Page Two THE JEWISH NEWS Strictly Confidential Quotation of the Week Recently I introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives, House Joint Resolution 154, the object of which is to do, insofar as the United States is concerned, what the Bermuda Conference failed to accomplish, and to do it within the framework of our existing immi- gration laws. By PHINEAS J. BIRON (Copyright. 1944, by Seven Arts Feature Syndicate) POLITICAL Scoop! . . Dr. Arieh Tartakover, member of the Executive of the World Jewish Congress, who left New York for London last week, was offered a port- folio in the Polish Government-in-exile . . . But Dr. Tartakover declined the offer . . . His position is that he cannot. accept a seat in the cabinet unless the Polish government gives more tangible proof of its opposition to anti-Semitic trends within its own ranks . . . Tartak- over was offered the Ministry of Health. The American Zionist delegation that is proceeding to England to confer with Weizmann and representatives from Pal- estine will consist of five members . They are Dr. Nahum Goldmann, Rabbi Wolf Gold, Chaim Greenberg, Rabbi Israel Goldstein and Mrs. Rose Halpern . . .We predict that David Ben Gurion's resignation, which will be a main topic of discussion, will be accepted. • Harry Hershfield has decided that the ultimate fate of Hitler and Goering should be to serve as a pair of bookends for "Mein Kampf." * * * EPISODE At the recent hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Reso- lution to Rescue European Jews the fol- lowing dialogue occurred between Rep- resentative Karl Mundt and William B. Ziff . . . The Congressman asked: "What are the Jews—a religion, a race or a na- tion?" . . . Ziff embarked on an involved explanation, which, however, failed to enlighten the Congressman . . . So the latter interrupted to ask: "What kind of a Jew would you call Congressman Bloom, for instance?" .g .. Whereupon an embarrassing pause fell over the hear- ing . . . And somewhere in the room' a newspaper reporter leaned over and whispered to his neighbor: "That answer wouldn't be fit to print." * * * JEWISH NEWS It was pressure from its constituency that compelled the Anti-Defamation Lea- gue to make public its report on anti- Semitic incidents in New York City . . . Some of the A. D. L. leaders had tried to keep this under cover. The Rev. Richard Evans is creating a sensation . . . His transcontinental tour on behalf of the Zionist Organization is making thousands of converts to the cause, Jewish and non-Jewish. By the time this gets into print you will know that Henry Montor has re- signed from the executive directorship of the American Zionist Emergency Council. . . He is returning to the United Palestine Appeal .. . Rabbi Leon I. Feuer, formerly of Ohio, will take over temporarily. The high altar in the. Chapel of the Intercession, in New York's famed Trin- ity Parish, is constructed of r•g00 stones brought from Palestine . . 1Millions of the city's subway riders learned this fact from a display card last month, so we thought we'd let you in on the secret. Albert E. Kahn, co-author of the best- seller "Sabotage," is regarded by subver- sive America -Firster organizations as their public enemy Number One . . . Each day he receives at least one anonymous warning to lay off, or else. 'Arrival &Departure' A Stirring Novel Arthur Koestler already is recognized as one of the most brilliant writers of our time. His latest book, "Arrival and Departure," a Macmillan publication, justifies all the honor being accorded his name. With Neutralia as the center of ac- tion, this novel is an impressive demon- stration of the conflicts of ideas which have motivated the present world war. Peter Slavek, the hero, relates the tragedy of the "Mixed Transports" of people who were either sent to slave labor or were considered "Useless Jews" by' the totalitarian element in the world. It is a touching and stirring portion of the book. Similarly, the battle of wits with the man who "was attached in some shadowy capacity to the enemy's legation" is like an expose of Nazism. Mr. Koestler, born in Budapest in 1905, has had a very interesting career, has travelled throughout the world, farmed in Palestine, sold lemonade in Haifa, was an assistant to an Arab architect and edited a weekly published in German and Arabic. in Cairo. Simultaneously with the American solution of the problem, by way of a procedure initiated under our immigration laws, we should strive in every possible way to accomplish the repeal of the nefarious British White Paper. Britain is only the trustee of Palestine for hu- manity. Britain is particularly charged by the mandate to facilitate the establishment of a Jewish Homeland in Palestine. We must attack the entire problem from two angles, the angle of the prospective settlement of Palestine, as well as the angle of our immigration laws. Our immigration laws are sufficiently elastic, without any further amendment, to rescue many Jews from destruction. I believe it is the duty of everyone to communicate with his Congressman and ask him to give me his support so that my resolution, House Joint Resolution 154, may be passed by Congress. Then our enforcing authorities must do all they can to carry out both the letter and the spirit of the resolution. — CONGRESSMAN SAMUEL DICKSTEIN. Purely Commentary . By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ LYNCHING AND THE FRANK CASE Between You and Me By BORIS SMOLAR (Copyright, 1944, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) Friday, January 7, 1944 Heard in The Lobbies By ARNOLD LEVIN (Copyright, 1944, Independent Jewish Press Service, Inc.) EMBARRASSING MOMENT Were you in Dr. Louis Finkelstein's place, you wouldn't feel too happy either. Dr. Finkelstein is a professed Zionist, but among the directors of the Jewish Theological Seminary of which he is president there are some who are affil- iated with the American Council for Judaism. This puts the good doctor in the very awkward position of "you are damned if you do, and you are damned if you don't." He is further embarrassed by the questions that are put to him so frequently these days as to why he has still remained on the executive commit- tee of the American Jewish Committee, after the Committee has withdrawn from the American Jewish Conference. The question has been put to him so often and so persistently, that Dr. Finkelstein has decided to circularize his views among the members of the Rabbinical Assembly who were most puzzled by his attitude. We quote parts from his letter, re- cently sent to them: "I asked a group of 12 men, including four of our alumni and four members of - our faculty, vir- tually everyone of whom is an ardent Zionist . • , to meet with me to review the matter. A meeting of this group was held on Dec. 15. Only seven members were present, but the others had indi- c ated their views orally or by mail. 'the g roup, like everyone else whom I have c onsulted on the subject, urged me most strongly to remain for the present on the Executive Committee of the Ameri- can Jewish Committee,. hoping that in this way I may most effectively contrib- ute, in consultation and through cooper- ea ton with others, to bring about some ffective collaboration between the group j which is represented in the American i ewish Committee and the rest of Amer- can Jewry . . . " Dr. Finkelstein, never disdainful of public opinion, felt im- pelled to secure a "hechsher" for his re- maining within the Committee. Not all will agree with the absolution. Our own a .„ side to Dr. Finkelstein is: If you feel ,. ou must remain within the Committee, hen you must, but do not feel called pon to remain there as an "unofficial mbassador" of American Jewry to the -c ourt of Joseph M. (Proskauer). Judge Arthur G. Powell's autobiogra- phy "I Can Go Home Again," published STARTING THE NEW YEAR by the University of North Carolina The New Year started very quietly so Press (Chapel Hill, N. C.), has attracted far as Jewish activities are concerned nationwide attention by virtue of his . . . Unless one considers the statement of reference to the Leo Frank Case, to the American Jewish Conference attack- whiCh he devotes only five of the 300 ing the Emergency Committee to Save pages in the book. the Jews of Europe as "something new" The entire volume deserves more than . . . But this statement has long been passing attention. It is a splendid com- awaited and its contents had been known mentary on the South and its people. in advance to many. It is replete with humor and is a thor- Eyes are now turned to the forthcom- oughly human document. ing General Assembly of the Jewish Naturally, the Frank Case is a mat Federations and Welfare Funds which is ter of utmost importance to Jews. Bu t to take place in Pittsburgh . . . This will it ought to be of even greater important e be one of the most important Jewish to all who are concerned about th e gatherings of the year. lynching problem. Jewish communities thought the coun- Judge Powell maintains that when ac - try have received instructions as -to the cusations in the South involve assault s best methods of neutralizing Fascist- .on females, the dangers of lynching ar e inspired anti-Semitism in advance . . . as great for the white man as for the These include maintaining watchfulness Negro. He stated that the Frank Case over subversive groups; plans for deal- did not start as an anti-Jewish affai ✓ ing with those using anti-Semitism as a but developed into anti-Semitism as a business racket; exposing the technique result of the stir that was created over and past records of local anti-Semites, it throughout the country. Therefore, and exposing anti-Semites working un- * * * the case, as analyzed by Judge Powell, der the umbrella of patriotism • . . The T HE ADMIRAL SAYS becomes a matter for sociological study. Jewish communities are also urged to You should hear Rear-Admiral Ste- obtain due recognition of the achieve- THE JEWISH ISSUE enson these days. He is a medical of- Here is what Judge Powell has to say ments of Jews as Americans by assem- about the Jewish angle in the Frank bling biographies of local Jewish public 11 cer with the United States Navy. On ervice in the Middle East, he was sud- benefactors and publicizing facts favor- Case: enly stricken and was flown to the "At the time of the murder there was able to Jews, military, cultural, charit- adassah Hospital in Jerusalem. Well, little or no prejudices against the Jews able . . . Keeping complete war records e now testifies everywhere that the in Atlanta, and the aroused feeling of local Jewry is also recommended . . . against Frank was not originally because At the same time Jewish communities Hadassah Hospital staff saved his life, of his race, but because he was an em- are advised not to indulge in a "hush- and that few hospitals anywhere in the ployer and the murdered girl was an ! hush" policy with regard to local anti- world can match its equipment, its per- employee. No girl ever leaves home to Semitic developments, but to take a sonnel, its standards. go to work in a factory but that her frank and dignified attitude. parents feel an inward fear that one of CHANGING NAMES her bosses will take advantage of his Believe it or not, but in one year more position to mistreat her, especially if she than 600 Brooklyn residents with Jew- repels his advances. This fear is readily ish-sounding names received judicial converted into a passion when a fac- permission to assume other names . . By BEN SAMUEL tory manager is accused of having killed The records show that Cohen has turned (This column is based on information supplied by the National Jewish Welfare Board.) a factory girl. The thing that did arouse into Caine, Carver, Cord, Crafton, Cor- In his training days, Marine Sgt. Maier a most phenomenal racial prejudice win, Conn, Carlton, Carin, Cowl, Cole, against not only Frank but all Jews was Collan, Corey, Carter, Craig . . You J. Rothschild failed to qualify as a that just about the time the trial was have Levy turned into Lyons, Katz into marksman, with either rifle or bayonet. to occur, various writers, speakers, civil IKates, Shapiro into Chapereau . . But Today Sgt. Rothschild wears the Navy rights societies, and Jewish organizations one person changed his name from Ed- Cross, for expert use of rifle, bayonet began to protest that Frank was being wards to Ullman . . . "I wish to cast my and machine gun at New Georgia in the persecuted because he was a Jew. This lot with the people of my mother's Solomons, resulting in the death of 96 whipped into flames the passion and, faith," he said, "I want to live, unequi- Japs. Sgt. Rothschild and another Marine, prejudice which had been dying down vocally and without reservation of any and converted them from a mere feel- kind, as a member of the Jewish faith" Pvt. John Wantuck, volunteered to man ing of resentment against a factory boss . . . Quite a rare man in the days of our machine guns which they used to re- into a spreading racial and religious years . . . Damon Runyon, noted column- pulse an enemy attempt to recapture the hatred." ist, believes that it is quite sensible to American beachhead at Zenana beach on (Judge Powell's revelation in his in- change a name that one feels is difficult New Georgia. Both men were anti-air- teresting book is that he and Governor to pronounce and remember, or that craft gunners. At the time of the attack, Slaton, the heroic executive who dared brings embarrassment to the owner • . . a moonlit night in July, they were man- to commute Frank's sentence from the At the same time, however. he tells the ning two light machine guns. Together death penalty to life imprisonment, were story about the fellow' named Joe Stink- they turned back four separate enemy convinced of Frank's innocence. Yet, an eroo who went into court one day and columns, killing 96' of some 150 Japs. innocent man died because people re- asked for legal change of name . . ." Joe The two Marines let one wave of the sented protests against prejudice. And Stinkeroo, eh?" said the judge. "Well, enemy approach within five yards of a personal pledge of honor prevents my friend, I think you have a point. their guns before opening fire. Pvt. Wantuck was killed during that Judge Powell from making the facts What name do you wish to change to?" known even now.) . . . "Herbert Stinkeroo," replied the ap- engagement. Sgt. Rothschild was woun- AN OLD, OLD ARGUMENT plicant. "You see, I am tired of having ded when he engaged in hand to hand It is the old, old argument. In Ger- guys come up to me and say• 'Hello, Joe, combat with one Jap, after Rothschild's machine gun 'jammed. Rothschild killed many, too, the Nazis claimed that if what do you know?' " the enemy with his bayonet. Jews in _America had not started the For valor, he received the Navy Cross; boycott movement, -. Jews in Germany have been saved were it not for the pro- for wounds received, the Purple Heart. would have fared better. Jews believed tests of the New York Jews. Marine Sergeant Maier Rothschild was them. Rabbi Lazaron was among those Thus it has ever been—and thus it who sought an end to the boycott move- will no doubt remain: those who believe saluted as the Hero of the Week on Bob ment because they thought that hush- in hush-hush (also • spelled sha-sha), will Hawk's "Thanks to the Yanks" program hush attitudes would save our people blame the protesting elements; but those over CBS on Christmas Day. Moreover, under the Nazis. who are deeply aroused against prejudice the makers of Camels, who sponsor the How deluded people can be—and Judge and intolerance will shout their heads series, are sending 300,000 Camel cigar- Powell, fair as he is, is also deluding off every time they see evidence of ettes to Marines in the Pacific—in honor of Sgt. Rothschild. himself into believing that Frank would injustice. When the Hero's Chips Were Down Copyright, 1943. Jewish Telegraphic Agency, LK.