Page Two

THE JEWISH NEWS

Purely
Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

A TRAGIC CONTROVERSY
Palestine, as the Jewish National Home,
has long ago ceased to be a party matter.
It obligates ALL Jews to strive for
the major rescue efforts for our people.
It involves international obligations for
speedy redemption of Eretz Israel so that
the froblem of homelessness may be
solved..
The conflict within the Zionist move-
ment is therefore a matter of grave con-
cern for all Israel.
It is a tragic controversy, and the lead-
ers of the great reconstruction movement
involved in it must end it speedily.
We are, at best, poverty-stricken in
leadership, and we can ill afford either to
have energies wasted or able men
"purged" from leadership. Unless some-
thing is done at once to solve the issue
created during the past two weeks, his-
tory will . hold the men at the head of
American' Zionism in ridicule.

* * *

CHARGES AND COUNTERCHARGES
Other peoples, under normal conditions,
can afford to quarrel internally. We who
are in the process of building a hOme-
land for the homeless dare not resort to
such "luxuries." They are too heart-
rending, too apt to hurt not only the
people involved, but also the cause.
Here is the score:
Dr. Stephen S. Wise has made some
serious charges against Dr. Abba Hillel
Silver, accusing him of having "contra-
vened the decisions of the (American
Zionist Emergency) Council on a matter
of suprerne importance to the lasting hurt
of our sacred cause:"
Similar charges were hurled at Dr: Sil-
ver by Dr. ISrael Goldstein, president of
the Zionist Organization of America.
Now, there are counter-charges.
Harry L. Shapiro, who resigned as di-
rector of the Zionist Council, accuses Dr.
Wise of having . "committed grave
breaches of discipline frustrating Dr.
Silver's efforts with great detriment to
the cause -which Dr. Silver suffered to
pass for the Sake of peace."
Dr. Silver has also issued a statement
in which he charged that Dr. Wise had
sent a telegram to Secretary of State
Stettinius, on the eve of a planned in-
terview at the State Department, which
"completely nullified the whole purpose
of our visit and more than any other
factor was responsible for the shelving of
the Palestine Resolution." He states in
his charge that the worst and most recent
instance of undisciplined action by Dr.
Wise "was the fatal telegram which he
dispatched without my knowledge to the
Secretary of State on the very eve when
Senator Wagner and I were scheduled
to see him in order to persuade the State
Department and the President to with-
draw their objections to passage of the
Palestine Resolution."
Then there is the following paragraph
in Dr. Silver's statement:
"All _too often Dr. Wise treated the
Zionist movement of the United States as
a piece of personal property and has
bitterly resented any new leadership
which threatened his monopoly. His
`shtadlanuth' in Washington has been an
egregious failure for many years, and not
only as far as Zionism is concerned.
This weak-kneed `shtadlanuth' policy has
accomplished next to nothing for our
people during these tragic years of
slaughter and annihilation."
(Amazing, isn't it, that Dr. Wise, who
had based all his efforts as a Jewish lead-
er on democratic action as opposed to
"shtadlanuth"—intercession by individ-
uals—should now be charged with being
a "shtadlan?")
* *
A VOICE FROM ZION
It is no wonder, therefore, that Joseph
Sprinzak, member of the Zionist -Action
Committee, appealed to American Zionist
leaders, at the "Small Zionist Congress"
held in; Tel Aviv, last week, to "overcome
their petty .differences."
If our leaders do not overcome these
differences, the present conflict will be to
their lasting 'disgrace.
American Zionists must let their voices
be _heard and they must force an end to
the tragic comedy now being enacted in
our ranks.
We dare . not suffer from the irony of
"love flying out of the window" because
of a temporary setback in Washington.
We must not permit the spread of a
nasty rumor that differences between
leaders on the ground of their Republican
or Democratic affiliations in American
politics are responsible for the conflict.
Zionists must not permit the shelving
of an outstanding leader like Dr. Silver
over differences that should have been
_adjusted—especially since the impression
has been given that there was unity of

Vladimir Horowitz: Piano Viirtnoso

An Appraisal of the Leading Pianist of Our Day

By DAVID EWEN

(Copyright, 1945, Independent Jewish Press Service)

When Paderewski died' in 1941, some obituaries observed that a great
tradition of piano playing died with him. They referred to the tradition of
playing "in the grand manner," in that expansive style that sweeps an au-
dience off its feet .with majestic sound and concerns itself not with miniatures
or details but with the effect of the whole. To some extent these obituaries
were correct. The day of bravura playing is dying, but it is not yet dead. It
still lives in the performances of that Russian-Jewish genius of the keyboard,
Vladimir Horowitz.
Colossus of the piano, Vladimir Horowitz is the most .magnetic pianist of
our time, endowed as he is with a technique that is so fabulous that it ac-
complishes every problem set before it, with deceptive ease. And Horowitz
combines technique with temperament. His personal color is spread with
generous brush strokes across the canvas of his music. The HorOwitz mag-
netism is dominant in everything he plays. The vibrancy of his personality
charges the performance, acting almost hypnotically upon the audience.
Today, at the age of 40, he is unquestionably the greatest box-office at-
traction among the pianists of our time. He has proved beyond doubt his right
to a place alongside Liszt, Busoni, Rubinstein and Paderewski in a listing of
great pianists. _
The curious 'thing about Horowitz's •amazing technique is that it has not
been acquired through the blood, sweat and tears of hard practicing. His
remarkable hands have such muscular flexibility that the keyboard has of-
fered them few problems. He states that he has not worked on scales or
arpeggios since he was 15; that during the past two decades he practiced
no more than two or three hours a day. But Horowitz does work hard at his
music; studying old scores, memorizing new ones, reanalyzing and rediscover-
ing familiar ones.
He finds diversion in going to the movies, and in this his taste is indis-
criminate. Occasionally he visits some night spot to hear good "hot"- jazz, or
indulges in mountain climbing, motoring, and swimming. His best leisure
hours are spent with a small circle of friends at his home, playing the piano
or participating in a performance of chamber music.
Though he has given more than a thousand performances, he is still terri-
fied by concert audiences, and is. irritable and distraught before every perform-
ance. As soloist with Toscanini, his father-in-law, he once refused to play
due to jitters. The manager prevailed upon him to at least go out on the
stage and explain to the audience that he would be unable to perform. Horo-
witz consented, went out, faced the audience, then walked resolutely to the
piano—and performed.
He was born in Kiev in 1904. His father was an electrical engineer, and
his mother a gifted pianist. .His aptitude for music was apparent from his
earliest years. At 6 he was already taught the elements of music. He studied
at the Kiev Conservatory with Felix Blumenfeld, graduating at seventeen
with the highest of honors.

Vladimir's uncle, a music critic, arranged his debut in 1922. He was an
immediate sensation. In 1923, Horowitz was engaged for 70 appearances in
Russia, 23 of them in Leningrad. In 1924, he made his first European tour.
On Jan. 12, 1928, he made his American debut as soloist of the New York
Philharmonic, playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Vladimir Horowitz will appear in concert at the
Masonic Temple on Wednesday evening, Jan. 17.

Heard in
The Lobbies

By ARNOLD LEVIN

(Copyright, 1945 Independent Jewish
Press Service. Inc.)

CHICAGO NOTE
A letter to the editor of Day, Yid-
dish daily, reveals quite a rumpus in Chi-
cago among Jewish Socialists who invited
an eminent German . socialist emigre, a
Jew, to address them on what to do with
Germany. The writer of the letter rose
in the audience to remind the German
socialist of the Germans' record as mass
killers of Jews, to which an Aryan so-
cialist in the audience countercharged
that the Jews were to blame for Ger-
many's "misfortune."
Similarly, David Einhorn, Yiddish poet
and socialist, charges in the Jewish Daily
Forward that the Social Democratic Neue
Volkszeitung, with so-called Jews on its
editorial staff, boasted that the "awaken-
ing of the German giant" in America will
reverse election results in this country
where "the small fry minorities, such as
the Slays," are agitating against Ger-
many. The elections were held and the
results are self-explanatory. Isolationists
were defeated.
At any rate, we think that too many
Social Democrats are now doing for
Germany, on the propaganda front, what
the Fritz Khuris did up to Pearl Harbor.
They are equally repulsive and aggres-
sive; and it is about time for the U. S.
Department of Justice . to crack down on
them.

ZIONST NOTE
The eternal friendship in • Athericari
Zionism between orthodox religious Miz-
rachi and the Labor Zionist Poale Zion,
.is.,.strained.these days as a result of recent
developments within the American Zion-
ist Emergency Council.

action in behalf of the Palestine Resolu-
tion. .
The conflict began with two resigna-
tions—those of Dr. Wise as well as Dr.
Silver. The re-election • of the former
and the virtual ousting by two of the
four major Zionist parties in the Amer-
ican Zionist Emergency Council of the
latter (who is Dr. Wise's junior by 20
years), gives the impression of a "purge".
We can not afford "purges" and we dare
not permit the ousting from leadership
of young and vigorously active men.
'It is up to the Zionist rank and file
to act and to protect the honor of the
cause.

Strictly
Confidential

By PH1NEAS J. BIRON

(Copyright, 1945. Seven Arts Feature Syndicate)

LISTEN HERE
Congratulations to the Rev. Paul Folino
of Chicago, who led the fight against the
anti-Semitic Gentile Cooperative League,
whose charter has just been revoked by
the Illinois Secretary of State.. . . Folino's
church was burned down by fanatics dur-
ing his ,brave fight, as head of the Pro-
testant Action group, against the pro-
ponents of the "Buy Only Gentile" move-
ment . . . It would indeed be a fine
gesture if Jews were to help him rebuild
the church he lost while fighting for
them.
That address on "The Negro and Anti-
Semitism" which Rabbi J. X. Cohen de-
livered before the New York State Con-
ference of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People was
a masterpiece. . . It should be made
available to all Jews and Negroes.
We're told by Eddie Sullivan that Noel
Coward, British. playwright, has decided
upon a drastic measure to prove that the
charges of anti-Semitism leveled against
him are unjustified. . . He's planning a
special trip across the Atlantic just to be
in Brooklyn for a few hours to speak in
Temple Ahavath Sholom.
* * *
JEWISH AFFAIRS
Meyer W. Weisgal, just back from a
flying trip to Palestine, is being offered
the directorship of the reorganized
Zionist Emergency Council . .. He will
refuse the offer.
Aside to our colleague Leonard Lyons:
Contrary to your prediction, Dr. Stephen.
S.Wise will not go to Palestine and Rus-
sia in-the. near future.
* *•' *..
OUR HAT IS OFF . •
Larry Adler, -w-ho 'elevated the har-
monica to the level of a symphony or-
chestra instrurrient, is not only a musical
genius . . . Born in Baltimore, he has
concentrated on harmonica playing since
his childhood . . .. At 14. he was an ac-
complished artist ... But what we started
to tell you is this . . . Larry, a slender
young man of '30, has been touring the
European and Pacific war fronts untir-
ingly . . . Just 'back from a USO tour
of the South Pacific, he has written an
interesting article for Collier's, which
should be out in a few weeks . . . Don't
miss it . . . Larry, .you should know, does
an unusual amount • of reading and think-:
ing, and never turns. down a good cause:

Friday, January 12, 1945

Between
You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright, 1945, Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, Inc.)

ZIONIST TRENDS
The Wise-Silver conflict is causing a
good deal of commotion not only in this
country, but also in Palestine .. . Some-
one sent word to Palestine that the Sil-
verites intend to organize a new Zionist
party in. America . . . The Jews in -Pales-
tine, although themselves split into alto-
gether too many groups and parties,
would not like to see the Zionist organ-
ization of America brbken up just now
when American Zionists have to fulfill
a mission of vital importance to Pales-
tine's future . . It seems that there is,
for the time being, no basis for fearing
that the pro-Silver members of the ZOA
will form a party of their own . . But
the possibility exists that they may insist
upon calling an extraordinary conven-
tion of the ZOA to air their grievances.
. . . And it looks as if .both sides are pre-
paring to tour the country in order to
present their viewpoints to the member-
ship in the provincial cities . . . All in
all, it is assumed that the rift within the
American Zionist movement will not end
before Dr. Weizmann reaches the United
States. . . . It is expected that Dr. Weiz-
mann will be here in March . . . Many
leading Zionists consider him the only
person able to restore unity in American
Zionist ranks and are looking forward to
his arrival.
It was quite a surprise to many to read
that Chaim Greenberg, the much-respect-
ed Zionist-Laborite leader, was chosen
chairman of the executive of the Zionist
Emergency Council, replacing Dr. Silver
. . The surprise was due to the fact that
the Zionist-Laborite members of the
Council were all for the re-election of
Dr. Silver. . . . Greenberg Was the ex-
ception and even submitted his resigna-
tion because he did not see .eye to eye
with the other members of his party in
the Council. . . . It was originally indi-
cated that the post of chairman of the
executive would be offered to Louis
Lipsky.

* * *

PLANS, PLANS, PLANS
Speculation about a British plan to
direct Jewish immigration to Libya in-
stead of. Palestine is now ripe in connec-
tion with the arrival to Bengazi of 500
European Jewish refugees for permanent
settlement there . . . These recent ar-
rivals, together with former Jewish resi-
dents of Benghazi, form a Jewish com-
munity of more than 1,000 people . . .
Which is quite a Lirge number in pro-
portion to the handful of the Italian
population remaining in the almost de-.
serted city. . . . The opening of Libya, -for
the immigration of Jewish refugees from
Europe is seen as an indication that the
Allies may choose Libya as place of set-
tlement for Jews who do not wish to live
in their countries of origin, or to return
there ... Speaking of countries of origin,
it is worthwhile to draw attention to alto-
gether new -problems which Jewish lead-
ers in France, Belgium and other liber-
ated countries face . . . It is the problem
of Jews who, during the German occupa-
tion, were provided with false identity
documents to enable them to pose as
Christians in order to avoid deportation
to Nazi extermination camps . . . Now
many of these Jews refuse to exchange
their false documents for the original
ones and prefer to continue to live under
Christian names for the rest of their
lives, even at the risk of not being able
to ask return of their confiscated prop-
erty.

* *

INSIDE AMERICA
Two leading members of the Jewish
Labor Committee are departing this
month for London and Paris to study
Jewish needs in Europe . . . They are
Isaiah Minkoff 'and Nathan Chanin .
American' Jewish Committee is sending
Max Gottschalk to London and Paris for
the same pUrpose . Dr. Stephen S.
Wise is preparing for a trip to Latin
America in , behalf of the World Jewish
Congress.
A budgeting bulletin of the American
Jewish Congress and the World Jewish
Congress is now being prepared by the
Council of Jewish - Federations and Wel-
fare Funds.
Many Jewish communities throughout
the country are now conducting special
population studies . . National Jewish
Welfare Board has made a study of the
Jewish community in Syracuse, N. Y.,
with special reference to Jewish popula-
tion trends . . A population 'study of
the Jewish community is now being made
in Miami, Fla. . . A study of the Jewish
population and its cultural and recrea-
tional resources is also being conducted
in Cleveland. . Other studies are be-
ing- made for the . Jewish communities of
Grand Rapids, Mich., Canton, Ohio, and
Bridgeport, corm.

