Page Six
THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, January I9, 194S
Four Centuries of American
deal Servia
From Mexico in 1524 to Detroit in 1945
The Story of the Detroit Jewish Hospital and its Historical Rela-
tionships to Jewish and General Projects of the Past
HE JEWS'' of Detroit
are about to write a fresh chapter
in the colorful history of American
medical service, a history that goes
back more than four centuries.
The first hospital in America, at
least so the story goes, was estab-
lished by Cortez in Mexico City
about 1524.
The first hospital in Canada was
established in Quebec in 1639 and
the second in Montreal in 1664.
The first hospital in what is now
the United States dates back to
1663, on Manhattan Island.
Hospitals, a s
we know them,
however, did not
begin in this
country until
about 1750.
T h e Pennsyl-
vania Hospital, in
Philade 1phia,
founded in' 1751
and the New
York Hospital,
1791, are among
the first that can
claim consecu-
tive and success-
ful operation to
this day.
An alphabetical list of cities with
a general Jewish Hospital is an im-
posing one: Baltimore, Boston,
Bridgeport, Brooklyn, Chicago,
two; Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denv-
er, Hartford, Kansas City, Los
Angeles, two; Louisville, Milwau-
kee, Montreal, Newark, N e w
Orleans, New York, with fourteen;
Passaic, Paterson, Philadelphia,
with three; Pittsburgh, Provi-
dence, Roxbury, Mass., St. Louis,
San Francisco and Toronto.
These general hospitals are ex-
elesive of special institutions, on
The committee already has secu)
ed the promise of a number (1
friends of the movement that the
will give it every support. The tine
is opportune for additional worker
to rally to the cause. This articl
is a general invitation to the Jew
of Detroit to write to Jewish HoE!
pital Association (51 West Warrel
Avenue, Detroit 1) or to phom
(COlumbia 1600) to advise the con
mittee of willingness to serve a
workers in the coming campaign.
German Influence
In Latin-America
Landau's Significant Report to
Advisitry Board of Jewish News
By GEULAH GANDAL
4 4
.
OLDEST
HOSPITAL
The oldest Jew-
i s h Hospital i n
America, still
functioning a n d
known as one of
t h e outstanding
institutions of its
kind in the
world, is Mt.
Sinai, in New
York, established
in 1852 as the
Jews' Hospital,
Touro Infirmary, established in
1854, in New Orleans, is perhaps
the second oldest among hospitals
under Jewish auspices still in ex-
istence.
San Francisco had s Bikkur
Holim Society as far back as 1857,
but the present Mt. Zion Hospital
in that city dates back to 1888.
In the meantime, Chicago organ-
ized a Jewish Hospital in 1868, and
Baltimore, in the same year, set
up a hospital and home for the
aged. The hospital has since come
to be known as the Sinai Hospital.
The Chicago hospital served until
1871, when it was destroyed by
fire.
In 1879, another attempt to est-
ablish a new Jewish Hospital in
Chicago was made when Henry
and Joseph Frank, as trustees for
Michael Reese, offered $30,000 on
condition that a hospital would be
named for Mr. Reese. A group of
other trustees, also holding Michael
Reese funds, then contributed $50,-
000 as an endowment toward main-
tenance and the movement was
under way, with the Michael Reese
Hospital opening in 1881.
OTHER JEWISH HOSPITALS
Cincinnati's Jewish Hospital goes
back to some time before the turn
of the century and the St. Louis
Jewish Hospital was founded in
1900.
Since that time, hospitals have
come into being in community
after community throughout the
country. Almost every city with
a Jewish population of 10,000 or
more, is established and main-
tained a Jewish Hospital. Detroit
has been an outstanding exception.
the story of other cities. The record
is clear that Detroit is undel.liospi-
talized—and that there are great
civic and communal values 'in the
proposed institution. The Jewish
Welfare Federation has endorsed
the project and is furnishing tech-
nical direction. A group of out-
standing citizens has offered lead-
ership and support as evidence
that the movement is in responsi-
ble hands, with a modern, 200-bed
institution of high standards, a
assured fact.
a local, regional or national basis.
In this category are National Jew-
ish Hospital and the Jewish Con-
sumptive Relief Society, in Denver;
the Leo N. Levi Hospital in Hot
Springs, Arkansas; two tubercul-
osis institutions in Liberty, New
York; the Jewish Consumptive and
Ex-patient Relief Hospital in Los
Angeles; the Monticello, New York
Hospital; the Jewish Tuberculosis
Hospital at Rutland, Massachu-
setts; and the Mt. Sinai Sanator-
ium at St. Agathe, Quebec. Similar
special institutions also operate in
Philadelphia, Baltimore and St.
Louis.
$2,000,000 NEEDED HERE
Recently, the Hospital Commit-
tee for the Jewish Hospital As-
sociation of Detroit prepared a
brochure, in which were raised the
questions that the contributing
public might want to have answer-
ed regarding the new general hos-
pital in Detroit under Jewish aus-
_ pices, for which a cainpaign to
secure a minimum of $2,000,000 is
about to be conducted.
Among other questions were
these: How does Detroit compare
with other cities? How do other
cities take care of such matters?
Why has Detroit been an excep-
tion among American communi-
ties? What example from other
cities applies to Detroit?
Here, set before the reader, is
F Fascism is to be eliminated in
Latin America, anti-Semitism must be eradi-
cated."
Jacob Landau, managing director of the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Overseas
News Agency, sounded this timely warn-
ing in -an important address on Jan. 11, at a
meeting of the Community Advisory Commit-
tee of The Jewish News and a number of key
persons in local movements, in the Butzel Hall
of the Jewish Community Center.
Basing his interesting report on his findings
in Latin American countries, as a result of a
four-month tour of all but three of these lands,
Mr. Landau pointed out that until the advent
of Nazism there had been no Jewish problem
JACOB LANDA1
as such, anti-Jewish sentiment having arisen
as a result of strong German influence
and the 'propaganda of Goebbels.
600,000 In South America
In speaking of the Jewish positio
There are 600,000 Jews in all of
in Latin America Mr. Landau state
South America and for the most part
that in his opinion, it depends to .
there had been no differentiation be-
great extent on solving the Argentin
tween them and the general popula-
ian problem. He emphasized the fac
tion until the Nazis began their cam-
that the country is ripe for a genuine
paign, distributing millions of pamph-
democracy, declaring that the people
lets and posters and spreading their
definitely are opposed to the presen
hatred through the ether waves, Mr.
regime.
Landau pointed out. He stated that
Danger From the Right
Goebbels had been successful in his
propaganda efforts because he had
Mr. Landau pointed out that th
employed two methods not utilized by
danger in Latin America is from th
the United States or any other power
right and not from the left. Presiden
seeking to create a sphere of influence.
Roosevelt is very popular in Soutl
America and a New Deal could be
He organized the population accord-
ing to the constituent elements for he
stituted with facility: The masses mus
realized that propaganda without or-
be made to feel that their bettermen
ganization is ineffective: He also placed
has come through the U. S. and tha
multitudes of natives on the payroll,
the misery which they suffer now wil
usually managing to include the family
not prevail under North America)
of the officials of the various countries,
influence.
thus assuring himself of their friend-
Mr. Landau feels that the solution
ship.
of the Jewish problem depends to .z
Mr. Landau observed that the Ger-
large extent on working with the
man power in some of these countries
liberal elements as represented by the
was tantamount to taking over a sub-
labor movement, the progressive prod
stantial share of the government.
fessionals and the liberal industrialists
Many young Jews are participating -i
Shrewdness of Nazis
the progressive movements.
Commenting on the shrewdness of
He told of the many charges whicli
the Nazis in their Latin-American
are being hurled at the Jews of Latir
dealings, he indicated that in Brazil,
America. The claim is made that man) ,
where the racial problem has been
of them came into the countries oil
entirely solved, they arouse the popu-
pretense of being farmers and instea
lation by convincing them that the
engaged in commerce and industry.
Jew considers himself superior and
thereby is undermining the racial
According to Mr. Landau, many o
amicability which they have achieved.
these .prOmises were falsified withou,
Mr. Landau felt that an attempt
the knowledge of the refugees. He alsc
was being made by Goebbels to link
pointed out that it is almost impos•
anti:.Semitic feeling with anti-U. S.
sible for European Jews to becomE
sentiment. Many references are made
farmers in much of South America
to President "Rosenfeld", thus camou-
for the climatic conditions are impos•
flaging the anti-U. S. propaganda in a
sible and the rate of pay is from $1
cloak of anti-Semitism.
to $2 per week. The farmer's status
much the same as that of the cooli(
Jews Strangled Politically
in China.
According to Mr. Landau, the Jews
as a rule are not discriminated against
Complaints Grossly Unfair
economically or socially. However, po-
On
the other hand the complaint:
litically and culturally they are being
against the Jews for monopolizing
strangled. In the Argentine there is
commerce and industry are grossly
Catholic domination of the public
unfair, he declared, since the Jews
schools and Jewish children attending
have improved the standard of living
these schools are subjected to the
and have given. employment to hun
dogmas of the Catholic faith.
dreds upon hundreds of natives.
There are Jewish schools run by the
Mr. Landau recently supervised th€
Yiddish and Hebrew elements as well
opening of a branch of the J. T. A. - ir.
as schools run by organizations such
Mexico. This new agency releases z
as the ICA. and Poale Zion. Mr. Lan-
daily review in. Spanish which goeF.
dau made note of the fact that in the
to all South and Central Americar
ICA schools, which are exclusively
countries.
Jewish, Catholic instruction is given
and the Catholic atmosphere domi-
His address here was the first in a
nates. Many Jewish parents insist upon
series of informative reports onth
fending their children to the public
status of the Jews throughout • tn.(
schools in spite of the • Catholic in-
world to be arranged. by The Jewish
fluence, fearing segregation.
News.