Page Two THE JEWISH NEWS Purely Commentary By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ A WORLD IN THE MAKING SAN FRANCISCO — This great and fascinating city's lights and shadows, its hills and lanes and parks, its population of many racial characteristics, are repre- sentative of the great drama which has been enacted here for several weeks. There are dark moments and light moments in the course of the delibera- tions in which representatives of 49 countries are participating. There are uphill and downhill experiences. Plans for the future world are couch- ed in impressive language. The person- alities at the UNCIO are charming and likeable. But often there is a hint that terri- torial rights will not be abandoned, that imperialism is far from finished, that concessions and compromises are made with tongue in cheek. And then you become concerned about the new world in the making. * * * THE JEWISH ANGLE Here at the conference we see at • work the spokesmen of practically all the national Jewish organizations. The pro-Palestinian elements are working in harmony—all comments to the contrary by some columnists not- withstanding. The American Jewish Committee works independently. While the former placed all emphasis on the Palestinian issue, the latter did a job in its own way for the Bill of Rights. Peter Bergson, very sure of himself, having Mrs. Louis Untermeyer and Stella Adler as "fronts" and Roy Howard as "middle man" trying to effect "unity", so that he can • be in greater limelight, is here, issuing statements, holding press conferences, demanding a seat for the "Hebrew nation". Since he does not have to submit to discipline, he can say what he pleases. He says some things very effectively, but by breaking discipline and authority he is harmful. * * * AGUDAS ISRAEL PROPOSAL Agudas Israel's spokesmen — Rabbi Simon Schwab and Meier Schenkolewski •:---have brought a brief statement (which must have been typed hurriedly for the Jewish' press), asking speedy rescue ef- forts, a Bill of Rights, the right to prac- tice Schechitah, laws to protect Sabbath observers, endorsement of a Jewish Com- monwealth. The representatives of the Jewish La- bor Committee have taken 'a stand simi- lar to the American Jewish Committee's. The Synagogue Council's leaders arrived with a plan foredoomed to failure—their effort to get all the Jewish groups to- gether. Women's and other groups are represented. New York's national head- quarters must be very hushed these days! * * * WE CAN NOT AFFORD DISUNITY It would have been better if we had been united in the present serious hour in our history. The last-minute cooperation is not as effective as unity would have been at the outset. Even the UJA split should have been avoided—when we have a world battle to fight in defense of our positions. (It was interesting to learn that Louis Lip- sky, one of the very ablest of our elder statesmen, did not favor breaking the UJA). But—perhaps a dream of unity in our own ranks is as impractical- as the ex- pectation that out of the UNCIO will come the millenium. We shall have to work for a very long time to come for the realization of the dreams of an unblemished New Order which has been promised us by the Opti- mists and the Prophets who turned out to be Dreamers. i Mise-Meshuneh' There was a story told during the Ger- man war about an American Jew going to Yorkville, (the German section of New York City), and in one of the cafes meet- ing one of those braggart Nazis. This Nazi was boasting of all the German achievements. Said he, the Germans have taken Warsaw and Poland, soon they will take Moscow and London. The Jew asked him: "Did the Germans take "Mise-Meshuneh" yet? The Nazi replied, "No, but we will take it soon." He was right. Hitler and Goebels al- ready have taken it apparently, but where are Himmler and other Nazi boys? Shevuoth Reminiscences (From Dr. Shmarya Levin's "Childhood in Exile") Especially clear and firm in my memory is the first Pentecost of my cheder years, and the preparations which led up to it. I remember the clear- ness and the freshness of those days. I remember how my mother told me for the first time of the giving of the Torah, and Law, to the Children of Israel: of Mount Sinai, wrapped in sheets of fire and clouds of smoke, of the tablets of the Law, engraved with exactly the same letters as I was learning to read in cheder, telling the Jews forever and ever what they might do and what they might not do. Her voice was proudest and happiest when she told me of that Rebbi (teacher) of old, the teacher of the whole Jewish people, Moses: how he delivered us from the hands of the gentiles, how he split the sea for us, and how the waters reared on either side like walls, just like the walls of fir trees which made up the royal road on the other side of the town. . So dry was the passage left between that the children of Israel did not even have to take their shoes off. Then she told me how Moses led us through a wilderness abounding in scorpions and snakes, with the pillar of fire before us on the march. She explained the incident of the wilderness very simply: Moses wanted to teach us, during those years, all of the Chumesh, or Five Books (the Pentateuch), just the ones I was learning in cheder. And the wilderness was good because there were no gentiles there to interrupt the lessons . . . Mottye the melamed told us the same story, but. Mother's way of telling it was better, heartier, tenderer. When the Rebbi told the story I just listened: when Mother told it my heart began to beat, and my imagination to burn with bright fires of its own. I looked in front of me not at the walls of the room, but at scenes so distant that my eyes hurt. I dreamed: perhaps some day the river Swisla would rear into two walls, and sheets of flame 'and billows of smoke would enfold Castle Hill. There, on the highest point of the five stories of the windmill, Moses would appear, and the letters of the Law would be engraved on the four wings of the mill, telling us again of the things that we might not do. Heard in The Lobbies By ARNOLD LEVIN Strictly Confidential By PHINEAS J. BIRON (Copyright, 1945, Independent Jewish Press Service, Inc.) Copyright, 1945, Seven Arts Features Syndicate, Inc. SAN FRANCISCO At first the Jewish organizations under- estimated the importance of the San Francisco Conference to the Jewish cause, but as soon as the press made them aware of its fateful character, rep- resentative began rushing, by the - dozens, to make thmeselves seen and heard. The American Jewish Conference prevented a serious blunder which was about to be committed by the Synagogue Council of America whose delegation intended to present 'its separate memorandum .to the San Francisco Conference and call its separate press conference which would only have added to the confusion. The Synagogue Council posted notices cancel- ling its press conference. - * * * PEACEMAKER Publisher Roy Howard undertook, re- portedly at the instance of the Bergson- ites, the mission of mediating among the Jewish groups. Two Roy Howard writers were working with Bergson in winning friends and influencing people at San Francisco in his behalf. * * * NOW IT CAN BE TOLD Notwithstanding any reports you may read in the newspapers, Jewish or other- wise, this is the truth about the numerous and various Jewish delegations attending the San Francisco Conference: These delegations are being treated politely, but they're not getting anywhere, and many of the spokesmen regret having come to the Golden Gate. The title of "consultant," bestowed so liberally on hundreds of non-Jewish or- ganizations and individuals and given only reluctantly to two Jewish bodies, is a synonym, in diplomatic language, for "duly acknowledged nuisance" . . Dr. Weizmann scored the greatest diplomatic triumph of his career by staying away from San Francisco .. He stayed away notwithstanding tremendous pressure from his Zionist friends, who urged him to attend even though uninvited .. . * * * LISTEN HERE Chaplain Daniel A. Poling, after a first- hand study of European conditions, be- lieves that Europe's uprooted Jews will have great difficulty in getting back their confiscated property . . . The Nazis took this confiscated Jewish property and sold it to non-Jewish nationals, who now re- fuse to return it . . . Professor Johann Fryginyer Auer, just back from a flying visit to Holland, reports that 10,000 Dutch families hid Jews in their attics or cellars for five years, and thus prevented the deportation of more than 10,000 Dutch Jews to Nazi extermination camps. Rube Goldberg's cartoon in the Los Angeles Daily News of April 23 de- serves to be immortalized . It de- picts the German people dragged into eternity, a gigantic Black Book of Ger- man atrocities chained to its back. * * * THINGS TO WATCH From Waltham, Mass., scene of recent anti-Semitic incidents, a correspondent writes: "At a pre-Easter showing of the movie, 'The Great Dictator' the Nazi per- secution of the Jews was cheered by Anti- Semitic youths. Walter Winchell wants to know what happened to the investiga- tion of Joseph P. Kamp, head of the "Constitutional Educational League" . Kamp is carrying on his anti-democratic, anti-Jewish propaganda unhampered. * * * PALESTINE NEWS The New Zionist Organization of Am- erica is sponsoring a mass petition to the Government of the U. S. for the proc- lamation of "Palestine in its historic boundaries" as a Jewish state . . . Lloyd's Bank must have confidence in the devel- opment of the Jewish homeland . . . It just granted to the Jewish Agency and Keren Hayesod a loan of $3,500,000, re- payable in 10 years . . . The building in- dustry in Palestine will provide employ- ment for more than 30,000 workers dur- ing the next four years, building homes for new immigrants. * * * WE'RE TELLING YOU We recommend the formation of a spe- cial credentials commission for Europe . . . This commission should check the credentials of former inmates of Nazi concentration camps—for numerous Nazi gangsters are trying to save themselves with phony credentials identifying them PRESS CONFERENCES Considerable embarrassment to the Jewish cause was caused by some ostensi- ble "Jewish newspapermen" who some- how obtained admission cards as repre- sentatives of unheard-of Jewish news- papers and asked questions exclusive of the- unofficial terms of reference of the press conferences. There was always an Arab propagand- ist present at Jewish press conferences for the purpose of asking pro-Arab lead questions . . . This propagandist was especially "concerned" lest Zionism create anti-Semitism. We advised him to meet with Elmer Berger of the American Council for Judaism who is plagued by the same fears. * * * ADVERTISING Whoever gave the American Jewish Committee the "promotion idea" of print- ing its name on match-covers. Yours truly has such match-cover in his pos- session. * * * PERSONALS Ask Gershon Agronsky of the Palestine Post to show you the telegrams exchang- ed between him and a certain lady who is an adherent of the Bergson cause . . . The telegrams deal with their respective attitudes on Zionism, and are the briefest, frankest, most sizzling correspondence on the subject . . . Conscientious, loyal Phil Slomovitz worrying because the proof sheets of his Detroit Jewish News had not arrived by mail . . . This was his first fortnight away from his paper . . Ran into Alexander Brin of the Boston Jewish Advocate who seemed to know the entire State Department . • Tribute to Dr. Jacob Robinson, one of the finest legal political minds in Jewish public life, for his agile, thorough analysis of the International Trusteeships proposals and his recom- mendation of amendments. Friday, May 18, 1945 Between You and Me By BORIS SMOLAR (Copyright, 1945, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) AFTER SAN FRANCISCO Zionist and non-Zionist leaders in this country and Canada soon may be invited to come to London to negotiate with leaders of Jewish organizations in Britain for the creation of a united Jewish voice in the forthcoming international confer- ence which will follow the present United Nations gathering at San Francisco. The initiative for such a conference, will be taken by Sir Robert Waley-Cohen, leaders of the Anglo-Jewish association, who spent several days at San Francisco in negotiations with leaders of the Am- erican Jewish Conference, the American Jewish Committee and the World Jewish Congress . . . Sir Robert is back in Lon- don arid it is understood that the Board of Deputies of British'Jews supports his idea that the American Jewish leaders be summoned to London to straighten out their differences. * * * SAN FRANCISCO LESSON The lesson which Jewish groups are now learning here when confronted with actual work on Jewish rights in Europe and Palestine is very inspiring . . It turns out that, though not united in a single front, the representatives of all leading Jewish bodies are gradually corn- ing to suport each other's demands • . This was the case when Judge Proskauer and Jacob Blaustein of the American Jew- ish Committee were supported by Henry Monsky and Dr. Israel Goldstein of the American Jewish Conference at the con- sultants meeting where they pressed for establishment of a "Commission on Human Rights" by the UNCIO, and this was also the case when Judge Proskauer supported the demand of the American Jewish Conference and of the Jewish Agency that nothing prejudicial to Jew- ish rights in Palestine should be contain- ed in the formula providing for trustee- ship of mandated areas. On the whole, there is a very friendly spirit developing here between the rep- resentatives of the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Conference even though more of them want a united Jewish front . . . The ef- forts of the Synagogue Council to play negotiator between the two groups was not taken seriously by either group. * * * SAN FRANCISCO MOODS The general mood among representa- tives of Jewish groups here is extremely good . . All feel that the presence of Jewish leaders here has greatly contri- buted to ..the laying of good foundations for future protection of Jewish rights in Palestine and elsewhere . . . Judge Prosk- aeur and Jacob Blaustein scored a great victory in being instrumental in adoption by the "Big Four" of the recommendation for establishment of a Commission on Human Rights which will be the body to which all Jewish organizations in the world will address their complaints and suggestions. It is no exaggeration to say that if it were not for Proskauer and Blaustein this recommendation would not have been adopted since some members of the Am- erican delegation were not in favor of it . . . On the other hand, Henry Monsky and Dr. Stephen S. Wise and others of the American Jewish Conference scored a substantial achievement here by pre- venting steps which would have adverse- ly affected the Jewish fuutre in Pales- tine under the trusteeship system . They spent lots of time conferring with leading members of various delegations and in presenting to them facts of which the latter were not aware. Adolph Held, charman of the Jewish Labor Committee, will also leave San Francisco with a record of achievement ... He succeeded in rounding up all labor members of various government delega tions in support of Jewish rights in Europe and in Palestine. as Jewish victims of Nazism . . . L'Chayal, official organ of the Jewish Brigade in Italy, warns that the recent conversion of former chief rabbi Zolli presages a new trend in Italian Jewry. * * * ABOUT PEOPLE Warner Brothers are interested in mak- ing a movie of the story of Gen. Maurice Rose's death in Germany . . . Robert S. Gamzey, managing editor of the Denver Jewish News, may be commissioned to write the script . . . David Weisgal's Bar Mitzvah on May 26 will be the best- publicized event of the year, thanks to his father, Meyer W. Weisgal, who remains America's most dynamic promoter.