Page Two
THE JEWISH NEWS
Discrimination Must He Stamped Out
Purely
Commentary
Editorial in St. Catharine, Ont., Standard
Canada and the United States were urged by F. H. LaGuardia, director-gen-
eral of .UNRRA; to open their doors to some of the 1,400,000 displaced persons
in Europe, many of whom are Persecuted, homeless Jews.
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Yet in Toronto a Jewish lad, - veteran of four - years in the army- and '10 Months
of fighting -on the continent, lost his job in a hardwar,e store because shoppers.
A CHALLENGING LETTER
complained to the. owner that they didn't want to be waited on by a Jew.
Your"• Commentator this week received
The world offers :advice, freely and with high-Sounding phrases of democracy
the--- following - challenging letter from
and freedom, to England -about admitting 100,000 Jews. to. Palestine With the
Helen Ganz:
eventual aim of setting up - there a national state. for the one group of mankind:'
-"I suppose •one- of the greatest • problems • in
without a state. - • - - -
the U. S. today is one- of racial and religious
Yet last week a St. Catherines boy; just discharged from the service,. Was
prejudices. We, the Jews, • have really suffered.•
refused -a job in Toronto - because. he was a Jew. Prospects for the job looked
We know what it means to have one's family.
wiped. out. My mother knows what it means.
good until he went for an interview and his religion was discovered. Then he was
She has one niece left from a family of 50. •
told that because the firm was going to move its- offices, there would be no job,
"We received a post card today without a
for him. - -
signature without a return address—a post card
written in Yiddish--the contents of . which I
Before and during the war, Hitler's treatment of the Jews was given as one
quote in English as follows:
reason. for going to war. Such religious and racial discrimination- must not exist,
"JEWS BE ON GUARD"
the world- said in outraged terms. Yet the world fails to come to grips with the
" 'A nigger faintly was seen looking at 'a
problem and continues to allow persecution of Jews, even though it be on a moral
house on your street. We have to see - to it
that this neighborhood should remain white.
rather than a Nazi physical.basis. - ' - -
If we can't hold on to a neighborhood we will
The world is heartily in - support of freeing the Jews from persecution and
be kicked out and not allowed into any other
providing them with the freedoin guaranteed - to all minoritiesjust so long as it
neighborhood. Let us get together for a meeting
to see what we can do.
can all be settled some place far away. Until we PLit our own houses in order.
"Paint your property. Fix your lawn and - and stamp out all signs of discrimination, wherever they may appear, we can
make your house look -better than ever before.':
say little about what other people do.
"What I can't get over is that this Was
—
written by a Jew—a - people who have suffered
from persecution- throughout the ages. And
what do they do? They turn right around and
practice racial intolerance on the Negro. If
we can't • learn to live with our fellow men,
how do we ever expect peace in this atomic
age of ours? . • •
I don't know why I have written to you
except that I feel you can do something about
it."
A serious problem is succinctly touched
upon in - this letter, and . . our correspondent.
has a right to feel that she is entering
into a battle for justice when she opens
- up an issue which so many people fear to
discuss.
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CONFUSION WORSE CONFOUNDED
- The translated card is worth studying.
It is clear that the anonymous writer is
confused. Every person ought to take
pride in his property and .should take the
best of care of his„lawn. Property-owners
are -- more sound citizens when they think
in terms of sticking to their neighbor-
hoods. But that ought- not to be cause .for
dragging in the issue of keeping any one
else out.
The trouble with the biased viewpoint
expressed in the card quoted by Helen
Ganz is that it reflects the fears and the
prejudices of an .entire community. .Our
correspondent is unduly alarmed when
she treats it as a Jewish issue. It is a
human issue which finds Jews as stiscep-
tible to prejudices . as •their non-Jewish
neighbors.
Every human issue, however, becomes
more aggravated when applied to Jewish
experiences, and from this point of view
our correspondent is justified - in resent-
ing the appearance of Jews in the clothes
of biased people.
• *
`HOLDING A NEIGHBORHOOD'
• When a Jew speaks of "holding on to
a neighborhood,” •he expresses a *lack- of
knowledge of existing conditions, and of
actual experiences. Non-Jews who , have
sought to keep- Jews out of certain sec-•
tions have used the same argtiment—of
keeping the- • section "Gentile-pure."
Therefore, that which is - dogmatically
dangerous for Negroes also is - treacher-
ous when applied to Jews.
The problem, however, 'does not •end
here. Rather,- it begins at this point.
. Suppose Jews _were to announce to
their Negro friends—and no - one. wAtg a •
sense of justice has a right to deny
Negroes the same rights WE possess--
that their neighborhoods would be open
to them, what would be the 'result? •
- The answer would be too simple to re-
quire elucidation. It 'would- mean proMpt
-ostracism by , our non-Jewish friends. It
Would 'immediately .- end the "stay 7put"
policy and would introduce another Mi-
gration of Jews into . new neighborhoods.
It would mean the creation of conditions
which have caused - havOc on • Hastings
street in Detroit, on •- 105th . street' in
Cleveland, or in what- is -now Harlem in
New York.
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0
Heard in
The Lobbies
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By ARNOLD LEVIN
(Copyright, 1946. Independent Jewish
Press- Service. Inc.)
CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
The Commission' on Law and " Social
Action - of the American. Jewish Congress
finds after a detailed survey that job
discrimination against Jews is on the
upswing Philadelphia. Another illus-_
tration of a bigoted few destroying the
beauty and integrity. ;of words. Remem-
ber "America First" and;:"Social Justice"
There still is time to save the honor of
the word "Philadelphia."
* * *
SURPRISE
A headline- in the New York Times
reads: Jodi blames Hitler for Bringing
On War.7This will come as a great sur-
prise to the Daily News in New York
and several of his fellow patriots who
thought all along that Franklin Delano
Roosevelt did it.
•
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CONGRATULATIONS
To Eugene Meyer, brilliant editor and
publisher of the Washington Post, on his
election to the presidency of the Inter-
national Bank for Reconstruction and De-
velopment. Congratulations, too, to the
International Bank.
* * *
PEPSI-COLA HITS THE SPOT
.
Last week New Yorkers were amazed
to see the Pepsi-Cola skywriting plane
paint across the sky in white smoke let-
ters the words "SAVE THE OPA." This
is perhaps the first editorial use of sky-
writing. One can envision the skies ten
years hence -covered • with "full page"
(twenty-mile) editorial ads by the Coun-
cil of Judaism demanding the repeal of
the finally established Jewish Common-
wealth in Palestine.
hold-ups mar the Negro invasion of the
neighborhood, just as happened years ago
on Hastings St. in 'Detroit, the situation
becomes aggravatedly painful.
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WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?
- Our :readers have a right: to complain
and-to • ask: - what's -your solution? - -
Which causes us to remind them of the
new• • great play, - '"On Whitman Ave-.
.
-Maxine•FinSterwald -
nue,"__by*a Detroiter,
.
Wood. This play puts to shame the bigots
who would' bar. Negroes from .neighbor .7_
hoods now -. pOpulated by whites: Vernon
Rice, .who reviewed the play for-the New
York Post, had this to say:
!-'Sane•-of-- the criticism - leveled against the
play claimed that the playwright made her black
characterS -too white and her White: -people too
SINGLE STANDARD OF JUSTICE
we 'didn't find necessarily so. - Her
black. That
•
characters didn't have time to register
There is one point for us to remember: :Negro
much of anything but -bewilderment, , confusion
that in a decent society those who fight and smothered indignity, so busy -Were ..they: in •
the-,- onsieughts. Of the white. people.
for justice dare not pursue a - policy. of . receiving the
%White
, people, we- „thought, acted
"And
•
-double ,standards - of justice.
-
pretty much true to form. -
the
'With
their
backs
-up'. against , the-
If there . is to be a _single standard of
thought of the • depreciation' of their ..property
justice, the ideas expressed in the card and possible loss of their' homes, their „reaction
received by our correspondent are wrpng. .was very • /Mach In' line with other. people we
'seen ,4n :.sithilar circumstances. People
But in this fight for a -single standard' have
the.
act
undet an emotional - stress don't alwayS
nor do, they. always -behave in a- -very
of justice Jews find themselves in great -pr
•
favorable
light,
•
difficulty when they beconie the :Sole • .'"It is very easy for us to sit in our restricted'
crusaders
for decency. Withont our homes' in our restricted .neighborhoods and . say
geOple• 'don't act like -that,' but ',having witnessed
Christian fellow-men we are helplesS in the
recent behavior of a -group of people in a
this struggle. It is our hope that :Our - large Midwestern City, iiying in,- a section of the,
Which. is becoming more and more .thickly
Christian neighbors • will abandon their city
populated.: -with.'Negrcies, . we must report that
prejudices and will say to the colored _ they do. behave just as those • people did who.
man: we accept you for what you - are; dwelt .on Whitthan Avenue - In. the play.
. "Miss-Wood -only states that such conditions
we shall treat the good among you as - sheuld - not exist.
•
"perhaps this play, if it is . allowed to -run
we would our own good people, and we
long enough, will find enough -People who: will
reject the dishonorable • among you on, the agree:" .
same plane as we condemn the . evil,
whites. When the Christian: .our :society
is reluctant to adopt such a Christian
Policy, there is danger that the_Jew • will
- learn the evil thereof.
'
This is • exactly what has happened.
And When, newcomers are lacking of
PW, Rtit,45 ,-gg14-0-W.atfr4.4:1Q1VP444444W-
We are iinclined•to 'agree - with
We believe- that -under existing . conditions;
with the world . having. retrogressed in
human relations, there is- no • soltition. to
the Negro-White problem except' through -
education. And eduCation suggeSts a. long-
range process • of establishing decency in.
Friday, June 14, 1946
•
Strictly
Confidential
By. PHINEAS J. BIRON
Copyright, 1946, Seven Arts
Feature - Syndicate, Inc.
FLASH FROM PALESTINE
: All_ the rumors about Dr. Weizmann's
resignation from the presidency of the
World Zionist Organization_ are prema-
ture .. • The Chief,. as his intimates- call
•him, is in good physical shape and ra-
ther optiinistic about the final . political
results . . So, it would seem that the re-
ports, about a Triumvirate (namely, • Sil-
ver Ben-Gurion, BrodetskY) taking over
are not realistic just now.
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Between
You :a•d Me
By BORIS •MOLAR
(Copyright, 1946, JOwish Telegraphic
Agency. Inc.)
THE PALESTINE ISSUE
ZiOnist leaders expect very little from
the statement which the British Govern-
ment may make this month with regard
to Palestine ... In• fact, they are gloomier
than ever with regard to British.machina-
tions . . . And Washington, too, is be-
coining more cautious with regard to pro-
posals concerning Palestine now being
made by ,the British Foreign Office to
our State Department . . . It is' known
that the BritiSh government has submit-
ted no less :than 60 questions to the - State
Department for reply befOre any decision
is taken by Londdri - -with regard to the
adinission. :of 100,000 Jews to Palestine
. . . Britain is demanding that at least
three Ameiican divisions• be stationed in
Palestine before the Jews . are admitted
. . . U: S.' Chief. of Staff Gen. Dwight
Eisenhower was consulted with regard to
this requeSt . . . His reply was that there
is no possibility of sending American
troops anywhere • unless Congress con-
tinues, the draft act .- Britain's alleged
reason for requesting. American troops
is that more military might is needed in
Palestine to- prevent Arab outbreaks
against the admission of the 100,000. Jews
. . . Actually, it is taken for granted that
Britain is less -afraid of an Arab up: -ising
in PaleStine than' .ever before . . There
_are now more British, soldiers in _Pales-
tine than at any time, - and their number
is constantly growing . . And a . few
American divisions in- Palestine would
only help to make the British stronger.
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DIPLOMATIC ACTION
Foreseeing" that Britain is far from
making Palestine either - a Jewish or an
Arab, state, or even ,a: bi-national . state,
Richard. Harrity, formerly of Yank
some' Zionists in London approached the
Magazine, has just finished a play abOtit
British Labor Party to sound it out On
anti-Semitism . . . Dick is a' Roman Cath-
the- prospects- of Palestine becoming a.
Olic Who can't stand discrimination.
British dominion . . . . If Palestine were a
The National Convention of the Amer-
British dominion, many think the Arabs
ican Jewish Congress, just concluded in
would not be in a position to object to
New York, showed great strength . . . It
Jewish immigration . . . But the unol-
was attended by quite :a few members of
ficial British reply 'through the Labor
Bnai Brith interested in militant work
Party was that the government is not
against fascism. •
interested at present i' . giving Palestine
The Jewish People's Fraternal Order: the status of a dominion . . What• the
has prepared a film : on anti-Semitism, British Government :wants, from all inj
called "Of.-- These Our People" . . . Pro,
dications, is to get sole control c --.-er •
democratic organizations should be inter-
Palestine under a United Nations trustee-:-
ested in this film _. The Institute for
ship . It seems that such control will
American Democracy is also announcing be given to Britain at 'the forthcoming:
a film "One Nation Indivisible,• a "post-. session of the U. N. General Assembly in
war motion• picture- for_ unity -and democ-• September . . -There will be no ob-
,
.
racy."
jections to it by : the United States or
The National Jewish Welfare-Board de-
other members of the United Nations,
serves the gratitude and , cooperation of except Soviet Russia, which will : definite-
all in carrying out its plan to establish ly be outvoted . . Zionist, leaderS, there-
a "shrine" as a monument: to the patriotic fore, are begirin•ing to mobilize all pos-.
service of American Jews in all the wars
sible forces to strengthen opposition with-
of the United States. -
in 'the United - Nations to the present
It pays off to fight fascism . . . Eugene
Britigh' policy in F'alestine . They will
Flitcraft, who operates the Gentile Co-
make a special effort to line-up. the Latin.
operative Association and has published American members Of the N. . . . A
"The Protocols" seriously in his paper,
Latin-American ,.statesman, Will make
received only , 11,059 votes for County a tour of Central and _South _America fOr
Commissioner against 47,833 for the victor. the sole purpose of 'bringing the Jewish
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pOint . of view with regard - to Palestine
BETWEEN THE BOOK ENDS
to the attention Of the Latin American
A Jewish "Book of. Knowledge," a pop- governments:.
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ular encyclopedia for children, _will be
published by the Union of American He- HEBREW LETTERS -
Lovers of Hebrew throughout the
brew_ COngregations.
The - J_ewish, Chautuaqua Society is world will' hail the appearance- in this
country, of the Hatekufah, the voluminous
sending out" 100 book§ every week to 250
Hebrew quarterly -which has been mak-
colleges _ in every of America .,. . .
inghistory' in Hebrew literature for the
Good .work for democracy.
"Biting on Granite" is the title of Louis last quarter of a century . . This 900..
I. Newman's selected sermons and ad-- page publication has no equal- even in
dresses, just published by Bloch _Publish- English literature . . The. solid English
literary magazines published hi this coun-
' lag Company.
Pierre van _Paassen's "Earth Could Be try and in Britain look like midgets
compared with Hatekilfah : . . Its appear-
Fair," out less than a month is already
ance here for the first time is another
eighth on the national best seller •list.
'Dr. Weizmann's autobiography will be
proof that America . is now ,taking the
in print this coining Spring.
place of Europe• in. cultural Jewish life
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. . Hatekufah was "born" in Russia,
WEEKLY AWARD
-
and was' transferred to Poland where
it was published until the Outbreak of-
This week's award goes to the Mayor
of -Detroit . . : We are told that he has
the war . . . Its publisher, A: j.,StYbel,
developed a sirnple, constructive method
a great lover of .Hebrew whO made it his
in' inter-racial • relations . . : The Police business to lose tense of - thousand& of .dol-
COMmissioner compiles each week the lars prOmoting Hebrew literature, was
report regularly reaching him from pub- one of the fortunate few to escape from
lic and- private obserVers 'listing all inci- Poland with his. Wife, Goslava,:and reach
this country . . True to his "everlasting
dents involving racial conflicts . . . By
week to' week comparison the - Commis- love," he has now . resumed publication
sioner can- tell :which areas of the,citY of the quarterly in the United States
are becoming troublesome and can chart The new volume, edited: by Eisig ,
the rise in teripion . When the areas schlag and Aaron Zeitlin, • has every-
of danger = are identified, prophylactic thing that modern living Hebre* writers
measures are applied . . . One of the . most tan- Offer in short stories, poetry, drama,
effective is the •training .of public offi- •historical studies, analytical. articles,
literary studies, with :, more than. 40
cials to meet the - threat of conflict . .
The , bias' Of public- ,officials,_ particularly writers — the ,,,",crealn of Hebrew litera-
. Attracting side-.
polite. _officers,, has. often • been the basic_ ture"-Participating .
cause of rioting . . . The Police Commis- cial attention"is harry Sackler'S novelette
The End of the voriae- e relati4 how
signer takes immediate • disciplinary action
against 'any officer ,fohrid to act unfairly the efforts of the Baal-Shein to reach
... Mr. 1Vlayor, ,you : are- setting a-sterling - Palestine failed ... It is a piece of Jewish
:the' :finest Hebrew
example of the law protecting democracy philosOphY di eSsed
liter w$
,l am
MISCELLANY
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