P6'sje Two
THE JEWISH NEWS
Heard in
The Lobbies
By ARNOLD LEVIN
(Copyright, 1944, Independent Jewish
Press Service, Inc.)
ARAB ISSUE
Newsweek, the high-brow news maga-
zine, devoted a great portion of its most
recent issue to the Arabs. The same is-
sue carried quite a few paragraphs about
the Cairo conference and over two col-
umns about the feminine Col. Lawrence,
the legendary Miss Freya Stark. Freya
Stark is probably here to do no good
to the Zionist cause. When she came to
the British embassy, we wonder what
the conversation was between Miss
Stark and that certain- secretary of the -
embassy who is said to be a Zionist. Did
they cross words?
The Cairo conferences, as you already
know from the news, are a series of
huddles of Arab political chieftains who
gather in that citadel of blitzkrieg neu-
trality to discuss how beSt . t6 mulct the '
United Nations and muscle in on a peace
toward which they have - contributed
nothing but the Mufti, an A.Xis coup in
Iraq and an , Arab legion .fighting in
Greece.
Freya Stark is scheduled for speeches
in the "heart of America," away from
the big cities. She may even vent -tire_
Aso. into isolationist territory, because her
talks would be likely to engender there
the feeling that Atnerica Should, ,keep
out of the Middle East and out - .of the
Palestine question, which is just what
Britain would like" beSt. She may also
be feted by oil interests in this country.
'
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*. *.. *
FROM THE CAMPUS
•
This inforrnation fr6m a student on a
Southern campus is Very . enlightening.
He had recently applied for -member-
ship in a select non-sectarian intellect-
ual club. He seem .to qualify and yet he
was requested to appear for a special
hearing. He follOWed inStructions . and
appeared before the board. "You stated
in your application that you are - a -Zion
ist," he was told, "and we heard it
charged that Zionists are guilty of dual
allegiance. What is your reply to the
charge?" He smiled and launched into
a . discourse on Zionism. When he was
through expounding, he was accepted
for membership and told by the Chris-
tian boys in charge of the hearing: "You
will forgive us. We know nothing on the
subject, but we heard it charged by. some ,
Jews that Zionism meant dual allegianee,
SO we just wanted tii'make : certain J2efore.
we take you in.": the ., anti-
Zionist termites are doing an effective
job against all Jews, including them-
selves . . . Mufti, give the boys a hand.
Boys, take a bow.
* *
Quotation of the Week
The annual observance of Brotherhood Week is a time both of
reminder and dedication. It reminds us of the basic religious faith
from which democracy has grown—that all men are children of one
Father and brothers in the human family. It dedicates us to the
practice of understanding and justice through which freedom and
equality flourish in human society.
While we are engaged in a mighty struggle to preserve our free
institutions and to extend the boundaries of liberty in' the earth, it
is good for us to pledge renewed devotion to the fundamentals upon
which this nation has been built. Brotherhood must prevail. Our
inescapable choice is brotherhood or chaos.
I, therefore, heartily join with the National Conference of Chris-
tians and Jews and with all forces of good will in our country in
urging nation-wide observance of Brotherhood' Week, Feb. 26-26, 1944.
I hope that our citizens will meet in church and schoolhouse, in halls
and public places to think through the implications of practical
brotherhood today, to cement our country's unity during the trying
times to come; - and- to pledge anew allegiance to the flag which is a
living symbol of liberty and justice for all.
—PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
tructly
onfi ential
By RHIN EAS BI RON
- (CoPyright. 1944, by Seven Arts
Feature Syndicate)
YOU SHOULD KNOW
Reports are on hand of new anti-semi-
tic incidents near Boston . . . But they
may -riot be made 'public, because some
Jewish leaders fear, that would disturb
the good-will activities that have sprung
up since the first publication of news of
such disorders . . In one clash among
youngsters in a Boston suburb, incident-
ally, the JeWish boys were expecting the
attack and had organized for it,T and ad-
ministered an artistic beating to the
young emulators of Hitler . Some of
the Jewish boys were arrested, but it
was worth it.
Sergeant Barney Ross of the Marines
is still under treatment- for the malaria
he contracted at Guadalcanal, but he
still. has - the old RoSs' Punch', as he re-
'cently demonstrated to a couple of lugs
who were cracking wise about certain
passersby.
*
4,
ZIONIST NEWS
Rabbi James G.. ,Heller has been nom-
'Mated ; for 'the chairmanship' of the Uni-
ted Palestine Appeal . . Rabbi Abba
H. Silver,- the present chairman, is too
...busy with the Zionist 'Emergency Coun-
cll. • ' • • $-4
Rabbi Israel Goldstein has -his p4Otity
and by-the time -yott -read thisil-ma5S,;'
ready be in England to attend the Zion-
ist conference . . . Chaim Greenberg, the
_writer and leader of American Poale
Zionists, had been scheduled to be a
member of the American delegation to
LITERARY SHORT CUT
the conference in England . . . He pack-
That great Marshal Petain admirer,
Andre Maurois (Herzog); is back in - New ed, his bags and prepared . - to
then discovered to his disMay that he
York . . . Frank Werfel, the novelist, is
couldn't go to Europe . . For, although
ailing in Hollywood.
he has been in this country for a couple
of decades, Chaim had forgotten to take
out American citizenship papers.
Meyer Weisgal was vacationing at
Miami, Fla., when he was called back to
New York by Dr. Nahum Goldmann,
who had to see him before taking off in
The Union of American Hebrew Con-
a trans-Atlantic plane for England . . .
gregation's policy of stimulating adult
How Meyer managed to get a seat on
educational activities and to encourage
the Miami-New York plane is a story. in
public discussions of vital Jewish issues
itself . . But • he almost missed the
is being encouraged through the publica-
plane . . . While Walter Jacobs, of the
tion of material on current problems.
,.A decision reached by the Commission hotel family, was driving him to the
airport at breakneck speed, the car was
on Jewish Education of the Union to in-
halted by a motorcycle cop . . Speed-
tensify the planned program has been
ing, and no headlights was . the charge
implemented by the publication of a
. . . But Meyer whispered something to
volume, "How Can Jews Survive the
the policeman, showed him a picture of
Pxesent Crisis?"
Dr. ,Neizmann—and was driven to the
;'In addition to the introduction .by. the
ai.rp-Ort unOer
- escort, with the of
editor, Dr. Emanuel- Gamoran, this Vol-
ficial siren clearing the road for him .. .
ume is divided into the following sub-
He just made the plane.
titles:
* * .*
"Economic Patterns for SurviVal" by -BOOK' NEWS
Samuel Spiegler; "Jews and the Bill of
Albert Kahn's and Michael Saye'.
Rights"; by Rabbi Roland B. Gittelshon;
"Sabotage," one of the book market's
`:Jews and Christians" by Dr. Alan S.
fastest sellers, is going to be taken over
Green; "Jewish Family Life and Jewish
by another publisher, the. third to handle
Survival"; by Rabbi Samuel Glasner and
the book . . . And, if you' re wondering
"."The American Jew in Civic Life," by why all these charigeS, we'll, let you in
Dr. Allan Tarshish.
on a secret: In these c-137s. of paper short-
The volume is unique in that different
age a whopping best-seller like "Sabo-
colored stock is used for each essay.
tage" can't be handled by, just one pub-
The five papers are not only complete
lishing firm, as its paper- 'i:ii;t6ta.2' for an
in themselves as stimulants for discus-
entire year would be used up . by the
sions, but the bibliographies and suggest-
popular demand for this expose..
ed topics for discussion should serve to
Andre Maurois, whose' "Seven Faces
encourage the establishment - of courses
of Love" is just about to be published
in many communities, based on this vol-
and who is now putting the finishing
ume which is procurable from the Union
touches on another volume, "The Mir-
of American Hebrew Congregations,
acle of America," is planning still an-
Cincinnati, 0.
other book, . which he will call "Victory
Dr. Gamoran points out in his intro-
in France."
duction that a minimum of two sessions
"If you've been wondering how long
Will be required to cover each course.
it would take to read the Bible out loud,
A complete season's study is thus pro-
we can tell you that a reading of both
Vided in this splendid volume, and it is
the Old -and New Testaments takes
to , be hoped that it will be utilized by
eighty-four and a half hours .. . This
many 'Jewish 'groups.
information comes from the AmeriCan
How Can the Jews
Survive the Crisis?
Friday, January 28, '1944
•
Between
You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1944, Jewish Telegraphic Agency,
Inc.)
THINGS TO COME
Robert Szold; member of the American
Zionist Emergency Council, returned
quietly from his mission to Palestine
• .. He certainly has plenty to report
Especially on the causes which precipi-
tated the rift between Ben-Gurion and
Dr, Weizmann.
Mrs. Ida Lindheim who was sent from
New York to -London for the Jewish
National Fund, has scored a "scoop" . .
She was the first one to bring to this
country the news from London that
something is brewing which will make
the fight against the White Paper obso-
lete . . . This has been known here by
important Zionist leaders for some time,
but no mention was made of it in public
. . . The opinion of some of the Zionist
leaders in this country was that it is
more important to concentrate on a fight
for the postWar status of Palestine,
since the White Paper would then lose
its force automatically . . . It is due to
differences of 'opinion on this question
that led Henry- Montor to resigning from
his post as executive director of the
Amrican Zionikt Emergency Council and
resuming his position in the United Pal ,
estine Appeal.
* *
DIPLOMATIC. NOTES
You many and may not see the pieture
in the British's Embassy in Washington
of Lord Halifax discussing the White
Paper with Joseph Proskauer and Jacob
Blaustein, the leaders of the American
Jewish Committee . . . But such a pic-
ture was taken . . . The statement re-
garding the White Paper given by Lord
Halifax to the delegation of the Am-
erican Jewish Committee was written by
him in longhand . . . All this cordiality,
after Lord Halifax failed in his attempts
to induce the American Jewish Com-
mittee and to insist on handing over the
protest against the White Paper to him
personally.
-
Foundation for the Blind, which has just
brought out a complete recording of the
Bible for the sightless.
* * *
ABOUT PEOPLE
Jan Peerce, *etropolitan Opera tenor
whom you non-New-Yorkers know
through his Victor recordings, has - made
his movie debut; . and, what is more, has
as a fellow debtitant hone other than
Arturo Toscanini. . . But ,the chances'
are that you'll never see this piature.. . .
It was made—without compensation fOr.
any of the artists,by the way—for. the
Overseas Branch of the Office of War
Information, and will be shown in lands
liberated from the-'Nazi yoke . .
T h e
film centers about Verdi's "Hymn of
the Nations" and features also a number
of United Nations anthems not included
in the Verdi opus.
Aside to Walter Winchell: And why
shouldn't Mark Twain's daughter call
herself Mrs. Gabrilowitsch? . . . She is,
after all, the widow of the famous piano
virtuoso Ossip Gabrilowitsch.
The Jews of New Jersey are planning
a special forest in Palestine as a memor-
ial to the late Senator W. Warren Bar-
bour, who helped save several hundred
Jewish refugees from the Nazi terror by
aiding their immigration to this country.
A New York French weekly recently
published a long poem by 15-year-old
Claudia Gruenblat, daughter of Maxa
Nordau and granddaughter of Max Nor-
dau. . . Like her mother, Claudia also
paints, but her main interest is one she
shares with her father, Capt. Claude
Gruenblat: engineering.
Purely
Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
BERDICHEV—WITHOUT JEWS
One of the tragic stories of the war
concerns a city that has become famous
for its Jewish associations.
Moscow reports that when the Red
Army marched through the city of Ber-
dichev, which was known as the Jeru-
salem of Volhynia, they found it entire-
ly purged of Jews.
Many Berdichev Jews were evacuated
before the Nazi invasion, but not a single
soul remains of those who were there
when the German forces occupied the
town. They were dragged off to "an un-
known destination," — which means
forced labor and eventual extermination
centers.
*
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"A WORLD THAT PASSED"
To Berdichev may be applied the title
of the great book by Marvin Lowenthal
—"A World That Passed." It may be re-
vived, and its old glory may be restored
by a new Jewish population that will be
guaranteed freedom by the triumphant
Russian armies. But for the present,
Berdichev belongs to a passing world.
Jews were known to have lived in
Berdichev in 1593. Mr. Lowenthal's "A
World That Passed" contains references
to synagogues in communities near Ber-
dichev that were built in the 16th and
17th centuries. We are told that in Os-
tropol, southeast of Berdichev, there was
a fortified synagogue, built in the end of
the 16th century: and that in Pobreby-
szcz, near Berdichev, there was a 16th
century synagogue that was restored,
after temporary demolition, in the '17th
century.
These historic connections have not
guaranteed the existence of the Berdi-
chev Jewish community.
CITY OF MENDELE AND RUBINSTEINS
Many interesting facts are recorded
about Berdichev.
The famous Mendele Mother Seforim
lived there for a time, before being com-
pelled to leave the city when he exposed
the methods 'of the tax collectors.
terdichev was the home city .of Anton
and Gregory Rubinstein, the famous
19th -century musicians.
A Kahal, formed in Berdichev- in the
beginning 'of the 18th century, was
granted .self-government by Prince Rad-
ziwill, :1794.
.‘
•
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; • *
LEVI ISAAC OF EtERDICHEV
- • • BerdicheV' has become famous for - its
HasSidic leaderS, and more especially - for
Levi Isaac of Berdichev, the fantouS
Hassidic . leader whose prayer demanding
that the Almighty stop the persecution
of the Jews has become the theme of a
famous folk:song.
This Jewisn community was the cen-
ter of the Socialist Bund. It was famous
for heroism as well as literary and mu-
sical creations. After the Kiev pogrom in
May, 1881, a horde of bandits stormed
the Jewish community and were about
to launch a typical Russian pogrom. But
a Jewish guard was organized and the
brave members of the Samo-Okhrana-
the self-defense—repelled the gangsters
and averted a massacre.
*
*
*
BERDICHEV'S POPULATION
Berdichev's population reached its
peak in 1897, when it numbered 41,617.
The lowest recorded figure ',was 1,951
Jews residing there in 1789. There. were
3.8,281, Jews : in that. famous community .
in 1934. It was a - stronghold. for. Yiddish
culture.
. •
• .
Today; Berdithev 'is a citadel of. Rus--
sian :military Strength; but its --Jewish.
'community belongs to "the World that
passed."
How Arabs Were
Helped by Jews
"The Arabs cannot say that the Jews
are driving them out of their country.
If not a single Jew had come to Pales-
tine after 1918, . I believe that the Arab
population of Palestine today would still
have been round about the 600,000 figure'
(instead of over 1,000,000, as at present),
at which it had been stable under the
Turkish rule. It is because the Jews who
have come to Palestine bring modern
health services and other advantages
that Arab. men and women who would
have been dead are alive today, that
Arab children who would never have
drawn breath have been born and grow
strong." Secretary of State for the
colonies, Malcolm MacDonald, in House
of Commons, in 1938.