Page Two
T
Purely
Commentary
JEWISH NEWS
Maccabean Victory Has Proved
Eternal Youth of Jewish People
By THE LATE JUSTICE LOUIS D. BRANDEIS
The Jewish calendar has many sorrowful Holy Days. Hanukah—the
Feast of Maccabees—is one of the few joyous Red Letter days. It celebrates
a victorynot a military victory only; but a victory also of the spirit over
things material. Not a victory only over external enemies—the Sadducees. A
victory of the many over the ease-loving, safety-playing, privileged, powerful
few, who . in their pliancy would haye betrayed the best interests of the people
—a victory of democracy over aristocracy.
A3 part of the eternal world-wide struggle for democracy, the struggle
of the Maccabees is of eternal world-wide interest. It is the struggle of the
Jews today as well as of those of two thousand years ago. It is a struggle
in which all Americans, non-Jews as well as Jews, should be vitally interested
because they are vitally affected.
For Zionists, the day has special significance. The Maccabees' victory
proved • that the Jews—then already an old people—possessed the secret of
.eternal youth. The ability to rejuvenate -itself through courage, hope, enthu-
siasm, devotion and self-sacrifice of the plain people. Then they achieved
a rebirth. They will bring again a Jewish Renaissance.
r By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
CHURCHILL AND WEIZMANN
The humiliating statement regarding
the Palestine terrorist gang made by
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, hold-
ing all Jews responsible for the dastard-
ly murder of Lord Moyne, may be the
cause for discussion for a long time to
come.
Since ALL Jewish groups and ALL
elements in Zionism have condemned the
Sternists and since Dr. Chaim Weizmann,
in his capacity as president of the World
Zionist Organization, has made a per-
sonal appearance at 10 Downing Street
to present a statement to Mr. Churchill
deploring the occurrence and pledging
all his efforts in the eradication of ter-
rorism, the Weizmann-Churchill relation-
ships deserve review.
"HE COULD NOT RESIST HIM"
The splendid Weizmann volume edited
by Meyer .W. Weisgal (Dial Press), to
which reference was made in this col-
umn last week, contains an important
essay on "Weizmann and Democracy,"
by Freda Kirchwey, editor of the Nation.
Miss Kirchwey makes some interest-
ing references to Mr. Churchill and re-
calls the Churchill statement that he
wanted to be spared the necessity of talk-
ing to Dr. Weizmann regarding the terms
of the British White Paper because he
could never resist the personal power of
this great Zionist leader.
It will be interesting to know whether
Mr. Churchill tried to resist 'Dr. Weiz-
mann when he came to express to him
his personal grief over the death of Lord
Moyne.
Miss Kirchwey, who is not Jewish,
elaborating on the story regarding Mr.
Churchill's attitude on Dr. Weizmann,
states in her essay which she wrote on
Yom Kippur:
' "What is striking about the, story is
not its significance in terms of policy.
What is striking is its revelation of the
power that lodges in a leader whose
cause and whose personality 'fuse until
together they become an embodiment of
principles that cannot be comfortably ig-
nored by another man, another stron.s,,
leader. (I hope that. Winston Churchill
is spending a part of this day in laying
practical plans for atonement.)"
Perhaps it was too soon to speak of
atonement on Yom Kippur. But it is
timely now to ask those who are too
slow to honor pledges to the Jewish
people and who, at the same time, hold
ALL of us responsible for a contemptible
crime, to be penitent.
EXCHANGE OF COMPLIMENTS
Churchill and Weizmann both celebrat-
ed their '70th birthdays in November.
A cabled story from Jerusalem to the
New York Times, on the day of Dr.
Weizmann's birthday, related the follow-
ing:
According to one of his friends,
Dr. Weizmann visited Prime Minister
Winston Churchill at 10 Downing
Street before leaving for Palestine.
As they shocik hands Mr. Churchill
said, "You're looking very young."
The Zionist president replied: "I'll
be 70 next month."
Said Churchill, "So will I, but I
don't look it," and then before Dr.
Weizmann could frame 'a suitable
response, the Prime Minister ex-
claimed, "And why, pray, don't you
return the, compliment."
If this is true—and we doubt the ver-
acity of this story—then it must have
happened before the assassination of
Lord Moyne. Our understanding is that
Dr. Weizmann did NOT get the oppor-
tunity to see the Prime Minister in per-
son.
In any event—what does this story
mean? It is too vague and merely proves
the power of hearsay.
Indeed, there has been entirely too
much hearsay about Palestine and Zion-
ists. It is about time that we had defin-
ite facts and genuine assurances that
Jews will no longer be held in suspense
over the Palestinian issue.
.
Penicillin
Even Penicillin has its Jewish angle.
Prof. H. W. Florey, who developed it, is
currently doing research in cancer. His
associate in this research is Dr. I. Beren-
blum, who also substitutes for Florey at
the University of Oxford .when the latter
is .president
is away . . . Dr. Berenblum
of the Oxford Zionist Society_ and the
brother-in-law of Prof. Selig BrodetskY,
president of the Jewish Board of Depu-
ties .. Mrs. Brodetsky is the good doc-
tor's sister . . . By the way: Pipe bands
are generally associated, with the Scotch.
But there is also a "Jewish' pipe - band.
True enough, it has its Scottish flavor.
It's a Jewish pipe band in Glasgow. The
Scots say that it is a very good one.
Between
You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright. 1944, JTA, Inc.)
INSIDE AMERICA
We hear that the administrative com-
mittee of the Keren Hayesod in the
United States is conducting a "purge" of
all the supporters of Rabbi Silver . • .
Thus far the following pro-Silverites
have been purged: Emanuel Neumann,
Rabbi Irving Miller and Charles Ress .. .
Abraham Goodman, another warm sup-
porter of Dr. Silver, has _been replaced as
treasurer of the Keren Hayesod by Louis
Rocker . . . One cannot say that the
"purge" is helping to create unity in
American Zionist ranks.
American Zionist leaders this week
paid a visit to the State Department and
had an important talk with Secretary
Stettinius.
* * *
WASHINGTON SIDELIGHTS
Not all Zionist leaders are happy
about the text of the Palestine resolution
passed by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee . . . Some feel that the
changes in the text made by the Com-
mittee in passing the resolution weaken
the statements on Palestine made by
both the Democratic and Republican
parties at their conventions in Chicago
• .. It can now be revealed that the State
Department advised !mportant Zionist
leaders against pressing for the passage
of the Palestine resolution by Congress
at the present time .. . And there were
good reasons for this advice . . . Most
of the Zionist leaders agreed with the
views of the State Department .. . Con-
gressman Sol Blcorn, chairman of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee, thus
sprang a surprise upon the State De-
partment when he had the Palestine reso-
lution passed with modifications which
are not all to the liking of some Zionists
▪ . . Moreover, passage of the resolution
at present, and in . its modified form, was
against the explicit wishes of President
Roosevelt . . It was expected that the
resolution would remain pending for an-
other five or six months, until the fall
of Germany which experts believe will
occur in the spring.
*
*
POLITICAL TRENDS
The Emergency Conference of the
World. Jewish Congress in Atlantic City
has shown that there is at least one
Jewish organization in which there is no
internal friction . . . If differences of
opinion exist among the leaders of the
World Jewish,. Congress, they were not
displayed at the conference . . . There
were different views with regard to the
question of whether the Congress should
organize • in the United States, a relief
agency competing with the Joint Distri-
bution Committee, but the differences on
this question were compromised . . . The
importance attached to the World Jew-
ish Congress • by Washington, was evi-
denced at the Atlantic City conference
by the fact that several important bran-
ches of the U. S. Government sent unof-
ficial observers who watched the pro-
ceedings.
* * *
FACTS AND FICTION
The question of whether the system of
Kvutzoth, co - operative farming, which
now exists in Palestine, could be applied
in the United States and in areas of
post-war settlement outside of Palestine,
is discussed in "Cooperative Living in
Palestine," published by Dreyden Press
. . . The author, Henrik F. Infield, a
Vienna sociologist, lived in the coopera-
tive settlements in Palestine and observ-
ed day-to-day activity there . . . He is
director of the, Rural Settlement Insti-
tute, formed by Edward A. Norman for
the purpose of encouraging the estab-
lishment of cooperative communities . . .
He finds that in Palestine the Kvutza
endured because its membership accept-
ed privations and still tolerates a rela-
tively low standard of living.
-
Friday, Dicernber 8, 1144
Strictly
Confidential
By PHINEAS J. BIRON
(Copyright. 1944, by Seven Arts
Feature Syndicate)
YOU SHOULD KNOW
One of the most notorious anti-Semitic
organizations in this country is Blue Star
Mothers, with headquarters in. Philadel-
phia . . Headed by Mrs. Katherine
Brown and Mrs. Lillian Parks, this group
carries on an intensive anti-Jewish and
anti-Negro campaign . . . Periodically
these women play host to Gerald L. K.
Smith . . . Blue Star Mothers distribute
anti-Jewish literature . . . Their pet
reading-matter is a pamphlet, "Believe
It or Not," the main feature of which
is a "documented" story to the effect that
President Roosevelt is a Jew . . . On the
other side of the ledger is the news from
New Orleans that the AFL convention
there has passed a resolution demanding
the outlawing of anti-Semitism and
By ARNOLD LEVIN
pledging support for the National Com-
(Copyright, 1944 Independent Jewish
mittee to Combat Anti-Semitism.
Press Service. Inc.)
* * *
ART
JEWISH NEWS
The outstanding variety artist in the
Dr. Chaim Weizmann, whose .70th
U.S.S.R. is Arkadi Raikin, a Jew. He
was chosen by a jury as officially the birthday is now being celebrated, will
best in the field. Performed at the front be in the United States in April, 1945.
Sir Alexander Korda, Britain's out-
lines and even journeyed—through haz-
standing
movie producer, is, considering
ards—to perform for partisans behind
the enemy lines, according to a report making a film about Jewish Palestine.
The plan for a new, coordinated Jew-.
from Moscow.
London's high-brow "Time and Tide" ish reconstruction effort, now known as
classes music as "The supreme art of the the J. A. R., in which the Joint Distribu-
tion Committee, the American Jewish
Jews in Palestine."
Agency
for Palestine would participate,
* *
is meeting stormy weather.
SPORTS
Brith Trumpeldor of America is now
American G. I.'s in Palestine are fast publishing a monthly called Betar . .
catching on to soccer, popularized in this Its first issue, just out, features an article
country by the Hakoah of Vienna and by Z. Propes, the editor, declaring that
the Maccabi of Palestine ... Adam Gra- the youth of Palestine is fed up with
ber, gymnastics champion of the Maccabi the way British officials treat the Jews.
Games—Jewish Palestine's Olympics—of Propes writes that it is not unusual for
1932 and 1935, was killed at Casino British police personnel in Jewish dis-
while serving as an officer in a Polish tricts of Palestine "to address Jews as
`bloody Jews' or to annoy them pub-
medical unit.
* * *
licly with the Hitler salute."
WINCHELL PROPOSAL
The case of the Bergson group versus
We endorse the following proposal by Pierre van Paassen will reach trial soon.
Walter Winchell: "A fog of mystery still Van Paassen's answer to the libel charge
surrounds Huey Long's death . . It has is that what the Bergson group describes
never been definitely proven that Carl as libel actually is the truth.
* * *
Weiss shot him . . . Drew Pearson re-
cently reported that the District Attorney ARAB - JEWISH RELATIONS
in the case believes the truth about the
If you want to know what Arabs really
shooting has never been made public .. . think of Jewish achievements in Pales-
He issued a statement revealing that tine, as against the public statements -of
during a hearing in the Long case, Ger- Arab politicians, just ask anybody con-
ald L. K. Smith refused to answer any nected with the Hadassah Hospital on
questions . . . Smith was one of Long's Mount Scopus, Jerusalem . . . Mrs. Re-
henchmen . . . It's about time the whole becca Shulman, wife of the Zionist
case received an airing . • . Why did Emergency Committee's public relations
Gerald Smith refuse to answer questions? chairman Herman Shulman, and in her
What is he hiding? Why did Long's own right an active Hadassah. worker of
friends make a desperate effort to pre- long standing, tells us of an Arab sheik
vent an inquest?"
who, requiring medical treatment, in-
* * *
vaded a British-operated hospital in
RABBINICAL
Jerusalem with a full entourage of wives,
The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the children and servants . . . While still in
United States and Canada has under the lobby he stopped, looked around in
consideration a proposal for Orthodox a puzzled way, and asked an attendant:
synagogues that have centers attached to "Is this the Hadassah Hospital?" .
be asked to employ two rabbis—an older When he was told that this was a gov-
rabbi for the synagogue, and a younger ernment hospital he turned around and
one, American-born or Americanized, for marched right out again, retinue and all,
center activities. There are numerous ob- headed for the Hadassah-operated insti-
stacles in. the way: (1) it is doubtful tution on Mount Scopus.
whether synagogues are prepared to 'en-
* * *
gage in this extra expense; (b) the
BOOKS
AND
AUTHORS
younger rabbi will feel that he is being
The National • Council of Palestine
slighted and relegated to a non-rabbini-
cal position; (c) the older rabbi will feel (Vaad Leumi) has appointed a staff of
the younger draws the larger audience editors to. prepare material for inclusion
thereby wielding more influence; (d) it in the Jewish Black' Book which the
will in no way alleviate the irritation, American Committee of Jewish Writers,
growing out of disagreement on meth- Artists and Scientists, the World Jewish
ods and approach, between the younger Congress, the Jewish Anti-Fascist Com-
mittee of- the USSR and the Vaad Leumi
and older Orthodox rabbis.
ire publishing . jointly.
*
*
*
The late Reuben Brainin's • diaries,
COLLABORATIONIST
which were not to be published until
Lindy's friend, scientist-collaborationist five years after his death, are now being
Alexis Carrel, is reported to have en- prepared for publication after the war. •
gaged, under Vichy, in researches in
Ossip DymoW, the • distinguished au=
"racism," in accordance • with the Nazi thor, is still ailing.
concept. Under PetAin he became director
*
of the French Foundation for the Study
of Human Problems. He also sought to ABOUT PEOPLE
Mme. Anna Notelau, widow of the im-
move in on the Rothschild Institute, but
was balked by patriot scientists on the mortal thinker and leader Max. Nordau,
Institute's staff . .. Dr. Carrel, you will has just received the news that her Par-
recall, is a close friend of Charles A. is apartment at 14. Rue Hennes is intact
Lindbergh, who, in turn, was reported . . . Which reminds . us to tell you that
at one time to be on close terms with Max .Nordau's granddaughter, ..Claudie
Norman Thomas, Socialist Presidential Nordau Gruenblat (Maxa Nordati is her
candidate, negotiated-peacer and former mother) is our ehoiCe for the title . of
outstanding woman. of the.. yeal% ,
speaker at America First rallies.
* * *
Though "woman" is perhaps : a, WI. pre-
mature, since Claudia is only ,I.4. But, .in
DEAR DOCTOR
The Brith Milah Board of America sent the course orthis. year she has published
out, last month an appeal to doctors poemS - in French.ancl.has painted ,a num-
against "a certain few doctors (who) ber of really,- fascinating canvases, and,
are trying to inject themselves . into amazing though.it seems, even murals._
Bill Ziff,, publisher and author, whose
the performance of . . . ritual-circumci-
sion.'.' The letter . points out: "Just as the latest book, "The . 'Gentlemen . Talk of
medical .profession resents practice of Peace," .is creating a furore in.diplornatic
medicine by other than recognized mem- circles; started his career at the age. of
bers of its profession, so do we . . . resent 17 with a...job as a cartoonist. on a Chi-
its interference with our sacred rituals." cago newspaper:
Heard in
The Lobbies