July 18, 1941
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and the Legal Chronicle
16
SAMUEL
(Continued from .Page 1)
eracy, is without parallel in the
literature of this subject. "We
must guard," says Mr. Nock,
"against becoming the victims of
a misnomer. The problem is not
essentially Jewish, not essentially
Semitic; it is an Oriental prob-
lem, Jewish only in so far as
the Oriental people concerned in
it happen to be Jews rather than
Syrians, East Indians, Persians
or some other." From which we
are to infer that the word "Jew"
is not a loaded word in the west-
ern world. There never was such
a thing as a Bible. There was
never a famous episode called
the birth of Christianity. There
was never a church which for
2,000 years kept alive in the
Occidental folk-consciousness the
identity of the name Jew, the
association with the crucifixion
and the story of the rejection.
The Jews who came to America
did not come into a Christian
country, in which all the internal
stresses of Christianity were at
work—including, as in all other
countries, a neopaganism which
often used the instruments of
the church for the undermining
of Christian ethics. The Jews
might therefore just as well have
been Syrians, East Ind;ans or
Persians. What frightful non-
sense have we here? And what
is the purport, I permit myself
to say the motivation, of this
error?
gust tradition." They cannot be
that and, at the same time,
"ready with a bloodthirsty eager-
ness to face any conditions, to
compete with anyone and every-
one on any terms." Such people
could not have contributed,
either, as the Jews have done,
to the development of some of
the finest aspects of American
labor organization.
"Sociological" and "Philosophic"
Analysis
Discrimination
(Continued from Page 1)
Hitler forts was forged by a
group of distinguished American
and European writers who an-
nounced the imminent publication
of a new magazine to be called
Free World, subtitling itself "the
world magazine of the democ-
racies." Aimed at enlightened pub-
lic opinion throughout the world,
the magazine will represent the
counter-attack by intellectuals of
all creeds and democratic nations
against the Hitler doctrines.
being that providing kosher meals
for the Orthodox Jews in army
camps is "infeasible," according
to information disclosed to the In-
dependent Jewish Press Service
correspondent.
The reasons given are the ad-
ministrative difficulties involved
in detaching relatively small num-
bers of soldiers from their regu-
lar organzations, particularly in
the field, and arranging to fur-
nish them with food at a special
Bronx Jew Attacked by Nazi mess, supplies for which would
NEW YORK (JPS) — Isidore have to be handled entirely separ-
Schwartz, a Jewish member of ately from those used normally by
the Bakers' Union Local 164, was the bulk of the enlisted men.
attacked by a Nazi member of his
union at a meeting in the Bronx
and had to be taken to Fordham
Agudath Israel to Meet in
Hospital. The assault came after
Baltimore
Schwartz had refused to reply to
verbal insults. The Nazi, whose
BALTIMORE, Md. (JPS)—The
name and address are known, dis- third annual convention of the
appeared from the scene and at Agudath Israel, ultra-Orthodox
last reports was being sought by group, at which more than 300
the police.
delegates are expected to be pres-
ent, will take place in this city
Army Finds Kashruth in Camp fom Aug. 21 to 25. Jacob Rosen-
heim, president of the World Agu-
Infeasible
WASHINGTON (JPS) — The dath Organization, will be guest
Army has decided for the time of honor.
even for generations, and against
Negroes, particularly, is severe
and concerns me deeply."
Governor Lehman pointed out
that the problem had become so
acute in New York State toward
the end of March that he had ap-
pointed a special committee under
the direction of Miss Frieda S.
Millet., industrial commissioner, to
achieve improvement in conditions.
Let us turn to Mr. Nock's
"sociological" contribution to the
subject. "The Civil Service Corn-
mission reports 959,146 civil em-
ployees in the Federal executive Lehman Hits Discrimination in
Defense
departments. It is impossible to
ALBANY, N. Y. (JPS)—In his
say how many of these are
Jews." Well and good. It is im- capacity as civil defense director
possible. But Mr. Nock is not for the State of New York, Gov.
dismayed by the impossible. He Herbert H. Lehman has voiced
goes on: "The highest Jewish strong concern over tendencies of
estimate I have heard made is racial discrimination in defense
40 per cent, the highest non- industries.
"Discrimination against minor-
Jewish estimate is 63 per cent."
ity
groups,' the Governor said,
What authority does Mr. Nock "against
Germans and Italians
cite on this "impossible" ques- who are citizens of long standing,
tion? None. Just "the highest
Jewish estimate," which would
place the number of Jews in the
•
Federal executive department at
about 400,000! That is to say,
of the (roughly) 2,500,000 em-
ployable Jewish adults in Amer-
ica, between 15 and 25 per cent
eiatt(Z n klied
il
are Federal civil servants. That
leaves out, of course, the various
a Lao&
State Civil Services. What pro-
portionate estimate shall we
DOROTHY McGUIRE
make for New York State, with
...newest Broadway star
its 2,000,000 Jews, Illiatois with
in the hit play "Claudia,"
its 400,000, etc., etc.? Does Mr.
enjoys her Chesterfields with
It is, of course, to shift the Nock really believe that half of
ROBERT ALLEN of the movies.
responsibility from the historic the Jews of America are civil
to the immediate, thus exoner- servants? Has he stopped to
ating Christian civilization as think about it? Does he know
such and reducing the prob- the meaning of figures?
lem to a demagogic terminol-
Of course this utterly vicious
ogy: for demagogic it is, in nonsense is followed by the
spite of its patina of literacy. usual mealy-mouthed extenua-
Contrasting the immunity of Lion: "To the intelligent Occi-
the Armenians from the results dental no estimate counts for
of racial prejudice with the sub- anything; all he is interested in
jection of the Jew to anti-Semi- is that public affairs should be
tic pressures, Mr. Nock says: in the hands of the most capable
"Suppose that instead of this persons, whether they be Jews,
small implantation (of Acme- Turks, infidels or heretics. But
nians) we had nearly 5,000,000 what I wish to insist on is that
Armenians in this country, and for the purposes of our social
that New York was the center architects who may be trying to
of the whole Armenian world, arrange a modus vivendi, the in-
culturally, commercially, finan- telligent Occidental's view hardly
cially. Suppose that in the period counts . . . "
1881-1929 there had arrived here
No, the intelligent Occidental's
2,314,668 Armenians . . . vir- view hardly counts. Therefore do
tually all of them refugees from your little bit to mislead him by
a most hideous oppression and implying that between 15 and
persecution; hunted and driven; 25 per cent of America's Jews
noor, desperate, degraded by are Federal civil servants, with
having been for years condemned whatever other proportion you
to modes of life to which no choose to add for the State Civil
decent person would subject a Services.
worthless (log; ready with a
The "philosophic" part of Mr.
bloodthirsty eagerness to face Nock's analysis, the mixture of
any conditions, to compete with high-falutin cultural terms with
anyone and everyone on any "human" anecdotal material need
terms in order to get a living. not concern us after this. There
Suppose that where 50 years runs, through the two essays,
ago you saw one Armenian you a queer tone of perversion, a
now see 20, and most of them, half-conscious exploitation of the
by force of circumstances, no Jewish problem for the venting
very personable specimens. Sup- of irrelevant resentments, with
pose you saw a steady infiltra- the New Deal, with leftism (Mr.
tion of Armenians into positions Nock tells us—and one may ask
of the highest prominence in our what it has to do with this sub-
public life. Would the ensuing ject that he stands on the eco-
problem be essentially Armenian nomic right.) We begin to smell
or Oriental?"
something . . .
Observe the pattern of this
I shall no doubt be taken to
explanation. Having shoved to task for meeting with such frank
one side the whole folk-loristic hostility what others may (quite
character of anti-Semitism in the foolishly) believe to be a genu-
western world, Mr. Nock pleads ine attempt at an understanding
by implication for Christian un- of America's problem of anti-
derstanding of this unhappy, not Semitism. The answer is: better
particularly personable creature, an overt enemy than this kind
the Jew, on the ground that else- of friend. Better not only for
where, in other Christian coun- the Jews, but for America too;
tries, he had been reduced to for the problem is America's. It
the rather revolting condition in is American public morale which
which we find him. Mr. Nock is being corrupted by a rising
does not explain the inapplic- tide of Jew-hatred; and it is
ability of his analysis to German America's intelligence which is
or Polish or Italian anti-Semi- being corrupted by Mr. Nock's
tism. The Jews of Germany con- evasive and wilfully ignorant
stituted less than one per cent vaporings.
of the general population. They
did not enter Germany suudenly.
Jews have been in Germany A. Z. A. Reports Almost 12,000
Members
since Roman times. But German
anti-Semitism is infinitely more
KERRVILLE, Tex. (J P S)—
rabid than the American species.
Does it not occur to Mr. Nock Joins Bisno, executive director of
rom other cigarettes,
that an explanation is in order? the Aleph Zadik Aleph, youth or-
of the Bnai Brith, re-
As to the description of the ganization
ported to its 18th annual con-
and
the
reason
is
Chesterfield's
Right Combination of the
immigrant Jew, it is contemptibly vention here that the membership
overdrawn, calculated again to has reached 11,746 boys from 15
finest
tobaccos
that
grow.
Every
variety of tobacco is
vindicate anti-Semitic sentiment to 21 and that 10,589 others have
while making a plea for its miti- passed through the organization
the best of its kind that money can buy. Chesterfield's
gation. "Hunted, driven, poor, and are now alumni of the inten-
Can't-be-Copied Blend makes one superior smoke
desperate, degraded . . . " The sive educaional and cultural pro-
picture is of a pack of famished grams of the group.
that's Milder . . . Better-Tasting . . . and Cooler-Smoking.
wolves. True, in the very same
Youth leaders from all parts
article Mr. Nock speaks of the of the country attended six-day
Jews as the carriers of "the confronting Jewish youth in Amer-
EVERYWHERE YOU GO
world's most august tradition, sessions to review the problems
and possibly also its oldest." But ica, including participation in the
desperate and degraded people defense effort, discrimination and
Copyright 191I, Liccrrr
Toaacco Co.
are not "continuators of an au- occupational guidance.
(der
ler
hester le
C hesterfields are different f