Friday, September 12, 1947

THE JEWISH NEWS.

&Age Six

Why Religions Differ

Author Shows'Differences
In Judaism and Christianity

A Summary of Conclusions From Dr. Weiss-Rosmarin's
Book, "Judaism and Christianity: The Difference'

President Truman B. M. Baruch

Ser. Vandenberg

Sen. Ferguson

R. Lehman

See. Magnuson

Gen. Marshall

Dr. Slawson

Sen. Chavez

Dr. Wise

Lipsky

Washington Talked Much,
But Did Little About Jews

BY BEATRICE HEIMAN

(Chief of Jewish Telegraphic Agency's Washington Bureau)

T in the middle of the year to the United
Nations. But nevertheless, the ultimate course

IIE CENTER of gravity for Palestine shifted

of action of the United States will be largely de-
cisive in whatever solution the UN adopts.
So far as the Washington end of things is
concerned, a solution. of the Palestine problem
is hardly more advanced than a year ago at the
same time. Statements have come from President
Truman. Resolutions have been passed by Con-
gress. Traditional policy has been reaffirmed. in
the President's statement of October 4, 1946, and
in his letter of October 28 to King Ibn Saud of
Saudi, Arabia.
The most positive state-
ment on Palestine to come
from Secretary Marshall
was made to a senatorial
delegation. He told seven
Democratic senators that
there has been no change in
traditional American poli-
cy. At the same time he
reiterated the Department's
decision to withhold any
statement on application of
this policy_ until after the
United Nations Special Com-
mittee on Palestine had made
its report to the UN.
I IF. STATE Department
during the debate in Con-
gress on the Greek-Turkish
aid bill, said that it would be
unfortunate to link the ques-
tion of extension of aid to
Greece with the Palestine
problem." It indicated that a Palestine solution
by the UN was a long way off.
When convenient, the Department quick-
changes from the hare to the tortoise pace.
This is illustrated by the delay in publishing
the documents which establish the collabora-
tion of the former Mufti with the Axis.
In August, 1946, the then Acting Secretary of
State Dean Acheson, asked about release of the
documents, said they were being translated and
edited for publication at some future date, along
with other documents relating to the Axis. When
no signs appeared of any progress in this work,
Sen. Robert F. Wagner, Democrat of New York,
asked Marshall for early publication, particularly
to help the UN Commission in its investigation of
Palestine. The Department's reply was even va-
guer than that of Acheson'.
One of Marshall's first official moves was to
submit to Sen. Arthur H. Vandenberg, chairman
of the Foreign Relations Committee, a list of pri-
ority legislation. The list included measures for
the entry of displaced persons and United States
participation in the International Refugee Organi-
zation. With some struggling, and after a special
message by President Truman to Congress, the
IRO resolution passed both houses. By this act,
Congress authorized continued American care
through international channels for the DPs.
Despite strong support for the displaced per-
sons legislation, it not only did not pass, but never
was reported out of the House and Senate Immi-
gration Sub-Committees.
Herbert H. Lehman, former governor of New
York and former director-general of UNRRA,
appeared on behalf of interested Jewish organiza-
tions. Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, then adviser on
Jewish affairs to General Lucius D. Clay, com-
mander of U. S. occupation forces in Germany,
gave a picture of conditions among the DPs
the American zone.
• • • •
ENATOR HOMER D. FERGUSON, Re-
0 publican of Michigan, and eight other Sen-
ators introduced a bill similar to the Stratton
measure, but without specifying any definite
number of DPs, and with more stringent priority
limitations. This was referred to the Senate Sub-
Committee on Immigration. Also without action
were identical bills introduced by Sen. Irving M.
Ives and Rep. Jacob K. Javits, Republicans of
New York, to permit displaced orphans under

T

14 of World War II, to enter the United States as
non-quota immigrants.
Anti-discrimination legislation, recommended
by President Truman to Congress, was also among
the unfinished business. The final report of the
Fair Employment Practices Committee, noted a
"marked" increase in employment discrimina-
tion against Jews.
Senator Irving M. Ives and Senator Dennis
Chaves, Democrat of New Mexico, introduced a
"National Act Against Discrimination in Employ-
ment." Rep. Mary T. Norton, Democrat of New
Jersey, introduced an identical bill in the House.
A sub-committee of the Sen-
ate Labor and Public Welfare
Committee held hearings on
the Ives-Chavez bill. Rabbi
Stephen - S. Wise, president of
the American Jewish Con-
gress; Rabbi William F. Ros-
enblum, president of the Syna-
gogue Council of America;
Frank Goldman, president of
Bnai Brith; Henry Epstein,
chairman of the National Com-
munity Relations Advisory
Council; Col. CharleS1. Schot-
tland, national executive di-
rector of the Jewish War Vet-
erans, and representatives of
the American Jewish Commit-
tee and the National Council
of Jewish Women appeared in
favor of the bill.
* s *

P

By DR. TRUDE WEISS-ROSMARIN

scrap their dif-
The notion that Judaism and Christianity must
ferences and become one and identical is a thoroughly totalitarian
aberration. It is foreign to the spirit of democracy which encourages
differences as the source and inspiration of a more colorful and
variegated national culture. Democracy rests on the conviction that
dissimilarities and differences are facts of nature that dare not be
invoked as a justification for inequality and discrimination. The
democratic way is that those of different views and beliefs respect
the dissimilar ,views and beliefs of their fellow-citizens.
Genuine "good will" is not synonymous with the levelling of
differences. It means that we understand that every man has the
right to worship God as his heart impels him.
Unfortunately, not a few Jewish leaders in "good will" efforts
betray an attitude resembling that of the early suffragettes. They
believe they can attain equality in the Christian community by
stressing that there is no difference between Judaism and Chris-
tianity. They are, however, as misguided as the early Lucy Stoners,
who based their claims on the contention that there are no differences
between men and women.
The Idea of God
GOD: The most fundamental difference between Judaism and
Christianity is that the former avows the belief in the Only and
Unique God, while the latter worships the Trinity of "God, Son
and the Holy Spirit." Jews hold that the Uniqueness of God must
be stressed to enable monotheism really to come into its own.
Oneness in number must be implemented by oneness in kind, i.e.
uniqueness.
To Judaism man is man and God is God—and shall remain God
in eternal majesty. Even Moses, "the master of the Prophets," was
represented as nothing else but a man, more pious and more learned
than other mortals, but still only a man. The Bible refers to him as
the "man Moses" so as to preclude that he be deified.
MIRACLES: Miracles are unimportant in Jewish belief, but
rank prominently in Christianity. Throughout post-Biblical Jewish
literature there is a pronounced and authoritative trend to minimize,
through rationalization, the miraculous events recorded in the Bible.
ETHICAL FREEDOM: Judaism teaches that man is endowed
with freedom of the will. He can either be all-righteous or all-wicked,
for his ethical conduct is solely up to his own decision. Christian
belief is predicated on the doctrine of "Original Sin." In his daily
prayers the Jew proclaims "My God, the soul which Thou hast given
me is pure." Christianity teaches that man is sinful by birth.
Christianity regards "the flesh" as the cause of sin and so dis-
parages the body and its joys. Judaism considers both body and
soul as potential vessels of holiness.
SIN AND ATONEMENT: The Jewish-interpretation of ethical
freedom implies that repentance is the omnipotent cure of sin. The
Christian doctrine of "Original Sin," on the other hand, leads to the
conclusion that man is too weak to repent effectively. He is too sinful
to atone and so needs the help of Jesus. The Christian finds atone-
ment in the belief that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. This idea
of "vicarious atonement," i.e. the payment of the penalty not by the
sinner but by a substitute for him, cannot be reconciled with Jewish
convictions.
The Worldly Joys
ASCETICISM: Christianity, especially in its Catholic interpre-
asceticism
as
holiness. Celibacy and poverty are praised
tation, exalts
as special Christian virtues. Judaism, on the other hand, proclaims
"increase and multiply" as the first commandments and recommends
early marriage and a modicum of worldly goods and joys as most
conducive to piety.
WE JEWS DO NOT ACCEPT JESUS: Jews cannot accept
Jesus because their teachings of God make it impossible for them
to worship a "Son of God." All men are God's children, as Judaism
sees it. All are equal in His sight and so no mortal should be raised
above the rest of mankind. As to accepting Jesus as a "Prophet" or
a "Rabbi," the Gospels conclusively prove that he neither thought of
himself as a prophet nor as a rabbi. but only as the "Son of God."
JUDAISM'S ATTITUDE TO CHRISTIANITY: Although Juda-
ism parts ways with Christianity in practically all areas of belief, it
embraces Christians, too, in the progressive cosmopolitanism of its
world view. It is this type. of enlightened good will we need today:
the recognition that, regardless of where our fellowmen worship,
they are children of God, if they adhere to the basic ethical principles
of respect for human life and justice.
Good will flows from understanding and respect for the differ-
ences, by which other men are set apart—but not asunder—from - us.
We need no joint Hanukkah-Christmas celebrations to engender good
will between Christians and Jews. If we but remember that all
righteous men and women are eligible for the future-to-corrie, we
will never incur the sin of showing contempt to any man, thus de-
grading the Divine Image in which man is created.

RESIDENT TRUMAN created the 15-member
Civil Rights Committee, headed by Charles
E. Wilson, president of the General Electric Co.
The committee was directed to recommend new
civil rights legislation and other measures "to pro-
tect all parts of the population." Included among
its members are Rabbi Roland G. Gittelsohn of the
Central Synagogue at Rockville, Long Island;
Morris Ernst, New York attorney and author;
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., and Boris Shishkin,
economist for the AFL.
The committee held several hearings and is now
engaged in preparing its report. Dr. John Slawson,
executive vice-president of the American Jewish
Committee, and Will Maslow of the American
Jewish Congress, agreed on the need for enlarged
and improved federal machinery to defend civil
rights but differed on the question of group libel
laws and banning anti-Semitic literature from the
mails.
The American Jewish C o n f e r e n c e and the
American Jewish Committee were instrumental
in the introduction of key clauses into the peace
treaties with the Axis satellites. These clauses gave
guarantees for the return of Jewish property and
protection of human rights. A delegation headed
by Jacob Blaustein and Louis Lipsky, conferred
with the then Assistant Secretary of State Hill-
dring, prior to the departure of Secretary Marshall
for the Moscow conference.
• A bronze bust of Bernard Baruch was pre-
sented to the National War College by Herbert
Bayard Swope. Mr. Baruch was presented with ,
high tributes by the Secretaries of State, War
and Navy, Gen. Eisenhower and Adm. Nimitz.
• Dr. Joseph C. Hyman, former executive vice-

(Copyright, 1947, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate)

The Sabbath

—traditional

clay of rest

—Israel's

great gift

to humanity.

chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee,
was commended by the President's War Relief
Control Board for his "exceptional and eminent
service" during the war.
• Rabbi Barnett R. Bricker of the Jewish Wel-
fare Board was given the Medal of Merit by Sec-
retary of War Patterson.
• The Bnai Brith Vocational Service Bureau was
presented with a Certificate of Achievement by
Vice-Admiral Louis Denfeld.
Sen. Warren Magnusson, Democrat of Wash-
I
13 11;1 1114ln a4nR - 1p
ington and a number of other Senators introduced
end
of
the
session,
direct-
toward
the
a resolution
od
"111Asgglid.are
thou,
0
Lord
our
G,
Wog
ing Secretary Marshall to call on the British gov- OS tau 'U niverse who bast amnflidloi us by
elanmandynents and ectiosiiirsIMMI ea
ernment to end the emergency regulations gov- thy
kistilo—illas Sabbath Lights."
erning Palestine and restore civil rights.

*2 1300 7. ms sirti

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