Friday, October 25, 1446
THE JEWISH NEWS
Page Two
Purely
Commentary
Between
You and Me
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright.
JEWISH EDUCATION IN 1946
In the current issue of Jewish Educa-
tion Newsletter, Uriah Z. Engelman
quotes figures to prove that modern par-
ents are NOT less interested in Jewish
education than the parents of a genera-
tion or two ago
To' back up his argument, Mr. Engel-
man refers to the earliest estimate of en-
rollment in Jewish schools in this coun-
try, made by Dr. Charles S. Bernheimer
in 1900, and compares it with his• own
statL;tical research on the subject last
spring. Mr. Bernheimer's study showed
an enrollment of 36,000. At that time—
in 1900—America's Jewish population was
1.058,135. Mr. Engelinan's study shows
that this year the Jewish school popula-
tion is 231,028—an increase of 541 per
cent—the Jewish population—now 5,000,-
000—having increased by only 372 per
cent.
Not completely satisfied with present-
ing these figures alone, Mr. Engelman
points out that the number of parents
giving their Children a Jewish education
is - relatively much larger" because the
family is smaller in 1946 than it was in
1900 and because the average child stays
less time in the Jewish school and there
therefore is a larger turnover.
Thus—Mr. Engelman convinces us that
the modern parents are as interested as
their own parents or grandparents in
Jewish education. But he leaves us in
doubt as to the effectiveness of an inter-
est which is based on large turnovers.
111 , claim that Sunday school sessions
have been extended from an hour or an
hour and a half to two or two and a half
hours is not too convincing, since the ma-
jor aim of Jewish education should be
the creation of a strong system of day
7s4hook. If the latter continue to be "Bar
Mitzvah factories," then we are failing
in our efforts to advance Jewish educa-
tion in this country.
The shortage of teachers must not be
permitted to serve as an excuse for ex-
i ,s.ing conditions. On the contrary, it
should stimulate sufficient concern in our
communities for the creation of teachers'
seminaries and for offering all possible
encouragement to our young people to
make teaching in Jewish schools their
careers. We shall never accomplish this
task by being niggardly. And if, by fail-
ing to recognize our essential needs, we
perpetuate our schools as Bar Mitzvah
plants, intencleiTTo satisfy the vanity of
parents on their children's confirmations,
then we are rendering a distinct disser-
vice to our children and to our heritage.
•
•
•
PA LESTINE'S EXPANSION
Palestine's General Federation of Jew-
ish Labor has- made public the following
figures to show steady growth of Jewish
farm production in the Jewish Homeland
in recent years:
Mi!): (litres)
100:
11.1,11
Fi-d, (tons)
(No.)
1944-15
1943-44
1938-39
35.000.000 60.000;000 70.000.000
2,000
1,880
1,030
1,800
1.250
60.000,000 72,000.000 80.000.000
The production of vegetables and po-
tatoes showed a slight reduction last year
due mainly to the curtailment of military
consumption, as may be seen below:
(tons ■
Potrit. ∎es (ton,
1938-39
15 000
3.0(10
1943-44
17,500
23.000
1944-45
11.000
16.000
During the current season, the area
planted with potatoes has again been in-
creased by about 20 per cent, and it is es-
timated that the year's crop will amount
to between 20.000 and 22,000 tons.
Taking into consideration the handicaps
that were created by the war and the de-
pletion of Jewish manpower due to large-
scale Jewish enlistments in the British
armed forces. such growth is proof of the
determined will of the Palestinian Jewish
farmers to create a powerful Jewish com-
munity which must benefit the entire
Middle East as it has benefited the Allied
Powers during the war.
• •
BILBO ON THE SPOT
Senator Bilbo is facing trouble from an
unexpected source. The rabble - rouser
from Mississippi is learning that even a
United States Senator can not play
around with the Internal Revenue de-
partment, and Senator Homer Ferguson's
committee appears to be ready for a real
showdown with the man liberals have
been angling for unsuccessfully for some
time.
A man is innocent until proven guilty,
and the charges against Senator Bilbo are
yet to be substantiated fully. But regard-
less of the results of the latest accusa-
tions, the country should be kept ap-
prised of the man's attitudes on matters
affecting various elements in the Ameri-
can population —Negroes, Jews, Italians
and others. A persor who has shown as
much hate as he has must be exposed.
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The far-flung battlefields of the world are dotted with Stars of David
marking the final resting place of Jewish soldiers who have joined their fellow
Americans in the long and bitter war against intolerance in other countries.
Today, the same forces of evil which khaki-clad Jewish soldiers fought to
destroy in other lands are at work here, injecting the virus of anti-Semitism into
the American bloodstream. They are even attempting to gain control of veteran
organizations. and through them to carry on their work of undermining democracY.
The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League of
Bnai Stith, through the Joint Defense Appeal, have dedicated themselves to
wipe-out the hate-mongers who would destroy the basic American freedoms. A
major activity of their program is to secure the cooperation of old and new
veteran groups to the end that joint forces may more successfully resist the
assaults of rabble-rousers and bigots.
Heard in
The Lobbies
By ARNOLD LEVIN
(Oeeyright., 1946. Independent Jewi•h
Press Service. Inc.)
CONVERSATION PIECE
This did not get into press. It is
the story of Judge Simon H. Rifkind's
meeting with Palestine's High Corn-
missicmer Sir Alan Cunningham as
told by Judge Rifkind himself at the
dinner last week launching the
$2,000,000 campaign for a Palestine
Medical School.
a British militarily
"Sir Alan,
minded official," said Judge Rifkind,
"took me on a tour of the beautiful
gardens of Government House in
Jerusalem. He pointed out to the
many rare flowers in his garden and
very proudly pointed out the beauty
of the Palestinian scenery. Then,
after a half hour of this, when I was
wondering when we could get down
to the business of considering the
problems of the displaced Jews of
Europe," he said: "Judge, the trouble
with the Jews is that they have no
patience." -
Judge Rifkind said that there were
many things he wanted to say to Sir
Alan, but he limited himself to a little
anecdote about Albert Einstein.
The house boys of Prof. Einstein
and his nearest neighbor were swap-
ping gossip in an off-hour when one
boy said to the other:
"What is this relativity thing of
Prof. Einstein's.".
He answered:
can't say exactly,
but it's sort of like this. If you sit
on a hot stove for a minute, that
seems like an hour; but if your best
girl sits on your lap for an hour,
well, that just seems like a minute."
After which Judge itifkind very
pointedly said to Sir Alan: "The Jews
have been on a hot stove far over 10
years."
Zion's, Hatikvah and
Home, Sweet Home
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
Copyright, 1941, Jewish Telegraphic Ageticy, Inc.
I've read somewhere recently that it
was first proposed to put the words "Jew-
ish State" in the Balfour Declaration but
that some super-assimilated British Jew-
ish anti-Zionists objected and the phrase,
"Jewish National Home" was substituted
to appease them.
The act of these meddlers and the re-
sult is of course to be deplored, and yet
essentially I am sure that what the Jew-
ish people really want is a "homeland."
We have made a demand for a Jewish
state only because it appears that this is
the only way by which we can get a real
home for the Jewish people.
The trouble is that Mr. Bevia and Mr.
Atlee do not knew what a home means.
The American poet, Stephen Benet,
knew what a home was. He said: "A
home is a place where they've got to
take you in."
Where you can't take your family in,
that's not a home. It may be a prison.
It may be a Jewish national hotel, but
it is not a home.
Hatikvah is a Jewish "Home, Sweet
Home." There are some strong parallels
in these two songs—both in content and
in authorship.
•
•
•
John Howard Payne's* "Home, Sweet
Home" contains such phrases as "exile
from home." In Imber's "Hatikvah" we
have the thought of yearning to return
"to the land of our fathers," and if mem-
ory serves me correctly, there is also an
allusion to "father" or "mother" in Home,
Sweet Home. There certainly is in one
of the versions which Payne wrote. (Not
all of the verses which he wrote are in-
corporated in the commonly accepted ver-
sion of the song.)
Naphtali Herz Imber, author of Hatik-
vah, was, of course, a Jew. John Howard
Payne was partly Jewish. His mother,
Sarah Isaacs, was Jewish. •
Both Imber and -Payne were wander-
ers on the earth. As a matter of fact, the
first play which Payne wrote was called
"Julia, the Wanderer." It was written, I
believe, when he was still in his early
Agency, Inc.) TelegraPitic
POLITICAL TALK
By the time this is published the in-
formal talks between the British govern-
ment and the Jewish Agency will have
been broken off ... It now becomes more
and more obvious that Britain does not
intend to give the Jews anything more
than the "federalization plan" . . . The
question of establishing a Jewish state in
Palestine is at present farther from solu-
tion than ever before . . . Some Zionist
leaders are therefore mapping a new
strategy, especially with regard to in-
creased Jewish immigration to Palestine
. Suspicion' exists that Britain was not
sincere even in offering its "federaliza-
tion plan" . .. The offer, it is believed,
was made only because. the British gov-
ernment knew in advance that neither
the Jews nor the Arabs would accept it
... The Jewish Agency will now concen-
trate a good deal of its activities around
the United Nations and in Washington
The Agency has purchased a building in
New York for its offices.
•
•
•
THE ZIONIST CONGRESS
American delegates are proceeding to
the World Zionist Congress in Switzer-
land with determination to secure several
seats for Zionists from the United States
on the executive of the Jewish Agency
. . . These American members of the ex-
ecutive, whom the Congress will have to
elect, will not be members in name only.
but will settle in Palestine . . . They will
fight to become the heads of imnortant
departments in the executive . . . This is
in line with a policy decided upon by
leaders of the American Zionist Emer-
gency Council to have the American del-
egates at the Congress vote for a coalition
executive not dominated by the Laborites
. . . American Zionist leadership is cer-
tain that the new executive of the Jewish
Agency will not be under Laborite con-
trol, as is the present one . .. This belief
is based on the fact that Palestine is
sending only 79 delegates to the Congress
. . . America is sending more than 100
delegates . . . Altogether there will be
about 350 delegates, of wham not more
than 90 will renresent the labor groups
•
•
•
ZOA CONVENTION
The convention of the Zionist Organi-
zation of America at Atlantic City will
pass more quietly than many think . . .
There will be no special fireworks there,
since Dr. Abba Hillel Silver is certain to
have no comnetitor for the ZOA nresi-
dency and since he will be re-elected
practically by acclamation . . . There are
few opponents now to Dr. Silver's policy
in the ranks of the ZOA and their voices
will hardly be heard . Dr. Stephen S.
Wise, who does not always see eye to
eye with Dr. Silver on matters of Zion-
ist policy, may or may not express his
opposition to certain political aspects of
the present ZOA policy with regard to
the American scene ... Dr. Wise wanted
to come out Publicly with an endorsement
of Herbert H. Lehman's candidacy for the
U. S. Senate from New York State. but
was prevented from doing so by ZOA dis-
cipline ... He was reminded of the deci-
sion of the American Zionist movement
that no outstanding Zionist leader should
take sides publicly during election cam-
paigns . . . While these lines are being
written, Zionist leadership is discussing
this question, and Dr. Wise may still have
his way and come out with an endorse-
ment for Lehman . . . ZOA leadership
comes to its convention proud of its in-
creased membership and of its political
activities in Washington ... Yet the main
point raised at the convention will be
that the U. S. government has not done
enough to force President Truman's will
upon Britain and thus open the doors of
Palestine for the immediate admission of
100,000 Jews from Europe.
teens. Payne was something of a juvenile
prcdigy.
•
•
•
Imber picked up the tune for Hatikvah
somewhere in the Turkish zone. The ba-
sic tune of "Home, Sweet Home" also
came from parts near there. I think it
originally was a Sicilian tune, although
some Englishman later doctored it up.
In both cases, it would seem, they fun-
damentally expressed themselves — they
gave voice to the deepest urge in their
hearts, without intending consciously to
do it. Payne, the wanderer, the man
who once complained that he never had
enjoyed domestic bliss, is remembered by'
"Home, Sweet Home" and Imber, who
could have liked deep down in his heart
to believe in the establishment of a Jew-
ish homeland but who could not believe
it, is remembered for Hatikvah and is
actually helping. In the accomplishment
,
of his unconscious desire.