Page Fourteen
THE JEWISH NEWS
be sought as definitely in his
errors and failures as in his
achievements. His greatness lay
in a blend of genius and naivete,
and these were qualities of his
soul. We shall not find the clue
in specific actions of .his; we must
look at the life he lived against
the background of his time,
Genius and Naivete
(Continued from Page 2)
parts of the USSR, where the
food shortage is not expected to
be alleviated until after the har-
vest.
The Strange Blend That Was Theodor Herzl
By MAURICE SAMUEL
EMERGENCY POWERS
JERUSALEM, (JTA) — The
Palestine Government this week
published a decree empowering
the administration to take over
control of any enterprise in the
country when needed in the in-
terests of public safety, or for
the efficient prosecution of the
war, or for the maintenance of
supplies and services, or for the
life of the community.
Considerable alarm was Celt in
Palestine this week as a result
of reports from Cairo indicating
that King Farouk of Egy-?t, as•
well as his Cabinet, are defi-
nitely determined not to aid the
British in their attempt to check
the Nazi invasion of Egypt.
In a statement issued in Jeru-
salem, Chief Habbi Herzog de-
clares that there was no danger
of the Germans ocupying Pales-
tine because "there is no hint
anywhere in the Bible concern-
ing a third destruction of the
Holy Land."
—
11,000 AMERICANS IN ZION
LONDON, (JTA) — "There is
no change in the attitude of the
British Government with regard
to the establishment of a Jewish
Army," informed quarters state
here, following the demand, by
a number of British parliam•,m-
tarians requesting the organiza-
tion of a Jewish Army in Pales.-
tine in order to more effectively
fight the Nazi invasion into
Egypt.
A Nazi broadcast, quoted by
Reuters, estimated that Arne• iran
armed forces have left Basra for
Palestine "consisting of an entire
motorized division numbering
-about 11,000 men, or about half
the forces landed in Basra sev-
eral weeks ago."
The Rome radio this week
claimed that a large number of
Jews had been captured when
the Free French outpost of Bir
Hakein in Libya fell to the Ital-
ian troops on June 11.
DEMONSTRATIONS IN ROME
ZURICH, (JTA) — Pro-Jewish
demonstrations have taken place
recently in the railway stations
in Rome, Milan, and a number
at other Italian cities when trains
crowded with Jews sent to labor
camps have departed from there,
it is revealed in the Regima
Fascista, notorious anti-Semitic
Italian newspaper reaching here
this week.
OPPOSES JEWISH ARMY
WASHINGTON, (JTA) — Op-
position to the creation of a Jew-
ish army in Palestine was voiced
thiS week by Ali Jawdat, fraqian
minister to the United Statcs, in
an interview appearing in the
Washington Star.
At the end of the 19th century,
emerging from a fin de siecle
intellectual environment, Herzl
had the genius to submit to an
inspiration, and to make himself
the total instrument of a fan-
tastic idea: the solution of the
Jewish problem. Read in his
diary the record of his experi-
ence with that inspiration. How
it came upon him in the authen-
tic prophetic style, how he strug-
gled against it — or, rather,
thought he struggled against it;
for the whole struggle was noth-
ing but his method of enmeshing
himself in the fatal obligation.
It was not, as some think, just
a bright idea which occurred to
him; it was a terrible revelation
and transformation. Read, again.
the story of his utterly helpless
approach to the commitment
which he could not shake off:
how he thought he would simply
write a book, and exorcise the
demoniac possesion as if it were
a literary discomfort; how he
blundered among the "great"
Jews of- his time. preparing
mighty pronunciamentos for the
conversion of pigmies; how he
believed that a Rabbi Gudemann,
a Baron de Hirsch, or their like,
would be as susceptible as he to
the extraordinary fantasy. It is
a pitiful, a heart-breaking story;
but the point of it lies neither
in Herzl's successes or failures
here; it lies in the intensity whZ.sh
it reveals, in that obsessional
genius which was the man.
DR. THEODOR IIERZL
Editor's Note: Throughout the world, Jews mark July 3 as an
anniversary dedicated to the memory . of Theodor Herzl, the Viennese
journalist, who founded modern political Zionism. Herzl died 38 years
ago at the age of 44, after having created a series of instruments for
the Jewish renaissance in Palestine. Maurice Samuel, brilliant essayist
and novelist, in this exclusive article relates the special qualities of
the great Jewish leader to the needs of 1942.
If a great man is one who-
transcends his particular com-
plex of problems and distils for
the future the universal value
of a personality, then Herzl was
among the very great. There can
be, there has been, endless debate
round the contribution of his-
toric figures to certain historic
movements; and points of. view
range all the way from those
who consider the individual a
mere symbol to those who con-
sider him the primum mobile.
But there can be no intelligent
debate regarding the inspiration
which flows from an Abraham
Friday, July 3, 194
Lincoln; there can be none re-
garding the peculiar influence
which emanates from the mem-
ory of Theodor Herzl.
Herzl has been called the
founder of modern Zionism, the
creator of the Zionist Congress,
the first formulator of the mod-
ern problem of the Jewish peo-
ple; and he has been given these
titles as though in them his
greatness is implicit. Whether
these titles are indisputably his,
or his to .the extent of 90 per
cent against anyone else's 1 per
cent, they do not touch the rid-
dle of his greatness, which may
problem among European po
tates on the other. The lines
parallel, but always connecte
channels of communication
interaction. .A. Jewish organ
tion, a Jewish bank, with w
to impress the Sultan; an in
view with the Sultan with w
to inspire the organization.
ways his actions have a to 1
of the incredibly naive.
But here is the marvel o
all. The Jewish masses ,
stirred by him as they had t
been stirred in centuries. It
not the calculable substance
his high contacts which achi
it; it was the inexhaustible f
and unflagging persistence of
inspiration which penetrated
them. It almost does not ma
what he did. His motto
"Keep it going, something
come of it."
Some time ago I re-read a li
book with the haunting ti
"Beyond This Present," by Ra
David Graubart of Chicago,
a phrase from it stayed in
mind: "Wanted—a lost art: J
ish naivete." One might sum
the spiritual history of the .1
ish people as the continuity
a naive belief that in the
everything will come out ri
and you must keep going to
end. It is easy to talk this
of optimism; and it is easy to
that many peoples have it.
the fact is that many pen
do not live this optimism,
give up, and cease to exist, bet
the compulsion of actual an
lation come on them. In the
analysis, the ultimate measur
the truth is its persistence,
the ultimate measure of faith
naive conviction that when
errors have been tried, noth
remains but the truth. That
art of naivete—we shall not
cover it by asking for it;
must be an active effort, and
modern Jews one part of
effort may well consist in
tating the life and genius
Herzl.
GOES TO THE MASSES
Consider, again, the course of
his life when he turned from the
notables to the Jewish masses.
There were two parallel lines of
action which he pursued; the
creation and motivation of the 1
Jewish organization on the one
(Copyright 1942 by Ind
hand, the agitation of the Jewish Jewish Press Service, Inc.)
We Extend Our Deep Sympathy to
. the Bereaved Family of
—The Families of Abe and Bud Sampson
LIBE R TY L I M E RICKS
Do You
Know the Answers?
Each American Is
Liberty's Guardian
Readers of THE JEWISH NEWS
Get ALL the Facts
.
• You perforl-m your responsibility as
a sentinel of the four freedoms with
which we were entrusted by those
forbears who set forth this nation's
great documents—when you buy the
War Bonds and Stamps which will
secure those four freedoms for the
people of this land—and every land.
Because only THE JEWISH NEWS brings you
the complete story of every newsworthy event
of special concern to all of us as Jews and
Americans. From all over the world . . . from
all parts of the nation, the state and the city
... we bring you ALL THE FACTS. That is why
readers of THE JEWISH NEWS arc so well-
informed. Tell your friends about this, YOUR
paper and encourage them to subscribe.
.
A teacher, explaining infla-
tion,
Its after effects and causa-
tion,
Advised all her scholars
To save up their dollars
And buy bonds to safeguard
the Nation.
-
SUBSCRIPTION BLANK
The JEWISH NEWS, Penobscot Building, Detroit.
Please enter my subscription for Jewish News for one year
❑
I am enclosing check in amount of $3.00.
❑ Please bill me
❑ Please have representative call for payment.
Help teach the Jape a lesson!
every dime and dollar
you can Into S. Defense
rut
Bond. rand Stamper—every
pay day.
Address
C;ty
BUY
WAR
BONDS
Sponsored In The Interest of American Victory
By The Following Firms
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Epstein Baking Co. Out Rate Dept. Store
9936 Dexter
Chicago-Dexter
.
Service
Chicago & Dexter Blvd.
3701 Hastings
Bader Bros. Bag Co
1339 Clinton