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THE JEWISH NEWS

FrWay, Faiireary 18; 1944

Sholem Asch Defends Books

Jewish Author Tells Critics
Why He Wrote About Jesus

Inspiration to Write Came to Him in Palestine, He• Declares
in Replying to Sharp Criticism Questioning Why
He Didn't Write About Moses or Abraham

NEW YORK (JTA)—Sharp criticism of Sholem Asch, noted
Jewish writer, is voiced in all leading Jewish newspapers for the
opinions on religion he expressed in an interview given to the
Christian Herald, during which
he was asked why a man of his
background should write on Je-
sus and Paul and why he didn't
choose to tell of Moses or Abra-
ham.
An editorial in the Jewish
Daily Day discloses that Ascii was
invited by the paper to state
whether he repudiated the con-
tents of the interview to which
the other Jewish papers had
taken objection, Asch's reply by
telegram was: "I take responsi-
bility for my written • works
only."
The editorial entitled "Whither
Sholem Asch" expresses dissatis-
._ faction with the writer's evasive
reply and declares the i "Jewish
public opinion will be compelled
to issue a verdict that Sholem
Asch, through his own words and
behavior, has put himself outside
the Jewish camp."
Spiritual Content
"I couldn't help writing on
Jesus," Mr. Asch is quoted as
telling Frank S. Mead, editor of
the Christian Herald. "Since I
SHOLEM ASCII
first met Him, He has held my
swiftly
and
easily of Jesus Christ,
mind and heart. I grew up on
the border of Poland and Russia. for no man can generalize about
It wasn't the finest place in the Him. There is no easy middle-
world for a Jew to sit down and ground to stroll upon. You either
accept Jesus Christ, or you reject
write a life of Jesus Christ.
"The hope of doing just that Him. You don't 'analyze' Him.
fascinated me. I floundered a You can analyze Mohammed and
bit, at first; I was seeking that Mohammedanism, Buddha and
\something for which so many of Buddhism, but don't try it with
us search—that surety, that faith, Christ or Christianity. You can't
that spiritual content in my liv- be impartial about either; you
ing which would bring me peace. accept or you reject."
I found it in The Nazarene.
Will Write No More
"For Jesus Christ, to me, is the
Asked whether he plans to
outstanding personality of all write on Peter or James, Mr.
' time, all history, both as Son of Asch replied: "No, I have writ-
God and as Son of Man. Every- ten what was in me to write.
I
thing He ever said or did has have made my contribution, and
value for us today, and that is I think I shall write no more."
something you can say of no He added that if he did choose
other man, alive or dead. No
to write again, he would write
other teacher—Jewish, Christian, further on Jesus and Paul.
Buddhist, Mohammedan—is still
"I think it is time that we
a teacher whose teaching is such
a guidepost for the world we live Jews and Chrislians . found a
closer kinship with each other,"
in."
he is quoted as stating. "Jews
35 Years to Write Books
should know more about Chris-
Explaining that it took' him 35
tianity, and Christians need
years to write the books "The
Nazarene" and "The Apostle," know more about Judaism. It
is- one of the most hopeful signs
Mr. Asch is quoted in the Chris-
of times that both progressive
tian Herald as declaring:
"I suppose the final inspiration Jews and Christians seem to be
to write, the insistence that I moving toward 'understanding.
write, came to me in Palestine. I Who knows—maybe, some day,
saw that I could- never write we shall be worshipping under
about Jesus until I went to his one roof."

Weekly Review of the News of the. World

(Compiled From Cables of Independent Jewish Press Service)

AMERICA

(See Also Page 3)

Bureaus of Jewish Education and kindred
agencies in 25 cities have taken steps to fed-
erate as a functioning arm of the American
Association for Jewish Education, according to
an announcement by Mark Eisner, its presi-
dent, who reported that this action was taken
at a luncheon session of the Association at
the General Assembly of the Council of Jewish
Federations and Welfare Funds.
An anonymous anti-Semitic letter in the
Jersy City Journal has aroused a storm of
protest that has forced the editors to carry
an apology. In the letter, the author, a "Sgt.
T. K., ' who claims to be a Marine convalescing
from wounds received in battle, said that his
friends ask him why he doesn't apply for a
, discharge "like your neighbors, Sammy and
. . . The anonymous author goes on to
demand that each one of those who are dis-
charged "as incurable, or should I use the
Word unfit," be investigated by the FBI and
"the shirkers" compelled "to wear a yellow
star on his outer garment." Among the protests
received is one from Cpl. Ben Robinson, a
Jewish soldier home on furlough after having
participated in the Guadalcanal and Munda
campaigns.
Of the 27 Germans among the 572 authors
listed in the newly published official book
catalogue of Denmark, 25- are Jews, emigres
or Germans long dead and only two represent
the "new German literature," it is reported
by the Office of War Information, according
to a dispatch from Stockholm which quotes the
Danish Nazi newspaper National Socialisten.
Three Jews, one of them formerly a member
of the Army and Navy Committee of the Jew-
ish Welfare Board, are mentioned in dispatches
as having played their heroic part' in the Mar-
shall Islands battles. The former Welfare
•Board member, Col. Melvin L. Krulewitch,
was in command of a Signal Corps unit. The
other two are Lt. Louis Meyer of Philadelphia
and Lt. Marvin Raskin of Washington, D. C.

OVERSEAS

Jewish guerillas, fugitives from the ghettos,
are conducting operations in Poland, derailing
military transports, assassinating German pa-
trols and bombing places where Nazi officers
congregate, according to reports reaching the
Polish Government-in-Exile a n d released in
London by Dr. I. Schwartzbart, 'a Jewish rep-
resentative on the Polish National Council. •
A court at Lyons has sentenced a French
notary to a month's imprisonment and per-
manently deprived him of his license after
finding him guilty of charges that he supplied
Jews with Aryan identity cards enabling them
to go abroad.
Reporting the arrest recently of 18 Zionists
in Bucharest, Rumania's capital, the_ official
Rumanian news agency charges that in a raid
on the Zionist Organization's headquarters po-
lice found five .pounds of gold, which was
part of a special fund used to bribe Rumanian
frontier guards and police officials to permit
the clandestine entry into Rumania of Jews
fleeing the ghettos and their eventual depar-
ture to Palestine via Turkey.
The Badoglio Government has issued a de-
cree restoring full rights to Italian Jews, re-
instating to citizenship those who had been

Polish Jews List
8 Nazi Criminals

LONDON (JPS) — A list of
eight leading Nazi perpetrators
of atrocities against the Jews in
Poland has been drawn up by
London representatives of Polish
Jewry, it was revealed at a press
conference here by Dr. Ignacz
Schw- arzbard, Jewish represen-
tative on the Polish National
Council.
The list is headed by Dr. Fisch-
er, Mayor of Warsaw. Included
are Auerswelt, active in the Lub-
lin reservation area; Tebenow,
director of the Treblinka exter-
mination camp; Schoen who or-.
dered -the deportation of 70,000
Jews to .."unknown: destinatiOns;"
Reinhardt,. advisor to Himmler
on the Extermination • COmmis-
sion; S.S. Officer Bradt, and
Seifert and Berentz who were in
positions of authority in divi-
sions charged with "liquidating"
Polish Jewry.

homeland. So I went, in 1907,.
Attacked By Cahan
Then the story really came alive.
NEW
The whole landscape of the Holy
YORK (JPS)—Prof.
Land held His footprints; every Joseph Klausner's book Jesus of
bush and tree and stone was afire Nazareth "fell short of the stature
with Christ. I made more pil- of The Nazarene," Sholem Asch's
grimages to Palestine, later, but best-seller, because "Klausner
if you want a date, it was in 1908 came just so far, , and then he
that the real writing began.
stopped," while Sholem Asch
"The beginning was tedious "went the full distance," says
and hard. No man can write Frank S. Mead, editor of the
monthly Christian Herald in re-
porting an interview with Mr.
Work Asch.
The most devastating attack
upon Asch appeared in the Sun-
day issue of the Jewish Daily
LONDON (JTA)—Twenty-five Forward. Abraham Cahan, 84-
Jewish youths trained in Eng- year-old pioneer Socialist and
land as Halutzim for eventual editor of the Forward, in a full-
settlement in Palestine this week page article, attacks Asch and
volunteered as a group to work condemns him for his new ap-
in English coal mines.
proach towards Christianity.
The Ministry of Fuel, which is
conducting a campaign for vol-
unteers to join in "the battle of
PRESENTATION OF
fuel," was extremely gratified at
NEW SEFER•--TORAH
the offer of the Jewish group.
tO
The Jewish group is composed
YESHIVATH CHACHMEY LUBLIN
of 16 young men and nine girls,
Linwood & Elmhurst
all members of the Hashomer
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1944 at 2:00 P. M.
Hatzair and all British subjects.
By—Mrs. Sarah' Frankel, Mrs. Ethel Grenwald, Chaie Levenholtz
The young men will work in the
and Benjamin. Waxman, in memory of . their late sister Esther Menucah
underground of the mines while
and her late husband.
the girls will do household .serv-
Rabbi El Silver of Cincinnati, Ohio will be the guest speaker.
Cantor Isidore Podetzky of Cleveland, Ohio will head musical
ice in the hostel, assigned to the
program
group at Stalybridge near Man-
Mr. Morris Fisher, treasurer, will open the program.
Mr. Louis Rose, vice-president, will be the toastmaster.
chester.
Rabbi Moses Rothenberg, dean, chairman of spiritual part of
The London press, reporting
ceremony.
the volunteering of the Jewish
DETROITERS are cordially invited to attend this
youths, notes that this is the first
Torah Simcha.
case of collective volunteering
ADMINISTRATION OF YESHIVATH CHACHMEY LUBLIN
BOARD OF DIRECTORS LADIES AUXILIARY
for coal mine work by any
group in England.

•

Jewish Youths
In. English Mines

Buy War Bonds!

'

Page Eleveif

denationalized and giving back their posts to
those who had been dismissed under Musso-
lini's Aryan legiSlation.
Stampa, fascist newspaper published in
Turin, Axis-occupied Italy, declared editorially
that the fascist authorities will preserve the
synagogues and historic archives in their ter-
ritoriesi
Rabbi D. Kaufman and two members of the
Jewish Community Council at Trieste, Axis ,.
occupied Italy, were hanged in the public
square after a Fascist court-martial found
them guilty in maintaining contact with Tito's
partisans in Yugoslavia.
The Bucharest Chief of Police has forbidden
residence in Bucharest to all Jews now resid-
ing elsewhere.
Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden declared
in the House of Commons that the British
Government associates itself with the aims of
the War Refugee Board created by President
Roosevelt for the purpose of rescuing the Jews
of Europe and other victims of Nazism, but
that there was no necessity for the creation
of a similar board in Britain, as there already
exists a commi-tee of cabinet members dealing
with the refugee problem.
T h e Jewish engineers Shaia Potashnik,
Yoine Avitch and Moishe Yellin are credited
by the Moscow press with having introduced
manpower and material saving devices which
have provided an actual reduction of 15,000,000
rubles -in production costs.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General
Sir Bernard L. Montgomery and David Lloyd
George,. British Prime Minister in the first
World War, paid tribute to the war contribur
tions of the late Brigadier Frederick Kisch,
who died in action in North Africa. They
hailed plans for the establishment of a Kisch
settlement for Jewish ex-servicemen in Pales-,
tine as a proper memorial for the man who
led the engineers of the Eighth Army, mostly
Palestinian Jewish volunteers, in the succ sful
rout of General Rommel's Afrika Korps.
According to reports reaching Moscow, the
Nazi officer, who was in charge of the ex-
termination of the Jews in White Russia, was
ambushed and killed by Jewish and White
Russian guerillas, who had also thrown hand
grenades into German barracks, killing mem :-
bers of the' extermination squads. The German
officer was not identified.

PALESTINE

The Arab newspaper Falastin, published in
Jaffa, has admonished the Arabs to follow
the lead of the Jews who spend £800,000 a
year on children's education `so that there is
almoSt no illiteracy among Jewish children."
The newspaper demands that the government
provide the means for universal education, and
thinks that this demand should be pressed by
the Arab municipalities. (Over seventy per
cent of the taxes collected in Palestine come
from Jewish sources).
During t h e three-year period of 1940-42
some 477 new factories of various kinds were
established throughout Palestine, a n d the
process was continued during 1943, although
in the latter part of the year, there was a
decline in the tempo owing to the diminution
of army orders, according to the bulletin of
the Jewish Agency's Economic. Research Insti-
tute (financed out of Keren Hayesod funds).

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