Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Speculation and Reality: Anti-Semitism and Witch-Hunting
Speculate all you wish about the new wave of anti-Semitism
that began with the Prague trial, that has developed into attacks
on the conservative, ultra-careful and unpolitical Joint Distribu-
tion Committee, and is spreading like wild-life among the Soviet
satellites:
1. The vile outburst of bigotry, the inhuman purge, may,
chiefly, be an effort to win the Arabs against the West and to
placate them into Communist ranks as an anti-Israel move; or
2.•It may be a move to win Western Germany into another
Nazi-Communist combine, not unlike the one of 1939 that preceded
Russia's eventual entrance into the anti-German war: and if that
is the intention, then we may be facing another world war far
worse than the previous two, with more destructive consequences,
fomented by a combination of demoniacal schemers who are bent
upon destroying our civilization for their own ends; and while
the first casulaties may be the German-Jewish reparations
agreement and the surviving Jews, humanity will be the next
sufferer; or, and this may be as valid a guess as any other,
3. The venom that is sprouting forth from Russian soil is a
traditional policy stemming from Czarist Russia: a hatred that
seeks a scapegoat: a poison that is aimed at drugging the minds
of oppressed subjects, in order to divert their attention from their
own sufferings, from the shortcomings of their own government:
a prejudice that once developed into pogoms and today finds root
in purge trials.
Remember: Russia is an empire, and the imperialists do not
differ in their objectives, whether they are Czarists or Communists.
The whole episode is so fantastic, so utterly incredible, that
one wonders how it is possible for any one to give ear to Com-
munist contentions. The Nation Magazine believes that "these
purges are the outer manifestations of the inner stresses which
periodically attack monolithic political structures." Yet, we are
told, some "progressives" give ear to the Russian charges. Some
pro-Communists, we are told, when challenged, refused to
repudiate Russia. We are heartened. by the assurance of The
Nation, in its editorial explanation on how "the Russians have
set in motion another kind of purge," thus: "Thousands of
progressives all over the world—Jews and non-Jews—who abhor
HitIerism even when practiced by the avowed enemies of Hitler
are purging themselves of any last belief they might have had
that Communism is for them. In the West even members of
the Communist Party are tearing up their cards,"
Confounded Confusion: McCarranism, Etcetera
Unfortunately, there is too much confusion in other fields
into which the Communist issue is being dragged unnecessarily.
We have reference to the McCarran Act. Supporters of the new
immigration and naturalization law, whose provisions are con-
sidered damaging to human impulses, have made it a practice to
point out, in speeches in the United States Congress and by means
of extending 'their remarks in the Congressional Record, that
Communists are primarily, the opponents of the measure. It
thereupon became necessary for Senator Lehman and other
opponents of the McCarran Act to point out to Senator Pat
McCarran, who happens to be a Catholic, that there are others
who see through the injustice of his measure. They quoted spe•
cifically an editorial in America, the national Catholic weekly
review, which points •out: •
"Among the religious organizations which expressed prompt
approval were the National Council of Churches of Christ in
• the United States of America and the American Jewish Con-
gress. Any doubts about the official Catholic attitude toward
the McCarran Walter Act . should have been removed by the
Jan. release of .the National, Catholic Welfare Conference
News Service" (which called for revision of the act and the
-
quota system). . •
Of equal importance in this respect is the assertion made last
week in Rome by Msgr. John O'Grady of .Washington, who was a
member of President Truman's Commission on Immigration and
Naturalization, that the McCarron Act belies all the fine things
for which America stands.
2
—
THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 6, 1953
Sneh Onsted by
Mapam Council
TEL AVIV, (JTA) — The
Mapam Party council, highest
policy making body of the left-
wing Socialist party, decided to
expel Dr. Moshe Sneh and other
leaders of the extremist faction
which has set itself up as the
"Socialist Workers Party." The
vote was 222 to 21, with nine ab-
stentions. Sneh's supporters on
the council boycotted the meet-
ing.
The council also authorized
the party's steering committee,
its administrative body, to expel
any member of the party who
joins the Sneh group. The mo-
tion f o r expulsion, previously
adopted by the steering com-
mittee, was presented in t h e
council by Jacob Chazan. Dr.
Chanan Rubin, speaking for the
opponents of expulsion, told the
council that although he dis-
agreed with Dr. Sneh's anti-
Zionist attitude, he did not
agree that expulsion was justi-
fied.
The members of the S n eh
group distributed leaflets ex-
plaining their reasons for boy-
cotting the council session. and
demanding another meeting of
that body in six weeks. Mean-
while, Meir Yaari, Hashom.er
Hatzair leader, attacked Dr, Sneh
and his new faction in an ar-
ticle in Al Hamishmar entitled
"A Sorrowful Annex." In it, Mr.
Yaari accuses Dr. Sneh of hav-
ing attempted to disassociate
the Mapam from the Zionist
movement and predicts that the
Sneh group will eventually join
with the Communist Party.
A step toward that was indi-
cated when Dr. Sneh's new Las-
mol (leftwards) Party was
formed. He announced that his
party would not merge with the
Communists, but that the two
groups would fight together for
the establishment of a popular
republic in Israel.
Dr. Sneh and two deputies in-
formed Parliament that they
have formed a separate group.
They also asked Parliament to
assign them separate seats, out-
side the Mapam group, in the
House. Meanwhile ; 22 more
leaders of the Mapam were ex-
pelled when an ultimatum that
they leave the Sneh group ex-
pired.
Round Table to Offer
Brotherhood Concert
Name Laven, Pollack and Robinson
To Head Campaign Building Pro gram
D. Laven
D. Pollack
M. M. Robinson
Daniel Laven, David Pollack suppliers, electricians and sup-
and Maurice M. Robinson have
been appointed co-chairmen of
the real estate and building
council of the 1953 Allied Jewish
Campaign, announced Irving W.
Blumberg, and Harvey H. Gold-
man, drive chairmen.
The three men will direct ac-
tivities of the 16 sections of
their division to raise funds for
the Campaign. The sections in-
clude builders, building and fi-
nancing, real estate, hotels,
property management, caulking,
tiling and asbestos, window
cleaning, bricklaying and ma-
sonry, plastering and lathing,
housewrecking and excavation,
modernization, building sup-
plies, chemicals, janitor supplies,
painters and decorators, paint
stores, plumbing and heating
pliers, architects and building
engineers, coal and ice, carpen-
ters and cabinet makers, hard-
ware and store fixtures.
In the 1952 campaign, the
council solicited $779,697 out of
the total amount of $4,400,000.
Laven, a board member of the
Jewish Welfare Federation and
the Detroit Service Group, is
chairman of the executive com-
mittee of Yeshivath Beth Yehu-
dah, and - served last year as a
co-chairman of the council.
Pollack, a real estate operator,
has been Detroit Fire Commis-
sioner for the past six years. He
is affiliated with Cong. Bnai
Moshe. Robinson 'is president of
the Builders Association of
Metropolitan Detroit, and is af-
filiated with Temple Beth El.
Rabbi Fram Urges 'Brotherhood in
Action' in Good-Will Week Address
Addressing the Detroit Paint
Varnish. and Lacquer Association
dinner at the Fort Shelby Hotel,
Monday evening, Rabbi Leon
Fram urged that "brotherhood
should not be taken for granted,"
and pleaded for "brotherhood in
action" by practicing basic
American principles of equality
and justice.
Charles A. Brathen of the
Wyandotte Paint Co. presided at
the dinner. Rabbi Fram was in-
troduced by J. F. Maycock, the
chairman of the association's
program committee.
In a strong plea for a working
FEPC, Rabbi Fram advocated
legislation to provide for working
fair practices in employment. He
stated that such legislation
would not cause harm and ex-
pressed the view with an FEPC
measure on the statutes its prac-
tice would be normal.
A Gander At Israel's Geese
TEL AVIV, (IIP)—Experimen-
tal goose raising has proven so
successful that further expan-
sion of the 500 dunarn White
Wing Farm is planned for the
near future.
Between You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1953, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
Inside Israel
The American Government is considering a serious change in
its system of sending experts to Israel to assist in the develop-
ment of the Jewish state . . . Most of the experts sent from
The 11th annual Brotherhood Washington to Israel have been "desk men" . . . They have been
Relevancies to the Issue: Anti Semites on . the Spot
These matters are not irrelevant to the issue involving RusSia concert presented by the Detroit at their desks in Washington for manys years, and although they
and her latest purge of Jews and her threat to the very existence Round Table will be heard by know their respective fields, their knowledge seems to be mostly
theoretical . . . They have been away too long from prattical
of the Jewish people (affirthations of Communist opposition to
work . . . A project now is being considered to give expert aid to
anti-Semitism to the contrary notwithstanding). The applicatiola
Israel through contracting companies . . . These companies will,
to the issue will be found in this editorial note which was pub-
under contract with the U. S. Government, send teams of experts
Ished by the New York Post. under- the heading "Pogrom Note":
to Israel to do a job just as they would complete any other con-
"The savage Soviet anti-Seinitic campaign has created as
-
-
much ideological panic on the Fascist fringe as it has among
the CoMmunist scholars. As Joseph Lash reported in our week-
end edition, the local anti-Semitic warriors, like the Communist
brethren, can't quite decide whether to defend the new Kremlin
crusade or insist that it can't be true. For years the pro-Fascist
racket has lived on the lie • that Communism is some form of
international Jewish plot'; now Stalin has wickedly double-
crossed the boys, even as he has confounded those Communist
faithful who have clung to the delusion. that it couldn't happen
there. The most plaintive cry of all comes from an anti-Semitic
gutter sheet called 'The American 'Nationalist. Its editor fore-
sees a sinister possibility: Since Communism is now waging war
against the Jews, many stalwart, upstanding anti-Semites like
himself may be loosely brandedCommunistS. The man feels
Bistritzky
Redfield
that such reckless character assassination would be deplorably
1,200 Detroiters, next Wednes-
un-American." - . .
Thus, the fascist who sought to brand all Jews as communist day, 8:15 p.m., in the auditori-
Xow finds himself in a predicament; yet the reactionary legislator
who seeks defense for his immigration policies seeks to brand the
opposition "communist"—notwithstanding the fact that Catholics;
Protestants, labor leaders, liberals in all walks of life are lined up
with Jewish organizations in their opposition to the new law that
went into effect in December.
Thus, the combination: anti-Semites on the one -hand, and
those who should be fighting it as Americans, as supporters of
democratic ideals, serve as tools of bigots through suppression of
free ideas, through the sacrifice of basic American principles.
There is need for a united front to back up the Humanitarian
Idea. The cause of justice will be harmed if we do not attain a
united front. That IS how the battle can be lost: through disunity.
This need for a united front is applicable to our inner ranks,
to Jewish leadership. If we divert our interests and our
loyalties and if we permit our ranks to be split by public laundry
systems, by washing our linen in the open squares, by taking our
quarrels to the non-Jews (we wonder how many of them are
snickering at us over the hospital issue, which has been placed
under the public spotlight by intrusion into the non-Jewish
publicity field), we face grave times. Vile need strength to carry
on Jewry's- battle for existence. We must build energy by working
together for the common good, and we can not permit a split in
the army that is warring for right and justice.
um of the Detroit Art Institute.
The program will include
greetings - by Dr. Robert M.
Frehse, regional director of the
Round Table, with special re-
marks by Valter Poole, associate
conductor of the Detroit Sym-
phony Orchestra.
The musical program will in-
ckide: The Detroit Women's
Symphony Orchestra, conducted
by Victor Kolar; baritone John
Redfield, cantorial soloist from
Temple Beth El; Zinovi Bistrit-
zky, assistant concert master,
Detroit Symphony Orchestra;
Northern High School Choir, di-
rected by Clair WeiMer; Lode
Vandessel, organist, St. Aloysius
Church; the "Crossroads" Male
Choristers, directed by Dr. Nel-
lie H. Ebersole.
Admission is by ticket procur-
able free of charge at the De-
troit Round Table office.
tract.
It is believed that under such a system Israel will benefit
more than under the present set-up of assigning experts from
various government departments for advisory work in Israel .. ,
Incidentally, the new approach of the Israel Cabinet to economic
controls will make life much easier for Americans who may be
sent by private companies to work in Israel . .. Already clothes
rationing has been abolished in Israel . . . Proposals to decontrol
the entire economy, even to withdrawing restrictions on the
and flow of money into and out of Israel are being considered .. .
For food, the plan is no longer to ration it, but rather to decon-
trol it . . . The assumption is that the government must guaran-
tee a minimum supply of food, and that the rest will and can
be bought freely at reasonable prices. ,
Men and Deeds
The "young guard" in Bnai Brith ranks are already conduct-
ing a campaign to have Philip Klutznik, of Chicago, elected na-
tional president at the forthcoming convention.
There seems to be no truth in the rumor that Mrs. Vera
Weizmann, wife of the late President of Israel, may be appointed
a member of the Israel delegation to the United Nations and re-
main in New York . . . People close to Mrs. Weizmann say that
her only wish is to return to Israel and spend her time at Re-
hovot, where Dr. Weizmann is buried.
Louis Lipsky, chairman of the American Zionist Council, is
not particularly anxious to have, the activities of the Council ex-
panded in a hurry . . The 'process of transferring some of the
activities of the American section of the Jewish Agency to the
Zionist Council will therefore be a slow one.
The next issue of the American Zionist, official organ of the
Zionist Organization of America, will be dedicated tO Rabbi Abba
Hillel Silver on his 60th birthday . . . A 14-column article by
Dr. Emanuel Neumann, evaluating Dr. Silver's services to the
Zionist cause, will be one of the articles in this issue.
The recent resignation of _Israel's Chief of Staff Yigal Yadin
and the appointment of his deputy in his place will soon bring
other resignations and replacements in the top command of Is-
rael's Army . . . Gen. Yadin resigned because of differences of
opinion with Defense Minister David Ben-GUrion . < His succes-
sor, Mordecai Makleff, a professional soldier, is expected to work
in closer harmony with the Defense Minister.