Ameriealr "(wish Periodical &ter

August 23, 1940

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CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and the Legal Chronicle

P urely Commentary

Jews and the Presidential Campaign

From time to time, an issue involving Jews in
their relation to the country's political scene is
raised by citizens of the Jewish as well as the
Christian faiths. Some one always tries to read
into it a meaning that does not exist, with the
result that considerable heartache: is provided for
those who are too sensitive to take the matter

calmly.
Take, for instance, the latest news release about
ndorsement of the candidacy of Wendell L.
the e
Willkie for the Presidency of the United States
by Dr. Abba Hillel Silver of Cleveland. It was
front page streamer-headline news in Cleveland.
It called for a release by Publicity Man Popkin
of New York, and a special news release by the
Republican National Committee. And some people
immediately became worried. What (toes this
mean, they asked. Are Jews entering the political
arena as Jews? That should not be, they think
to themselves, and somehow a controversy is
stirred up.
In reality, there is nothing to become excited
about. Rabbi Silver is for Willkie; Rabbi Stephen
S. Wise has consistently supported Roosevelt.
Former Judge Proskauer has bolted the Demo-
cratic party to support Willkie; Governor Herbert
H. Lehman is a staunch supporter of the Presi-
dent's campaign for re-election for a third term.
That's the American way of life. Some Jews are
for one party, some Jews are for the other; just
as in the case of non-Jews: some are for one,
others for the opponent. Former Governor Chase
S. Osborn, a life-long Republican, considers it
best to support Roosevelt for a third term,—and
is not frightened by the prospects for a third
term; but Rabbi Silver and former Judge Pros-
kauer think differently. Well, that is just fine.
That is the American way, and it should remain
that way.
The question will be asked, therefore, wherein
lies the spirit of panic over differences of opin-
ion among Jews; or, rather, over the boldness
of Jews who dare to discuss politics frankly. The
Congressional Record for Aug. 8 (page 15429)
carries a statement by Congressman Edelstein of
New York which has important bearing on the
question. Rep. Edelstein may have had reference
to Rabbi Silver of Cleveland rather than "a Jew-
ish Rabbi of Cincinnati." In any event, the state-
ment itself is important and we present the ex-
cerpt from the Congressional Record for our
readers to judge the issue for themselves:

Mr. Edelstein: Mr. Speaker, I ask unani-
mous consent to address the House for 1
minute.
The Speaker: Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. Edelstein: Mr. Speaker, on August 7
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Bender) rose

on the floor of this House and stated that a
prominent Jewish Rabbi of Cincinnati, who
was formerly a Democrat, came out for Mr.
Willkie.
The newspapers publish such items con-
stantly in what seems an inspired publicity
campaign, but I am surprised that such state-
ments should be made in the House as well.
The purpose and object of heralding the fact
that a prominent American of Jewish faith
has announced his support of one candidate
or another is not merely to record that fact
but also to have it imply, or create the im-
pression, that citizens of Jewish faith, as a
group, are in favor of one candidate or an-
other. To endeavor to create a sentiment or
get votes upon religious grounds is, to my
mind, un-American. To endeavor to create
th e illusion that Americans of Jewish faith
vote as Jews, in one bloc, is also un-American,
unfair, and unjust.
I believe that the Jews of America, whether
the y vote for one side or the other, be it
Mr. Willkie or Mr. Roosevelt, vote not as
Jew s but as Americans, and I deny that there
is a Jewish vote cast as such, just as I deny
the idea of a Polish vote, of a Russian vote,
of an Irish vote, or of an Italian vote, or
an y other racial vote.
I come from a district which is composed
of Jews, Italians, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians,
Hungarians, Irish, and also Germans, and
these peopl e belong to many different faiths.
The y do not vote in racial or national groups,
as Italians, Jews, Russians, Poles, Ukrainians,
Hungarians, Irish, or Germans, but they vote
as Americans, and only as Americans will
they cast their ballots on election day, not
because they are Jews, not because they are
Italians, not because they are Russians, not
becaus e they are Poles, not because they are
Ukrainians, not because they are Hungarians,
not because they are Irish, not because they
are Germans; and when their votes are
Counted they will declare that they believe
n the principles of the New Deal and the
Princi p l e s of President R o osevelt. Their votes
and their ideals show that they vote as Ameri-
cans only, and I trust and hope that no party
will ever endeavor to achieve office by at-
tempting to claim that they have control of
the vote s of a particular race, creed, or color.
(Applause.)

,

Rep. Edelstein presents the issue frankly and

Cor rectly.

Americans vote as Americans. There
are neither Jewish nor Italian nor Scandinavian
voters here. There is some talk about German-
Americans suffering from pressure from un-
American sources in this country as well as from
the Nazis in Germany to undermine certain
American institutions and to take sides in a
Hitler issue. These forces will suffer their doom,
provided the general issue is not clouded by

Harry M. Shulman Elected Secretary
of Hammond, Standish Co., Packers

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

dragging red herrings on the political trail in the Prominent Detroiter Had Pioneered in Chilling and Low
Temperature Work on Meat Food Products
sad year of 1940. Anyone who drags in this
issue helps destroy democracy.
Harry M. Shulman has been Detroit as Mechanical Superin-
•
elected secretary and mechanical tendent for Hammond, Standish
superintendent of the Hammond, & Co. He pioneered in the de-
An Obligation on Congressmen Who
Standish & Co., velopment of rapid chilling of
Are Jews
the board of di- comestibles and low temperature
' rectors of this work on meats and meat food
Jews vote as Americans. Jews who hold pub-
nationally prom- products. He designed special
lic office are American office-holders who happen
inent meat pack- equipment now in general use
to be Jews but whose only responsibility is to the
in the meat packing industry in
ers' concern an- refrigeration.
Government of the United States.
nounced this
engaged in special
However, there is a matter of self-respect
Actively
week.
work at the Institute of Ameri-
which places an obligation upon Members of
Congress who are Jews not to keep silent when
Born in Chi- can Meat Packers, an organiza-
tion of more than 350 meat pack-
bigots spread venom and hatred. As Americans
cago,
Mr. Shul- ers in U. S. and Canada, Mr.
who are duty-bound to protect the interests of
attended Shulman is a member of the
m a n
all elements in the population, they owe it to
Yeshivath Committee on Purchasing Prac-
themselves, to their country, to their faith, to
t h e
speak in protest against indignities and attempts
Etz Chaim, now tice, the Committee on Educa-
tional Plans, the Committee on
to incite to persecution whenever bigotry raises
known as t h e Industrial Relations, and the
its ugly head.
Beth Medrash La Committee on Engineering and
It is not only because Jews are affected that
they must speak in defense of decency, but be- H. M. Shulman Torah in Chica- Experimentation.
He is the author of numerous
go. He received
cause Jews are first to be hit and then come the
Christians. There is an appropriate story. In his Bachelor of Science degree articles in the National Provis-
Prague they ask what is the difference between from Valparaiso University of ioner and other journals of the
a Jew and a Christian in Czechoslovakia. The Valparaiso, Ind., and has also meat industry. He is chairman
answer: 24 hours; first the Jew is persecuted; graduated from Purdue Univer- of the Food Section and Mem-
24 hours later, the Christian is robbed of his sity of Lafayette, Ind., from be• of the Board of Directors of
which he received his degree in the Detroit Industrial Safety
rights.
Council. He is at present sec-
Civil Engineering.
If Catholics were to be assailed on the floor
Mr. Shulman first entered the retary of Congregation Shaarey
of the House of Representatives or the United employ of the engineering depart- Zedek and has been active in
States Senate, there would be plenty of Jews ment of Armour & Co., of Chi- Jewish educational circles, and
and Catholics and Protestants to nail the lie. cago, and later was transferred had served on the boards of di-
Jews have been attacked for months on the floor to the Eastern Seaboard as Mas- rectors of the United Hebrew
of the United States Congress, but with the ex- ter Mechanic. He supervised the Schools, the Zionist Organization
ception of a word from Majority Leader Ray- building of plants in Boston, of Detroit and the Detroit Chap-
burn, a splendid reply by Congressman Sabath Philadelphia and Jersey City.
ter of the American Jewish Con-
and declarations by Congressman Dickenstein and
In 1918 he was transferred to gress.
Dingell, there has been silence in dealing with
the outrageous utterances and distortions of truth
by Rep. Jacob Thorkelson.
This fact must be recorded to the discredit of
Enjoy the Month of September at
the Members of Congress who happen to be Jews.
But this does not absolve from blame the
Christians in Congress who sit by and permit the
Thorkelsonian outpourings of venom. What a
pity that so few of them realize the danger that
is attached to the spread of hundreds of thou-
sands of anti-Semitic words in the Congressional
Record. These words form statements which ec-
20 Miles North of Traverse City
qui•e an aspect of authority simply because they
were printed at the expense of our Government.
REDUCED RATES FOR SEPTEMBER
A few courageous words from prominent Chris-
tian members of Congress would go a long way
to nail the lie and to put a stop to the spread
A few reservations left for Coming Week and
of bigotry in this country.
Labor Day Week-End

Stein's

1 Clover Lode

•

•
Leave the Jewish Angle. Alo n e

-

There is just one thing that is wrong with
There
the news release that was sent out by Publicity
Man Popkin and the Republican National Com-
mittee announcing Dr. Abba Hillel Silver's sup-
port of Wendell L. Willkie for the Presidency.
It is the emphasis that was placed on Rabbi Sil-
ver's associating with the Zionist movement, the
United Palestine Appeal and the United Jewish
Appeal. As an individual, Rabbi Silver is as free
as you and I to speak for whomever he pleases,
to advocate anyone's candidacy, to vote as he sees
fit. As a Jewish leader, he is out of national
politics. Those who wrote the publicity quoting
his statement did him an injustice in this respect.
This is just as applicable to former Justice
Joseph Proskauer who bolted the Democratic
party in favor of Willkie, whose leadership in the
YNIIIA and Federations was tooted widely when
he announced his stand. It would be just as ap-
plicable to Dr. Stephen S. Wise if his friends
were to invoke his Zionism and his Jewish Con-
gress leadership in support of a political cam-
paign. American politics is not a sectarian is-
sue, and the Jewish angle must be eliminates!
from it.

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•

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Thorkelson Gets His Due

To the credit of Congressmen Sabath and Edel-
stein, let it he recorded that they finally called a
halt to Rep. Thorkelson's rantings. Reps. Sabath
and Edelstein objected to continued insertions of
lying propaganda by the Montana anti-Semitic
Congressman, and Congressman Sabath took oc-
casion once more to point out to the members
of the House of Representatives that Thorkelson
had inserted forged documents in the Record.
Thorkelson tried to vindicate his stand by mak-
ing the following references to Congressman Sa-
bath: "We are in the hands of a minority party.
When he can sit there and object to information
of that sort going into the Congressional Rec-
ord, which is based upon facts, it is time the
Congress ceased to exist."
Here you have the Nazi method. They seek
the right to enjoy civil liberties, freedom of
speech, press and assembly, in order that they
;iiay destroy it for those they seek to oppress.
For Thorkelson, Congress can cease to exist sim-
ply because he is denied the right to spread false
propaganda and to incite to riot against the Jew-
ish people. Would it help if we were to remind
this Congressman, who has been repudiated by
the voters of Montana, that liberty in a free land
does not give a bigot the right to shout fire in
a crowded theater and to create panics resulting
in death and destruction?
Congressmen Sabath and Edelstein are to be
commended for halting the antics and rantings of
an anti-Semite. They have contributed towards
the safety of American institutions by expressing
distrust in an anti-Semite.

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