Page Two Purely Commentary TFIE . SE W ,1 - - 20 Years Ago (Fron4Cables of JTA) BERLIN — Adolf Hitler, the anti-Se- :mitic leader in Bavaria, who is now im- prisoned in the fortress of Landsberg for :his participation in the Bavarian rising last November, will be released on Octo- ber 1, when he will have completed his sentence of six months imprisonment. • Anti-Semitic circles are busy speculat- ing on the possibility of. Hitler leading a new anti-Jewish movement in Bavaria on his release. The press is wondering what attitude he will take in regard to the con- flict between the two anti-Semitic parties in. Bavaria, the Pan-German Anti-Se- mitic Party and the Parliamentary Party led by General Ludendorff. PARIS — Leon Blum,. leader of the French Socialist Party, will, in all prob- ability, be appointed Ambassador to Ger- many, according to information given out today by well-informed parliamentary circles. Friday, -Sepferrtber-29,.1:944 S An Evaluation of Our Responsibilities in Forthcoming War Chest Campaign Strictly Confidential By WILLIAM FRIEDMAN By PHINEAS J. B1RON Our Debt tolleseuelFunds f By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ THE SIDNEY HILLMAN INCIDENTS The Sidney Hillman incidents even those in Pittsburgh where signs were dis- played reading "It's Your Country—Why Let. Sidney Hillman Run It?"—would not be worth bothering about, were it not for the fact that several Congressmen in- jected the Jewish issue in the discussion which seeks to make the Jewish labor leader the scapegoat in the Republican- Democratic battle for votes at the coming Nov. 7 election. Some Congressmen have placed em- phasis on the foreign birth of Mr. Hill- man. Others have branded him Com- munist, IWW and a dozen other titles which serve to becloud a political issue. It is no wonder, therefore, that an emi- nent columnist, Marquis Childs, saw fit to devote a column to the Hillman mat- ter, under the heading "The Hating of Hillman." * * * SHOULD THE JEW HIDE? The most important point raised in Mr. Childs' column is the one about the belief of some people who say: "But Hillman, a Jew, should never have put himself out in front." Mr. Childs gives the categorical reply: "That is no answer." What he states in support of his view is worth quoting, He wrote: "To accept that would be to accept an inferior status; to say that brains and ability,• if they are Jewish brains and ability, can go only so far. Such a doc- trine cuts across everything we've cher- ished. in this country." This is a repudiation of ,bigotry worth recording and perpetuating in American political and economic history, The '"hide-the-Jew" arguments were ad- ' vaned when Brandeis, Cardozo• and Frankfurter were to be elevated to the supreme Court; when Henry Morgen- thau was to become Secretary of the Treasury; when able Harvard men were to be given positions of trust by our Government. '."Fortunately, the sane-thinking ele- inents in this land refused to "cut across eyerything we've cherished in this country." Fortunately, also, Sidney Hillman re- :fuses to sacrifice a well-earned right in •lhis country. .1 Let the issues in the political campaign Abe fought on merit, and not on the basis• :of prejudice against Jews and foreign- ' born. * * * :4COMMONS HEARS A COHEN JOKE James Maxton, member of the British . House of Commons, speaking on the em- ployment problem of his country, took :occasion to retell an old joke, thus: "I do not know," said Mr. Maxtor', -"whether the hon. gentleman has heard the, story about Cohen, the Jew, • who could- not sleep at night. He was tossing and turning in his bed. His wife said, `What is wrong with you?' He said, 'I am terribly upset. I owe Isaacs 100 pounds and I do not know where to find it and I cannot pay him.' She said, 'What, .Isaacs across the road?' He said, 'Yes,' She got up, pushed up the window and 'called across the road, 'Isaacs? Cohen owes you 100 pounds and he cannot pay -,it.' Then she shut the window, and said 'to Cohen. 'Now go to sleep and let Isaacs :do the worrying.' " • This story may or may not have been applicable to the debate. But—do these stories react favorably •upon us? Can it be said that it is a typically Jewish story? Isn't it rather an idea born. in the mind of some one who is influenced by the myth that Jews are in the main a :business folk? NE''W Judge of Wayne County Circuit Court; President, Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit There have been many reports in the newspapers in recent weeks describing how the men and women of the French underground helped brina about the liberation of France. In most of these reports; we find recorded the heroism of the -many Jews who fought with the Maquis b to drive the Nazis from French soil. One of the most interesting stories was that of an old Jewish householder in Paris. When he was asked to lend his apartment to some patriots who wanted to install a secret radio station which would have endan- gered his life, he began to cry. They thought he was afraid. But he explained, "for two years I have been waiting for a chance like this." When I read this story, I was profoundly moved by the courageous spirit of that Jewish householder. It made me see how many Jews of Europe were able Judge Friedman to withstand the ceaseless pounding of the Nazi attack. It also made me realize that for that kind of heroic service to the cause of freedom, we are in great debt to our fellow Jews in Europe. That debt we can repay in some small measure• through the War Chest of Metropolitan Detroit which will provide the funds for rescue, recon- struction and relief through the agencies included in the Allied Jewish Campaign. What answer shall we give to the man who wept because the opportunity for sacrifice had not come sooner? Heard in The Lobbies By ARNOLD LEVIN (Copyright, 1944. Independent Jewish Press Service, Inc.) DIVERSE MATTERS Peter H. Bergsonites claim credit for Britain's accession to Jewish demands for a Jewish Brigade. The British gov- ernment, however, in its official an- nouncement, made it clear that the credit belongs to the Jewish Agency. The of- ficial British announcement stated clear- ly "His majesty's government have de- cided to accede to the request of the Executive, of the Jewish Agency for Pal- estine that a Jewish Brigade Group should be formed," and added: "Details of the scheme are being discussed .with- the Jewish Agency which has been in- vited to co-operate in its realization." In the opinion of some people, Jewish leaders had better exert vigilance with regard to the implementation of the Jew- ish Brigade plan. It implies recognition of Jewish nationhood, but coming at this late hour it may also be used by some (if vigilance is not exerted) to keep Pal- estine's Jewish volunteers in occupied territory after the war When they will be most needed in the Jewish homeland. But then the same conspiracy may be afoot not alone against a Brigade, but against all Jewish units . . . Vigilance has always been Zionism's watchword . . . Will this announcement, incidentally, be followed by an announcement. With regard to partition? . . . These are just heard-in-the-lobbies conjectures. Louis Lipsky is credited with having worked out the formula by means of which the inner difficulties in the Amer- ican Zionist Emergency Council were ironed out. * * * SUBJECT: POETRY Yours truly would like to draw atten- tior, to some books of verse by Jews and about Jews. Poets have become fighting men these days, using words as weapons and also becoming schooled at the use of soldiers' weapons. Karl Shapiro, a Jew, and one of the most promising younger American poets, now serving in the Southwest Pacific, has issued another book — this one called, justifiably "V- Letter and other poems," (Reynal and Hitchcock). A Gentile reviewer, oblivious to Shapiro's disguised irony, absurdly referred to him as Christian in his views and sarcastic with regard to the -Jew. Certainly few poets in the English lan- guage have better described the Jewish anguish than Shapiro: "And the word for the murder of Christ will cry out on the air Though the race is no more and the temples are closed of our-will " And the peace is made fast on the earth and the earth is made fair." And with regard to the Synagogue: "The altar of the Hebrews is a house, No relic but a place, Sinai itself, No holy ground but factt,tal holiness Wherein the living God 'Is resident." A poet, consciously Jewish in every line he writes and working in a poetic idiom which is in itself distinctly Jewish, is the Canadian A. M. Klein, whose latest hook, "The Hitleriad," has been issued by New Directions in its the Poets of the Year series. "Take Them,.., Stranger," by Babette Deutsch • (Henry Holt and Co.), a new volume by a poet identified with Jewish crganizations, strangely does not contain any obviously Jewish poems, although the imagery here and there is definitely (Copyrigh•. 1944, by Seven Art Feature Syndicate) YOU SHOULD KNOW The current issue of the Gentile News, organ of the Gentile Cooperative Associa- tion, does us the "honor" of quoting our column . . . It describes as "wishful dreaming our statement that it is on the downpath . . . This anti-Semitic group denies that it is anti-Semitic — and on the very same page backs Gerald L. K. Smith's American-Firsters . . . And do you know what the "Buy Only Gentile" gentry charge yours truly with? • •. • Anti-Gentilism, no less. The whispering campaign about Secre- tary Hull's Jewish wife is in full swing; and it's Gerald L. K. Smith's anti-Semitic propaganda peddlers who are using it. * * * ECHOES Remember when the French warship Richelieu suddenly dashed into New York harbor a couple of years ago, and quite a few of her sailors jumped ship in order to fight on the Free French side? . . Most of them were quickly caught and interned at Ellis Island—and, Win- chell reminds us, it was lawyer Arthur Garfield Hays who conducted their de- fense, gratis and successfully . Now Mr. Hays has a new -client: He is the legal representative in this country of the De Gaulle government. Did you catch those newspaper photos of Major-General Erich Elsner surren- dering 20,000 of Adolf's finest to two By BORIS SMOLAR American officers, and did you note the (Copyright, 1944, TTA, Inc.) friendly smile with which he favored one HERE AND THERE: of the Yanks, Lt.-Col. Bertram Kalisch? The crisis in the American Zionist .. . Kalisch, however, didn't seem quite Emergency Council, which lasted for as happy as the surrendering Nazi—could about a month ; is past . . . Dr. Abba be he was thinking of all the Jews whose Hillel Silver emerged victorious and murder Elsner must have ordered in withdrew his resignation from the Coun- France. The only thing captured by Hitler in cil, after his demand for coordination of Zionist political activities in Washington' the past year, observes an Army camp newspaper, was Mussolini. was complied with. * * * David Stern, head of the agricultural department of the Jewish Agency, re- LISTEN HERE Featured at the Museum of Modern turned to New York from an inspection tour of the -Jewish - settlement in the Art's Show of the art work of Russian Dominican Republic with a very favor- children are a number of battle scenes able report . . . He is soon to proceed painted by 9-year-old Yulik Labas, a to Bolivia in connection with projects Jewish youngster who lived in Moscow for. Jewish settlement there . . . He does until he was evacuated during the Nazis' not intend to remain an the American siege of that city . . . Yulik listened to continent for long, however, since he is war communiques, and • then painted his conception of the battles described. needed in Palestine. The honor of giving Odets' rather radi- Congratulations to Mrs. ,Rose Jacobs, the only woman member of the Jewish cal playlet, "Waiting for Lefty," its Agency executive . . . Her son, Joshua, premiere in Germany goes to Lt. Lewis an officer in the U. S. Navy, has just Pinkussohn, American bombardier, who been awarded the. Legion of Merit for staged it in the Nazi prison camp to bravery and exceptional, services on the which he has been confined since early this year. fighting front overseas: Dr. Joseph Tennenbaum, head of the * * * American Federation of Polish Jews, is MILLIONS TO RECOVER; packing his grips for a visit to Lublin, Millions of dollars have been spent Poland . . He may be accompanied by on bringing Jewish refugees from Eu- two more delegates from this country. When the conference of the World rope to the United States a n d other countries on the American continent • . Jewish Congress opens in New York next Most of these refugees are now well set- November it will be addressed by Under- tled and can afford to start repayment secretary of State Stettinius . . . Among of the sums spat for their transporta- the delegates from Britain will be Lady tion and maintenance This would Reading. * enable a more effective rehabilitation of Jews in the liberated countries, since the ZIONIST NEWS Even if its only a brigade that has payments collected from 'the refugees would be used for aid to Jews impover- emerged, the Jewish Army idea has tri- ished by the Nazis . . The Hias-Ica umphed at last.. . . Much of the credit alone has a list of about 40,000 Jews belongs to the now defunct Committee whom its offices helped to leave Europe for a Jewish Army, which carried on ef- . . The transportation costs of these fective propaganda for this cause — until Jews reached many millions of dollars, the committee became transformed into and each of the refugees signed a pledge the Emergency Conference to Save Eu- to refund the cost of his transportation ropean Jews, which many regard as a when he would be in a position to do nuisance organization. Dr. Nahum Goldmann, now on a visit so . . . Millions of dollars have also been spent by the National Refugee Service to Palestine, got to Eretz Israel by mili- in helping refugees in this country to tary plane, in a straight-line trip. At the opening session of the Zionist get on their feet . . . Not to speak of the millions spent by the Joint Distribution convention in Atlantic City on Oct. 14 Committee . . . There is no doubt that Pierre van Paassen will deliver an ad- the larger proportion of the refugees, dress on the Jewish position in the world especially those who have since become scene. The Rev. Richard Evans, back from a American citizens, would gladly respond to a reminder that the time has come for trans-continental tour in the interests of Zionism, tells us that American Jewry is them to repay the notes. more Palestine-conscious than ever before. Between You and Me , * rooted in thought associations growing out of Jewish experiences. No one can fail to note "Day of Deliverance" by William Rose Benet (Alfred. A. Knopf), in which this distinguished poet, - a non- Jew and brother of the late Stephen Vincent Benet, runs the gamut of topical themes, as is indicated by the subtitle "A Book of Poems in Wartime." On page 13 of the volume you will find "The Burning Orphanage," based on an "inci- dent of the Jewish persecution in Ger- many, 1940." "Why do they war on children? They are set apart from human kind. The other side of the moon holds no such creatures. They rage, being afraid of the nightmare they have made.." * * Bernard M. Baruch is fully recovered and in perfect condition, working a full schedule every day. Congratulations to Benzion Netanyahu, of the New Zionist Organization, on his marriage to lovely Cela Segal . . . The bridegroom is the son of the late Pales- tinian Zionist orator Milukofsky, a n d himself an exceptionally gifted writer in Hebrew and English . . . Mrs. Anna Rosenberg, New York WMC head, has been conferring overseas. Daniel Van Schacht, who has been Henry Montor's assistant in the United Jewish Appeal, • is going to the coast, where he will serve as director of fund- raising for the Los Angeles Sanatorium.