, .14127 i Purely Commentary By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ THE FDR-IBN SAUD LETTERS Washington correspondents comment- ed last week that the exchange of letters between the late President Roosevelt and Ibn Saud "came as a surprise to observers here (in Washington) in view of the fact that President Truman, at a Sept, 6 press conference, denied with a flat no that President Roosevelt had made any commitments to King Ibn Saud regarding the question of Jewish migra- tion to Palestine." To Jews it is not a surprise but a shocking bit of disillusionment. And we are even more disturbed by the fact that the State Department is utilizing these letters as policy by which to guide itself in its future actions. Is Justice, already blindfolded and deeply wounded, taking a back seat in Washington as well as in London? * * * A WORD TO MRS. GILDERSLEIEVE Dean Virginia C. Gildersleeve of New York, who was a member of the Amer- ican delegation at the UNCIO in San Francisco, makes a proposal on the tragic situation affecting the Jewish survivors in Europe. In a letter to the Nesv. York Times, Mrs. Gildersleeve states that. "the con- science of the world should recognize the obligation of us .all to help the home- less Jews whose persecution by Hitler we have so bitterly denounced, Each of the United Nations should accept its proportionate, share of those Jews who seek new homes, The Arab nations have already offered to accept their share." Perhaps, she points out, the share of the United States should be 200,000 who should be admitted aboVe the existing immigration quotas, and "let us stop evading our responsibility by urging that our Government force Britain to force Palestine to take in far more than its share." Now, now, Mrs. Gildersleeve?: Is this the type of international politics you learned in San Francisco? There are several errors in this emi- nent lady's logistics. In the first place, during the worst periods of the Nazi persecutions, even little children were denied asylum either. in this country or anywhere else. Then, there is that blind attitude on the score of forcing Britain -to do some- thing in Palestine. We wonder, has Mrs. Gildersleeve ever heard of the Biblical injunctions, granting Palestine to Israel, of certain legacies which must be accepted, as mandates that antedate the ',Mandate- given • to Great Britain—that mighty power whose strength was upheld with U. S. lend-lease, and to whom Pales- tine never belonged? But the silliest blunder of all is to speak in terms of the Arab lands offer- ing asylum to the Jews. Mrs. Gilder- sleeve: have you heard of the Algerian pogroms, of the rule of the middle ages which Makes life an inferno for Jews in Yemen, of Moslem persecution of Jews, of security in these Arabic lands made possible only by force of arms or through bakhsheesh—which is the Arabic word' for bribery? Dean Girdersleeve's letter belongs in the propaganda of the Council for Jud- aism. It certainly misses the mark in dealing realistically with humanitarian needs. * * * GREAT RELIEF EFFORTS' The War Chest drive is not over by a long shot. The remaining few days in the campaign will _tell . an important story. Many thousands of contributors are yet to be reached; and if there is de- lay in soliciting them, the :drive may fall short of the goal. If that happens, it will be a serious handicap for Jewish philanthropic 'efforts. But when the drive finally ends, the reAl job will begin for Jewish commun- ities. What we receive—the approximately three-quarters of a million " dollars 'for the J. D. C. and U. P. A.—is a drop' in the bucket. • It is well known by this time that the J. D. C. is $14,000,000 short . of its re-: quirements for 1945, that the U. P. A. needs large sums to carry on Palestine redemption work, that the needs in Eu- rope are so pressing that they stagger the imagination. One thing is certain: unless we ALL unite to strive for the best possible re- sults, unless there is an elimination of rancor, unless some people stop throw- ing mud, the American Jewish commun- ity will not be the only group to be hurt. The entire relief structure may collapse if some -fellows do not put an end to a stupid campaign 'of belittling •the Des- 'cue and reconstruction efforts, Y T-Ht . JEWISH NEWS Page Two Help for the Survivors Polish Jews and other displaced persons from the liberated German concentration camp in Ebensee (upper AuStria) recently sent the following acknowledgment of help received from the Joint Distribution Committee i i which receives its funds from the United Jewish Appeal for Refugees. Over- seas Needs and Palestine: "The Polish Committee in Ebensee, being representative of political ex-prisoners, takes the liberty to send the heartiest thanks for the gift of 15,000 kilos (17 tons) of food we got. - "The food in question will help to strengthen the prisoners; to im- prove the health of those who on account of their sufferings in the con- centration camp lost their strength. "We hope that the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, that showed us their humanity and their heart, will also in the future take care of Us, for which we shall be very. grateful. "You will be interested to know that the writer is of the Jewish religion and that among those who have been helped in this camp, there are about 1,500 other Jews." Picture these ex-internees! You have seen pictures of them—bodies starved to skin and bones, heads shaven, half-clad in worn striped prison suits; staring blankly ahead, too apathetic and starved to move. After the liberation of the camps, thousands of Jews were able to be moved to Italy and Hungary, but thousands more remained behind in Austria. "One cannot describe these poverty-stricken, stunned, half-clad people as displaced persons or even refugees," a JDC representative cabled after a first-hand survey on July 16. "They are a pitiful lot who have for five years, and in some cases even longer, half-lived and half-hoped in the foul camps." Immediately after liberation, JDC, with funds provided by the United Jewish Appeal, rushed supplementary food from Switzerland, and arrange-. ments were made for shipping clothing and medicines as well as additional food from Switzerland, The JDC is represented together with the United Palestine Appeal and National Refugee Service in the nationwide campaign of the United Jewish Appeal for relief and rehabilitation overseas, upbuilding . and mass settlement in the Jewish National Home in Palestine and refugee adjustment in the U. S. The United Jewish Appeal receives its funds locally from the War Chest, Heard in The Lobbies By ARNOLD LEVIN Between You and Me By BORIS SMOLAR (Copyright, 1945, Independent Jewish Press Service. Inc.) (Copyright, 1945, Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Inc.) NEWSPAPERMEN'S GOSSIP, Victor Bernstein of PM and Raymond Daniel of the New York Times are pow- erful contendents for the Pulitzer Prize, for their expose of the bogging down of our de-Nazification program; their re- ports aroused public opinion and made General Eisenhower aware of the verit- able insubordination of some of his near- est men . . , Bernstein was the first to fire the guns, but Daniel's staid tone may be more to the liking of the jury. The fairest thing would be to award the Prize to both . . . These two men proved that the Lincoln Steffens tradition in newswork is not over by any means. THE PALESTINE ISSUE Zionist leaders in this country fear that Secretary of State Byrnes has fallen under British influence with regard to the Palestine question • . . Nothing is known as yet of the report which Byrnes made to President Truman on the Pal- estine issue . . . But it is believed that the British tried to sell Byrnes the idea that the Arabs must not be antagonized, otherwise they will turn pro-Soviet . . . This "pro-Soviet bogey" seems to play an important part in British policy in the Middle East, since Britain is afraid of Soviet- influence in the Moslem world now that Egypt, Iraq, and other Moslem countries have established diplomatic relations with Moscow. • We learn that a very prominent and influential Jew in Washington, one who has never been connected with the Zion- ist movement or had any pro-Zionist feelings, is now trying to impress Secre- tary. Byrnes with the necessity of secur- ing the abrogation of the White Paper. The full story of what the Jews can 'expect from the Labor Government will be told by Dr. Weizmann, who is expect- ed in this country at the end of this month. Zionist leaders in America have advised Dr. Weizmann to proceed to Pal- .estine rather than the United States .. . Their argument is that in this decisive period for Palestine, it would bolster the morale of the Yishuv if Dr. Weiz- mann were in Palestine •• but Dr. Weizmann's present visit to • the United States may turn into something more than an ordinary call . An official welcome for Dr. Weizmann is being pre- pared in the form of a huge dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria, which will be con- verted into an impressive pro-Palestine demonstration. * * THE YOUNG GENERATION The sentiments of our younger gener- ation can best be judged from the results of a poll among Jewish students in sev- eral colleges on their attitude to Jewish Problems . . . Nearly all Jewish students profess a belief in the future of the American Jewish community . . While most Jewish students do not -delude themselves into believing that the defeat of Germany means a lessening of anti- Semitism, there is a growing disposition among. them to look upon anti-Semitism not merely as a Jewish, but as a Gentile problem . . At the same time, there has been an increase among the Jewish students of the tendency to fight anti- Semitism and a determination "not to take it lying down" . • . The summary of the poll establishes that the Jewish college student is likely to be non-observ- ant of traditional Jewish rites . . . He is disposed to look favorably upon Zion- ism . . . He is anxious about, but not dismayed by anti-Semitism . . He is confident that American Jewry will somehow or other manage to survive . . . Through rather sadly ignorant of Jewish affairs, he is becoming dimly aware that in his Jewish heritage he can find an integration of values which may enable him to transcend his fears and achieve a higher level of human dignity . . • There is no awareness among the Jewish students of any creative Jewish culture, but there is no hesitancy among them to be identified as Jews, I. F. Stone, PM's and The Nation's Washington man, will be enroute to Pal- estine when this appears : . Watch for fireworks from the pen of a thorough, daring reporter, whose articles have ruf- fled some very staid tempers, including Cordell Hull's when he was the State DepartMent patriarch. ▪ * HOT RUMOR What about the hot rumor (via Win- chell) that one of the Information Please boys has exchanged his old faith for a new one? One of the experts determining American policy in Germany, according to radio commentator Joharures Steel, is, Lt. Col. J. Starnes, formerly a mem- ber of the Dies Committee and one of the most virulent xenophobists in the House . . . Do you wonder why, etc., etc. Had the Colonel anything to do with the conditions Harrison saw? - PREJUDICE Dr. Carl Hermann Voss, Christian minister, extension secretary of the Church Peace Union and co-director of the American-Christian Palestine Com- mittee, confessed to New York Post re- porter Henry Becket: "Yes, I have pre- judice. I don't like anti-Jewish Jews. I don't like the ones who have no inter- est in the Zionist issue, no sympathy for their more unfortunate brothers, I am uneasy with Jews who lack pride in their heritage, who forget their own history and try to break with it." . * * AD. Leonard Lyons reports: "The News, which publishes John O'Donnell, carried a big ad for "Polonaise" in the Sunday issue. The artist who drew the lady's picture in that ad scribbled some lines which appear to be part of her gown. When the ad is turned upside down those scribbled lines read "I don't read John O'Donnell". * * * ANECDOTE OF THE WEEK This from Reader's Scope gave your columnist a laugh: A proud mother walked into the furniture store clutch- ing a small monthly payment. She plac- ed it on the counter happily. "Here," she said, "is the last install- ment on our baby carriage." "That's fine," said the clerk, how is the baby?" "Oh," was the reply, "he's being dis- charged under the point system next month." C o Strictly Confidential By PHIN EAS J. BIRON ' Copyright, 1945, Seven Arta Features Syndicate, Inc. . • ,•.. SCOOPS The long lived feud between the Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati and Dr. Stephen S. Wise's - Jewish Institute' of Religion belongs to the past . . . We are reliably informed that Dr. Wise will be the recipient of an honorary degree by the Cincinnati College before the year is over . . . Does this gesture presage an amalgamation between these two Jewish institutions of higher learning? Dr. Chaim Weizmann will be the vest of honor at a banquet which will be tendered to him next month in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York . . . His numerous friends will present him with a check for $1,000,000 for his chemical research laboratory in Pales- tine. Investigators in the know do not agree with columnist Victor Riesel that the end of Father Coughlin's saga has been writ- ten . . . How would Riesel explain the fact that strenuous efforts are being made by Coughlin's friends to get him back on the radio? - * * * ABOUT PERSONS Cameraman E. Elisofon is, back from an exciting trip through Europe .. . He is finishing a book that will contain food recipes . . . in other words a cook book. Is it true that the former chief rabbi of Rome, Zolli, now a Catholic, holding a job in the Vatican, is considering a lec- ture tour in America? • Pierre van Paassen will soon be honored with the title Doctor of Divinity for his great services to the cause of true Christianity. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's ex-Min- ister of War, is in this country studying the newspaper and radio fields. There are rumors that Charlie Chaplin will soon begin the production' of an im- portant movie dealing with the need for a just and - secure peace. * * * YOU SHOULD KNOW The name of the sergeant who escorted Bundist Fritz Kuhn back to Germany is Lubeski . . . Fritz promised Lubeski that he would return to the States but did not explain how. The widow of Leslie Howard is coming to America to supervise a movie - dealing with Howard's life story . . . We wonder whether the Hollywood story will tell of Leslie's Hungarian Jewish parenis. Harold Laski will take the lead of the anti-Attlee forces on the Palestine issue . . . Laski is determined to bring about a showdown. Louise Rainer, the stage and screen Star, is 'refusing alluring offers because of inipending motherhood. * * * QUESTION PERIOD Sholem Asch's last book "One Destiny" which tries to interpret his conception of a Jewish-Christian civilization is selling to the chagrin of the great author . . Isn't it strange? Why was the daughter of Nazi Reichs- minister Frank, infamous butcher of Poland and one of the highest-ranking war criminals, given a secretarial posi- tion with the American authorities in Wiesbaden, Germ.any? Religion at Work: Tale of Life Gloves By Dr. Maeanna Cheserton-Mangle When we think of the valor of the four chaplains who went down on the Dorchester, we invariably think of the life belts they gave ,that others might have a chance to live. Few have known the tale of the gloves. It was in a recent letter from Coast Guard Lieutenant John J. Mahoney that Chaplain Alexander Goode was mentioned. The Chaplain's stateroom was next to Lt. Mahoney's, and they were fast friends. The Lieu- tenant described the Chaplain as a "reg- ular guy and a swell mate". There was little time after the torpedo struck to go below for further equipment. So it was that when Mahoney discovered he didn't have his gloves—so essential in holding to the side of a lifeboat—Chaplain Goode insisted that he take his gloves. There wasn't a moment to lose. The lifeboat was off. And for the next eight hours it drifted in the bitter cold before being picked up. Mahoney, one of only two survivors of the forty men in that boat, gives credit to the Jewish Chaplain for having helped to save his life. Without the gloves he never could have clung to the side of that ice-cover- pd lifeboat.