Page Two

Purely
Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

STELNBERG'S KIMBERLEY PROJECT
The visit here on Sunday of Dr. I. N.
Steinberg, for an addres in the Council-
Center cultural series, raises anew the
question of territorial movements among
Jews. Dr. Steinberg is advocating a plan
for the settlement of Jews in the Aust-
ralian Kimberley section. He is not an
anti-Zionist, and he believes that supple-
mentary colonization centers should be
found immediately for Jews.
Most Zionists agree with him, provided
that suitable territories can be found
where there will be no prejudice against
Jewish settlers. What about Kimberley?
The Australian Jewish Herald recently
carried the following editorial on the
subject:
"In an address which he gave before
a Jewish audience in Melbourne last
week, Prof. G. L. Wood was not very
hopeful about the prospects of immigra-
tion into this country after the war.
As an economist Dr. Wood was able to
point out that much of the popular
argument about 'the great wide spaces'
of the Continent was ill-founded, and
that opportunities for increased popula-
tion were restricted to a narrow belt
round the coast. Whatever we can do in
this country in the way of ,,bilrilding up
population will be determined not by
the promises or fancy pictures of politi-
cians but by the hard realities of the
situation which must take note of the
economic and geographic factors.
"In the result, therefore, the numbers
likely to reach this country after the
war will be considerably less than has
hitherto been imagined. Neither does it
appear that there can be any increases
in Australia's abSorptive capacity by the
resort to settlement schemes such as•
that which has been advocated for the
Kimberleys. In its statement last week
in which it said that no official decision
could be expected . until after the war,
the Commonwealth Government virtu-
ally sounded the death knell to the hopes
Of those who are hoping for a Kimberley
settlement. Had the Government • been
the least bit interested it would most
Certainly not have postponed a decision:
"To have any reasonable chance of suc-
cess in the early postwar years, which is
the only time when there is likely to be
any interest in immigration, a scheme
Such as the Kimberleys would have to be
undertaken now. The fact that that has
not been done, is tantamount to a rejec-
tion. Accordingly Kimberley supporters
would do well to reconsider their whole
position with a view of throwing their
weight into other channels of activity
that give hope of greater success."
Perhaps Dr., Steinberg can offer a
better and more valid explanation of his
project. At the moment, it appears cer-
tain that this plan represents mere wish-
thinking.
THE ARGENTINIAN EXPERIENCE
Those who are ready to accept profer-
red panaceas without investigation should
look into the past and examine our ex-
periences in coloniaztion efforts. Except
for Palestine, there are no other suc-
cesses on record.
Argentine; now a hot-bed of anti-Semi-
tism, represents the best proof of the
futility of trying to find places . of refuge
that are based not on definite and cer-
tain guarantees of freedom of move-
ment for Jews, but merely on philan-
throphy and toleration.
From Chronicler, in our !conternpeir-
ary, the London Jewish Chronicle, we
borrow the following note oir. Argentina:
"For some time . I ,have seen issues of
Unzer Zait, a Zionist• weekly in' YiddiSh
published in Buenos. Aires,. Argentina,
and the thick black- of its title had grown
familiar to me. Underneath the main '.
title it had always printed: `Nuestra Era"
in smaller type, . So that 'the • Spanish-
Speaking people locally would recognize
it. Last week I reCeived one of latest
issues, No. 259, dated October 25, 1943„
and something different 'caught my at-
tention. Its title, in thick type, is - now
Nuestra Era, and "Unzer Zait" is in small
type below. No, it is not an attempt at
_assimilation, but simply force majeure,
a manifestation of the anti-Semitic at-
titude of the Argentine Government,
Which has compelled the change to be
Made. The paper is still in Yiddish—but
the leading article, again on Government
instructions, is reproduced in Spanish
also. Similarly, the legend acquainting
the public with its • purposeS ,has been
altered from the old "Semanario Dedi-
cado al Movimento, Palestina Obrera y
a los Problemas de Actualidad en Gen-
eral" has been altered to "Semanario
Dedicado a la Colectividad Israelita y a
los Problemas de Actualidad General."'
Must the Palestine Movement therefore
not be stressed? What it is to live under
a dictatorship!"
Here is proof of the danger of re--

THE JEWISH NEWS

Quotation of the Week

"We of the United Nations have shown that when we want to,
we can rise to great heights, not only on the battlefield, but in the
conference chamber as well. We rose to great heights at Moscow.
We rose to great heights at Cairo. We rose to great heights at Teheran.
Here in Palestine is another great conference opportunity for t h e
United Nations. Let us liquidate every injustice at the conference
table and give the lie to our enemies. I say it is another opportunity
for the United Nations because the fate of the Jewish people is not
the exclusive responsibility of any single country—it is the concern
of all mankind.
..`Let us of the United Nations therefore have the greatness and
the nobility to seize that opportunity and to seize it now. Let us
scrap the White Paper and destroy our last link with appeasement.
Let us open the doors of Palestine and give new hope to millions.
Let us affirm the right of the Jewish people to a commonwealth in
Palestine and end their fears that it is to become a ghetto. And let
us, by showing such greatness, restore the Holy Land to the world
as a symbol of truth and justice; of truth because we shall be honoring
our solemn commitment; of justice—because we shall be ending one
of history's gravest injustices."

—U. j S. SENATOR JAMES M. MEAD, New York

Between
You and Me

Heard in
The Lobbies

By BORIS SMOLAR

By ARNOLD LEVIN

(Copyright, 1944, jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

(Copyright, 1944, Independent Jewish
Press Service, Inc.)

THE ZIONIST SCENE:
We have grounds to believe that a de-
cision regarding Palestine was reached
at the recent tri-power Teheran Confer-
ence . top Zionist leaders in America
and in England have reason to assume
that it will lead to a solution of the
Palestine problem favorable to the Jews.
Zionist leaders here and in London are
seeking British permission to make pub-
lic a statement on Palestine made by
Premier Churchill at a press conference
in Cairo during his recent visit there .. .
There were many journalists present at
that conference . . . but the statement
was made "off the record" and there-
fore, cannot be published without per-
mission . . . A Palestine partition scheme
was presented to Churchill, but he indi-
cated , that he was not interested for the
time being.
Don't expect any more "arms trials" in
Palestine . . . -I learn reliably that mili-
tary authorities in Jerusalem were or-
dered by general headquarters in Cairo
to stop raiding Jewish settlements in
search of hidden arms.

*

*

*

THE AMERICAN SCENE
A representative of the International
Red Cross in charge of aid to Jews in
occupied territories is expected to reach
this country soon .. . He will bring the
first authentic report of actual condi-
tions under which Jews in various coun-
tries of Nazi Europe live.
Some Jewish leaders in America had
been expecting all along that Russia
would eventually be ready to admit
Jewish refugees from other devasted
parts of Europe . . . This was also the
opinion of the Foreign Policy Associa-
tion . . . It was based on the fact that
Russia will experience a labor shortage
since more than 10,000,000 of its able-
bodied population had either been killed
or crippled in the war up to the end of
last year.
*
*
THE LITERARY SCENE
The most dignified reception ever
given to an American Jewish writer was
the one tendered last week . to .Harry
Sackler, the well-known playwright
whose plays have been perforined by the
Jewish Art Theater in America and by
the Habithah Palestine . . . 'The
"cream" of the literary world was at the
'Hotel PennsylYania, and the- sPeakers
were limited in number and to trine . .
Sackler is the first ArrieriCan-jewiSh tri-
lingual writer .• He., writes.,as. fluently
as he speaks in English, Hebrew and
Yiddish . . . But 'his; friends- preferred.: to
present him with his plays in Hebrew
published by a SpeCial - Cbrrirnittee inter-
ested in -celebrating his .60th birthday
advise rabbis and publiC speakers
who can read. Hebrew tg•secure a copy
of the recently published Zmanim
Tovim" by Daniel Persky . . . This is a
volume full of lively feuilletons dealing
with each...of the Jewish holidays . . . The
author has a distinctive style of writing
and is one of the pillars of the Hebrew
language movement in America.

Current anti-Semitism wherever' JeWs are
a minority.
Territorialism and territorialists must
not be rejected as visionaries. On the
contrary, we should encourage them, in
the hope of finding proper havens for
JeWish. refugees, But newly-preferred
territories must not be substituted for
the great Palestinian movement which
is accepted everywhere ._ as, the colonize-
tion miracle of ail- times. - - - f. •

-

CAPITOL NOTE
Indeed it . was splendid and generous
of Congressman Sol Bloom, airman of
the House Foreign Affairs. Committee
and a member of the late Bermuda (no
rescue for the Jew) Conference, to en-
dorse the Jewish Commonwealth reso-
lution introduced by two non-Jews and
supported by both the majority and mi-
nority leaders of the House. But we still
don't see why Congressman Bloom
should have used this opportunity to an-
nounce how generous the British Col-
onial Office has been in admitting, past
the March 30 deadline, 30,000 Jews who
were to have been admitted even - under
the terms of the White Paper, but were
kept out on various pretexts. Congress-
man Bloorn, according to newspaper- re-
ports, made this announcement (weeks
after the Colonial Secretary had made
it) as though it were a tremendous con-
cession. We are just a little puzzled,
that's all..
-
Justice Frank Murphy of the United
States Supreme Court, who founded the
new National Committee Against Nazi
Persecution and Extermination of the
Jews, received some years ago an hon-
orary doctorate from Yeshiva College.
That was before he became Supreme
Court Justice. He was still governor of
Michigan, had sit-down strikes to settle,
and yet found time to come down to
New York to accept the doctorate and
deliver a lashing talk on the very same
subversives his National Committee is
now out to combat. There is some simi-
larity between him and Vice President
Wallace. They are both profoundly re-
ligious men. Wallace is a scholar of the
Bible and at a banquet is known to have
lost patience with a rabbi who quoted a
biblical passage incorrectly.
,
*
*
NOTE TO DETROIT AND OTHERS
Are you listening, Detroit? Are you
listening? The Peace Now Movement,
we hear, got its start in Detroit, and
while it is a flop in New York City, and
has even been _dispossessed from AS
headquarters there, it is doing all right
by itself in Detroit, . the center of the
National WorkerS League, the Black Le-
gion and the.. former residence of the
most notorious - Bund leaders whO,- at one
time or another, were employed at the
Ford plant. The Detroiters think that
the New York City Peace NoWerS are
fools. Being men of .action; they laugh at
Prof. Hartmann, the Norman Thoinas
Socialist, and blame him for the failure
of Peace Now :in.. New York City. . He
wasn't cautious enough, they say. They
add: What can you 'expect of profes-
sors? . . Rev: John Haynes Holmes;
confused anti-Nazi and appeasernent
champion, haS ;invited Prof. Hartmann to
speak at the ;Community Chureh.
Walter Winchell has a - new name for
Representative John E. Rankin. He calls
him Rankenstein, to retaliate for Ran-
kin's having Called him Lifschiti, Which'
is not an insult, but 'which doesn't hap-
pen to be Winchell's name.
The Information Bulletin of the Amer-
ican Council for Judaism is very expert
in presenting comments out of their con-
text. For example: the newest 'issue
quotes from -Miss Erica Mann's Liberty
magazine article on Palestine. The pas-
sage quoted :by the Bulletin • gives the
impression that . Miss Mann fears Jewish
nationalism in Palestine. That is not the ,
case. It does .Miss Mann an injustice.
The Bulletin's 'Omissions are quite an ad-
mission on the tactics of its editors • .
What did you expect?

FTiday, February II, 1944

Strictly
Confidential

By PHINEAS J. BIRON

(Copyright. 1944, by Seven Arts
Feature Syndicate)

LISTEN HERE
Pierre van Paassen, basing his infor-
mation on a Jewish Telegraphic Agency
news story, startled the recent New
York Conference of the United Palestine
Appeal when he told his listeners that
the State Department had notified the
Selective Service Commission that
Washington henceforth recognizes Pales-
tine as a co-belligerent . . . None of the
Zionist leaders had recognized the tre-
mendous political significance of this
change until Van Paassen pointed it out..
It's all the fault of Harry Herschfield,
the genial cartoonist and commentator
now admits a little sheepishly . . . We
refer to Congressman Rankin's insist-
ence that Walter Winchell's real name is
Lipshitz, and WW's even more vehement
denial of this . . . Walter, as you should
have known, is correct: Herschfield has
revealed that it was he who first put the
"Lipshitz" tag on Winchell—just for a
gag.
Harry Schneidermann, for many years
assistant secretary of the American Jew-/
Committee, is devoting himself to
literary work.
- Just turned 82 and still going strong
Walter Damrosch, the famous conducto
*
*
*
TRUE TALES
Judge Jonah J. Goldstein of N
York is a regular marryin' judge, w
350 or more knot-tyings to his credit
His latest welding, by the way, was t
of Sailing Baruch Jr., to beautiful J
Hewett Vaughan . . . This marrying t
Mess is extremely unprofitable for
Honor . . . Not only does he collect
fee, but in the course of the years he
expended over $7 on postage stamps
cover the mailing of the required cloct \
merits to City Hall—for in the excite=\
ment of these weddings not a single
groom has thought of handing the judge
a postage stamp together with the
papers. -
Dorothy Thompson was a guest at the
home of Meyer Weisgal . . . She met
many people- there, but was particularly
impressed by a husky man who insisted
on speaking to her. in Yiddish exclusive-
ly . . • She managed to understand him
because of her knowledge of German,
and made it her business to find out who
this man was . . . So—she learned that
he was Choneh, who addresses one and
all in the same mamelosh.en.

*

LITERARY NEWS
Franz Werfel is still under the
weather, but he must be mightily
cheered by the reception his brainchil-
dren are getting these days . . . His
"Song of Bernadette" is going strong in
its movie version, and word from Boston
is to the effect that the Theater Guild
presentation of his comedy "Jacobowsky
and the Colonel," on a pre-Broadway
run in the Bean City, is bound to be a
sure-fire hit . . . Playing the role of the
Jewish refugee Jacobowsky, incidental-
ly, is refugee- Oscar Karlweis, who until
recently was featured in . "Rosalinda,"
the last Max Reinhardt production to
grace Broadway . . . Karlweis, you may
remember, is the step-son of the, late
novelist Jakob Wassermann.

Report Industrial
Progress .in:'-Zion

Wartime achievements of the Pales-
tine community,. summarized- the re.
port of , the Palestine EConornic Corpora-
tion for the calendar years . 1940 to 1942,
reveals iriitiative - of subSidiary and re-
lated companies' that was marked by
great ProgresS. ,
- A statement to• the stockholders by
Bernard Flexner, chairman of the board
of directors, prefacing the report; de-
clares that "the time seems near to sta
rt
preparing Palestine -for - a substantially
larger immigration . t _ han in the past.
Housing and means of production and
Self-maintenance are prerequisitieS which
must be created:" •
Palestine Economic Corporation's - re-
port, besides showing the great - contri-
bution made by Jews to the war effort
in the Middle EaSt, reviews all industrial
effoils in the JeWish National Home and
gives an outline 'of the activities of the
following:
Central Bank of Cooperative Institu-
tions in Palestine, Ltd., Palestine Mort-
gage and Credit Bank, Bayside Land
Corporation, Palestine War Company,
Palestine Electric Corporation.
The proof contained in these reports is
that "Jewish reconstruction work, rural
and urban, continued and is continuing."

