Page Two
THE
Strictly
Confidential
By PHINEAS J. BIRON
(Copyright. 1944, by Seven Arts
Feature Syndicate)
MISCELLANY
At some Army camps overseas the
Jewish boys showed such disinclination
to attend services during the fall holy
days that the commanding officers felt
it their duty to exercise moral suasion
• . Perhaps it's up to the chaplains to
make the services more attractive to the
fellows in uniform.
Erwin Piscator's production of Les-
sing's "Nathan the Wise," the play which
stood first on Hitler's book-burning list,
is doing well in its two-week engage-
ment at the Studio Theater of the New
School for Social Research . . . It's too
bad that this famous drama, or some
equally powerful plea for tolerance,
doesn't seem to have that popular ap-
peal which would bring capacity au-
diences to see it for a couple of seasons.
* * *
OUR BRITISH ALLIES
The British Shrove Tuesday custom of
eating pancakes, we're informed, is an-
alogous to the Jewish practice of eat-
ing matzoth during Passover . . For
the English, it seems, consume their pan-
cakes in commemoration of the flat
cakes the children of Israel ate on their
departure from Egypt . . . All of which
reminds us of an incident reported by
an American soldier to his family . . .
It seems that this soldier, stationed in
a Western camp, went to a party at a
local Jewish center, and there observed
an RAF cadet happily consuming a
platterful of tasty cheese blintzes . . .
So a young lady, thinking he might like
some more, ventured to remark: "You
like those blintzes, don't you?" . .
"Blintzes," exclaimed the English youth
in a tone of horror . . . "They're the
most terrible thing you can imagine"
• . . The _lady was somewhat taken aback
--but a little probing revealed that the
stranger within our gates had thought
she was asking him about the London
blitzes.
*
ABOUT PEOPLE
* *
Blood will tell item: Studying psy-
chology • at Radcliffe College is a young
girl named Sophie Freud . . . You guessed
it—she's the granddaughter of the late
Dr. Sigmund Freud, creator of modern
psychoanaylsis.
Stationed in England at last reports is
Dave Lax, the painter.
Congratulations to the Jewish National
Fund's Mendel Fisher on the Bar Mitz-
vah of his son, Marshall Nahum.
Another Army play is in the offing,
we hear . . . The playwright will be none
other than George S. Kaufman, but the
play itself won't be for civilian consump-
tion . . . According to present plans, it
will be produced only at Army camps
here and abroad.
Add to your list of budding authors
the screen's Edward G. Robinson, who
is now engaged in writing a novelette
for a national magazine.
Sally Eilers, pretty Clevelander whom
we haven't seen in the movies for quite
some time noW, is going to make a come-
back . . . She's to be starred in "A Wave,
A WAC and a Marine."
Portrait of a Jew
'Life magazine carries a "close-up" by
Fred Rodell of the well-known liberal
attorney and friend of the great, Morris
Ernst. The writer's analysis of Mr. Ernst,
who certainly is not a timid Jew, al-
though little - identified with Jewish af-
fairs, may go a long way toward ex-
plaining the psychological make-up of
the gentlemen constituting the . American
Council for Judaism. Mr. Rodell says:
"If Ernst could get outside himself and
see himself as others see him, he might
bring forth an analysis something like
this: His most obvious characteristic is
the constant mouthing of well-known
names, the anxiety lest his listener not
know in what select circles he moves.
Here is clearly indicated some innate
sense of insecurity, sane feeling of in-
feriority turned inside out for self-pro-
tection. Perhaps it comes from his being
a Jew in a civilization not always kind
to Jews. Perhaps his insecurity is based
on the fact that his family moved hither
arid yon when he was so young so that
he never had a place he could per-
manently think of as home. (That he is
himself aware of this emotional void is
made plain by the pains he has taken to
keep the same home—and even the same
servants—for his own children.) . . . "
To solve this profound psychological
as well as actual insecurity the Zionists
propose a Jewish Commonwealth, and
the anti-Zionists, in an introvert direc-
tion, seek escape from the truth by
fighting Zionism.
---J.L.T.
'JEWISH NEWS
Quotation of the Week
"By calling for a 'free and democratic Jewish Commonwealth,' the
Wright-Compton Resolution offers a positive solution for the rehabili-
tation of Europe's Jews. While they must be given equality wherever
they may live, the immediate problem is to save as many of them as is
possible by abrogating the White Paper and opening the doors to
Palestine immigration.
"The Palestine resolution now under consideration takes into
account the real needs of Europe's Jews. The members of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee should examine these needs and not allow
themselves to be sidetracked into interesting but completely irrelevant
theorizing as to whether or not the Jews will set up a Theocratic State
in Palestine. It appears that Representative Bolton wasn't sure that
`we could recommend to Britain that she set up a state based on a
church.'
"What nonsense! Jews may have their own religious beliefs, but
it does not follow that a democratic Jewish state would be dominated
by a church, any more than is the case with other democracies.
"But the fewer theological questions introduced in discussions of
the Palestine resolution, the better. A condition, not a theory, must
be dealt with in this instance. The very lives of millions of people are
at stake."
—JOHANNES STEEL, Radio Commentator and
Columnist, in the New York Post.
Between
You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
Purely
Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
(Copyright, 1944, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
COOPERATION IN EDUCATION
BEHIND THE SCENES
At the educational sessions held in
Pittsburgh recently in conjunction with
the Assembly of the Council of Jewish
Federations and Welfare Funds, the
foundation was laid for a "Federation of
Bureaus of Jewish Education and Kind-
red Agencies."
The intention is to establish, on a na-
tional scale, cooperation among educa-
tional movements in this country.
, The trend is towards creating Bureaus
which should keep an eye on community
educational needs and which should re-
port to the constituencies on the factors
which require greater emphasis in estab-
lishing school systems for the children.
An important statement on Palestine
was slated to have been issued last
week by President Roosevelt after a
conference with Jewish leaders at the
White House . . . But the conference did
not take place and the Presidential pro-
nouncement on Roosevelt's attitude to-
wards Palestine was not made . . . The
reason is that American Jewry is still
very far from unity . . . Originally, the
President was to receive a delegation of
the Zionist Emergency Council only . . .
Later, he decided to invite to the White
House parley representatives of the
American Jewish Committee, the Amer-
ican Jewish Conference and the Jewish
Labor Committee . . . Zionist leaders felt
that the presence of non-Zionist Jewish
representatives at a conference with
Roosevelt on Palestine might._ lead to an
undesirable discussion in front , of the
President . . . They discussed with the
leaders of the American Jewish Con-
ference the -advisability of meeting with
the President in the presence of the
representatives of the other Jewish
groups . . People close to Roosevelt in
the meantime got wind of the fact • that
the President's good intention to - make
his statement on Palestine before leaders
of all Jewish groups was not to the lik-
ing of the Zionists groupE- .
They ad-
vised the President to postpone the con-
ference . . . Speculatidif is rife in Zion-
ist circles as to whether -President Roose.:
velt's undelivered statement on Palestine
runs along the same lines as the state-
ment Premier Churchill is expected to
make on the same subject some time
next month . • . A few weeks ago it
was indicated in Washington that a joint
Anglo-American statement on Palestine
could be expected.
WATCHFUL WAITING
The Palestine Resolution has reached
a point in the House Foreign Affairs
Committee where no action may be
taken because of the negative attitude of
the War Department inspired by British
officials in Washington on one side, and
the Near Eastern Division of the State
Department on the other . , . Disap-
pointment bordering on bitter feelings
against State Department officials is
felt by Zionist leaders . . . They claim
that Secretary Hull personallY saw the
Palestine Resolution before it was sub- :
mitted to Congress and made no objec-
tions to it at that time . . . The situa-
tion is especially embarassing, since it
was expected that the Palestine Resolu-
tion would be passed. by .Congress before
the White Paper ban . op immigration
goes into effect at the end of March . . .
This would have strengthened the hand
of Dr. Weizmann in his negotiations with
the British Government --iii London . .
It may have even bolstered Churchill's
policy with regard to Arab-Jewish re-
lations in Palestine, which is not the
same as that of Foreign Secretary Eden
and of the Colonial Office . . . American
Zionist leaders are not giving up the
fight . . They are certain that if the
Palestine Resolution reaches Congress,
it will be passed by a huge majority . . .
The problem before Zionist leadership is
how to make the Committee on Foreign
Affairs take speedy action on the reso-
lution and submit it to Congress.
PURIM PLANNING
Inspired by Hitler's recent speech in
which he said that his downfall will be
celebrated by the Jews with a "second
triumphant Purim festival," Rabbi Ab-
raham Heller, 4dce-president of the New
OUR MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY
A major responsibility devolves upon
every Jewish community to expand its
educational media and to provide means
for a Jewish cultural training for every
Jewish boy and girl.
If the establishment of Bureaus—some
of which already exist in large American
cities—will help accomplish this purpose,
then the new trend should be encourag-
ed.
There is no doubt that there is need
for a new approach in evaluating our ed-
ucational agencies. The accepted school
systems—like Detroit's United Hebrew
Schools—are now facing compeition.
Some of us believe that some of the
competitors do not promise to fulfill
the highest needs of American youth. A
well-coordinated community educational
system, guided by a proper Bureau,
should be able to guide the people to-
wards a proper evaluation of our needs,
and of the best ways of fulfilling them.
"THE HEBREW WORLD"
Those who are concerned that Hebrew
education should prosper in this com-
munity will be interested in the new
publication, "The Hebrew World," the
fir re ss.
ts issue of which just came off the
press.
Sponsored by Histadruth Ivrith, under
the direction of the chairman of its ex-
ecutive committee, Samuel J. Borowsky,
the noted New York Hebraist and edu-
cator, this publication fills a great need.
It will be found of interest not only to
Hebraists but also to non-Hebraists-
since the entire publication is printed in
English.
Furthermore, the section of Hebrew
terms, with English translations, should
help those desirous of learning Hebrew
in acquiring an extended knowledge of
the language.
"The Hebrew World" is a mature
effort at advancing interest in Hebraic
learning. We predict that it will have
a fine reception and that it wiL prove
a great help in the cause of Hebrev -
and Jewish education generally.
York Board of Ministers, has advanced
a plan to prepare for such a celebra-
tion . . . He suggests. that the day of
unconditional - surrender be designated
by the Jewish rabbinical organizations
as a New Purim . . . His proposal; *sulp ,
mitted to the Rabbinical Council of Am-
erica, urges the creation of a special
Rabbinical commission in • America
which would cooperate with Rabbinical
authorities in England, Palestine and
other countries for the proclamation of
the new holiday to be observed by Jews
throughout the world . . . Among other
details, the proposal urges that the best
Jewish literary talent be engaged to
write a new Megilah summarizing the
background of our present-day struggle
for survival, the martyrdom suffered
and. the redemption wrought . . -
Friday, March 3, 1944
Heard in
The Lobbies
By ARNOLD LEVIN
(Copyright, 1944, Independent Jewish
Press Service, Inc.)
FATE OF THE JEWS
You can't check these things, yort
know, but rumors are rife in Washington
that, United States Jewry and the fate
of world Jewry have become an issue
to be tossed about in the Fourth Term
shuffle' . • Take the Jewish Common-
wealth resolution, for instance. It might
not have been introduced at this time
were it not for the affirmative noddings,
tacit approval and implied appreciation
by officials near the Administration.
Suddenly, these very same officials, par- .
ticularly Secretary of State Cordell Hull,
have taken to shrugging their shoulders '
in annoyance, which would imply, at
the very best, indifference toward the
resolution. One cannot expect the reso- "
lution to pass without Administration
approval.
Tempers of Jewish leaders are slowly.
rising to the boiling point at the strange
attitude of the Administration. Memo- :
ries are coming back to plague Jewish
leadership, which has for so many years
given its support to President Roosevelt.
It is recalled that many Jewish lives in
Europe might have been saved if the ,
President had spoken or acted at the
proper time. It is also recalled that the
President must bear some of the blame
for the failure of the Bermuda Confer-
ence.
It is furthered rumored that the War. •
Refugee Board, the establishment of
which was announced in such . dramatic-4
and flamboyant a fashion, has no budget •
and a most limited_ personnel. The ques-
tion now arises as to whether the War
Refugee Board has really been intended
for rescue or to corral. Jews for the
November crisis . ... There is, of course,
no doubt that the President is under
strong. pressure . from the oil interests,
the British and such ... . However,
Roosevelt is known as a man of cour.
age in all matters., but he has shown,'
little courage regarding aid to the most,"
afflicted of all Hitler's victims, the Jews
,.,Jewish leaders are biding their time.,,,
* * *
CONGRATULATORY NOTE
Congratulations, to the ZOA for its
campaign to .place in Jewish. homes that
fine new novel by • Ludwig Lewisohn,
"Breathe Upon • These," just published:-
Hayim Greenberg
On Sholem Asch
Sholem Asch's recent interview ., pub-
lished in The Christian Herald' has been
one of the main subjects of discussion
in the Jewish' press for the past fort-
night. Hayim Greenberg, editor of the
Jewish Frontier, has been considered as
one of the Jewish publicists who stood ,
with Asch to the end and protected him
against the campaign that was begun
against the novelist after the publication
of "The Nazarene." But now, as a con-
sequence of the interview, he, too, has
written an article taking Asch to task.
Writing in Der Yiddisher Kemfer,
Yiddish weekly of which he is editor,
Mr. Greenberg points out that Mr. Asch
had declared to his interviewer that he
would choose St. Peter as the Patron of
the Jews. Mr. 'Greenberg finds that reply
confounding. "As a Jew" he states in an
open letter to Mr. Asch, "you could very
well have replied the same as have
thousands -and thousands of religious, but
non-Catholic Christians that Jews do not
need a patron . . that we have faith '
that Our Heavenly Father will be fair
to us even without the intervention of a
special lobbyist . . . Why St. Peter?
Should we need a patron, and should we
decide that the traditional Jewish mar-
tyrs are passe . . . and cannot guide us
in the world and cannot protect us in the
world to come . . . what is St. Peter's
specific appeal to the Jewish conscience?
There is a distant difference between
what "The Nazarene" represents and
what St. Peter represents, Mr. Greenberg
points out. 'St. Peter thought of imperial-
ist power in religious life, of a hier-
archial church, and his name "is con-
nected with the establishment of an in-
stitution that shed , so much Jewish blood
in the hundreds of years of its existence,
that gave divine sanction to anti-Jewish. ,
persecution." He charges Sholem Asch
with lack of frankness, and challenges
him: "If St. Peter is really your candi-
date as the Jews' Patron, take the final
step and accept him, above all, as your
personal Patron and guide: the Catholic
church receives Jews with warm em-
brace."