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. ' . *. *.. * 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. * * -* "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. .‘ • * ; • * 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.