Friday, Jun. 6, 1947

THE JEWISH NEWS

Page-. Four

As the Editor
Views the News ...
Less and Less Havens

Prospects of opening more doors for Jewish
immigrants are gradually fading. With the
gates to the United States shut rather tight,
only a limited number of Europeans being
permitted to settle here, the recent HIAS
report analyzing the situation in the Latin
Americans adds gloom to the existing picture.
Thus, Albert Harris and Dr. Henry Shoskes
report for HIAS:
In all of Latin America, 2,407 Jews found
homes in 1946.
Argentina, which admitted 56 of this num-
ber, is enforcing an anti-Jewish policy.
Of the 1,800 immigrants admitted to Bra-
zil, 600 are Jews. Colombia admitted 500,
Mexico 400. Brazil pledged to accept 1,000,
but Jews found it difficult to secure these
visas.
An additional analysis of the situation re-
veals:
Chile has no policy of racial discrimination,
but asks for a bond of $200 for an individual.
Peru reportedly is anti-semitic.
The Dominican Republic took 100 Jewish
immigrants, but many of the 475 Jews now
living under the Trujillo dictatorship want
to leave.
Colombia is against "traders," Jewish or
otherwise.
Peru desires "aryans." Brazil wants "as-
similable". Latins and Catholics.
Venezuela has promised to take 8,000 Jews,
yet HIAS received reports that American-
naturalized Jews have trouble getting transit
visas. Venezuela took only five Jews last year.
It is clear that the situation in the Latin
Americas is not promising and that it is be-
coming increasingly more difficult for Jews
to find havens of refuge anywhere. Even. if
the Stratton Bill should become a law, ad-
mitting 400,000 DPs of all denominations,
there will remain the responsibility of finding
homes for hundreds of thousands of Jews
who must leave Europe. The answer for these
remains the same: Palestine.

More Anti-Semitism

A JTA cable from London quotes the re-
port of the defense committee of the Board
of Deputies of British Jews to the effect that
Fascist anti-Semitic street-corner propaganda
in England has increased to the point of being
as menacing as during the years 1933-1939,
when Nazi propaganda was at its height.
While the Board of Deputies called for an
all-out—t-ampaign to arouse Great -Britain
against the rising tide 'of fascism, the differ-
ences of opinion that have arisen over tactics
to be pursued in fighting bigotry reveal that
with a recurrence of danger to the Jewish
population there also is an unfortunate ele-
ment of confusion within our own ranks as ,
to methods of fighting the menace of anti-
Semitism. Such usually are the experiences
we encounter in this country, unity being
difficult to attain.
Apparpritly it is not so easy to learn from
,experience. Dissident groups almost always
creep into our ranks to interfere with united
action. Perhaps the solution, after all, lies in
government action.
An interesting instance is quoted in the
JTA report from London. We are informed
that the Board of Deputies was notified by
the Swedish charge d'affaires in London that
his government is taking steps to halt the
export of anti-Semitic propaganda and that
the Swedish press has been demanding gov-
ernment action against the bigots.
The anti-Semitic issue is on the agenda
again, and the invoking of action by govern=

men ts everywhere may become unavoidable.

THE JEWISH NEWS

Member Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Independent Jewish
Press Service, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Religious
News Service. Palcor Agency.
Member American Association of English-Jewish News-
papers and Michigan Press Association.
Publisned every Friday by The Jewish News Publish-
ing Co.. 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26. Mich., RA. 7956.
Subscription. $3 a year: foreign, $4. Club subscription.
every fourth Friday of the month. to all subscribers to
Allied Jewl4h Campaign of Jewish Welfare Federation of
Detroit. 40 cents pet year.
Entered as second-class matter Aug. 6, 1942. at Post Of-
ace. Detroit. Mich.. under Act of March 3. 1879.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Philip Slomovitz
Maurice Aronsson
Isidore Sobeloff
Fred M. Butzel
Judge Theodore Levin Abraham Srere
Henry Wineman
Maurice H. Schwartz

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ. Editor

VOL. XI—NO. 12

JUNE 6, 1947

Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the nineteenth day of Sivan, 5707,
the following Scriptural selections will be read in
our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Num. 8:1-12:16.
Prophetical portion—Zech. 2:14-4:7.

Hope Springs Eterna

`Royte Pomerantsen'

0Isvanger Collection of
Classic Yiddish Humor

Dr. McDonald versus Lady Astor

Palestine's grave situation has affected many people so
deeply that some have become hysterical, while the best in-
formed and most serious-minded leaders are attempting to
introduce reason and fairness into the discussions.
The most interesting contrasts in the Palestinian debates
were suggested in the argument that ensued a few days ago
between Dr. James G. MacDonald, former League of Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees and an American member
of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry on Palestine,
and Lady Astor.
American-born arch-conservative Lady Astor and the
eminent historian and authority on Palestine and the reftigee
problem, Dr. MacDonald, were being interviewed as the

British liner Queen Elizabeth was docking in New York.
Lady Astor, who has been accused of being a member of th e
Cliveden Set which appeased Hitler, launched an attack upon
the Jews, called the Palestine extremists gangsters and said
Zionists were "purely materialistic." She charged Dr. Mac-
Donald with being anti-British. The debate ran somewhat
like this:

Lady Astor: "I went to Palestine in 1925. I was convinced
that the Zionists were not looking for what Abraham was looking
for, a city whose foundation was in God."
Dr. MacDonald: "See here Lady Astor, you are not right
about this. You're wrong you know."
Lady Astor: "I know you. You were one of those crazy men
who helped us get into the war."
Dr. MacDonald: "You tell the reporters and I'll correct you."
Lady Astor: "Let me make this clear. Anyone who arouses
anti-Jewish feeling is a henchman of Hitler . . . but how can
justice prevail with those gangsters in Palestine. I can see
nothing to do but keep our troops there."
Dr. MacDonald: "You and Churchill never lived up to the
mandate or the troops wouldn't be there."
Lady Astor: (hammering Dr. MacDonald's shoulders with
her fists) "Don't say me and Churchill. We never went together.
How about the gangsters. Is that spiritual Zionism?"
Dr. MacDonald: "But I know what's going on in Palestine.
I've only just come from there. It is the mass opinion of the Jews
that the British stand is immoral because they have failed to
carry out their obligations ... I'm not in favor of partition, but
if its the only way to give them (the Jews) political autonomy,
then I'm for it."
Lady Astor: "For gangster rule?"
Dr. MacDonald: "Terrorism is a great mistake . Palestine is
now a police state with a British soldier for virtually every male
Jew . . . You would feel diffezently if you went to Palestine. I
have slight sympathy with the resistance but the young people
are not interested in politics but in irrigation ditches and re-
construction."

HOVTSHILDS KEYVER
A id he &mei gekumen kin Paris. Hoot ion za:tner
a bakenter gefirt *En idisttn beys-oylom. In dortn
hobs zey gezen RoyIshilds keyver mit a groysser
sheyner matse”-e. Koski der id us kukt at der
matseyve us zogt tsars bakenta zaynem: "zest,
Yank!: dos hesst gelebt!"
DER DUEL
Tarry iden hobs sack amol tsukrigt, eyner
dem andern gezidit. biz eyner frz gevorn mo'e kas un
hot arans,sgernin dem andern of a duel. Zey hobos
beyde gehat gedint is soidatn, hobs zey gekennt
%hiss's. Hot men •pgeret, az ibermorgn zeks azeyger
in der fri sal men tack trefn af'n Feld, neha der
vindmil, un dortn vet men shissn. Gekumen di rho, iz
eyner fun zey geven dortn punkt vi met hot opgeret,
er mit etlache gate-brider :sync.. Me vart a frill shoo,
me vart a halbe *too, der anderer - iz nito! Mit eynmol
kept tsugeloyfoo a id no bringt a brivi fun dem ander*
tsu dem ershtn idn. un in brict is geshtanen geshrihn2
"Yossi. tamer eel irh Rich farshpetign, zoissta of Asir
nit vartn: du shis!"
•

While these illustrations merely give the reader
an idea of the Yiddishisms, they in no sense de-
scribe the variety of the humor in the book. The
entire text.must be read to be fully enjoyed and to
be appreciated for its multitude of qualities. We
recommend highly as one of the splendid con-
tributions to Jewish literature currently being
produced by Schocken Books.

Two Excellent Schocken. Books

Observers who witnessed what they described as Mrs.
Astor's "hysterical harrangue" and Dr. MacDonald's attempt
to rationalize with the lady whom Walter Winchell advised
to "go back home"—meaning England—left with the convic-
tion that the outbursts of the former American and ex-MP

were typical of the Bevin-influenced, biased Englishmen who
have become so prejudiced against Jews that the breaking of
pledges to Jews has become second nature with tlzem. On the
other hand, men like MacDonald, who has visited in Palestine
twice in less than a year, apparently are determined to fight
for justice and in defense of the Jewish position in Eretz Israel.

Forward's 50th Anniversary

Immanuel Olsvanger's "Royte Pomerantsen,°
published by Schocken Books, 342 Madison -
Avenue, New York, is so unusual in nature, and so
fascinating in content, that it is certain to become
a best seller.
It is a collection of 250 Jewish stories, told in
Yiddish but printed in Roman characters. Only
the author's introduction, an excerpt from which
already has appeared in The Jewish News, is
printed in English. -
The assumption of the author is that many
Jewish stories are untranslatable, and the Yiddish
text is used to preserve the unique qualities of the
humor.
Thus, people who can not read Yiddish but un-
derstand the language will be able to enjoy this
splendid book on a par with the Yiddish readers
who should find no difficulty in deciphering the
text.
Royte Pomerantsen" is, indeed, a source of
laughter and a study in the folklore and symbol-
isms of our people. The 36 columns of Glossary,
in addition to the numerous explanatory notes
accompanying all stories, will prove very helpful
even to those who have a thorough mastery of
Yiddish, since the author gives the translations
of Hebrew as well as Yiddish idioms:
Those acquiring this book ■ will be able to get a
better insight into the type of society in which
the stories developed. They will learn a great
deal about Jewish prayers, about synagogue and
home customs and ceremonies, about the strength
and weaknesses of the Jews who either relate the
tales or about whom the stories are related.
Here are a couple of typical examples in this
book, to give our readers an idea of the character
of "Royte Pomerantsen:"
•
•
•

•

The Jewish Daily Forward, which has just begun its
fifty-first year, has earned the congratulations of all Amer-
icans for the great contributions it has made to American

journalism.
The Forward, recognized as the outstanding non-English-
language newspaper in the land, represents an important
chapter in American history.

Originally an anti-Zionist periodical, in recent years the
Forward not only has given splendid coverage to Zionist and

Palestinian news but it also has taken a positive stand in

support of 'Palestine's reconstruction—as a result of first hand
studies of the situation in Eretz Israel made by its veteran

Two other Schocken books deserve special
mention. They are:
"Tale of the Hasidim: The Early Masters" by
Martin Buber. The great authority on the Hasidim,
Prof. Buber, who now makes his home in Pales-
tine. renders a real service with his new book
which not only relates the best Hasidic stories
(there are hundreds of them in this splendid
volume) but also with his introductory essay. The
explanatory notes and the Glossary add to an un-
derstanding of the traditional terms referred to.
Of special value is the section containing the
biographical notes of great Hasidic teachers—Baal
Shem Toy, Barukh of Mezbizh, Dov Baer of
Mezritch, Pinhas of Koretz, Zev Wolf of Zbarazh,
Menahem Mendel of Vitebsk, Levi Itzhak of
Berditchev, and others.
"The purpose of this book is to introduce the
reader to a world of legendary reality," .Prof.
Buber states, and he succeeds in this task most
admirably.
"The hasidic movement," he tells us. "did not
weaken the hope in a Messiah, but it kindled both
its simple and intellectual followers to joy in the
world as it is, in life as it is, in every hour of
life in this world, as that hour is."
"Tales of Hasidim" is a real inspiration and
should be utilized by homes and schools for the
spread of the hopes and joys its stories impart.
."A Palestine Picture Book," a compilation of
photographs by Jakob Rosner, is another real
treasure for any bookshelf. There are 126 fascinate
ing pictures in the 141 pages of this excellent
work which helps to add glory to the fine name of
Schocken Books.
The subjects covered are: The Laikcl, The Jordan,
Two Cities (Haifa and Tel Aviv), Rural Settle-
ment, Interlude: The Yemenite Jews in Palestine
and Jerusalem.
In every instance, the photographs are most im-
pressive and help to add to an understanding of
Jewish accomplishments and Jewish hopes in
Palestine.

Facts You Should Know

Answers to Readers
Questions • • •

How many Jews are there In the United States?

According to the census of religious bodies taken
in 1936 and published in 1941, Jews in communities
wife-re there are congregations number 4,641,184.

Where was the Hebrew Old Testament
written?

Authorities state the Old Testament was nearly
all written in the Holy Land.
•
•
♦

editor, Abraham Cahan; and other staff members.
The Jewish News joins in congratulating the Forward,
How many times is the term synagogue used
in the New Testament?
its founding editor, Mr. Cahaq, its Detroit manager, Joseph
The term is used 12 times to denote the body
Bernstein, and the local staff on this great newspaper's politic of the Jewi, and in 43 places it means the
fiftieth anniversary.
religious meeting house of the Jews.

