Page Two

THE JEWISH NEWS

Purely
Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

DISCARDED PLEDGES
Newspaper columnists speak of the ac-
tion of the State Department in compell-
ing the tabling of the Palestine Joint Con-
gressional Resolution as representing the
putting "into discard" of the 1944 cam-
paign pledges of the Democratic. and Re-
publican parties.
This is a. serious charge, especially since
the action taken came not from the over-
whelming majority of supporters of the
Resolution in both Houses of Congress,
but from the State Department whose
spokesmen did not hesitate to use Presi-
dent Roosevelt's name in exerting pres-
sure to force its view.
A most significant factor in the entire
drama—a drama that must not be trans-
formed into a tragedy—is that the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs DID ap-
prove the Resolution and that the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations fought
valiantly through four secret sessions to
force favorable action. It . was inevitable
that the latter committee should have
yielded—by a very narrow margin, to the
demands of Secretary of State Edward R.
Stettinius.

*

*

*

A WORD OF CHEER

Equally as significant is the statement
made to The Jewish News by one .of the
n-lost consistent supporters of the cause of
a Jewish Palestine, Michigan's U. S. Sen-
ator Arthur H. Vandenberg, that:
44
action must represent substan-
tial unanimity in the Government. Ef-
forts will continue until we find the
means to this deeply desirable end at
the earliest practicable date."
Such a declaration, ,from the ranking
Republican member of the Senate Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations, may well be
interpreted as an assurance that action by
Congress on the Palestine question has
merely been delayed and that our Gov-
ernMent's voice will yet be heard on the
question of an open door. policY in Pales-
tine.
*
*
*
SENATOR VANDENBERG'S HELP
When the complete story of the fight
for the Palestine Resolution is recorded,
the name of Senator Vandenberg will
head the list of friends of Zionism.
Michigan's very able Senior Senator
has been a friend of the Zionist cause for
many years and he was among the very
first to join the movement of the Chris-
tian Zionists — the American Palestine
Committee and its forerunners—back in
1931.
*
THE REGRETTABLE FACTOR
The most regrettable thing about the
setback given to Jewish claims in Wash-
ington is that the State Department's
spokesmen saw fit to hand out to the
press a set of "background material"
which may well be interpreted as unfair.
It was given by a State Department pub-
lic relations man "off the record" because
"it would be helpful to an understanding
of the situation." But the type of argu-
ment advanced may prove harinful rath-
er than helpful.
This memorandum made much of the
assassination of Lord Moyne and of the
terrorism inPalestine. Thus, our State
Department resorts to an injurious policy
to
which Prime Minister Winston
Churchill has fallen victim—that of hold-
ing ALL Jews responsible for the das-
tardly act of a, small group of irrespon-
sible youths whose program has been re-
pudiated by Jewish leaders for years.
If this is the attitude of our State De-
partment, we have a job on our hands to
correct it. It must not remain the estab-
lished policy of our Government.
*
*
*
JUDAISM COUNCIL'S FAITH
A Detroit girl, expressing an interest in
the work of the American Council for
Judaism, rabid anti-Zionist group, in-
formed this. Council's executive director,
Rabbi Elmer. Berger, formerly of Pontiac
and Flint, that she did not, agree with the
Council's "first point, that the baSis of
unity among JewS . is Religion:" She went
so far as to state that - she considers "all
religions outdated."
Whereupon David Goldberg, assistant
to Rabbi Berger, *wrote in ' - reply that,
"speaking Rabbi Berger's . mind," he is
prepared to welcome her into the -Coun-
cil for Judaism fold because:
"Apart from the difficulty inherent in
any attempt at defining the term religion,
and hence the corresponding difficulty of
determining exactly what one rejects
when the object of his disbelief is re-
ligion—apart from it, there is the simple
fact that the Council is not a congrega-
tion or a denomination. If one does not
ignore the fact of his being Jewish—
whatever he may choose to denote by
that adjective—and is perturbed by the
nationalistic philosophy which distorts his
status as citizen and even jeopardizes it,

Quotation of the Week

"Anti-Semitism used to be a secret weapon of Fascism. That is
no secret any more. Nor is it to be wondered that Jew-baiting, on a
highly organized scale, manifests itself even in Democratic countries.
Those who foment race-hatred or minority-hatred, of any sort,
are either the stooges or the sponsors of efforts to replace Democracy
with a Fascist way of life. Wherever Anti-Semitism continues to flour-
ish, it is because there are a few men, articulate men, who fear De-
mocracy—fear the loss of power to themselves if the 'common man'
really becomes free.
"The much advertised Jewish Question is no isolated problem. The
Jew just happens to be the traditional, habit-target of reaction and of
its offspring, Fascism. One answer to that problem is, obviously, our
major war aim: Take the gun forever out of the Fascist's hand—and re-
educate his children so they won't ever want to use a gun. Another,
more basic answer is our major peace aim: Wipe out for all time the in- -
justices of political and economic repression, and you destroy the pre-
conditions of Fascism and wars. With the need for a scapegoat gone,
the Jew becomes one of the first to enjoy the blessings of freedom."

U. S. SENATOR ELBERT D. THOMAS,
of Utah, in an Address at the Dinner of
Yeshivah College, New York.

Strictly
Confidential

By PHINEAS J. BIRON

(Copyright. 1944, by Seven Arts
Feature Syndicate)

THINGS TO WATCH
The case of the resignation of Rabbi
Englander of Kingston, N. • Y., will rock
Jewish circles when the circumstances
are made public • . There's an unsavory
story of intimidation of the trustees of
his congregation—of threats that their
businesses would be boycotted if they did
not disavow their Rabbi . . . The Rabbi's
only crime was his protest against the
teaching of Christian prayers to Jewish
pupils in the public schools.. •
The reason why an advertisement tell-
ing of the Anmuth beating case of Phil-
adelphia was rejected by the Philadel-
phia Record is that pressure was applied
by a group Of Jewish leaders . . . These
gentlemen do not believe in publicizing
antijewish Outrages:
We're told that the American Society
for the Control of 'Cancer has one un-
breakable rule:. No Jew on its board.
* * * •
HITLER STORIES'
No matter how hard he tries, Hitler
can't keep out ,of the . newspapers . . .
One report has it that he's convinced
the war is over and is busy mapping out
plans for reconstructing the German
cities destroyed by Allied bombs . . .
This. version adds that he reads a spe-
cial. newspaper printed only for him and
edited so as not to destroy any. of his
delusions . . . Then there's the story of
hoW, after hearing of the latest Allied
advances, Adolf stared moodily at his
favorite work of art—a portrait of him-
self—and asked of no one • in particular:
"What's going to happen now?" . . . So
the picture answered:* "Why,. they'll take
me down and hang you instead." .
* * *
.ABOUT PEOPLE
The publicity genius behind the current
Sixth War Bond drive, to which we trust
you haVe oversubscribed your . perSonal
quota, is none other than Iry Kupbinet,
who used to be our . colleague on the
Seven Arts Feature ,Syndicate staff.
Congratulations to Dorothy S. Thack-
rey, owner - and publisher of the New
York . Post; on the . marriage of her
daughter, Adele Hall, to Air Force Lt.'
Arthur Gray, jr. . . The new Mrs. Gray
is a great-granddaughter of the late Ja-
cob .H. Schiff..
When the U. S. 7th -Army captured
the Alsatian town of Hochfelder not long
ago; one Sgt. Rene Levy • of Brooklyn
was made honorary mayor . of the place
. . This. in recognition of. the fact' that
Hochfelder is the Sergeant's birthplace,
which he left 15 years ago . . . His in-
spection of the town showed him that
many things have changed since he lived
there—and he was particularly shocked
to see that the old synagogue in which
he had become Bar Mitzvah had been
used by the Nazis as a stable.

•

.

such a one already belongs -Co us ideol-
ogically."
This is an amazing self-indictment. If
the Council for Judaism is prepared to
accept rejection of the religious ideology,
then it merely ,emerges as an enemy of a
humane cause on the flimSy argument of
nationalism, without being able to define
the "Jew."
The Council's officers may find it an
easy way out to repudiate the assistant
to Rabbi Berger. But its rabbinic and lay
backers' will not find it so easy to justify
their position as. defenders of their faith.
This Council has been repudiated by
public opinion. It now repudiates itself.
We are informed that the Detroit
young lady wrote her letter "out of curi-
osity." And the Council for Judaism•
certainly fell for it!

Heard in
The Lobbies

By ARNOLD LEVIN

(Copyright, 1944 Independent Jewish
Press Service, Inc.)

ZIONIST SCENE
The American Zionist Em e r gency
Council is in the throes of the most seri-
ous internal crisis since its reorganization
a little over a year ago, and too many
speak of an impending far-reaching
schism. The position of Palestine's lead-
ers will go a long way in determining
the denoument. Schisms, always a curse,
would be inopportune at this time with
Zionism facing multi-farious foes, within
and without. Here is hoping and wishing .
for peace.
Commercial committments in the past
and future of certain vested interests on.
the American scene are repOrted to be
using stronger pressure on the State
Department with regard to Palestine
than even the British are using, although
in the same general direction.
Rabbi Arthur J. Lelyveld has placed
at the disposal • of the press some inter-
esting correspondence with regard to the
American Co.uncil for Judaism, consisting
of an exchange of -letters between-Miss.
Martha Silverman of Detroit and. David
Goldberg, assistant to Rabbi Elmer Ber-
ger, executive director of the Council.
The Council's alleged mainstay is its
theory that "the basis of unity among
Jews is religion." She asked whether
she could still become a member of the
Council although she does "not believe
in Jewish religion" and considers all
religion "outdated." The answer of the
Council was "if one does not ignore the
fact of his being Jewish—whatever he
may choose to denote by that adjective
and is perturbed by the nationalistic
philosophy which distorts his status as
citizen 'and even jeopardizes it, such a
one already belongs to us idealogically."
We wonder what "such a one" is? If
the Jews are neither a people nor a
religion, what are they? .
*. * *
GERMAN SYMBOL
A legend, still a vivid symbol of Ger-
many's morality, has been current for
centuries with regard to a clock that
adorned at one time the Cathedral of
Strasbourg. It was the handiwork of a
Jewish craftsman who devoted to it
a full seven years, and it told minutes,
hours, days, and seasons, the legend
goes. When the work was ended, the
Jewish craftsman's eyes were gouged out
by the good citizens of Strasbourg to
prevent his producing a 'Similar clock for
another city, for the good men of Stras-
bourg wanted their clock to be unmatch-
ed. The legend is analogous of German-
Jewish relations for centuries.
*
*
ILLUSTRATED HATE
The December issue of Illustrated Lon-
don News, lavishly illustrated and print-
ed on the finest paper desbite the paper
shortage, is being distributed in this
country by the International News Co.
of 13 Varick St., New York,. It fea-
tures a reprint of a poem by the: late G.
K. Chesterton, including two anti-Semi-
tic lines about "English country houses
crammed with Jews", and about "Little
Levy's . . . first estate." We learned of
this from the National Committee to
Combat Anti-Semitism, whose attention
was drawn to it by RObert D. Field, a
non-Jew, president of Newcombe College
of .Tulane University, New Orleans, who
has already written a protest. to the Illus-
trated London News.
* * *
•
NEW ORLEANS NOTE
_While on the subject Of New Orleans:
your columnist has been told by one
who has just paid a visit to that lovely
eity that a,n anti-Semitic situation is
developing there not unlike the one
which prevailed in Boston some months

Friday, December 22, -1
1944

Between
You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright. 1944, JTA, Inc.)

BEHIND THE SCENES
President Roosevelt, for reasons un-
known to Zionist leaders, seems to have
modified his stand with regard to Pal-
estine, indicated by a letter he sent to
several members of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee while the Palestine
Resolution was being considered. The
President compared the number of Jews
who might wish to go to Palestine with
the many millions of Moslems who op-
pose Jewish development there. Secre-
tary of State Stettinius had a hard time
convincing the Foreign Relations Com-
mittee to shelve the Palestine Resolution.
He appeared before the committee sev,-
eral times and it was only after he agreed
to issue a statement placing responsibil-
ity on the .State Department for shelving
the resolution that he succeeded in se-
curing the deferment . • . . This can be
taken as proof that the efforts of the'
Zionist Emergency Council to gain in-
creased sympathy for Jewish claims on
Palestine among members of Congress
have not been in vain . . Even now
many members of Congress are asking
why it was necessary to kill the Pales:
tine Resolution when President Roose-
velt and the conventions of the Repub-
lican and Democratic parties definitely
went on record supporting the demands
contained in it. New efforts will have
to be made by the Ziohists in this coun-
try should they decide to re-introduce
the resolution in the next session of
Congress . . .

* * *

FIGHTING FOR POWER
Many believe that the friction within
the ranks of the Zionist Emergency
Council is responsible for the fact that .
the Palestine Resolution was killed . by
the Senate Committee. Not all leaders '
of the Emergency Committee maintained •
the same attitude on the question of de-
ferment of the resolution . . . It is no,
secret that while one prominent . Zionist ..
leader appeared before Secretary Stettin-
ius to oppose deferment of the resolu-
tion another prominent Zionist leader - ,
wired Stettinius that he would agree to
such a deferment . . . This conflict may ..,
lead to the resignation of some of the
principal figures in the Zionist . Emer- .
gency Council . . . There are three groups
within the Council . . . One group, led
by Rabbi Wise, takes the attitude that if
President Roosevelt is opposed to bring-
ing the Palestine Resolution before Con-
gress, his wish should be complied with
. . . Another; led by Rabbi Silver, thinks
that the Washington Administration may
have one stand with regard to the Pales-
tine Resolution, but Congress may have
a different view, thus the fight- for the
resolution must go on . . . The third
group feels that President Roosevelt ap-
parently has a certain plan with regard
to Palestine and that he does not need
Congress to carry out. this plan .. . This
group takes the attitude that the Pales-
tine issue should be left. in the hands of
the President for the time being, but
that action on the resolution should not
be deferred indefinitely.
*
*

WASHINGTON SIDELIGHTS
Washington rumors have it that Secre-
tary of State Stettinius is looking around
for a Jew to appoint to an important post
in the State Department . . . Some attri-
bute this to the fact that Stettinius; hav-
ing opposed the Palestine Resolution,
wants to have one- competent Jewish as-
sistant on his staff . . . Others attribute
it to the fact that many Jewish delega-
tions are now visiting the State Depart-
ment, and a Jewish aide would know
best how to take care of them and of
their often-conflicting demands . . It
is reported that Stettinius has asked for
a list of Jewish lawyers eligible to be
appointed to the post of assistant counsel
of the State Department . The name of
Ben Cohen is mentioned as the most like-
ly candidate, but those who know Cohen
are certain that he will not accept.

ago, precipitating action by the Govern-
or of Massachussetts. There too, Jewish
opinion is reportedly split. between those
believing in hush-hush and those full of
fight-fight back..

*

EXPOSE
The following expose by Walter Win-
chell may come late, but is still revela-
tory:
"The Saturday before Pearl Harbor,
Gerald L. K. Smith made a recording
of a speech in which he revealed 'the
great friendship Japan had for the U. S.
And that there'd be no war, etc. He plan-
ned to have the transcription put on a
Detroit radio station the next afternoon
at 2:30. The Pearl Harbor flash broke
at 2:26 . • "

