quite unabashed In
describing a number of Intimate scenes . . . And that,
furthermore, he brought &to play the dreaded four-
letter stools. Personally, may I ...plain, I see no
.117 for introdueing such word, Into the book. The
author could well have dispensed with them without
serious harm. Itut all the rune this defect is not
serious enough to ban a motel of close to 1,000 pages
that Is alive, colorful and Written with • sincerity
and honesty. That Is my unqualified opinion after
reading the bulky miume. And If the conservatives
may asks What about the Influence of the book on
the young? . . . Heat of all, I am ready to grant a
medal to any 7°mm/der under 1111 eager to launch
on a work of such generous proportions .
• And
even If some are hardy enough to undertake. the Job--
why Is It so readily slummed that the youngsters never
heard of the dreaded four-letter words in daily life.
They hate! And coming across such wonls In a book will
not exactly be In the nature of a revelation. But
It menu that thousands In this city—and for that
matter also true of other eentece—eannot be dissuaded
from the theorem that Intimate mere* described too
frankly cell for the gassers or blacklist!
We are in complete agreement with Schochatt
for several reasons. In the first place, there is
the principle of freedom of expression. Then
there is the question of whether or not writers are
to be expected to write pure slush or whether
they are to be encouraged to produce realistic
literature in which they are to interpret life as it
it, life as they see it. More important of all is
the necessity of encouraging authors to write hon-
estly rather than be dominated by the demands
of unreasonable censors. If truth is to be checked,
then creative writing will be doomed and our au-
thors will be compelled to resort to hypocrisy
whch will taint modern literature.
What we like especially about Schochatt's com-
ment is that he displays such determination to light
for a right cause. As long as our young men are
prepared to fight for principles, Jewish traditions
are safe.
•
The Best Story of the Week
The best story of the week comes from Pales-
tine. In the Yishuv, we are informed by Watch-
man of the London Jewish Chronicle, they say:
"Do you know why the Misrachi are opposed
to partition? Because every time they take the
three steps back in prayer they may find them-
selves across the border in elm Arab state and
be forced to get a visa?'
There is more truth than humor in this story.
A Jew walking from Tel Aviv to Mikveh Israel—
a very short distance—will, if the Royal Commis-
sion's suggestions are adopted, have to cross a
corridor that is British-governed. If he wishes
to take the longer route and visit Jaffa on the
way, he will he within a stretch of less than an
hour in three states: The Jewish, the Arab and
the British-mandated territory.
London Jewish Chronicle's Watchman is right
when he says that jesting over his *Igor°s is one
of the reasons why the Jew "has managed to stand
up to them all." There will be a lot of jesting
and story-telling at the expense of ourselves, the
British and the Royal Commission. But Watch-
man comes closest to the truth when he says that
"after all, it is an old saying that laughter is never
far from tears!" In the present instance we are
closer to tears than humor.
GALGENHUMOR
Jews Laugh in the Face of Tragedy
A Compilation by Edwin C. Loewenthal and G. Bronsky
THE JOKE'S ON HITLER
Compiled by E. C. Loewenthal
THE JOKE'S ON US
Compiled by G. Bronsky
Little Red Riding Hood Brought Making a Hit
Up to Date
Chaim: The British Royal Com-
"Heil Hitler! What are you do- mission ought to devote its talents
ing here, my pretty maid?" in- to the box office management of
Broadway attractions.
quired the wolf,
Yankel: What gives you that
"Heil Hitler! I'm looking for my
grandmother," replied little Red idea?
Riding Hood.
Chaim: Well, haven't they al-
"Of course!" said the wolf. ready proved their ability in this
field by producing a whole state
"Everybody's doing it now."
with standing room only?
The Sins of the Grandfathers
Geography Lesson
Little blonde, blue-eyed Gretchen
Teacher: What do we get when
was sitting on the bench reserved
divide Pale-stine into two
for Jewish children in the class- we
parts?
room. Surprised, the teacher ask-
Little
Molshele: Why, another
ed: "Why are you sitting on the
Jewish Pale!
Jew-bench, Gretchen?"
"On account of dear aid grand- History Rewritten
ma," Gretchen explained.
Professor: Row would the Brit-
ish Royal Commission have sum-
Just • Misunderstanding
Everybody was afraid to tell the marized the situation in 1776,
highly excitable butcher that his when, after the defeat of the
dog had been killed. At last one British by George Washington's
of the bystanders gathered the army, the British crown lost half
courage to go into the shop and of the North American continent?
Bright Student: They would
break the news. The crowd waited
outside to see the reckless one have consoled King George III by
pointing out that half a loaf is
hooted out.
better than none.
Instead, the bearer of ill tidings According to Precedent
came out smiling, with a huge ham
Soreh: What would the British
under his arm.
Royal Commission do if all the
"How come?" some one asked.
Palestinian Jews and Arabs emi-
"I don't understand it myself," grated to Ireland?
Rivkeh: It would suggest the
the man replied. "I just went in
and said 'Heil Hitler, the dog is partition of the Emerald Isle, the
land'
going to the Arabs, and the
dead'—and he seemed tickled to
death, and gave me this ham to 'Ire' to the Jews.
take home."
Soreh: But suppose that, one
rainy day, the Jews and Arabs
Recognition at Last
should all pack up and leave Pales-
The works of Friedrich von tine to settle in • city like Liver-
Schiller were consigned to the bon- pool?
fire on the grounds that the fam-
Rivkeh: That's simple too. The
ous author could not have been Royal Commission would hand
a good German. For did .not his over the 'Liver' to the Arabs, and
writings dramatize foreign nations let the Jews drown in the 'pool?
only—the Scott in "Mary Stuart,"
Soreh: And what would happen
the Spanish in "Don Carlos," the if they let the Royal Commission
Swiss In "Wilhelm Tell."
get its hands on the Jewish col-
But the books were saved—for onies In the Crimea?
an obeervant storm trooper, glanc-
Rivkeh: There the workings of
ing at the titles, saw that at least the Soviet regime would confuse
one of the Schiller plays dealt with them so that they'd have to func-
the German people. The title of tion backwards, so that the result
this drama was "Tbe Robbers."
would be 'a crime.'