Friday, September 8, i944
THE 'JEWISH NEWS
Page Two
Heard in
The Lobbies
By ARNOLD LEVIN
(Copyright, 1944 Independent Jewish
Press Service, Inc.)
.
CONJECTURE
Grapevine rumors are divided with
regard to Palestine. Until now there was
a single whisper:—that Britain will pro-
pose the partitioning of Palestine. Nov
a new rumor has been gaining circula-
tion, namely, that Britain will propose
a bi-national state. She may be purpose-
ly encouraging the whispers about par-
tition, some say, in order to have the
Jews commit • themselves against it, and
then announce that, in view of the fact
that partition is not acceptable, a bi-
national state - is the only solution. She
expects to confound .Zionist circles, be-
cause there are some in Palestine ,'w h o
have .favored a bi-national state all along,
but of course not the kind that Britain
may devise. You may be certain of one
thing—whatever forms she proposes,
their aim will be to retain Palestine un- -
der British control. The reason: within
five- years, according to the Anglo-Egyp-
tian Convention, she'll have to remove
her troops from Egypt, and Palestine is
the most suitable base to replace Egypt
in British schemes.
* *
UNITY
This is a little item on the subject of
Jewish unity. Even now that co-operation
has, at long last, been achieved between
the Rescue Commission of the American
Jewish Conference and groups outside
the Conference, all is not as yet hunky-
dory. For example: A memorandum on
the plight of Hungarian Jewry was
drawn up by the Conference and these
groups for submission to the State De-
partment. Among the signatories was the.
leftist Jewish Peoples Committee. The
Jewish Labor Committee balked. They
'declared that as long as the signature of
this one leftist group is retained on the
memorandum, the Jewish Labor Corn-
mittee will not go along. The name re-
mained, the the document was submitted
to the State Department without the sig-
nature of the Labor Committee, Tell it
to the 'Jews in Hungary.
4,
*
*
TIMELY READING
To get an insight into the potentialities
of Gerald L. K. Smith's Ameriba First
Party we recommend that you read two
books dealing with past events—Howard
Fast's "Freedom Road," a novel on the
Reconstruction Period in the South - and
the emergence of the Klan and its ter-
ror, and Lion. Feuchtwanger's "Success,"
published over a decade and .a half ago
and depicting the rise
of Hitlerism in
-
Germany . , . iWe. Wonder -how many
recall that - in the 'days of 'his Committee
of One Million when Gerald L. K. Smith
was first starting out as an Anti-Red
Knight and denying all anti-Semitic in-
tent, he boasted the suPport of "S o m e
wealthy Jews." At a press interview at
the Hotel Commodore several years ago,
Smith countered your reporter's chargé
of anti-Semitism by exclaiming: "Now
look here, would wealthy Jews support
me as they do if I were an anti-Semite?
I'm only out after the Reds:.. My Com-
mittee..o&Orie Million is. non-Sectarian."
A Document
Of Our Time
By FRITZ FLESCH
"Man and Catastrophe: Sermons
Preached at the Refugee's Services of the
United Synagogue, London," by - Dr.
Ignaz Maybaum, former Rabbi and Lec-
turer in the Philosophy of Religion in
Berlin, translated -from the German by
Joseph Leftwich, with a foreword by the
Archbishop of York, is a document of
our time.
It is of value to the student of Jewish
history as well as to the general reader
in this field. It is unique in contemporary
Jewish literature: The author is an out-
standing German Rabbi. He was a pris-
oner in a Gerinan concentration camp. By
the help of Britain's Chief Rabbi, Dr.
Hertz, he preached in London (May, 1939;
February, 1941) to his fellow Jewish ref-
ugees and to the Christian World.
But in the USA where 200,000 Jewish
refugees live, where "re-settlement" and
not only refuge is the slogan, no notice
was taken of this publication. Here too
the Christian World should have had a
chance to benefit from this book. I do
hope it is not too late now. People in
USA who have "handled" refugees,
should have known of the existence of
this book and made use of it. It would
reveal a lot of the state of mind of
America's Jewry.
Recruits for Palestine Toil
By WILLIAM B. SAPHIRE
In the heart of New Jersey's farmlands are two agricultural settlements,
where Jewish young men and women train to become Chalutzim. (pioneers)
in Palestine. Both these sister farms, one at Cream Ridge and the other 15
miles away, near Hightstown, are run on a communal basis. They belong
to the Hechalutz Organization of America, the pioneer training center which
in 15 years has sent several hundred Jewish youths to irrigate and farm the
soil of Jewish Palestine.
I came to Cream Ridge late on a hot Friday afternoon when the week's
work was done. Their work over, these Chalutzim had gravitated to a spot
under a thick maple tree before the house. This is their leisure ground, the
"talk-it-over" place.
Benny Cohen, a young man of about 25 from Chicago, is the "Sadran,"
the work organizer.
The work, identical tasks for male and female, ranges from harrowing
and weeding of the vegetable fields, feeding 3,000 white leghorn hens, to
milking and caring for 11 cows. Then there are a machine shop, the house
and kitchen to look after. Jobs are rotated weekly.
Dress is informal, even on the Sabbath. The absence of nylons, silks,
shoe ration points doesn't trouble the girls at the Hechalutz farms.
"Uniform?" I asked.
"The only thing uniform about our clothes is the patches," she said.
Every Chalutz Must Know Hebrew
Their attitude toward money is the same. "We all get spending money
when it's necessary to go into the city," Miriam who was elected "treasurer"
told me. "Whatever the farm earns, or we have when we join, goes into -the
common chest."
Before . sailing for Palestine each member of Hechalutz must pass a stiff
examination in Hebrew.
A slim light-haired girl from the Middle West holds Hebrew classes
twice a week in the evening after the work day.
Chalutzim come from all -parts of the United States, and some are for-
eign born. At my table, Brooklyn and the Bronx were represented along
with New Jersey, Detroit, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, Byalostok in
old Poland, and Palestine. Last names are all but forgotten at the farm. The
boys Al, Myron, Mendy, Benny, Dave and Phil; the girls: Shoshanah, Chanah,
Leah, Rose and Lil.
They Are Proud of Aaron Remez
At supper it's time to talk about personal matters. Many of the older
girls have husbands in the services, overseas or waiting to be shipped. Of
these men, many worked at the farms before induction. Their photographs
line the top of the old upright piano in the recreation room. Above the photos
hang two small flags, "Old Glory" of. the United States, and the. Blue and
White with the six-copered Star of David. The husband of one of the girls
is Aaron Remez, a son of David Remez, secretary of the Histadruth, Palestine
labor organization. He has just completed his R.A.F. training in Canada and
received his wings. He pilots a Hurricane fighter. They are especially proud
of him here. He is the only pilot in the Royal Air Force with "Palestine"
embroidered on the shoulder.
With the exception of one or two, none of the future pioneers has ever
been to Palestine. Yet they know the country as if they were born there;
the various soils, the rainfall, systems of irrigation, roads, mountains, colonies.
A few have friends or relatives in Palestine. A letter with the Eretz Yisroel
postmark is the most prized possession. Like everything else at Hetchalutz
Farm it belongs to the community. It's read in Hebrew a dozen times and
translated. It is posted on the bulletin board where every one can read the
first hand account of sister Kvutzoth in Palestine.
Purely
Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
"YANKEE DOODLE HITLER"
- A few days before Gerald L. K. Smith
and his handful of supporting rabble-
rousers held their comic political con-
vention in Detroit to nominate their
Fuehrer for the Presidency of the United
States, Rex , Stout and Dr. L. M. Birk
head of the Friends of Democracy issued
a pamphlet in which they founct,the pro-
per name for the Detroit demagogue.
"Yankee Doodle Hitler" is what they
call Smith, and in these three words they
Sum up the entire problem presented by
the America Firsters.
The Yankee Doodle element refers to
the comedy they stage, but one must be
realistic and must append -to this group
the title Hitler, since they follow the
Nazi pattern of hating Jews and Negroes,
of. arousing class hatreds, of appealing
to the lowest emotions of their followers.
* * *
FUN—LIKE HITLER
Like the rise of Fuehrer Adolf, the
American Firsters have also begun by
shrieking their nonsense.
For some people, the news stories
properly picture the Smith set-up as a
ridiculous occurrence in American life.
But if, like the Nazis, the America First
party should gain adherents, then their
menacing gestures will become a threat
to all groups in this country, since bigotry
sooner or later strikes all, without distinc-
tion as to race or creed.
* * *
DON'T BE FRIGHTENED!
Smith and his cohorts were a real
threat to our democracy before the war.
Some of the little Hitlers disappeared
from the scene immediately after Pearl
Harbor; some of them are under indict-
ment,
Now, with peace in sight, some of them
are raising their heads again and a r e
sounding ugly cries which reek with
hatred and prejudice.
That does,, not provide reason for fear
or panic. On the contrary, it calls for
calmness and sane consideration of our
problems. It demands that all of us
should be prepared to face all issues
and should speak up,„ whenever dangerous
outbursts by rabble-rousers should be
in evidence.
Frightened people can not—some dare
not—speak. Calm and composed people
are unafraid and are able to face issues.
Therefore—don't be frightened. Have
faith in America and be prepared for all
eventualities. Be ready to put up battle
Between
You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1944, •
J' A,
Inc.)
POLITICAL TALL:.
With all sorts of international political
negotiations in progress here and in Lon-
don, we learn from. none other than
Sumner Welles that serious consideration
is being given to the proposal -of settling
refugees in Angola ... It will be remem-
bered that Angola was offered for Jew-
ish settlement in 1911 and that this offer
led to a split in the Zionist movement
.. Mr. Welles is of the opinion that no
country, except Switzerland, has met its
responsibility with regard to admitting
refugees .. . As former under-Secretary
of State he certainly knows best, espe-
cially since he still held that post when
the Bermuda Conference took place . . .
Mr. Welles does not hesitate to say that
the number of Jewish refugees admitted
to Palestine was pitifully small . . . This
attitude reflects more or less the present
mood. of Washington officialdom, even
though certain persons in the. Near East-
ern Division of the State Department are
inclined to be more pro-Arab than pro-
Jewish.
* * *
STORM ON THE HORIZON
There is a good deal of internal strife
within the American Zionist Emergency
Council . . . Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, chair-
man of the Council, insists that Dr.
Nahum Goldmann should not make rep-
resentations to the State Department in
behalf of the Jewish Agency as he does
from time to time . . . Such representa-
tions should be made by the Zionist
Emergency Council which is a body of
the American Zionist groups established
for this purpose, Dr. Silver argues . . .
Supporting Dr. Silver are the Mizrachi
and the Zionist Laborites ... The Hadas-
sah representative in the Emergency
Council seems to oppose Dr. Silver's
views . . . The situation has reached a
point where Dr. Silver submitted his
resignation ... Many leading Zionists are
trying to prevent a break in the ranks
of the Committee, since this would in-
evitably lead to a serious split within the
entire Zionist movement in the United
States ... As these lines are written the
crisis is at its height, since Dr. Silver is
determined to withdraw from leadership
if his terms are not accepted.
for the preservation of American ideals
and know that when it is necessary to
fight for justice we fight to protect the
freedom of all peoples, not merely our
own.
Strictly
Confidential
By PHINEAS J. BIRON
(Copyright. 1944, by Seven Arts
Feature Syndicate)
ZIONIST MERRY-GO-ROUND
Premier Nuri Pasha of Iraq, who is
expected to arrive at Washington short-
ly, will devote himself to a single mis-
sion: the undermining of Jewish hopes
for an independent political status in
Palestine ... Premier Nuri Pasha, whose
country played ball with the Nazis until
British military forces defeated her, has
been entrusted by important anti-Zionist'
Arab leaders of the Near East with the
diplomatic task of countering Zionist
political moves in Washington . . . Pierre
pointed A
van Paasseri two• . years
Pasha ,as the 4-ios.t.siillfuT.Of,Arab':
anti-Zionists and' urged action to expoSe
Nuri's political machinations . . Zionist
political . leaders declined to take the
necessary steps,..hOWever, . They con-
sidered Nuri pasha iinirriportant . Al-
though he does not operate in...Palestine,
he is today acknowledged to be the poli-
tical heir of the Grand Mufti and the
rallying force for all aggressive anti,-
Jewish elements in the Near East.
*
NAZI NEWS
One of the most ghastly aspectk of the
Nazis' wholesale murder of Jews in Po-
land: The ashes of the victims were sold
for large sums to Germans in Germany,
who were told that these were the ashes
of cremated Nazi heroes • . The corn-
mercial utilization of the bodies and per-
sonal effects of the pogrom victims was
carried out with characteristic German
thoroughness . . . Even the gold teeth
were taken from the corpses' mouths, to
pay for the bullets and gas that killed
these innocent Jewish men, women and
children.
That old rumor about Hitler's double
is being taken out of the mothballs again
. Now the story is that Hitler left
Germany a month or so ago; and a suc-
cessful assassination attempt will soon be
made against his currently functioning
double—to confuse the international dip-
lomatic situation still further.
On Broadway, they're saying these
days that you needn't think the end of
the war is in sight till the Theater Guild
starts rehearsing a Berlin company of
"Jacobowsky and the Colonel."
-
* * *
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
"The Challenger" is the name of a
forthcoming monthly comic book that
will fight Fascism through a comic strip
. . . It's intended for the millions who
read such comic literature.
A novel by Ben Hecht is always a lit-
erary event . . . His new offering, "I
Hate Actors," is said to be the funniest
book yet written about Hollywood.
Marie Syrkin (Mrs. Charles Reznikoff)
has written "Your School, Your Chil-
dren," which will be published by L. B.
Fischer next month . . . It's topic is ra-
cial and religious relations in the class-
room.
* * *
STAGE AND. SCREEN
Yiddish theater-goers are looking for-
ward to Jacob Ben Ami's production of
"The Miracle of the Warsaw Ghetto" . .
Ben Ami has leased the former home
of the Yiddish Art Theater in NeW York's
Second Avenue.
"Decision," Edward Chodorov's anti-
Fascist play, which enjoyed a consider-
able run on Broadway last season, will
soon be screened by Hollywood, with
Walter Huston in a major role.
* * *
ABOUT PEOPLE
Technical Sergeant David Lax, one-
time commercial artist who we predicted
would some day shake the art world,
has done it . . He is now one of the
four official painters for the American
Army in the European theater of oper-
ations.
Concerning Max Band's latest painting
on the. Jewish tragedy,' -"Ecce Homo,"
Sholom Asch writes us: "I consider
Band's canvas a symbol of our time and
of Jewish destiny throughout the ages"
Pvt. David Ewen who in civilian life
used to write on music, hasn't changed
his habits • . ..In his spare time at Camp
Stewart, Ga., he founded and edited a
weekly newspaper and finished his new
book, "Men of Popular Music," scheduled
for publication. soon.
Rare indeed is the movie you see giv-
ing screen script credit to playwright
Clifford Odets, yet Clifford has been
drawing large salaries in Hollywood for
years ... The answer is that he's written
a great many scripts which have become
successful films—but in almost every
case the studio has insisted on changes
of which Odets disapproved to the ex-
tent of refusing to let his name appear
on the picture.=
,