( Page Two
THE JEWISH NEWS
Heard in
The Lobbies
Quotation of the Week
"RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE: We unreservedly condemn
the injectiOn into American life of appeals to racial or religious prejudice.
We pledge an immediate Congressional inquiry to ascertain the extent to
which mistreatment, segregation and discrimination against Negroes who are
in our armed forces are impairing morale and efficiency, and the adoption
of corrective legislation. We pledge the establishment by Federal legislation
of a permanent Fair Employment Practice Commission. -
"PALESTINE: In order 'to give refuge to millions of distressed Jewish
men, women and children driven from their homes by tyranny we call for
the opening of Palestine to their unrestricted immigration and land owner-
ship, so that in accordance with the full intent and purpose of the Balfour
Declaration of 1917. and the resolution • of a Republican Congress in 1922,
Palestine may be constituted as a free and democratic commonwealth. We
condemn the failure of the President to insist that the mandatory of Palestine
carry out the provision of the Balfour Declaration and of the mandate while
he pretends to support them."
—PLANKS IN REPUBLICAN PLATFORM.
( By ARNOLD LEVIN
(Copyright, 1944. Independent Jewish
Press Service. Inc.)
DIPLOMATIC TOUCH
Credit veteran editor Jacob Fishman
with recalling the "Jewish" record of
Britain's Minister of Production Oliver
Lyttelton who made a blundering state-
ment (for which he later apologized,
which did not undo the blunder). Lytttel-
ton, Mr. Fishman points out, had at one
time been entrusted with a delicate
mission to the Middle East and his ad-
vice was to appease the pro-Axis. Arabs,
deny the, pro-Allied Jews. Walter Win-
chell adds to this the interesting in-
formation that Lyttelton was closely as-
sociated with members of the pro-Nazi
Anglo-German Fellowship, • active in the
Francophile "Friends of Nationalist
Spain," and deep in the mires of appease-
ment and Britain's version of America
Firstism. -
* * *
CONGRATULATIONS
Our best to Dr. A. L. Sachar, national
director of the Bnai Brith Hillel Found-
ations, who starts out July 10 as a daily
news commentator over NBC's Chicago
outlet, WMAQ.
• * *
ZIONIST YOUTH
The Labor Zionist youth groups are
threatening to withdraw from the Zionist
Youth Commission if the rumored merger
arrangement between the Hillel Found-
ations of Bnai Brith and the Zionist Or-
ganization of America goes through.
* * *
CAPITOL NEWS
Abe Fortas, Sec'y Ickes' wonder-boy, is
blossoming forth into politics. He makes
his bow as Keynoter at the Young Dem-
ocrats conclave.
. Senator Bilbo's anti-Semitic oratory
aimed at him must have upset Bernard
Baruch considerably. He is sensitive
about anti-Semitism, keeps a clipping
book containing all the anti-Semitic
snipes at him. -
Purely
Commentary
Strictly
Confidential
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
ELEPHANT AND DONKEY •
Republican platform-writers used
strong words with reference to the Jew-
ish position in Palestine in the clause
demanding adherence to pledges con-
tained in the Balfour Declaration.
There is no doubt that the stand taken
by the Republican National Convention
will bear fruit. The fact that the minority
party has declared itself in positive terms
on the subject should cause Democrats to
sit up and to take notite, and it should
awaken British statesmen from their
lethargy.
This is a war for justice, and abuse of
pledges to the first victims of Hitlerism
must • not be tolerated. The African and
Italian campaigns are over, the invasion
of Europe is a fact, and this is high time
for the politicians of both parties to in-
sist that the military angle, which inter-
fered with action on the Congressional
Resolution for a Jewish Commonwealth,
no longer presents a valid argument.
Democrats;. too, will undoubtedly act- on
the question, and supPort for a..
Commonwealth also may be incorporated
under the symbol of the Donkey • as well
•as the Elephant.
* * *
THE EXPECTED STATEMENT
A realistic evaluation of pledges to
Jews is in order, and one need not take
sides either with' Republicans or. Demo-
By HEINRICH HEINE
crats in order to recognize brutal facts.
(1799-1856)
Since the Democrats are yet to speak,
(Translated from the German by Sir the joke in the vote-getting scramble May
Theodore Martin, K.C.B., and
be on the Republicans. It is quite , cer-
Edgar A. Boring, C.B.)
tain that a joint statement, to be signed
*(Editor's Note: In view of the revived interest
by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and
in a Jewish hospital in Detroit, The Jewish
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, will be
News is pleased to publish this poem by the
great German-Jewish writer). .
forthcOming either in late August or early
A hospital for Jews who're sick and September: It is expected to be a most
needy, -
favorable declaration, backed by the
For those unhappy threefold sons of British Cabinet. ,
sorrow,
Actions speak. louder. than words, and
Afflicted by the. three_ most dire mis- a pledge for a Jewish Commonwealth,
fortunes
made . by the United States and Great
Britain, may atone 'for all the harm that
Of poverty, disease, and Judaism.
has been done the Jewish cause through
The worst by far of all the three the the curtailment of Jewish immigration to
last is,
Palestine and the infringements contain-
That family misfortune, thousand years
*ed in the 'infamous White Paper.
old,
-
•
_
That plague which - had its birth in Nile's
'THE FORGOTTEN SANCTUARY
far valley,
Conithentator is much more con-
The old Egyptian and 'Unsound religion.
cerned: over What *remains unsaid rather
Incurable deep pain, 'gainst which avail than the contents of the paragraphs deal-
ing with the Palestinian question in the
Nor: shower nor vapor-bath, the appi= Republican 'platform.
The. Rep-ublican ,convention's program,
Of surgery, nor all the means of healing. in its condemnation of President Roose-
Which this . house offers to its sickly velt's "pretentions":' on the question of
inniates..
Palestine and the - - Balfour Declaration,
Will Time, eternal goddess e'er extinguish - declares that "in order .to give refuge to
This glowing ill, descending from the millions of distressed Jewish men, women
and children driven from their homes by
father,
Upon the son, and will the grandson ever tyranny we call for the opening. of Pales,
Be cured, and 'rational become and tine to their unrestricted immigration and
land ownership. . . ."
happy?
- Not a Word about a hbme in this coun-
I cannot tell, yet' in the -meantime let us try, in adherence to an• established tradi-
Extol - that heart which lovinglY and tion which made this country ,a sanctuary
wisely
for the oppressed!
Sought to alleviate pain as far as may be,
In both Houses of Congress, attempts to
Into the wounds a timely balsam pouring. establish "free ports"—a most undesirable
Dear worthy man, He here has built a solution, but the only available one in
view of immigration restrictions—had met
refuge
For sorrows which by the physician's . with attacks from Democrats as well as
Republicans.
science
The "haven of refuge" ideal is a for-.
(Or else by death's) are curable, pro-
gotten tradition! '
viding
- • •
The Politicians—Democrats as well as
Cushions, refreshing drinks, and food,
Republicans— are in favor of havens for
and nurses.
Jews, with the proviso that they should
A man of 'deeds, he did• his very utmost,
"go elSewhere."- That's' the standing rule
Devoted to good works his hard-earned that made a fiasco of the Evian and Ber-
savings
--
rriuda conferences and prevented the res-
In his life's evening, kindly and humanely, cuing Of -thousands who could 'then have
Recruiting from his toils by • 'acts of been saved.
mercy. .
Naturally, it is better that there should
He gave with open hand—but .gifts still be action. late than never; that the one
available 'spot for Jewish colonization-
richer,
His tears, full often from his eyes • were PaleStineshould not be restricted: Birt
we can not forget the -admonition of Dr.
rolling,
Tears fair and precious) which he -wept Carl' -Voss;, executive director of the
deploring
Christian. Council for PaleStine, that other
jiis brethren's great, incurable misfor- places—including the ;;United . States
tune.
must be opened for JeWish settlerneni, if
The New Jewish
Hamburg Hospital
'
.•
. Friday, july 7, 1944
By' PHINEAS J. BIRON
(Copyrigh).. 1944, by Seven Arts
-
Feature Syndicate)
PALESTINE NEWS •
The -Palestine plank in the Republican
Convention platform is being received
with mixed feelings by the Zionist rank
and file . . . While the Zionists are grate-
ful for Republican support of the Balfour
Declaration, they resent the second part
of the resolution, which criticizes Roose-
•velt and makes of the Jewish Palestine
issue a football in American politics..
It looks as if the Zionist Organization
of America will reach its quota of $60,-
000,000 in War Bond sales . . . Not a bad
figure for an organization of . 100,000
members.
When Pierre van Paassen revealed five
years ago that oil had been discovered
in Palestine he was called "irresponsible"
• . Now the "Palestine and Near East"
magazine confirms that abundant oil re-
sources exist in the Dead Sea area.
Moshe Shertok, chief of the. Political
Department of the. Jewish Agency; will
definitely arrive in this country before
Labor Day.
Meyer W. Weisgal will soon be flying
to London to consult . the head of the
Jewish Agency, Dr. Chaim Weizmann.
)
*
*
LISTEN HERE
The activities of certain Hungarian
groups and ,newspapers 'in this country
should be investigated . . The tie-up
between Hungarian and Polish anti-
Seri-lite groups in America is very sig-
nificant . . The German authorities in
Holland have devised a new trick to
ferret out' JeWish children hidden these
past few years by courageous Christians
. . The Nazis have issued_ a decree or-
dering the registration of all children
under 15, ostensibly to "facilitate identi-
fication following air raids".. . . So our
good Hollanders simply refuse to register
any children.
-• Don't miss "The Nazis Go Under-
ground," by Curt Riess . . . It tell_s of the
Nazi - plans for the future,- after' the de-
feat even they know is Inevitable' in
this war . • Whith reminds us of the
messages German war prisoners have
been scattering • about the Michigan
countryside while• being transported
from their camps to their places of work
. . The messages, wrapped around candy
bars, read: "Germany is better than the
United' States, and we. will show you
next time".
Sam Koenig, old-tithe New York poli-
tical leader, .established a record at the
Republican National Convention by ser,
ving as a. delegate for the tenth succes-
sive time.
•
the Christian sentiments of mercy are
truly valid.
We do not doubt the sincerity which
motivated Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio,
chairman of the resolutions committee
at The Republican- convention, in sponsor-
ing the plank for Palestine. We know
that the Republican nominee, Thomas E.
Dewey, has on many occasions spoken in
similar terms.
Neither do we doubt the sincerity of
Senator Robert F. Taft, New- York Derno-
crat, _who• heads the American Palestine'
Committee.
• There is unanimity on the question, of
the need for putting an end to Jewish
homelessness through the 'establishment
of a Jewish Commonwealth.
What we deplore is that the sudden af-
fectation of love comes on the eve of an
historic national election and that it is
limited to Palestine, without making it
possible for this great land -to rescue—
even for the duration of the war—several
thousands of oppressed Jews. To rescue
htiman beings, •he entire world should .
be a sanctuary.
If the Republican action augurs the ar-
rival of a new day, divorced from preju-
dice; and 'if the
•. Democrats follow suit;
then we Shall bless- the hour of the adop- -
tion, of the Palestinian' plank as part of -
the' iteiiibllca
n
Between
You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
.Copyright, 1944, Jewish Telegraphic Agency,Incil
THE POLITICAL POT
There is a good' deal of resentment
among leading Zionists over the • fact
that the national convention of the Re-
publican Party saw fit to utilize the
pro-Palestine plank of its platform for
an attack on President Roosevelt . . .
It is felt that the Republicans will gain
little, by trying to give the impression,
as they do in their plank on Palestine,
that Roosevelt only "pretends" to support
the provisions of the Balfour Declaration,4,
but actually has done nothing to see that
they .-are carried out . . . The Republican
statement on Palestine would have been
more appreciated if it were limited to
its first section' . . . It can now be re-
vealed that Gov. Dewey sent messages to
leading members of the Republican
Party endorsing the Palestine plank be-
fore the platform was adopted ..
Others who worked actively for the
adoption of this plank were Herbert
Brownell, Dewey's campaign manager,
and John Dulles, Dewey's personal ad-
visor on foreign affairs . . . No little
credit for the pro-Palestine plank is due
also to Dr. Abba Hillel Silver who spent
a week in Chicago before and during
the Republican Convention . . . Speaking
of Dewey, some members of the Amer-
ican Jewish Committee may still remem-
ber how Judge Proskauer, years ago, -
suggested that the Committee employ
the services of a "capable young lawyer
named Dewey" in its work of combatting
anti-Semitism in the United States . ".
Had this suggestion been accepted, the
. present Republican candidate for • the _
Presidency would have probably been
today one of the employes of. the Amer-
ican Jewish Committee of whom little
would be known:,
* * *
THE • JEWISH FRONT -
Reports of the• Joint Distribution Coin. -
mittee, which cannot be made public,
indicate that rescue possibilities are • be-
coming brighter . . . It is increasingly
possible now to utilize Underground
channels effectively and bring aetual
help, food and medicaments to Jews
inside occupied. Europe . . There are
also prospects of rescuing a number of
Jewish children in Nazi-held and Nazi-
dominated countries . . . The United
States Government has promised to ad-
mit 5,000 such children . . Canada is
pledged to admit 1,000 children . .
Some Latin American countries have
also promised to absorb orphaned child-
ren from Europe.
Liberty Bell
A Song for Independence Day
By' RUFUS LEARSI
Editor's Note: Rufus Learsi is the pen-name~
Of Israel Goldberg, author of several volumes
of Jewish history, fiction poems and plays:.
This poem is one of a group on the Jewish.
festivals, with Independence Day and Thanks-
giving included: • The poems have been set:
to music by the 'cantor and composer• Max
Janowski. The words from the Bcok of Le-
viticus (XXV:10) engraved on the American,
Liberty Bell are "Proclaim liberty throughout,
the land unto all the inhabitants' thereof."
In the song of the spheres a new chorus
is heard,
-
'
As round the sun they go wheelingli
A nation is born by the spell of a Word
And a bell the glad tidings is pealing.
The Word is engraved on the brow ot
the bell,
And it rises • on sovereign pinions;
Hark! It is Liberty, sounding the knell
Of tyrants and - all their minions.
- -
Like -a bolt fell' the Word on' a world in.,
travail,
'
But' the stars in their courses had!
heard it:
On a wandering folk by a wilderness
trail
•
The Ancient of Days had conferred it.
They blazed it upon their thunderous;
scroll,
And to alltheir longings they bound it;
And men who have leaped to the cry Of
*the Soul
• Have looked for it , there and have-
found it.
.
Bright herald of yore, though silent your-
tongue,
The Word on your brow is still sound.-
ing,
Uplifting a people. and making it strong,
Oppressors and tyrants Confounding.
It rings from your bronze like the an-
'
cient command,
A new morrow for mankind foretelling:
"Spread. tiding of- liberty all through the
-
land
- -
And to all that in'it are dwelling!"
(COpyright, 1944, by
'
Skilekendeat 40vish Press ServiCe;