Page Two

Purely
Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

WHEN WEIZMANN CALLED
MUSSOLINI'S BLUFF
Back in 1925, Dr. Chaim Weizmann
had occasion to confer with Italy's pres-
ent discarded Caesar, Benito Mussolini.
At that time, the Italian government
was not too favorable to Zionist aspira-
tions. Furthermore, the Vatican had not
given encouragement to Jewish efforts to
modernize and rehabilitate Palestine.
Dr. Weizmann therefore went to Rome,
obtained an audience with Mussolini and
explained Zionist aims to him.
Mussolini turned to the Zionist leader
and said:
You are talking to me, Signor Weiz-
mann, in the name of all the Jewish
people, but you can not deny that it is
not all the Jewish people who are Zion-
ists."
Dr. Weizmann did not hesitate to re-
ply:
"But, your excellency, amongst you,
are all the Italians Fascists?"
* *
SIGNAL FROM BOSS ADOLF
The special correspondent of the Jeru-
salem Hebrew daily Haaretz was author=
ity for the statement that Mussolini ac-
cepted the reply in good humor and es-
corted Dr. Weizmann to the door with
the promise that his government would
be friendly to Zionism. This promise was
adhered to until Hitler began to press his
yoke upon Il Duce and the Italian people.
When the war broke out, Mussolini
completely forgot about his pledge to
Weizmann. The bombings of Tel Aviv and
Haifa were proof that the man to whom
millions looked as a savior had turned
into a bigot and tyrant. The instigation
conducted by the Italian radios among
Arabs led to bloodshed and attacks upon
innocent Jews.
Thus, Benito, who had many JeWs
among his early collaborators, turned on
his heel on the Jewish question upon
signal from Boss Adolf.
* *
BENITO'S JEWISH FRIENDS
It will be of general interest to recall
the names of some of Benito's Jewish
friends.
In the early stages of his revolutionary
career, one of his trusty lieutenants was
Aldo Finzi, the aviator who assisted
D'Annunzio in conducting the Fiume
campaign. After the march on Rome,
Finzi was made Minister of Interior.
Much has been said about the Milan
Jewish authoress Margherita Sarfati who
wrote Mussolini's biography.
Jewish professors, among them Levi,
Barone and Arias, were entrusted with
responsible jobs in the Fascist govern-
ment.
Under Fascism, the Jewish communi-
ties of Italy and the colonies in Italian
control were combined, under a decree
of 1930, into a National Union of the
Italian Israelite Communities. The Ital-
ian rulers frequently reaffirmed pro-
Jewish sentiments whenever anti-
Semitic outbursts brought the protests
of the loyal Jewish subjects.
Now, Mussolini probably wishes that
he had listened to his Jewish friends who
advised him not to follow in Hitler's
footsteps. The Arch of Titus, established
in Rome as a memnto of what was in-
tended to serve as a signal of the de-
struction of Judaea, must now remind
the Duce that Israel remains indestruct-
ible and that those who seek Jewry's fall
meet their own doom.

Nazis on Trial

Prof. Radin Writes Interesting Fantasy in
"Day of Reckoning"

Prof. Max Radin visualizes the end of
the war by 1945, and he portrays the
trial of the seven leading Nazi offenders
—Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Funk, Gas-
tein, Milch and Ribbentrop—in his fasci-
nating 144-page book, "The Day of
Reckoning," published by Knopf.
Prof. Radin is John H. Boalt Professor
of Law at the University of California.
The eminent law professor assumes
that Goering is dead, and the fat Nazi is
therefore eliminated from the group . on
trial.
"The Day of Reckoning" is a fantasy:
It portrays the trial of the Nazis, under
the jurisdiction of United Nations' offi-
cials, in Luxembourg. The seven tried
by this court are accused not of the mur-
de• of millions, but of only three victims
a Czech, a Frenchman and a Jew.
In the courtroom, objections are heard
against limiting the case to accusations
in behalf of three victims of the Nazis.
But the brilliant legal mind of the author
proves the wisdom of the procedure. The
three victims are symbols of the world

—

THE JEWISH

.

Friday, Augus+ 13, 1943

NEWS

Quotation of the Week

"The Jewish communities join with exultation in the national
chorus of thanksgiving to Almighty God for the signal victory achieved
by the Forces of Freedom. We see in the whole Battle of North Africa
—from Alamein to Bizerta and Tunis—a wonderful confirmation of
the Scriptural words: 'He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so
that their hands cannot perform their enterprise' (Job. 5,12). Fervently
do we pray that the most diabolic of all their enterprises—the extermi-
nation of a whole family of the human race—will likewise be
frustrated."

—DR. JOSEPH H. HERTZ, Chief Rabbi of the British
Empire, at a Thanksgiving service on the occasion
of the liberation of North Africa.

The Amulet

A Short Story

By JULIAN L. MELTZER

(Copyright. 1943, by Independent Jewish
Press Service, Inc.)

JERUSALEM: "Raft ahoy!" The cry
in Hebrew by the leading man in the pa-
trol brought the others to the alert. A
party of Jewish Settlement Police on
horseback patrolling a stretch of the
coast between Nathanya and Hadera
quickly gathered around their sergeant,
who had whipped out his binoculars and
was scanning the near horizon of the sea.
Bronzed and sturdy, these sons of the
Yishuv were doing their war service as
mounted coastguards, ready to spot and
report any untoward happening. They
came from different places—some from
the towns, some from the Keren Haye-
sod settlements, or . from the plantations
villages. They knew every inch of the
countryside, as efficient as the highly
trained Home Guard or Volunteer De-
fense Force in any United Nations land.
They were born to the saddle, crack
marksmen, and without fear.
"Looks like a man on the raft," said
the sergeant after scrutinizing the object
bobbing up and down on the waves.
"Schmuel, you'd better ride to the post
and tell them to push a boat out. He
seems to be exhausted, cannot even wave
to us."
THE SAILOR'S STRANGE STORY
Within half an hour, the raft was be-
ing towed into shore. On it, the boatmen
had found a young English sailor, mouth
parched and blackened for want of
water, but still full of courage and glad
that he had at last made landfall.
It was a strange story that he told. His
ship had been torpedoed somewhere in
the Mediterranean. By some mischance,
he was unable to get away with the rest
of the crew but managed to grab a raft
just as the vessel was settling. That was
three days ago. He had decided to follow
the prevailing current, which had turned
out to be westerly, knowing that he
would eventually make a landfall. The
only difficulty had been the lack of
water. He had found none on the raft.
HIS LUCKY CHARM
"But I stuck it out," he grinned. "I
knew that if I went either. south . or west,
I'd reach friendly country. So here I
am."
Later, refreshed, he told the Jewish
coastguards—his good . samaritans — that
it was not the first time he had been tor-
pedoed. "I've got a lucky charm which
pulled me through then and I knew that
I wouldn't go wrong if I hung on -to it
now." It was something he had bought
a couple of years back in Jerusalem, - he
said.
Obligingly, he opened his undervest to
show it to them. The Jewish coastal pa-
trolmen crowding round gasped, and
then 'began to laugh. Delightedly they
Smacked him on the back. "That's the
best possible amulet you could have,"
they told him.
A MINIATURE MEZUZZAH
It was an exquisitely worked silver
filigree tube, about two or three inches
long, just under. the size of the fore-
finger. At the top was a tiny aperture,
and under a piece of mica was a Hebrew
word.
"It is a real talisman, isn't it?" he
asked, puzzled at their jovial laughter.
"A girl I met in Jerusalem told me to
buy it for luck."
"The best there is," they assured him.
"It's been the amulet for millions of Jews
for centuries."
What he was wearing was a miniature
Mezuzah made by Jewish silversmiths in
Jerusalem as souvenirs!

tragedy for which the war is now being
fought.
The seven accused are convicted to die
by gas, and the author states that it was
not known whether the gas was admin-
istered in a lethal chamber.
The story . is, on the whole, a splendid
legal argument. The German lawyer's
arguments are splendidly covered in. the
answers of the prosecution. Lawyers will
relish the story, and the average reader
wili find "The Day of Reckoning" real
entertainment.

Strictly
Confidential

By PHINEAS J. BIRON

(Copyright, 1943, Seven Arts Feature
Syndicate)

THEY WRITE
Heinz Pol, whose exposes of the Ber-
lin-Vichy-Giraud financial Axis started a
Congressional investigation. will soon be
publishing a book that will make quite
a noise.
Ben Hecht's new book will be en-
titled "These Charming Anti-Semites" . .
And Ben will enumerate these gentry,
be they in high or low places.
A well-illustrated volume should be
the one which Eliot - Elisofon, photog-
rapher for Life, is now writing about his
experiences shooting the war in Tunisia.
Playwright Lillian Hellman is busy on
a new play, v ■ rhich Broadway may get to
see in the coming season.
An amusing piece in a recent issue of
Der Aufbau, New York refugee paper,
was an interview by a refugee named
Hanns Leo Reich with his own son, Peter,
on the occasion of the youngster's
achievement of the rank of Quiz Kid .. .
Peter, who is 13, came to this country
from Vienna five years ago.
* * *
HITTING AT HITLER
Max Factor of Hollywood, who knows
about such things, insists that Hitler has
taken to wearing a toupee . . . The make-
up expert claims he can see the wig in
recent photos of the Fuehrer . . . While
news reports are silent on the present
status of Nazi General von Brauchitsch,
the wiseacres are betting that he'll be
Germany's Badoglio when Hitler steps
down—which, these same wiseacres say,
will be some time in October . . . A good
date that we suggest to Adolf for his
downfall, with our compliments, would
be October 9th—Yom Kippur to you.

*

* *

YOU SHOULD KNOW
To be made public within the next
few weeks is a Jewish project of enor-
mous importance sponsored by American,
British, Soviet and South American Jew-
ish leaders . . . The project will be called
"The Black Book," and will tell the story
of Nazi atrocities in Nazi-occupied terri-
tories.
The Jewish delegation from the Soviet
Union now in this country will visit
England in October . .. The British Re-
ception Committee includes Prof. Selig
Brodetsky, Chief Rabbi Hertz, Lord Na-
than and everybody who is anybody in
the theater, the movies and literature.
Ed Sullivan reports that Dudley Glass,
columnist for the Atlanta Constitution,
recently wrote that "there is no neces
sity to visit New Yory City unless you
can speak Yiddish" . . . Glass should
learn that there is no necessity to write
a column unless you can write Ameri-
can, answers Ed . . . Thanks, Ed, for
your quick retort.
• *
ABOUT PEOPLE
The thousands of dollars Manhattan's
Dr. Maxwell Matlz earned with his
plastic surgery in Brazil and Santo Do-
mingo have remained down there . .
The good doctor, in a spontaneous Good-
Neighborly gesture, donated his fees to
local hospitals
Discovered in Soviet Russia recently:
A new swifnming prodigy, Jacob Green-
berg by name . . . He's a 16-year-old
Jewish boy, an evacuee from Odessa.
Don't be too surprised if critic George.
Jean Nathan acquires a regular radio
spot next season, even though he doesn't
seem to anxious to accept ether-wave
offers.
Now that Dorothy Schiff Backer, pub-
lisher of the New York Post, has married
Ted Thackrey, editor of her paper, the
Post is a family affair once more, as it
was when Dorothy and her former .hus-
band, George Backer, were running it
together . . . There's a possibility, inci-
dentally, that Backer may join the OWI.
Novelist Thyra Samter Winslow has a
novel housepet—a skunk . . Needless
to say, she took the precaution of having
its .defensive mechanism removed.

Heard in
The Lobbies

By DAVID DEUTSCH

(Copyright, 1943, Independent
Jewish Press Service)

HARLEM RIOT
Quite a few acres of the glass shattered
in the Harlem riot belonged to Jewish-
owned stores . . . The average shop-
keeper is just as much a victim of eco-
nomic circumstances as the Negro hood-
lum who expressed all his hurt by
smashing showcases and looting what-
ever was in sight . . . But Jews are not
exempt from charges linked to excessive
prices of goods and rentals and other
disabilities from which the colored citi-
zen suffers . . . It doesn't do any good
to close eyes to the fact that hundreds
of store-owners and property-owners in
Harlem are Jews who are yielding to
the same economic forces as an even
greater number of non-Jews . . . Judge
Anna Moskowitz Kross, one of the most
forward-looking women in the metrop-
olis, has taken an important role in an-
alyzing social and economic conditions in
the black belt and has worked hard to
improve them . . . As has Judge Justine
Wise Polier . . . If both of them would
Speak publicly, they would say much
that is bitter about Jews who are only
as human as their neighbors, instead of
being more so.
* * *
IN THE OFFING
When General Smuts arrives in the
United States in the fall, he will be asked
to pipe down on his strongly pro-Zionist
views.
While Zionists talk big about all the
political plans they are making, . it is
anti-Zionist Rabbi Morris Lazaron of
Baltimore who will be conveying so-
called Jewish views to the newly formed
United Nations Association, a recreation
of old League of Nations circles. Rabbi
Lazaron is the only Jewish member of
the executive committee.
The "lunatic fringe" has become quite
a garment, in preparation for the 1944
elections. All the anti-Semitic clans are
planning an all-out effort in connection
with the next presidential contest. All
their work will be for nothing, however,
if the candidates now in sight on both
the Democratic and Republican tickets
do the running. Bigotry is not yet an
asset for any American presidential can-
didate.

Captor of Captors

"

By BEN SAMUEL

Copyright, 1943, Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, Inc.

(Based on information supplied by the
National Jewish Welfare Board).

In the early morning darkness two
parachutists hit the ground somewhere
in Sicily. They were miles. from their
objective. One of them, Sergeant David
Rosenkrantz, tried to get up. He felt a
sharp pain in his ankle. He had sprained
a ligament in landing. With the other
paratrooper, Corporal Lee Black, he hid
out until daylight.
When the sun came up the two men
started walking. Sgt. Rosenkrantz limped
along, seeking food and medical atten-
tion. Soon they walked into a concen-
tration of 200 Italian soldiers.
The two paratroopers were placed
under arrest. Then strange things began
to happen. The Italian officers huddled
together in conference. They decided,
instead of keeping the Americans under
arrest, to place themselves, all 200 of
them, in the custody of the two para-
troopers! The Italians had heard. that
the American forces were only eight
kilometers away. That was why they
decided to surrender.
"They presented us to the Chief of
Police of a near-by town," Sgt. Rosen-_
krantz reported afterwards, "and he fed
us, wined us, gave us beds and declared
on his honor that he was glad to see us.
In fact, everyone was happy, including
our prisoners.
"Around 4 o'clock that afternoon the
Italians marched into town, where they
surrendered. They gave us their guns
an hour before, so we let them go in
alone. They were singing and a couple
of them remarked that they hoped they
would be sent to a prison camp in the
United States . . . "
Sgt. Rosenkrantz, capturer of captors,
is a 27-year-old Los Angeles man. He
joined the army in February, 1942, and
went overseas three months ago after
receiving training for his aerial assign-
ment at Fort Bragg.
Three of his brothers are in the serv-
ice—one with the Merchant Marine, one
in the Air Forces, and one in the Navy.

