`Jews—Not White Americans'
St. Louis Police Inaugurate
Biased Identification System
By MILTON FRIEDMAN
WASHINGTON—Jews are not considered "White Ameri-
cans" in a newly-adopted police identification system in St.
Louis.
Washington Jewish sources are seething with indigna-
tion over an official affront to American Jewry on the part
of the Police Department of St. Louis, Mo. With the approval
and cooperation of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, the old
St. Louis rogues' gallery has
been replaced by a highly-
efficient modern IBM key punch
card system. Under this system
a perforation is made on line 2
of the card if the arrested per-
son happens to be Jewish; how-
ever, a "White American" has
his card punched on line 5 of
the same column.
Americans of the Jewish
faith are thus listed separate-
ly from other. Americans by
the Record section of the St.
Louis Police Department. A
spokesman for the FBI de-
scribed St. Louis' new system
as the "most progressive" in
the country. Law enforcement
officials have predicted that
the St. Louis system will ulti-
mately be adopted by police
departments on a national
basis.
s.
The religion of Jews is listed
on these cards although there is
no record kept of the religious
preference of Catholics or Prot-
estants. With the recent mur-
der . of 6,000,000 Jews in Europe,
this listing is viewed with a note
of alarm and resentment.
Should the cards fall in the
wrong hands, it would only be
necessary to set the IBM card
selector unit for line 2 of the
appropriate category and the
cards of all Jews would be in-
stantly available.
These cards bear finger-
prints, photos, and all possible
clues to identification. They
are similar to cards made up
by the Gestapo in 1933.
-Police officers booking a crim-
inal would make a conscious dis-
tinction as to whether the man
was a "White American" or
"Jewish."
No doubt the St. Louis police
system will give great pleasure
to Gerald L. K. Smith, who
makes his headquarters in that
city, and to Smith's Christian
Nationalist Crusade which only
recently held an anti-Semitic
convention there.
Credit for the system has been
bestowed upon Lt. A n d r e w
"Young Andy" Aylward, presum-
ably a "White American," of the
St. Louis police. "Young Andy"
is the son of a late assistant
police chief and holds the mod-
est title of "Commander of Bu-
reau of Records."
A Jew might be a native
American, who served in the
American Army and perhaps
won a couple of Purple Hearts,
but to the St. Louis police he
is still not a "White Ameri-
can. He is "Jewish."
The designation "Jewish" ap-
pears on the card under the
heading, "Nationality," although
the "Nationality" in question is
obviously American.
Perhaps the explanation is
that the term "Jewish" is used
for purposes of physical- iden-
tification of a "type." If so, there
is no listing for the Anglo-
Saxon, Scandinavian, Irish, Mos-
lem, Japanese, or even Teutonic
"type."
Until a couple of years ago
FBI "Wanted" posters, advertis-
ing rewards for criminals at
large, sometimes added "Jewish"
to the description. This praq-
tice was discontinued when it
was pointed out that the pos-
ters never specified "Catholic"
or 'Protestant." Now, in appro-
priate cases, Jews are described
as '"Near Eastern" or "Levan-
tine" in appearance.
Louis police force was "one of
the most up-and-coming depart-
ments in the country" and that
St. Louis officers were "high-
type men and it is a pleasure to
do business with them."
Before national standardiza-
tion of indentification cards
takes place, modification is cer-
tainly in order.
Detroit Lawyer Tells
Experiences as Survivor
Of Noronic Holocaust
20—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, September 30, 1949
ZOA Now Planning
Revision of American
Chaiutziut Program
NEW YORK — (JTA) — The
Zionist Organization of America
is completing plans for "a great-
ly enlarged and more practical
system" of sending Chalutzim
from the United States to Israel,
it was announced by Daniel
Frisch, ZOA president who
stated:
"It is our intention to begin
to register young General Zion-
ists, young men'and women will-
ing and ready to spend time in
Israel, so that they may be
among the first to be settled in
the ZOA colonies to be estab-
lished, as well as in such Israel
technical institutions as need
their services."
Frisch termed "outmoded" the
Hechalutz activities hitherto
conducted by the General Zion-
ists in America. "They are com-
pletely unsuited to the new sit-
uation which has arisen with
the establishment of the Jewish
state," he said, adding that he
expects "some resistance from
those who have vested interests
in the old activities which have
proved a failure."
Plugat Aliyah, General Zionist
Chalutz movement in America,
revealed that the ZOA has com-
pletely withdrawn its support
from this movement and that
official notification to this ef-
fect has been given by the ZOA
administration. In a statement
issued here the Plugat Aliyah
emphasized that "despite the ac-
tion of the ZOA administration"
the movement will continue to
exist.
The terrifying experiences of
the Noronic holocaust are relat-
ed by Detroit lawyer Leo Papp,
who was one of the lucky sur-
vivors of the pleasure ship trage-
dy.
On the night of the fire, Papp
said, following a dance on board
ship, he, with another gentle-
man and two young ladies, were.
having refreshmenth on 'C' deck.
Suddenly, Papp smelled smoke
and, upon investigation, discov-
ered the fire, already well un-
derway. After helping the girls
to leave the ship unharmed, the
young men went below to awak-
en their roommates. Together,
they escaped the flaming ship,
and escorted the shaken young
ladies to safety in a hotel.
"The people of. Toronto, and
above all the Red Cross. can
never be praised enough for the
unstinting aid they granted to
the shaken, homeless, clothes- Jewish Women Speak
less and money-less survivors," For Cancer Society
Papp declared. "And the Jewish
people of Toronto were right in
Mrs. Samuel B. Danto, Mrs.
there pitching, under the lead-
ership of a Jewish' chairman of David Kliger and Mrs. Frank
the Red Cross activities in the J. Winton of the League of Jew-
ish Women, will be members of
Royal York Hotel," he added.
the Speakers' Bureau of the Lay
Jewish News Maintains Education Committee for the
American Cancer Society.
n o ay dump rcecor ci
The Southeastern Michigan
Division
of the American Can-
Last week's Rosh Hashanah
edition of the Jewish News had cer Society- inaugurated its lat-
est service for women at a
no stories continued from one Speakers'
Institute held
page to another. This is the Sept. 21. Training
The
first
of its kind,
eighth year in succession that the Institute was directed
by Mrs.
the Jewish News holiday edi-
tions, ranging upwards from 64 C. C. Barnes.
Volunteer speakers—some re-
pages, have maintained this
cruited from the Wayne Uni-
record.
versity Faculty Wives, the UAW-
CIO, the League of Jewish Wom-
College of Jewish Studies
en, and the University of Mich-
To Open in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, (JTA) — A igan Alumni Association—were
College of,Jewish Studies, spon- told about all phases of the
sored by the Board of Rabbis of work of the American Cancer
Northern California and the Society, Detroit Institute of
Jewish Educational Society, will Cancer Research and Michigan
Cancer Foundation.
be dedicated here Oct. 17.
American Artist Finds Lessons for
Jews, Anti-Semites in Israel Visit
A highly positive picture of
the new Israel is drawn by
American artist George Biddle
in his lead article in the October
issue of The Atlantic Monthly.
Titled Israel: "Young Blood and
Old," it is a series of entries
from his diary during his visit
to Israel this spring to draw
the new state in action.
"My visit to Israel has been
uneventful," Biddle concludes.
Certainly much less exciting
that the stay in Germany dur-
ing the Nuremberg trials or the
year in North Africa, Sicily and
Italy during the war. Yet it
has cleared for me many Jewish
problems.
"It makes me feel that every
anti-Semite ought to be sent
A description sent out by a down here for a month. He
sheriff .in the South not so would probably return an anti-
long ago described a fugitive Semite, but his prejudices would
as a "New York Jewish type." get some pretty rough jolts. A
The culprit in question turned visit here destroys once and for
out to be neither Jewish nor all the myth that Jews are a
a New Yorker. FBI receemi-
type apart—physically or mor-
tion of the new system which ally . . .
creates an artificial distinc-
"I think it would be just as
tion between Jews and "white" important for Jews to visit Is-
Americans is a shocking and rael. It might rid them of some
disgusting matter.
of their inferiority complexes,
As a matter of fact an FBI their overcompensation and
spokesman noted that the St. other neuroses. For the qualities
that in o s t characterize the
younger generation, which was I
born here, are self-confidence,
faith; manliness and pride—the
pride that never has to shout
or boast or bully.
"But for me the real excite-
ment has . been to watch in its
early germination a social and
moral experiment in govern-
ment. Other nations have pro-
fessed, but Israel is putting into
practice, asylum, without • pre-
judice as to origin, ; to all Jew-
ish victims of religibus persecu-
tion. They boldly proclaim : "We
must, we can, and we will inte-
grate them all into our national
ideal: the Algerian, the Yemen-
ites, the Oriental, the Russian
Polish, English, German, African
or Chinese.
"And they have done this dur-
ing their first bitter war year,
during the throes of the creation
of a new state, at the rate of
one quarter of the total popula-
tion the first year, without any
wealth or housing facilities or
capital resources; relying, of
course, heavily on the hope of
American help; but even more
on the spiritual faith that burst
into flame in the concentration
camps of Europe."
Bnai Brith Women Workers Rally
At Program Oct. 5 at Central High
Rdhearsing for the "Bnai Brith Bandwagon" are, left to right,
on piano, ANN MADORSKY, SHIRLEY SKLAR, SANDY
SCHORE; Standing, EVE MEISTER, VIOLA COHEN, VIR-
GINIA SHARKEY, BEATRICE GUTMAN; Seated at piano,
BETTY JOHNSON, IDA ASHE.
Mrs. Morris Tack, general
chairman of the fund-raising
affair of the Greater Dsotroit
Bnai Brith Women's Council,
announces that a fund-raising
rally for workers only, will be
held at Central High School at
8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
The show will feature talent
from Bnai Brith Women's chap-
ters. Songs and dances, bringing
Broadway to the doorstep of the
BBW, are combined in a revue
called "Bnai Brith Bandwagon."
Mrs. Burton Gutman and Mrs.
Albert Ashe wrote the parodies
and Mrs. Max Madorsky will be
mistress of ceremonies.
The rally is a kick-off for the
major fund-raising affair to be
held Nov. 21 at Masonic Temple,
for which the Council is bring-
ing Mickey Katz, and has
"Borscht Capades," direct from
Hollywood.
Tickets can be purchased from
Mrs. Kalman Bruss, ticket chair-
man of the C o u n c i 1, or any
chapter chairman,
English-Jewish Press Joins
Observance of Newspaper Week
"Freedom Goes Where t h e
Newspaper Goes" is the slogan
that has been chosen for Na-
tional Newspaper Week of 1949,
to be observed by newspapers
throughout the land Oct. 1 to
8.
"Rediscover Your Home Town"
is the supplementary slogan
being used this year.
President Truman, in a mes-
sage to Howard W. Palmer, of
tional N.Y., chairman of Na-
a-
tional Press Week to be observed
Oct. 1-8, praises the selection of
the slogan for 1949.
The American Association of
English - Jewish Newspapers is
one -of the organizations spon-
soring the observance of Na-
tional Newspaper Week.
Palmer is manager of the New
York Press Association and a
former president of the National
Editorial Association.
Members of his 'committee in-
clude: Glenn McNeill, Tennessee
Press Association; Larry Miller,
Kansas Press Association; Don
Eck, National Editorial Associa-
tion; W. E. McCartney, Cana-
dian Weekly Newspapers As-
sociation; William E. Canfield,
Inland Daily Pres's 'Association;
Walter C. Johnson, Southern
Newspaper Publishers Associa-
tion; a n d Cranton Williams,
American Newspaper Publishers
Association.
English - Jewish newspapers
are actively participating in the
week's observance.
In a statement issued on the
occasion of this year's National
Newspaper Week, Robert Mc-
Lean, president of the Associ-
ated Press, points out that the
1949 slogan dates back to Jeffer-
son Day. His statement reads:
One day's news may help to
• decide whether the children
go on a picnic, whether a busi-
ness man makes an invest-
ment. In larger spheres, the
news can result - in the over-
turn of governments, change
the opinion of millions. As
recently as eight years ago it
was the news of one day, Pearl
Harbor, that steeled a whole
nation for war.
News, therefore, is the raw
material from which you form
your conclusions, on matters
large and small. No act of
government or of any govern-
ment official may deny you, a
citizen of the United States,
the information and news that
you need to form your con-
clusions. . That guarantee is
written into the Constitution.
The constitutional guaran-
tee of free speech and of a
free press was inserted not for
the benefit of the press but
for the benefit of the people.
It was written to protect the
people, protect them against
government's tendency to
meddle with, invade and con-
trol the streams of informa-
tion to which the public is en-
titled. •
The Bill of Rights imposes
on the government no duty to
inform the people; it extends
to the government no license
to do so.
It reserves to the people
alone the right to determine
for themselves what they shall
read, what they shall hear,
and what they shall think.
The Newspaper Week theme
is "Freedom goes where the
newspaper goes." This is
1949's way of paraphrasing the
immortal words of America's
most profound political phil-
osopher, Thomas Jefferson:
"Were it left to me to decide
whether" we should have a
government without n e w s-
papers or newspapers without
a government, I should not
hesitate to prefer the latter
. When the press is free and
every man able to read, all is
safe."
UN Removes Calendar
Reform from Agenda
LAKE SUCCESS, (JTA)—The
UN General Assembly's steer-
ing committee removed the Pan-
amanian proposal for a world
revision of the calendar in 1950
from the agenda of the Assem-
bly session. Under the UN rules
the only body which can now
place the item back on the
agenda is the Assembly itself,
which is considered here quite
unlikely.
The proposal was. opposed by
Jewish bodies, because the cal-
endar would have upset the Jew-
ish Sabbath, often forcing it to
fall on a different day of the
week. The Panamanian proposal
was set up in such fashion that
if this Assembly session does not
change the calendar, this par-
ticular type of calendar cannot
be introduced easily • for another
50 years.
The motion to postpone con-
sideration of the Panamanian
resolution was made by Ameri-
can delegate Warren Austin who
asserted that the question was
too "complicated." The vote was
four to four, with six abstentions.
Under the Assembly's rules of
procedure a tie yoVi , counts for
the motion, whIff in this case
was for postponement.