Page Two
'THE TEWISH NEWS
Between
You and Me
Friday, March 17, rf944
His Pctssion Is A People
A Glowing Tribute to Dr. Stephen S. Wise On His 70th Birthday
BY JACOB S. MINKIN
By BORIS SMOLAR
VCopyright, 1944, 'Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
THE SHIFTING SCENE
The Palestine scene is shifting to Lon-
don . . . By the time this is read, Dr.
Weizmann may have seen Prime Minister
Churchill on the Palestine question, and
especially on the White Paper immigra-
tion ban which goes into effect at the
end of this month . . . It is well-known
that Churchill is against the White
Paper, but other members of the Cab-
Met are now trying harder than ever
to put pressure on him . . . In fact, it
was they who sent out a secret memor-
andum to British embassies this week
which stated that Churchill's personal
feelings would not influence the fate of
the White Paper ... This memorandum,
which emphasized that Churchill would
not allow "his personal predilections" to
stand in the way of continuity of the
decisions of the state, is the latest line
of guidance given by the British Minis-
try of Information to press attaches . . .
An official of the Ministry of Informa-
tion, by mistake, gave a copy of it to a
news agency and forgot to indicate that
it was not for publication . . . The result
was that Churchill discovered what his
colleagues were saying about him, and
behind his back, with regard to his policy
on Palestine . . . Whoever knows Church-
ill's character, can easily imagine how
he reacted when he learned of the light
in which his own Ministry of Propa-
ganda had placed him . . . Needless to
say, I would not like to be in the shoes
of the fellow in the Ministry of Infor-
mation who made a slip and gave the
secret propaganda instructions to the
press . . . From a Jewish viewpoint how-
ever, this official has done a great serv-
ice, since he was unwittingly instrument-
. al in revealing what is actually going on
behind the scenes in the British Govern-
ment with regard to the Palestine issue.
Maurice Kesner, editor of Bnai Brith
Messenger, Los Angeles, is now in the
news . . . He was dismissed by his paper
for what he claims was his "continued
refusal to cease fighting the American
Council for Judaism." -
Somewhere in Germany, within a prison
camp for Allied • officers, a bombardier
cousin of Paul Muni is now being held
. . He is 2nd Lt. Sidney Edelstein of
New York . . . A graduate of New York
University, he left a job with Warner
Bros. to enlist in the U. S. Army.
The Differences in
Judaism, Christianity
"Judaism and Christianity: The Dif-
ferences" by Dr. Trude Weiss-Rosmarin
($2). has been published by the Jewish
Book Club, 110 W. 40th St., New York.
The premise of this authoritative and
popular Study of the basic, character and
teachings of Judaism and Christianity is
that religious "good will" should not and
must _ not be confused with raising all
bar§ and obliterating or denying the dif-
ferences between judaiSm and Chris-
tianity.
Dr. Weiss-Rosmarin states in the in-
troduction to her book that "the notion
that Judaism -and Christianity, to main-
tain harmonious relations, must level
their distinctive characteristics, is really
a totalitarian aberration. For democracy
is predicated on the conviction that dis-
similarities and differences are no cause
or justification for inequality. The dem-
ocratic solution is that those of different
views and beliefs respect the dissimilar
views and beliefs of their neighbors."
Marshalling an imposing array of pert-
inent material from • Jewish and Christ-
ian ancient and modern literature, Dr.
Weiss-Rosmarin shows where and how
Judaism and Christianity differ in their
interpretations of basic religious con-
cepts, such as the God idea, miracles and
other supernatural phenomena, "free
will," sin and, atonement, "original sin"
and reward and! punishment. Of partic-
ular interest are the chapters "Attitudes
to Ascetisicm" and "Faith vs. Law" in
which the author inspiringly delineates.
the optimistic this-worldliriess of Juda-
ism and its healthy, yet by no means
materialistic, 'realism. There is a lengthy
chapter dealing with the misinterpreta-
tions of Judaism by Christians which-
should go a long way in correcting and
doing away with painful prejudices. An-
other important section of Dr. Weiss-
Rosmarin's latest book is devoted to the
founder of Christianity, whose teachings
and character are objectively probed and
proved to be contradictory to the basic
convictions of Judaism.
The bulk of the present volume was
published as a series of articles in the
Jewish Spectator magazine of which Dr.
Weiss-Rosmarin is the 'editor,
/Ma Asir 44, /*734.7.
History will not find it difficult to- explain Dr. Stephen S. Wise to the
world. He is his own best explanation, and this not only by what he has
said or done, but by what he is, both physically and mentally, outwardly
and inwardly. For nature has been kinder to him than to most other men._
It set great personal gifts in a massive frame, a torrent of feeling and
emotion in a gentle face, and extraordinary powers of pathos and tender-
ness in an almost miraculous voice. One look at his picture or the sight
of him on platform or pulpit, tells the story of the man who has been
the leader and spokesman of his people for more than a generation.
Dr. Wise's oratory is of a unique and striking kind. Those who have
never heard him at his best cannot have the faintest conception of the
vast, slumbering powers within him when he warms up to a great theme,
a popular cause or a great moral crusade. At such times his audience is
awed, moved and electrified as if by some tremendous force. There is
conviction, pathos and passion in his voice and unmatched humor. When
he lets himself go, stirred by a great emotion, he uplifts his hearers to
a point of complete self-forgetfulness. One has the feeling that this must
have been the conquering power of the Prophets of Israel, the secret of
their influence over their people and the reason their faith and message
remain immortal.
Dr. Wise may be said to have been America's first Jewish apostle to
the Gentiles. He made Jews and Judaism understood and respected by his
Christian listeners. Rabbis had appeared in Christian pulpits before, but
principally- as apologists and pleaders, while there is nothing apologetic
or pleading in Dr. Wise's oratorical manner. On the contrary, he is rather
aggressively and militantly Jewish, very often indeed to the dismay and
concern of his timorous fellow-Jews. He is forthright and outspoken. Basic-
ally he is a disciple of the ethical and moral fervor and passion of the
prophetic forebears of his people, a believer in the genius of America and
firm in his faith in its great spiritual potentialities.
At 70, Dr. Wise finds himself deep in the love and admiration of his
people. He has lived a great life and accomplished great tasks. In the
service of his people he has neither wearied nor faltered. What ambitions
he has, what visions he cherishes, are not personal, only that the dream
fills his life—that Judaism might be preserved and Jews live in peace,
freedom, security and with dignity and self-respect—be fulfilled. His tri-
umph will be all the more complete when, under divine Providence, his
eyes will behold the Redeemer come unto Zion and Israel dwell in security.
(Copyright, 1944, by INDEPENDENT JEWISH PRESS SERVICE, Inc.)
Heard in
The Lobbies
By ARNOLD LEVIN
Purely
Commentary
.
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
A LESSON FOR NCCJ
The Christian Council on Palestine and
other non-Jewish organizations which
TRIBUTE TO IGNORANCE
Every once in a while a magazine in collaborated in sponsoring the National
Conference on Palestine on March 9 of-
search of circulation comes up with the fered an interesting lesson in program-
brilliant idea of tackling the "Jewish matic action to the National Conference
problem." The latest- publication to deal of Christians and Jews.
(Copyright, 1944, Independent Jewish
Press Service, Inc.)
with it is Common Sense, a progressive
monthly, some of whose editors have
already played around with Managerial
Revolution and such. Beatrice Gross, an
assistant editor, authored a remarkable
piece of ignorance titled "Who Speaks
for the Jews?" which deals with the
major or more vocal Jewish organiza-
tions in this country. We find some very
illuminating misinformation such as the
bit about Peter H. Bergson's Committee
for a Jewish Army, whose aim, Miss
Gross tells us, "was a separate Jewish
army under the command of the United
Nations. This aim was not shared by the
Jewish Agency for Palestine . . . which
was asking that Palestinian units be in-
in the British army." This con-
tradicts, of course, the record which
shows that since the beginning 'of the
present -conflict the demand for a Jewish
army has been a major subject on the
agenda of the Agency's negotiations with
the British.
Then Peter H. Bergson is described as
a "Palestinian citizen who took part in
the 1929 Arab -Jewish riots." There were
no Arab-Jewish riots, ever. There were
Arab, Mufti-led riots, with the Jews de-
fending themselves. The Irgun Zvai
(with which some of the Bergson group
were associated) was formed in 1936,
and even the Irgun did not "riot." In
several instances it retaliated . . . The
only Jewish organization mentioned . as
being in touch with the underground
movement in Europe is the Jewish Labor
Committee. Miss Gross has never heard
of the activities of Labor 'Zionist organ-
izations. These are just some instances
of her ignorance . . . In an editorial
note, Common Sense observes that it
decided to - entrust the job of writing this
article to one of its own staff because
"the only journalists who -know anything
about the subject were affiliated with
one or another of the organizations .
we were somewhat dubious of their
ability to remain dispassionate." The al-
ternative should have been not to treat
the • subject at all, rather than present
Miss GroSS' article, , the- work of an
"innocent abroad."
cluded
*
*
*
ON JOURNEYS
Judging by- the - preparations being
made by American news services and
newspapers, big things will begin- to pop
in Palestine before the month is over.
Special correspondents are being dis-
patched to the area. It appears to us that
the-- rumor was set going by the British
who would like it to appear that riots
are imminent. Such rumors are aimed at
mounting Jewish protests over the White
Paper.
Strictly
Confidential
By PHINEAS J. B1RON
(Copyright. 1944, by Seven Arts
Feature Syndicate)
ANTI-SEMITISM
Financed by mysterious sources, a
huge army of investigators is busily at
v ■ rork compiling statistics on such topics
as how many Jews are running cars, the
percentage of Jews who go in for pleas-
ure traveling in war time, the number
of Jews in black market activities, and
so on and so forth . . . It goes without
saying that such statistics, no matter
how obtained, cannot be reliable . . . The
purpose of this group is to prepare false
figures for anti-Semitic use in local elec-
tion campaigns throughout the country
. . In other words, the idea is to help
put anti- Semitic candidates in the field
. .. So don't be surprised if anti-Semitic
tactics in this country switch from in-
cidents of physical violence to a super-
smear-campaign . . . Here, on the other
-hand, is a story told by Thyra Edwards,
the noted Negro writer . . . In Moscow
she witnessed the trial of a famous stage
designer charged with narrating jokes
and anecdotes of an - anti-Semitic char-
acter . . . His defense was that he could
not be an anti-Semite, since he was him-
self a Jew . , He was penalized none
the less, because the judge found that
anti-Semitic propaganda, whatever its
source, is punishable.
* * *
JEWISH AFFAIRS
Here's the week's $64 question: Rabbi
Aaron Wise came to America in 1873 . •
He brought along with him his son,
Stephen, who was then one year old . .
So says the Universal Jewish Encyclo-
pedia . . • Yet Stephen S. Wise is cele-
brating his seventieth birthday this
month . . What's the answer? . . . In
any event, - congratulations to Rabbi Wise,
who unquestionably is America's out-
standing Jewish leader.
The new Herzliah Hebrew Academy
building at Riverside Drive and 91st St.,
New York, which is being dedicated this
Monday, will have in its auditorium a
portrait of Dr. Theordor Herzl, founder
of modern. Zionism.
The latter organization evades issues
Anna Center Schneiderman, vice pres-
which call for action. It seeks to es-
tablish_ "good will" through education ident of the American Jewish Congress,
and by means of a long-range program. has been invited by the UNRRA to pro-
Often, its inactivity and its emphasis on ceed to Europe on a very important
nice words places it in an awkward po- mission.
Still confined to the house as a result
sition, especially in instances where big-
otry is felt and where firm action could of his recent accident is Isaac Carmel,
bring results in re-establishing friendly veteran Zionist leader • . . 13ut he hopes
to be up and about by Pesach.
relations by a repudiation in tine strong-
* * • *
est terms of any expression of prejudice.
ABOUT
PEOPLE
At Washington on March 9, the Chris-
Cleveland's 12-year-old prodigy, Mer-
tian Council on Palestine proved that it
is not necessary to mince words when nit Kenneth Wolf, is now - a second-year
basic issues are involved. Eminent student at Yale University, and bids fair
Christian leaders spoke up in protest to be the youngest student to graduate
against attempts to freeze Jewish efforts from the venerable institution . . . He
in Palestine. They did not hesitate to has an I. Q. of 182 and mental age of
condemn government officials as well as 20.
New York State Senator Seymour
false propagandists who misrepresented
facts affecting Jewish aspirations in Halpern is busily engaged in painting a
Eretz Israel. They were emphatic when- portrait of his Governor, Thomas E.
speaking of anti-Semitism as well as the Dewey.
The wife of foreign correspondent
need for eradicating all manifestations
Louis Fischer (to her intimates she is
of prejudice.
It was good to hear men speak up and known as Markusha) will soon publish
-a • book on her life in Russia during both
to be unafraid.
Of what avail is preachment on good the Czarist and the Soviet period.
will if we are to be inactive?
EVERYONE LOVES A HERO
President Roosevelt's statement to Drs-
Stephen S. Wise and Abba Hilda Silver
did more to ease tense feelings; it served
also to out an end to utterly stupid
claims" that Dr. Silver was too emotional
in his approach to the Palestinian issue,
that the Palestine, Resolution was intro-
duced in Congress prematurely, etc., etc.
It is the old story: the world loves a
winner. When Hank Greenberg clouted
a home run, he was cheered; when he
struck out, he was told to go back to the
Bronx.
Having gotten a good reception from
FDR, Dr. Silver is the hero again.
Too many people seem to forget that
this is a crucial hour; that it is nearly
12 o'clock and that a fight must be
waged to a - finish against the- outrageous
British White Paper on Palestine:
Therefore, the Palestine Congressional
Resolutions were not ill-timed.
. Also: too many people fail to recognize
that a fight on the White Paper alone is
not enough without protection from
those who will enter Palestine after the
White Paper is scrapped. A strong po-
litical set-up is necessary 'to provide such
protection. .
There is justification for questioning
the sincerity .of those who are only op-
posed to the White Paper but fail to
demand political. guarantees for a Jew-
ish Palestine. The Christians who met in
Washington knew better. They are hon-
est in their approach and they demand
full protection for a Jewish Palestine.
• • " -
Dr. Serge Koussevitzky, the celebrated
conductor of the Boston Symphony Or-
chestra, was in his youth one of the
world's finest double bass players.
* * *
Novelist Condemns
Diplomatic Cruelty
Snobs and those who show cruelty in
their relationships to refugees in the dip-
lomatic service are severely condemned
in I. V. Morris' novel, "Liberty Street,"
published by Harpler & Bros. -
Only two of the Characters in the book
are Jewish, and they are .very important.
Nevertheless, this novel has an import-
ant appeal for Jewish readers because
of the sympathetic way in which it ap-
proaches the refugee issue.
The central theme is the fate of a group
of refugees stranded in a Central Am-
erican country awaiting their visas to
the United States and dependent on the
American representative, Warfield • Har-
rington, to whom regulations are more
important than human lives. He is pre-
sented - as typical of the "influential 'fac-
tion in the State Department." At one
point he states to a person applying for
a visa: "We've quite enough undesir-
ables in the United States as it is—Sem-
ites and others."
In view of the many stories current
about the State Department it may • be
that there is less fiction in this book
than the designation as a novel would
imply.