The Romantic Story of 'Gentile Zionism'

Purely Commentary

and Christian Efforts in Behalf of Israel

sincere. That is why his name will live in Jewish
An opportunity is afforded by Christopher Sykes' history.
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essay on the Balfour Declaration and Zionism, in his The Role of David Uoyd. George
latest book, "Two Studies in Virtue" (Knopf), to
Not Balfour alone: the man who was Prime MM-
4T-4,"'
evaluate the devout friend- ister in the' years of World War I in the days when
ship • for Jewry and Zion- the Balfour Declaration was being- formulated, was
equally Valiant in _his sup-
ism • of a group of men like
ort of . the Zionist idea.
Sir' .. Mark Sykes, Arthur
erbert, Henry Asquith, the
James Balfour, David Lloyd
man who . preceded Lloyd
eorge, James Malcolm,
_George as Premier, "never
Herbert Side b.o t h a m.,
ade a More - reinarkable
Charles Prestwich Scott
isjudgment _o f Lloyd
and others. YoUr Commen-
George," Mr. Sykes writes,
tator therefore embraces
"than when he described
his opportunity to return
his colleague. as one who
gain to Mr. Sykes' book -
`does not care a - clanm for
or a glimpse at these per:-
the-Jews or their past or
onalities. .
their futrtrel . : The con-
It is especially inter-
rary Would haVe -4-een much
Balfour
esting to note that
closer to -- the truth. LlOYd
four's devotion: to the cause he embraced and cham-
Lloyd George George cared intensely. for
pioried -waa so genuine. About the author of the Balfour
the Jews; his devotion to them -was one of the con-
Declaration Mr. Sykes writes :
sistent things in his bewilderingly various.,nature.7
'
"The suggestion has been made that his full
Towards the end of his essay, Nix'. Sykes -suggests
life was impoverished by the coldness of his a loss of interest in Zionism on the part of Lloyd
nature, that he lacked intense emotional exper-, 'George. During the calamities that visited the Jews
iences, and, as it were, madesi the deficiency good under Hitler; the man "who in Many . minds had
in his-last years by an intensely emotional parti-
earned a serious title to be considered the greatest
sanship of the Zionist cause . . . A temptation benefactor of the Jews'," was expected to "stand
arises to see in the most famous of Balfour's forth now as a, champion, but during the • whole
deeds the fine flowering of Gentile Zionism as period of Jewish persecution in Germany he recorded
it had been long harbored in the pure ecclesiasti-
no memorable protest either in the House .of •born-
cal school ... What is most strange is.,.. . the mons or in public addresses." Nevertheless, Mr; Sykes
ardent pertinacity with which Balfour pursued emphasizes that in the disposition of Lloyd George's
its object, quite unlike his usual way. The most "character is to be found the explanation of his ap-
consistent charge against his statesmanship is
parent later callousness, but it is a false exaggeration
that he was so open=minded that he was too
of its consequences to say that he forgot Zionism.
often satisfied with the harmfully weak solutions He could no more do this than he could forget the
of compromise. On Zionism his mind was shut.
Authorized Version of the Bible or the hymns of
No aigument against it—he heard many—is ever Wales. In him the traditions of Gentile Zionism found
recorded to have influenced him or diminished his
their greatest expression, and the cessation of his '
purpose for a moment. The strength of his de- Zionist activity after 1919 need not be deplored. After
termination, always Concealed' while he waited
his fall there was probably -nothing more in his power
inactive for his opponents to be scattered, may be that he could do for the people he loved."
measured -by his untypical conduct when leading
It is noteworthy that Mr. Sykes speaks of
the British delegation to America in the June of
Lloyd George's Welsh traditions as having "filled
1917. He was the most discreet of, men, but while
him with the Bible": "He was a man of whom we
on this mission he gave assurances first to Clar-
may say that the Bible had made him. It so hap-
ence I. de Sola, the Secretary-General of the
pened, too that the' enormous egotism of his
Zionist Federation of ,Canada, and then to Louis
nature was on specially good terms with the Jew-
D. Brandeis, which both men took to be pledges
ish people. As a stranger in a strange land he
of British action. He seems to have purposely
`felt kinship with them . . . It is said thcit he
compromised himself to strengthen the cause• he
never forgot that when he was a young solicitor
had at heart."
one of his earliest court cases was in defense of
a Jew, and then' when he had won and. was re-
This may answer many questions for many people.
joicing in the glow of this first success, the
Balfour's Successors in the British Foreign Office
often betrayed the pledges to Jewry. Balfour was
father of his client embraced him publicly and

Balfour's 'Emotional Partisanship of Zionism'

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Federation Women Plan 'Mystery Bus
Tour' of Allied Drive-Aided Agencies

Members of the Jewish Wel-
fare Federation's Women's Di-
vision• are going "globe-trotting"
when they embark on a Mys-
tery Bus Tour', Wednesday, Oct.
14.
Exact itinerary and schedule
of the trip is being kept a close-
ly guarded secret by Mesdames
Maxwell E. Katzen and Raymond
A. Sokolov, co-chairmen of the
tour sub-committee, and Mrs.
Siegmund Kulka, chairman of
the education committee, under
which the sub-committee oper-
ates. They promise that the
event will embrace coverage of
the complete -circuit of local
agencies which are beneficiaries
of the Allied Jewish Campaign.
Those participating in the
tour will be able to see at first
hand the operating programs of
the agencies, to learn how many
of the functions of the agencies
are inter-related and how the
agencies have shifted with geo-
graphical Changes' - the VW- -

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Sir Mark Sykes' Significant Role

"Two Studies In Virtue" merits a wide audience -
and deep appreciatiOn" for the interest it draws to the
author's father, Sir Mark Sykes, whose significant role • •'
bringing reality to -Zion-
srn is not generally known
d therefore must be re-
ailed so that it s u 1 d
ever be forgotten...Balfour
n d Lloyd George a r e
nowt names, but Sykes;
ecatise he _often worked
behind the s c e n e S, is a
stranger, That must not be.
We are grateful- to his son
hristepher for the light
he throws on. his , father's
career. He does not it as
extensively' as. N a,. h u m
'Sir Mark Sykes Sokolow did his "History. of
Zionism," but the mere reminder is enough..
Sir Mark. Sykes worked . closely - with all. Zionist
leaders, but especially with Rabbi' Moses Gaster. To-
geth.er with James Malcolm, another eminent Chris-
tian. Zionist, he Was indefatigable in his suport of
the. JewiSh cause._ He was responsible for maneuvering
French support for the Balfour Declaration in an
hour of crisis. His son explains that his Catholicism
played a part in his Zionism:
"In his biographical work, Sir Shane Leslie as-
serted that it was Catholicism that made' hint (Si•
Mark Sykes) a Zibnist . . . ThOugh he (Sir Mark) re-
garded JeWish nationalism as being separate from , s'
theological Judaism; though he did not make the
mistake of imagining that the aim of Zionism Was •
the establishment of a Jewish Papacy in the PrOmiseet
Land; he did -see the movement in tends more ap- •
propriate to his own , religion. He saw it as sacramen-
tal; as primarily concerned with an 'outward sign of
inward grace."
Thus, the story of some of the eminent Gentile
Zionists. They are applicable - to our own' time—in
making new friends, in • judging present-day Chris-;
tian associates in the striving for fair play. More •
especially, it is urgent that we remember those who
have helped pour the cement for the foundation for
an independent JewiSh state in which our kinsMen
are free to live their lives as Jews, in liberty and in
justice, with the right to worship as they pleaSe and
to defend their lives as free 'men. When acclaiming
Zionisin, let us remember the Gentile Zionists who
devoutly and devotedly helped in the "realization of
Prophesies.

Yale Library Receives Gift of 30 Rare

An Israel Wine
When You Dine!

16th Century Volumes of Hebrew Boo6

ish population. Guides on each
bus and other persons to pro-
vide informative material will
accompany the group. •
Buses, which are being pro-
vided by the United: Hebrew
Schools, will leave the Davison
Jewish Center at 10 a. m. The
charge for the tour is $1 •and
includes lunch. Local women's
organizations interested in go-
ing as groups may contact Mari,
lyn Kopel, WO. 5-3939.
Committee. Chairmen Named
Canadian Labor Pledges
Mrs. Harry L. Jones, president
Friendship
to Histadrut
of the Federation Women's Di-
vision, announces the following
MONTREAL, (JTA) — "We
officers and committee leader-
shall continue to cement ever
ship who will serve with her:
Vice-presidents, Mesdames Lewis B. stronger the bond of friendship
Daniels, Seymour J. Frank, Sidney J. between the Canadian Congress
Karbel and Alexander W. Sanders.
Committee chairmen. Collections, Mrs. of Labor and the Histadrut in
A. Landau; program, Mrs. Arthur J. Israel," A. R. Mosher, president
Gould; publicity, Mrs. Ben Shwayder;
food, Mrs. Ellis Fishman and Mrs. Irving of the 375,000 member Congress,
Wartell; personnel, Mrs. Ben Fishman; said at its '13th annual conven-
arrangements, Mrs. Irving C. c Mahler;
promotion, Mrs. Bernard S. Rubiner; of- tion held here.

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fice, Mrs: Herbert S. Frank; committee
on committees, Mrs. J. Shurly Horwitz
and Mrs. Stanley Fleischaker; education,
Mr4 :SkeeMlintlICu4k41;.
Mrs. Leonard H. Weiner.

-said, 'You are the greatest benefactor of our I'
people since Moses!' . . His elusive spirit never
became enchained to Zionism, but he knew it far '
better than any of his colleagues, and he liked it -
very much."

Tip for Connoisseurs

RISHHON LE ZION, (IIP)—
Following a record grape har-
vest this year, the wine presses
of Zichron Yaacov and Rishon-.
le-Zion are working at top speed
to fill expanded export pro-
grams.
A consignment of-85,000 quarts
of wines and liqueurs is sched-
uled to leave for England with-
in the next several weeks in
addition to large transports to
Holland, Switzerland, Belgium
and Sweden.
Meanwhile negotiations are
taking place with Finnish repre-
sentatives for the export of Is-
raeli wine within the scope of
the commercial egreement exist-
ing between the two countries.
Shipments to the United
States are also being prepared.
Recently a California wine ex
pert visiting ' Israel suggested
the cultivation of a special vari-
ety of grape in order to provide
the American market with a
very distinctive. Israeli brand.
Other proposals which he made
for the expansion of the coun-
try's wine industry are being
carefully considered by growers
as well as the Ministry of Agri-.
culture.

Mrs. MAXWELL E. KATZEN, co-chairman with Mrs. Raymond
Sokolov of the tour sub-committee, and Mrs. SIEGMUND KULKA,
chairman of the educational committee, go over: plans for the
Mystery Bus Tour.

By „Philip
Slomovitz

JEWISH NEWS
,, 2—DETROIT
iNitiaSr," Otfolbibt *2", l'951 ' "

NEW HAVEN, Conn.—A col-
lection of 16th Century Hebrew
Books printed in Italy were re-
cently presented to Yale Univer-
sity by Louis M. 'Rabinowitz, of
New York.
The gift, announced by James
T. Babb, Yale Librarian, includes
many _ editions marked by Ital-
ian ecclesiastical censors who
crossed off words and sentences
to which they objected and then
certified in their own handwrit-
ing that they had read the
books.
The censorship was imposed
by ecclesiastics who were deter-
mined to eradicate any utter-
ance they considered hostile to
the Church. However, in a num-
ber of cases, the censor's ink
has worn thin with -time So that
today the original nebrew char-
acters can be read clearly in
the exptirgated sections.
The censors attempted to ob-
literate words like "Christians,"
"Antichrist," and "Crucifixion."
They scratched out the "objec-
tionable" words with ink but
now, four centuries later, the
original print shows through
the faded ink.
The English translations of a
number of these now-legible
words and passages were 'fur-
nished by Leon Nemoy, curator
of Hebrew and Arabic literature
at the Yale Library.
Nemoy said that an unknown
censor had marked out 'words
like "the religion of Jesus,"
"conversion," and "madman" on
Leaves 112 and 113 - 'of Isaac
Abravanel's" "Ma'ayene . ha-
yeshuah." This book, a com-
mentary on the prophecies of
Daniel, was printed at Ferrara in
1551.
A number of, excisions made
in 1640 by the censor, Girolamo-
da Durallano, are more durable
than those of some of his con-
tempo•aries since he used

more permanent ink. Thus, some
of the passages he marked out
in the "Ammude golah," a Code
of Law, written by Isaac, of Cor-
bell and printed at Crereona bet
1556, are still illegible today. - -
Rule 64 in this book reads, "It
is forbidden to practice idolatry
even by way of contempt • . ."
The word idolatry was crossed
off by the censor in this sen-
tence lest some reader take it to
mean Christianity,' according to
Nemoy.
"This collection of 30 volumes
includes many autographs of
16th and 17th Century. Italian
censors, some hitherto not rep-
resented at the Yale Library,*
said Nernoy.
One book is signed by Filippo
Peruzzotti, a little-known. 18th
pentury Italian censor who
added -to his permit a warning .
that if the expunged passages
were restored, the owner of the
book would be fined 100 scudi
($300-$400) whether the restor-
ation was made by him or some
other owner.
The new Rabinowitz gift in-
cludes imprints of the Conti
press at Clemoa, where thou-
sands of Hebrew books and
manuscripts were destroyed in a
great bonfire set off in the mid-
dle of the 16th Century by order
of the Inquistional censors.
Among them are: Isaac Abra-
vanel's "Zebah Pesah," a Cre-
mona imprint dated 1557, which
is a commentary on the Pass-
over Haggadah -and a book es-
pecially sought for destruction
by the ecclesiastical censors;
two 'editions of Ibn Gabirol's
"Mibhar ha-peninim' Venice,
1564, and Cremona, 1558, the
latter printed just at the time
of the great bonfire of books;
and Eleasar Azkari's "Sefer
haredim," Venice, 1601, a first
edition of a very popular boat

of ethics.

