THE JEWtSH NEWS
Page Four
Clearing Away the Weeds
<1\1 1)
As the Editor
Views the News...
Misrule Inspires Murder
the old Czarist outrages, of the worst pro-
groms in Poland and of the Nazi brutalities
under Hitler. While British officials resent
the painting of accusatory slogans in front
of consulates in this country, fair-minded
people will surely know how to judge the
anger of American Jews by taking into con-
sideration the provocations that emanate
from T ondon and Jerusalem.
impossible to ignore the incident of
"Exodus 1947" in judging the cumulative
events affecting the Jewish position in Pales-
tine. The 4,550 men, women and children
on the "Exodus" went to Palestine "as of
right, and not on sufferance"—to use a
Churchillian statement. By denying them
admission to the JEWISH NATIONAL
HOME, Birifis)i authorities have betrayed a
sacred trust and have lost the right to pro-
test against the actions of Jews who insist
on bringing home their kinsmen, many of
whom have fought in the underground on
Britain's side against the Nazis.
World Jewry has clearly gone on record
on the major issues affecting Palestine:
1. We are opposed to violence and the
official Jewish bodies in Palestine never
have condoned extremism and violence.
Haganah is prepared to fight it. But-
2. We demand the immediate admis-
sion of Jews seeking entrance to Pales-
tine, the opening of the doors of the
Jewish National Home to the passengers
on the Haganah Ship Exodus.
The burden of ending injustice, intoler-
ance and hooliganism-lies upon Britain.
Great Britain owes a responsibility to her
own citizens and to the Jews of Palestine
who are suffering from hooliganism to en-
force the justice and to prevent outrages
caused by misrule and lawlessness. Britain,
not Jewry, is before the bar of justice facing
the serious accusation of inspiring murders.
THE JEWISH NEWS
Member Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Independent Jewish
Press Service, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate. Religtous
News Service. Palcor Agency, King Features, Central
Press Association.
Member American Association of English-Jewish News-
papers and Michigan Press Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publish-
ing Co.. 2114 Penobscot Bldg.. Detroit 26. Mich_ RA. 7956.
Subscription. $3 a year foreign. 84. Club subscription.
every fourth Friday of the month, to all subscribers to
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Detroit. 40 cents pei year.
Entered as second-class matter Aug. 6. 1942. at Post Of-
fice. 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
Maurice H. Schwartz Henry Wineasan
PIirLIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
AUGUST 1, 1947
VOL. XI—NO. 20
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath—Sabbath Nahamu (the Sabbath of
Consolation—the sixteenth day of Ab, 5707,) the
following Scriptural selections will ,be read in our
synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion=Deut. 3:23-7:11.
Prophetical portion—Is. 40:1-26.
Yethen Suppresses Jews
In Typical Nazi - Fashion
By GERHARDT NEUMANN
Responsible Jewish leaders and organiza-
tions, including the Jewish Agency, the Vaad
Leumi, the Zionist Organization of America
and other representative groups, were un-
animous in their condemnation of the Irgun's
"dastardly crime" of hanging two innocent
British sergeants.
It was an act of despairing and desperate
men who are not subject to discipline from
publicly recognized Jewish bodies and
whose underground activities have caused
them to ignore appeals from Jewish spokes-
men to refrain from resorting to violence
which has hurt the Jewish position.
However, the pious and "holier-than-thou"
asseverations of the British have been nulli-
fied by similarly destructive acts of equally
as undisciplined hooligans who have run
riot in Pardees Hanna, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem,
Liverpool and Manchester.
"We have consistently warned the
Irgun that "murder begets murder." It
was our sincere hope that they would
avoid pursuing scandalous acts that are
,unworthy of a people that is engaged in
the task of building its homeland. But
it always has been evident that without
provocations from the British authorities
in Palestine, who receive their inspira-
tion from London, the acts of terror
would never have taken place. Now, the
British claims of "morality" have receiv-
ed a further set-back as a result of the
"pogroms" in several cities in England.
Neither the British nor the Jewish posi-
tions are improved either by executions or
by the destruction of synagogues. The latest
occurrences in England are reminiscent of
UN Aspirant
•
t
•IMLIA4111Aftre.
Bitter Results of Retaliations
Occurrences in Palestine and in England present the
gravest challenge our people have faced in more than a gen-
eration.
Spread of anti-Semitic feeling from battle-scarred Pal-
estine to what were hitherto the friendly shores of England
is proving more disturbing than the trying days of Coughlin-
ite propaganda against the Jews a decade ago.
In the instance of outbursts of anti-Jewish feeling in
England, the disturbances are a result of Jewish efforts to
put an end to homelessness and despair.
Unlike outbursts of anti-Semitism in this country, the
English manifestations have resulted from reactions to Jew-
ish "bravado." Many Jews have been in the habit of believ-
ing that Jews are suffering from prejudices because they do
not fight back. In Palestine and in England, attacks upon
the Jews have resulted from conditions the exact opposite:
they are a result of retaliations which the non-Jews are
meeting with counter-retaliations.
•
It is clear, insofar as Palestine is concerned, that retali-
atory acts have boomeranged. The cause is understandable.
Instead of battling a square fight, above board, decently, with
honor, the Irgun saw fit to hang two innocent British soldiers.
They did this contrary to the appeals of the organized
Jewish community and of the Haganah which has pursued
a policy of resorting to arms only when it becomes necessary
.
to defend Jewish lives and the rights of Jews to settle in
Palestine.
We condemn the acts of the Irgun and we sincerely
hope that they will not be repeated. In fact, it is our wish
that Irgunism should go out of existence.
*
But the problem has become more serious. If, as a result
of dastardly acts, anti-Semitism should spread, then the
position of Jews everywhere including the United States—
will be seriously affected.
It becomes necessary, therefore, for Jewish leadership
to be on guard everywhere against outbursts of passions
which may both mislead Jews or cause them to become
—
Yemen has been propelled into the news again.
Newspaper: reports say that she stands to good
chance of being admitted soon to the United_
Nations.
The Arab countries have a representation in
the United Nations Assembly, which is far beyond
their political or cultural importance and, as we
see it, is in no proportion with the cooperation
which the Allies received from the Arabs during
the years of struggle against aggression.
Another Arab member in the United Nations
strengthens the anti-Jewish front and adds to
the obstacles strewn in the path of the advancing
cause of Jewish revival.
Recently, Prince Saif al Islam Abdullah, son of
the ruler of Yemen, was received by President
Truman whom he told of the "increasingly friendly
relations of Yemen with the United States." But in
his meetings with the press he forgot to mention
the deplorable state in which Yemen's 45,000 Jews
find themselves.
The World Jewish Congress urged the Security
Council of the United Nations to withhold ap-
proval of the application of Yemen until such
time as that country grants full equality to all its
inhabitants without distinction as to race, sex,
language and religion.
•
•
The Jews in Yemen look back at a long history.
It is estimated that during the days of Jeremiah
about 75,000 Jews settled in Yemen. For six cen-
turies they were a prosperous people, mingling
freely with the Arabs and adopting their customs,
but clinging tenaciously to their religion.
But they are living in abject misery. During the
past decade the Arabs of Yemen did everything in
their power—and successfully so—to drive the
Jews out of their occupations. Discriminatory laws
limit their employment, they are excluded from
agricultural work, and they are even barred from
their traditional occupation as silversmiths. And
who would not be reminded of Nazi "law" upon
reading that, in Yemen, Jewish testimony is not
valid in court, or that Jews are not even allowed
to use the common means of transportation.
•
•
•
The Jews in Yemen are looked upon as pariahs
whose very touch is contagious and deadly.
If they are so undesirable, one should think
Yemen would be only too glad to let the Jews
emigrate to Palestine. Strangely enough, however,
Pharaoh won't let his people go. The law strictly
forbids Jews to leave the country, and also compels
every Jewish orphan below 13 years of age to em-
brace the Moslem religion.
However, if the law conflicts with the necessities
of life, the will to live exerts itself. The Jews of
Yemen—or at least several thousand of them—
managed to cross the border into Aden.
•
•
•
With the mass of refugees increasing from day
to day, conditions in Aden grew so intolerable that,
in 1943, the British issued an ultimatum: improve
conditions or no more Jews will be allowed to
cross the frontier. With the aid of the Joint Dis-
tribution Committee, the Jews of Aden received
help, and the border remained open.
Total JDC appropriations in 1946 for refugees in
Aden were $85,000, and to continue its work, JDC
has'approved $42,000 for the first six months of this
year, with funds provided by the United Jewish
AppeaL .
In Palestine, on the other hand, many of the
Jews from Yemen, especially, the older generation,
are problem children. They are deeply embedded
in the Arab traditions and they find it hard to adapt
themselves to the western-style civilization of
modern Palestine. Special schools were founded to
pave the way for the younger Yemenites and to
prepare them for a constructive part in the recon-
struction of Zion.
We'll. Redeem Honor
,
Bernstein s Last Words
By WILLIAM BERNSTEIN
Editor's Note: This article. describintoWis own words
the late William Bernstein's trip a the 'Exodus
1947,' has been compiled by the Independent Jewish Press
Service from letters which he had written to his brother.
Morris Bernstein, and which Amor-leans for Hagansh
made public. Bernstein was killed by a British naval
boarding party aboard the 'Exodus, July 18.
panicky.
The Zionist organizations especially are obligated to en-
Three days ago the Jews here in Marseilles and
force discipline so that careful consideration should be given aboard my ship celebrated the fourth anniversary
to matters affecting policy. We must have more light and of the resistance of the Warsaw Ghetto. Everyone
of 600,000 Jews was massacred there defending a
less heat, a more reasoned approach to a situation that affects street
with small arms against the German army.
of
the
embryo
Jewish
State
as
well
as
that
of
the
the status
We held it for five days—only five days Of re-
sistence
in four thousand years of persecution.
Jewries of the world.
UNSCOP and the DPs
Something we should be ashamed of. However, the
time isn't far off when we will redeem our honor.
This is it! Working, hiding and chasing all
over Europe, for months, we are finally on our way
a seven-day voyage. I am not sure but by the
Shifting the scene of its activities from Palestine to for
time you receive this letter, our ship will be in.
Geneva, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine The chances are slim as far as getting through. We
finally has decided to visit displaced persons camps.
The 6 to 4 vote on this question—with Karel Lisicky of
Czechoslovakia abstaining—poses the question whether there
has not been an undue amount of mind-poisoning among the
delegates.
It would be interesting to know why the four who op-
posed on-the-spot investigations in DP camps—Vladimir
Simic of Yugoslavia, Dr. Arturo Garcia Salazar of Peru, Nas-
rollah Entezam of Iran and Sir Abdur Rahman of India—
should have objected to learning at first hand the position of
the Jewish survivors' from Nazism, their needs and their
preferences in accepting places of refuge. Surely, the urge to
be open-minded should have encouraged UNSCOP to seek
an opportunity for complete study of the problem affecting
Jewish aspirations in Palestine.
The hour of decisions is approaching, and it is encourag-
ing to know that UNSCOP is not passing up opportunities to
learn all there is to know about the issue—even if the deci-
sion in favor of so vital a step as the visit to the DP camps
was reached by a very small margin.
will do our best, but the important thing is that
these people are out of Europe and will end up
with their own people sooner or later. This is the
biggest ship to do this kind of work and, conse-
quently, we are carrying the greatest number of
people ever transported in one ship.
I've eaten in the crew's mess hall on many a ship
but in all the- time I've spent at sea I have never
yet heard the kind of talk I've heard here. The
ordinary run of conversation on the average ship
stems from the subject of women. Not so here.
If you don't know integral calculus, at least one-
third of the conversation at the dinner table is lost
to you. If you don't know what Aristotle told his
mother on his sixth birthday, another slice of the
conversation is lost . . . and if God forbid you
shouldn't know what opera played in Pittsburgh
two years ago, you are completely ignored. One
must have a good working knowledge of Yiddish,
plus a smattering of Hebrew! The chief mate's
name is Yitzhuk, he's a Palestinian. I still jump
when I hear someone shout his name. To hear the
bosun give an order in Yiddish and have everyone
comply as if there's nothing strange about it!'
(Copyright. 1947. Independent Jewish Press Service, kris)