Monsky's Wife, Close Associate,
Describe His Life in Biography
A Review of "Henry Monsky:
The Man and His Work" by
Dr. Abram L. Sachar
Henry Monsky was cut off in
his 57th year, just when he was
coming into undisputed leader-
ship of American Jewish life. He
had built a superb service instru-
ment, Bnai Brith, into the largest
and most popularly rooted or-
ganization in American Jewish
history, a disciplined phalanx of
nearly 300,000 men and women.
He had pioneered an over-all
representative Jewish body, the
American Jewish Conference, to
carry with authentic voice the
Jewish people into the councils
of the nations.
These were seminal achieve-
ments which climaxed a host of
lesser ones and they fructified
every area of Jewish life. And
they were accomplished in less
than 10 years, in a whirlwind of
energy and resourcefulness, from
the time he took over the Bnai
Brith presidency at 47 until his
untimely passing.
The volume under review tells
why. It is written by the two
people who knew Henry Monsky
best, who shared his thinking,
and who helped him in the ful-
fillment of his ends. The first
part is an intimate memoir by
'his wife which concentrates on
personality and the basic motiva-
tions of the man. Daisy Monsky
has the same dignified restraint
and the whimsicality point up
all the more clearly the inner
springs of the man.
The second portion of the
volume is more formal and rep-
resents Henry Monsky's public
career, the side of Monsky best
known' to his close collaborator,
the Bnai Brith secretary, Maurice
Bisgyer. The task is harder here
for it was necessary to bring to-
gether a vast amount of corres-
pondence and to synthesize a
world of experience. Bisgyer has
proven most skillful in distilling
the essentials of Monsky's policies
in every field of his interest.
Here the man is revealed as
the consummate negotiator, the
brilliant advocate, the courageoui
crusader for many causes. Bis-
gyer takes the story through
Monsky's relationships with con-
temporary leadership. In all these
relationships Monsky saw his
goal clearly. It was to bring
unity into the chaos of Jewish
institutional life; to utilize the
resources of organization for
service, to the dispossessed and
the disinherited, to the war effort
and the needs of peace, to the
defense program, to Jewish edu-
cation.
Both portions of the volume,
then, dovetail into an admirable
symposium. The wife's intimate
understanding, the astute woman-
ly touches, and the secretary's
more official account of steward-
ship, the appraisal of achieve-
ment. This is not the kind of
volume that has popular glamour.
Its subject was not a prima
donna whose eccentricities made
good publicity and had states-
manship. But it is an extremely
useful volume for the light that
it casts on Jewish life in one of
the fateful decades of modern
history. It belongs in the library
of those who are deeply con-
cerned with the fate and future
of the Jewish people and of
those who look for integrity and
selflessnes in Jewish leadership.
Honor 5 For 'Democratic Legacy'
Silver medallions for "distinguished contributions towards Ameri-
ca's Democratic Legacy" will be awarded by the Anti-Defamation
League of Bnai Brith to the five prominent Americans shown above:
(left to right), Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, U. S. Delegate to the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights; Barney Balaban, who organ-
ized the spectacular Freedom Train; Darryl Zanuck, producer of the
film "Gentleman's Agreement"; Dore Schary, whose production of
"Crossfire" pioneered in bringing the problem of anti-Semitism to the
screen, and Charles E. Wilson, chairman of the President's Commit-
tee on Civil Rights. Presentations will be made at ADL's annual con-
ference in Los Angeles. The presentation ofthe awards will be the
basis for a coast-to-coast broadcast over the CBS network, Saturday,
May 8, 8:30 p.m., EDST. The program will feature Hollywood stars
Robert Young and Celeste Holm.
Stars in UJA Films and Radio
Three outstanding Hollywood stars (left to right), EdWard G.
Robinson, Glenn Ford and John Garfield, are among the many top
personalities of the entertainment world who are contributing their
services to the current $250,000,000 United Jewish Appael. Mr. Rob-
inson appears in a new campaign film, "Where Do You Get Off?"
which presents a compelling panorama of the Jewish people in Eu-
rope Cyprus and Palestine, while Mr. Ford, in the motion picture,
"Make It Real," dramatizes the plight of the Jewish children in
Europe. In the radio play, "And in the Meantime," Mr. Garfield por-
trayed a newspaperman who accompanies a group of homeless or-
phaned Jewish children on their odyssey across Europe to Palestine.
The $250,000,000 UJA supports the worldwide relief, rehabilitation
and resettlement programs of the Joint Distribution Committee, the
United Palestine Appeal and the United Service for New Americans.
It receives its funds in Detroit from the Allied Jewish Campaign.
General Clay Warns
Of Nazi Resurgence
FRANKFURT, (JPS) — Warn-
ings of Nazi resurgence in Ger-
many came from two quarters
last week — from Lt. Gen. Lu-
cius D. Clay, American Military
Governor, and from part of a
group of 78,former German pris-
oners of war who received school-
ing in democracy during their
detention in the United States
and were sent back to Germany
as missionaries of democracy.
General Clay, at a press con-
ference here, predicted that Ger-
many's surviving Nazis will try
a strong political comeback. At
the same time it was reported
that U. S. and German officials
skispect that a fraud in the Weis-
baden city elections helped the
National Democratic Party, al-
legedly supported by ex-Nazis,
win unexpected success.
Hamlin to Address
Arlazaroff Victory
Affair on Wednesday
Isaac Hamlin, national secre-
tary of the Histadrut Gewerk-
shaften campaigns, will be the
guest speaker at a victory .affair
at Lachar's next Wednesday eve-
ning, arranged by Arlazaroff
branch of Jewish National Work-
ers' Alliance to celebrate the
branch's exceeding its .$100,000
goal to the Gewerkshaften. All
members are urged to participate
in the celebration.
Cantor Robert Tulman of
Temple Israel, will present the
musical program and will lead
in community singing.
Arlazaroff Branch recently was
designated as the outstanding
Farband Branch of the country
in recognition of its efforts on
behalf of the upbuilding of Pales-
tine, particularly through its
leadership and support of the
Histadrut.
Last Sunday, Arlazaroff branch
staged a Third. Seder at the Labor
Zionist Institute. The program
featured songs by Pavel Slaven-
- sky, accompanied by Bella Gold-.
beeg; community singing, led by
Louis Levine and talks by Na-
hum Weissman and P. Slomovitz.
David Sislin was chairman.
Economic Reconstruction
Mapped for Jews of Bogota
Whitman's Biography Sheds Light
On Personality of David Lilienthal
Wilson Whitman's "David Lilienthal: Public Servant in a Power
Age," published by Henry Holt & Co., throws interesting light on
the personality of the man who heads the important U. S. Atomic
Energy Commission.
-- We learn from this very important book that Lilienthal's father
was an immigrant who prepared for citizenship practically on the
day he landed in this country and
began to study the English lan- taken by Senator Vandenberg in
guage. He was happy over the his behalf led to endorsement of
fact that his son
the President' ; choice of Lilien-
studied 1 a w in
thal for this job.
preference
t o
He is not interested in Jewish
entering
t h e
affairs, but has nevertheless
family business.
taken time to lecture on and to
David was grad-
support the Lowdermilk Plan
uated from
for a Palestine Valley Authority.
Harvard at 23,
He is close to many Zionist lead-
specializing i n
ers.
public service
Whitman's biographical sketch
law. He handled
of Lilienthal is exceedingly in-
labor cases and
teresting and should clarify many
litigation for the
points about the very able man
City of Chicago D. Lilienthal
who was sadly maligned when
and later • together with other his name was -..tp in the Senate
lawyers, appeared in a famous for confirmation for his present
case against the Illinois Tele- world-important job.
phone Co. He also distinguished
himself in a case involving the
Railway Labor Act.
While he could have made a
fortune as a corporation lawyer,
he preferred to devote himself
to public services. He was sec-
Eugene Siegel, 69, chairman of
retary of the American Bar As- the board of the B. Siegel Co.,
sociation Standing Committee on president of the American Lady
Public Utilities Law, lectured on Corset Co., and president of the
this subject at Northwestern Uni- Jacob Siegel Corp., died Monday
versity and although very young evening at Harper Hospital.
in years was accepted as an au-
Funeral services were held
thority on this subject.
Wednesday at the Hamilton
In 1933 he was named by Funeral Chapel. Dr. B. Benedict
President Roosevelt as director
Glazer officiated. Burial was at
of the Tennessee Valley Author-
Woodmere Cemetery.
ity and at once became one of
Mr. Siegel had suffered a heart
the famous men in the New Deal
attack last Saturday night at his
administration.
It will be recalled that when residence, 51 W. Boston.
He is survived by two sisters,
he was named to head the
Atomic Energy Commission, Mrs. Benjamin Siegel and Mrs.
there was a battle against con- Emil Amberg.
firmation of his appointment in
THE JEWISH NEWS-7
the U.S. Senate, and the lead
Friday, May 7, 1948
Business Leader
Siegel Dies at 69
NEW YORK—An urgent ap-
peal for a loan of $1,000,000 to
reconstruct the economic life of
Bogota Jewry, which was vir-
tually wrecked during the recent
riots in the Colombia capital, has
been issued by the Jewish Emer-
gency Aid Committee of that city
which was organized through the
initiative of Maximo Yagupsky,
director of the American Jewish
Committee for South America.
According to information re- JWB Leader Dies at 54
MONTREAL—Benjamin Rab-
ceived by Dr. John Slai,vson, ex-
ecutive director of the American inowitz, director of the Jewish
Jewish Committee, the financial Center Division of the National
Jewish Welfare
losses suffered by the Bogota
Board, and vet-
Jewish community during the
eran Jewish so-
disturbances amounted to 9,600,-
cial worker, died
000 pesos. Jewish business losses
April 28 in the
outside Bogota came to 1,500,000
Jewish General
pesos. These figures do not in-
Hospital, Mon-
clude debts of several million
treal, after a
pesos owed by non-Jews to Jew-
brief illness. He
ish business men. (At the cur-
had gone to
rent rate of exchange, the dollar
Montreal on a
will purchase two and one-half
field trip related
pesos.)
Rabinowitz
to the JWB Sur-
vey Report. He would have been
Violinist Brought to U. S. 53 on July 4.
SAN FRANCISCO: — With the
violin he managed to salvage
through thousands of miles of
travel and yearsf*:,
of cruel Jap-
anese occupation
tucked under his
arm, Sol Krone,
Berlin musician,
who hopes to
join an Ameri-
can dance band.
arrived in San
Francisco from
Shanghai aboard
Sol Krone
the S. S. General
Gordon, along with his wife, Ilse,
and their six-year-old daughter,
Dinah. The child was bOrn in the
slum ghetto of Shanghai along
the Whangpoo River. HIAS issued
the corporate affidavits by means
of which the musician and his
little family were enabled to
enter the United States.
Raphael ,Szereszowski Dies
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Rephael
Szereszowski, Jewish communal
leader in pre-war Poland and
member of the Polish parliment
from 1922 to 1927, died here at
the age of 79. He arrived in the
United states in 1941, after mak-
ing his way. across Asia and em-
-barking at Shanghai.
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House Committee Submits
Bill To Admit 200,000 -
WASHINGTON, D. C., (JPS)
The House Judiciary Committee
brought out a bill to permit 200,-
000 displaced persons from Eu-
rope to come to America over a
period of two years without re-
gard to immigration quotas.
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