Friday, December 15. 1944
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Page 12
Jews at the Peace Conference of Versailles
at the time held the largest con- a hearing among the Jews if it "extraordinary conference"a t
glomerations of active and organ- had ignored completely the ques- the Hotel Marseilles at New York
there were differ- tion of national rights. Vinaver This conference became doubly . ,
•
atably
drawing
to
its
close,
ize
d j ewries,
e war
vir inevi
EDITOR'S NOTE.—With the
inevitably
the problem of presenting Jewish claims and demands before ences between the nationalists and Sliosberg therefore had to significant in our recent history
the forthcoming international conclave assumes an aspect of and non-nationalists or assimilat- pay homage to the spirit of the First it marked the advent of
immediacy. In the light of this, the following article on Jewish ors, but in the United States, times and to formulate some na- the Hon. Louis D. Brandeis as a
participation in the historic Versaille Peace Conference of where the denationalized or anti- tional demands." new
leader
of and
Zionism
United
States,
second, in it the
laid
nationalist Jews had gained The Leaders
1919 takes on added significance.
the foundation for the organiza-
ascendency, the struggle between
Similarly, the leaders of the tion of the American Jewish Con-
Mr. Richards, an eminent scholar, writer and communal the two factions became most
acute and the agitation for a American Jewish Committee in gress.
worker, was one of the organizers of the American Jewish
//‘?
A reslution in favor of the
congress to be held on a broad the
United States
to make
Congress, and, for many years, its executive secretary.
concessions
to the had
nationalists
convening of such a gathering
served as secretary to the Jewish Delegation to the Peace Con- domestic democratic basis as- and the Zionists* who had such
a democratic basis was jointly
f erence in 1919 and labored with the delegation in Paris for sumed such volume and tenseness, a large part in convening the on
presented by Dr. N. Syrkin, B.
over five months. Ile is one of the outstanding authorities on as to have its repercussions heard American Jewish Congress in De- Zuckerman and myself. From
the Jewish minority problem. in various distant lands.
cember, 1918, and the president then on began first, the corres-
Though ravaged and torn by
As a people dispersed through- president of the American Jew- conditions brought on by the of the committee, the late Louis pondence between Mr. Brandeis
out the world and driven hither ish Congress, as well as chair- war, the Jewish communities Marshall, distinguished attorney and Dr. Cyrus Adler and Mr.
outstanding. Jewish spokes- Marshall, with reference to in-
•,ind thither by all the ill winds of man of the Delegation. The Dele- themselves in Eastern Europe be- and
oppression and persecution the gation from America not only _ gan to formulate their demands man of his time, agreed to take itiating work of war relief and
Jews have, more than any other played a dominant role in estab and make plans for action right part in the congress and served preparing for proper and author.
people, been subject to political lishing and facilitating the work after the conclusion of hostili- as one of the Delegation to the ized representations to a future
upheavals, wars and fatal calami- of the Committee of the Jewish ties, but under the inspiration Peace Conference of Versailles. peace conference, and second,
But we should also give you the popular agitation or propa-
ties; every great disturbance and Delegations at the Peace Confer of the agitation and activities
eruption of hatred, bringing them ence, but it is possible that the which were carried on by their something of the stirring history ganda for the organization of an
sorrow and misfortune of abys- agitation and preparations for free brethren in the United which preceded the organization American Jewish Congress. The
mal proportions. On the other that event carried on by the _ States, and stimulated also by of the American Jewish Con- correspondence led to nothing.
hand, the conclusion of world freest Jewry in the world, stim similar discussions and endeav- gress. Dr. Schmarya Levine was The agitation brought the Amer-
conflicts, the prospective resettle- ulated and encouraged the hold- ors on the part of the Jews of on one of his several visits to ican Jewish Committee into the
ment of conditions and social ad- ing of conferences and congresses England, France, and other self- this country in the summer of congress movement. This also in-
justments reaching out towards in different European lands less governing lands, ori
projects 1914. His attempt to return to cluded other opposition elements,
better relations between all hu- favorably situated for the pur- for conferences and other gather- Europe was interrupted by the
See VERSAILLES—Page 13
man beings have brought us hope, pose of sending rep resen tatives ins were turned into congresses outbreak of the war, his ship re-
visions of a better life, and at to labor for equal Jewish rights and large assemblies. These were turning to the New York harbor
times, even Messianic. expects - at the then pending Peace Con- to consider problems of obtaining after being out to sea for several
ference and to demand recogni- the full rights of Jews in their days. Dr. Levine and the Amer-
tions of a glorious future,
A Joyous Chanukah to All!
Such a period was the time of tion of our historic claims to countries of sojourn and of work- ican Zionist leaders, as well as
ing out other questions of re- the other representatives of our
the approach of the meeting -of Palestine.
RIDAL'S SERVICE
settlement and social and eco- people, realized at once that a
the representatives of nations at Th e problem
the close of World War I. The
The representatives who came nomic adjustment, with the ob- great calamity was about to
STATION
ject also of choosing represents- overwhelm European Jewry. The
Peace Conference of Versailles
tives to the Peace Conference. immediate concern of Dr. Levine
as since become not only an his- all
from
different
lands
and
especi-
iun-
from
Eastern
European
co
has
y
"That Good Gulf Gas"
tonic epoch of significance, but tri es, were men of high ist nc- These were later to meet with and the workers for Zionism was,
Brakes Lined and Adjusied
the delegates from the United of course, to create some ma-
an exemplar of representations
made in behalf of our deliberations
people, of tion
and profound
understanding
Cars Washed
chinery that would replace the
of Jewish
problems
and needs. States, Canada, England, France, Zionist
headquarters located in
they etc.
negotiations and
Cor. Milwaukee and John R.
To give the readers a better Berlin and to take steps to pre-
which,
regardless
the merits
of To add
to them
their the
prestige,
t
the outcome,
will of
continue
to carried
with
mandates
picture
of
the
time
and
to
make
serve
the
Jewish
settlement
in
serve as giudepost and precedent. and traditions of long established
PETER RIDAL
him realize that the struggle be- Palestine. The war broke out on
We, from America, came to the
communities
steeped
Jewish
in culture,
traditions
and in
ideals.
tween ideologies did not originate Aug. 1, 1914, and on Aug. 30
TRINITY 2.9698
s in
Pas n There were divisions of opinion with the leaders of the American the Zionists of all groups, at the
historic
gatherings
hs spring
of 1919,
as members
f
the
American
Jewish
Delega-
as
to
Jewish
aspirations
and
the
Jewish
Committee
and
the
Amer-
behest
of
Dr.
Levine,
met
in
o
ican Jewish Congress in the Unit-
tion to the Peace Conference un- forms
which our
demands
the ed States, we could take them
non-Jewish
world
should to take.
der the chairmanship of the late
back to a period of Russian-
Judge Julian W. Mack, who was Even in Russia and Poland, which Jewish history when the historian
Simeon Dubnow attempted to
form a Jewish national party,
/
and the other Jewish leaders,
Max Vinaver and Henry Slios-
berg and their anti-nationalist fol-
lowers within the League for the
Attainment. of Equal Rights, did
not relish the organization of
Jewish parties. The chronicles of
that period goes on to say "Such
action could only serve to ac-
rom
centuate Jewish segregation, to
them an evil which must be erad-
and Best Wishes
icated. But the preparations of
the Zionists and their final or-
ganization of a political party,
for a
made some action on the part
of the 'assimilationist' leaders im-
Joyous Holiday
perative, for the nationalists
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threatened to discredit them com-
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The anti-nationalists could not
very well use the League for
their purposes, for that would
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PRospect 1666.7
entail the withdrawal of all na-
tionalists. A new organization
must therefore be formed, and
:.. the anti-nationalists created the
People's Group (Folksgruppe).
The primary purpose of this as-
sociation was to combat Zionism.
But in the heyday of the revolu-
tionary ferment in Russia, the
new group with all its influential
and Best Wishes to the Entire Jewish Community
leadership would not have secured
By BERNARD G. RICHARDS
Sincere
Chanukah
Greetings
CHANUKAH GREETINGS
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f
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CHANUKAH GREETINGS
•
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PFEIFFER BREWING CO., DETROIT, MICH.
Season's Greetings and
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•
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OPTOMETRIST--OPTICIAN
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Opp. Crowley Milner Co.
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CHANUKAH GREETINGS
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HAPPINESS AND PEACE TO ALL MANKIND
•
•
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TOwnsend 6-7151
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CHANUKAH GREETINGS
•
We Extend Best Wishes for a
JOYOUS CHANUKAH .. •
•
DR. BRUCE H. DOUGLAS
Commissioner, Board of Health
A Joyous Chanukah to All!
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