Friday, July 12, 1957
Ellises Win Fight for Hildy
Seek Public Hearing
on Immigration Policy
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A
bi=partisan group of ten Sena-
tors called on Sen. James 0.
Eastland of Mississippi, chair-
man of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, to hold public hear-
ings on legislation designed to
bring Egyptian Jewish refugees
into the United States and to
regularize the position of Hun-
garian refugees admitted as
"parolees" on an emergency
basis since last winter.
Sen. Eastland, known as a foe
of liberalization of immigra-
tion, has not replied to a let-
ter from the ten.
The request for consideration
of immigration bills singles out
those which would permit the
admission of "a reasonable num-
—International Soundphoto ber of Egyptian Jewish refu-
gees" and warns that the "time
Hildy McCoy is shown here clinging to her foster parents
is growing short" for action on
during the hearings at the Dade County Courthouse in Miami,
at the hearings before Circuit Judge John W. Prunty on the the exiles.
Signatories of the letter are:
application of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Ellis for her adoption.
Sens. Jacob K. Javits, N. Y.,
Judge Prunty ruled that Hildy is suitable for 'adoption and
Irving M. Ives, N. Y., Clifford
that the Ellises are suitable parents to adopt her. The judge
said he was primarily interested in the child's welfare and P. Case, N. J., Frederick G.
that if she were not granted to the Ellises the separation Payne, Maine, Prescott Bush,
Conn., John Sherman Cooper,
"might result in irreparable damage to her." Hildy's mother,
Ky., and Glenn Beall, Md., Re-
who demanded return of the child, said she did not want her
publicans; Hubert M. Hum-
for herself but to place her for adoption by a Catholic or to
phrey, Minn., Paul H. Douglas,
place her in a Catholic home. The Ellises, on the contrary,
Ill., and Richaxd L. Neuberger,
said they would leave it to Hildy when she matures to choose
Oregon, Democrats.
whether she wishes to be Catholic or Jewish.
Strictly Confidential
By PHINEAS J. BIRON
Things You May Want to Know:
Israel science has been the
gainer from the recent exodus
of Jews from Poland and Hun-
gary . . . Some of the most bril-
liant scholars and research sci-
entists have been absorbed by
the Weizmann Institute, the He-
brew University and the Haifa
Technion . . . There is insistent
talk about the birth of a new
publication in the U. S., with
the title "Israel, Today" .. The
sparkplug behind the venture
is Julius Jarcho who tried to
revive Israel Speaks, but found
the odds too heavy . . . Did you
know that the Bnai Brith Voca-
tional Service has issued more
than 5,000,000 publications dur-
ing the past 20 years? Its, latest
publication is ."The College
Finder," , compiled by Robert
Shosteck, designed to help voca-
tional counselors assist high
school students in selecting a
college.
Few of us know that the Vul-
can Engineering Works at Haifa
are building 25-ton rail freight
wagons at a fast clip ... They
will deliver to the Israel Rail-
ways 125 of these freight cars
within the next 12 months . . .
The Stimson Institute with the
cooperation of the U.S.-Israel
Friendship League is dispatch-
ing an expedition to Israel to
carry out a submarine archaeo-
logical study of Caesarea . . .
Quite an undertaking!
The mail brought us a memo-
randum from the Levant Club,
Detroit, Michigan ... As far as
we could gather this is a source
of information and is doing a
very useful job in exploding the
myth of Pan-Arab unity in the
Middle East . . . This particular
memo reminds - us that the Le-
vant extends from the Mediter-
ranean Sea to the Persian Gulf
and includes the following coun-
tries: Israel, Lebanon, Jordan,
Syria and Iraq . . . The aggre-
gate population is about 14 mil-
lions . . • It is a region of
"countless minorities" and no
single group is powerful enough
to dominate the other four . .
A. G. Horon, the author of this
memo, points out that, for in-
stance, the combined population
of Israel and Lebanon is about
3,300,000 which- is divided as fol-
lows: Jews, 52 per cent; Chris-
tians, 24 per cent; Sunnite Mos-
lems, 13 per cent; Shiites, Dru-
ses and otherS, 11 per cent .
From all of this we can con-
clude that perhaps the prelimi-
nary step towards peace in the
Middle East would be a non-
aggression pact among the coun-
tries of the Levant, all of which
are opposed to Egyptian don-ii-
Illation
11,
Within less than two weeks
three members of the Weiz-
mann family in Israel passed
away . . . One sister (Mrs.
Germany is Cool to
B-G Suggestion for
Diplomatic Relations
-
BONN (JTA)—A spokesman
for the West German .Foreign
Office, asked about a comment
by Prime Minister David Ben
Gurion that he favored early
establishment of - diplomatic
relations, said "It would seem
the time has not yet come to
establish normal relations with
Israel."
It appeared the Bonn spokes-
man was referring only to the
present time, however, and
probably to the period between
now and the September na-
tional election. The spokesman
cited specifically the recent
press conference statement of
Foreign Minister Heinrich von
Brentano that "relations be-
tween the federal republic and
Israel are so unclouded, clear-
cut and good that once both
parties agree the time has come
to establish normal relatiOns,
nothing but direct talks will
be needed."
Israel maintains a purchas-
ing mission in Cologne but the
Bonn Government is not repre-
sented' in Israel. From infor-
mation available here it ap-
pears that the situation • con-
cerning diplomatic relations has
not changed in recent months
and, that no exchange of diplo-
matic recognition had been
seriously considered.
British Trust Corporation
Gets Restitution Funds
LONDON, (JTA) — The Jew-
ish Trust. Corporation for Ger-
many, Jewish successor organi-
zation in the former British zone
of Germany, recovered 76,000,-
000 deutschemarks up to the
end of 1956 as restitution for
Jewish assets confiscated by the
Nazis, it was reported at the
annual meeting of the -JTC.
The JTC recovered, another
11,000,000 deutschemarks for in-
dividuals who failed to file res-
titution or indemnification
claims before deadlines expired.
The sum of 2,400,000 deutsche-
marks has been turned over to
the Jewish community of North-
west Germany and a further
sum 9,000,000 has been set aside
pending implementation of an
agreement between the JTC and
the communities regarding for-
mer communal property.
Lichtenstein) and two broth-
ers (Moshe and Ezechiel) .. .
Ezechiel was the father of
Col. Weizmann, the Comman-
der of the Israeli Air Force.
Meyer Weisgal, after a whirl-
wind trip to New York, left for
Europe and Israel on his mis-
sion to organize the 1958-59
Festival in Israel and the rest
of the world . . . One of the
features in Israel will be an
open air spectacle on a scale to
compete with the Festspiele in
Saltzburg.
The Israel government plans
70,000 new housing units for
new immigrants ... Elath, Is-
rael's Red Sea port is really
expanding at a feverish pace
. . . Hotels are springing up,
trading companies are register-
ing almost daily and the Jeru-
salem press publishes reams of
want ads inviting men and wo-
men to come to Elath for all
kinds of jabs . . . Not bad for
a town that practically did not
exist eight months ago.
Do you know which country
buys the most citrus merchan-
dise from Israel? . . . Well, the
United Kingdom is still the
largest market with more than
3.3 million cases of citrus fruit
during 1957 . . . Next comes
Germany with 716,000 cases,
then Sweden with 600,000, fol-
lowed by Finland with 582,000
and France with 500,000. The
Soviet Union did not buy any
this year.
54 Products Added
to UOJCA 'Kosher' List
NEW YORK—A total of 54
new Kosher products, manu-
factured by 21 companies un-
der supervision of the Union
of Orthodox Jewish Congrega-
tions of 'America, were made
available to Jewish consumers
during the first six months of-
1957, the organization an-
nounced in a mid-year report
on its kosher certification
service.
The additions brought to 667
the number of kosher grocery
items currently being made by
193 firms, according to Moses
I. Feuerstein, president, and
Nathan K. Gross, vice-president
of the - Orthodox Union and
chairman of its joint commis-
sion for kosher certification.
The Officials reported that 35
of the new Kosher products
were in national distribution,
with the remaining 19 in re-
gional or local distribution.
Nine of the added firms are of
national scope.
Iierzl's Publisher, Printers
Anti-Zionist and Anti-Semites
By JOSEF FRAENKEL
Before writing "The Jewish
State," Theodor Herzl wrote a
four-act drama, entitled "The
New Ghetto" (1894). It made its
way from one producer to an-
other and all of them refused to
stage his play which they con-
sidered too "Jewish." The pre-
miere did not take place until
1898. Like the producers, the
publishers, too, were afraid to
handle this play, and Herzl was
compelled to publish "The New
Ghetto" himself. Not until years
later were the publishers ready
to take it.
The manuscript of Herzl's
brochure "The Jewish State"
was finished but he was still
unable to find a publisher. Just
as earlier on, no one was pre-
pared to produce or publish
"The New Ghe•to," so, Herzl's
new work was also spurned by
the publishers who were afraid
of "making fools" of themselves.
This brochure—so they thought
—would not be regarded as a
"sensation," and the public
might well consider not only
the author but also the pub-
lisher as "crazy." Even Cron-
bach, a Jewish publisher in Ber-
lin, refused the manuscript af-
ter perusal, as did the firm of
"Duncker & Humbolt."
Herzl was already planning
to publish "The Jewish State"
himself, and he felt embar-
rassed at the thought that
people might regard him as a
"businessman," should the
brochure "sell." By coinci-
dence, in January 1896, Herzl
met Dr. Max Breitenstein
whom he had knoWn long.
Max Breitenstein (1855-1926)
came of a respected family in
Iglau. He studied law at the
university of Tuebingen. After
completing his studies he set-
tled in Vienna where he soon
made a name for himself in
juridical and literary circles. In
1876 he founded the academic
weekly "Alma Mater" and to-
gether with the popular lawyer
Dr. Pisko, he edited "The Juri-
dical Journal." Soon afterwards,
he became publisher and editor
of "The Law Court." He also
took a lively interest in the
foundation of the "New. Vienna
Conservatory" of which he was
Vice-President until his death.
His publications found an echo
in Vienna. His books and col-
lections ("Commerce Book,"
"Speeches of the Austrian Par-
liament," "Some Basic Objec-
tions," etc.) met with favor-
able criticism.
Shortly after his moving to
Vienna, Dr. Max Breitenstein,
the jurist, turned publisher. His
firm belonged to the best-known
in the former Austro-Hungarian
monarchy. In the 9th District,
Waehringerstrasse 7/9, he had
his publishing house and book-
shop, and in time he published
around 200 books under the
heading "Works of the Literary
Society." Books by Ebner-
Esch en b a c h, Wildbrandt,
Schnitzler, etc. were published
by Breitenstein. He also issued
"Der Taufjude" by Wittels,
"Modern Judaism" by Gold-
schmidt, "Religious Trends" by
Gelbhaus, "Rohling contra
Bloch" and other interesting
brochures and books.
On Jan. 19, 1896, Herzl read
some passages from "The Jew-
ish State" to Breitenstein.
• The idealistic lawyer who
also had a good publisher's
instinct and regarded the
whole thing as a kind of Jew-
ish "Robinson Crusoe," was
so enthusiastic that he imme-
diately drew up a contract
with Herzl.
Herzl was really glad to
have at last found a publisher
for "The Jewish State" and
felt greatly "relieved" after
signing the contract with
Breitenstein. He did not ex-
pect great success and plan-
ned to continue his literary
work and in particular to re-
write "The New Ghetto."
To none of his previous works
had Herzl devoted so much care
and attention as to "The Jew-
ish State." He wanted to see all
the proofs, corrected them him-
self and sent them to the Chief
Rabbi of Vienna, Dr. Moritz
Guedemann, or showed them to
Eduard Bacher of the "Neue
Freie Presse," to hear their
comments. On Feb. 1, the proofs
of the brochure were ready.
Herzl went over them once
again and supervised the cor-
rections and the printing at the
printing works of the brothers
Hollinek.
The Hollinek brothers, own-
ers of the printing works in the
Liebiggasse, where "The Jew-
ish State" was being printed,
were anti-Semites and support-
ers of Karl Lueger of the Chris-
tian Socialists. Herzl talked
with the Hollineks a few times
on the Jewish question and they
declared that it was "high time"
that a Jew wrote a book of this
kind.
While "The Jewish State"
was being printed, Herzl re-
ceieved the brochure "Auto-
Emancipation" from Dr. J.
Bloch, the editor of a Jewish
weekly in Vienna. After read-
ing it, - Herzl stated that he
would probably not have
written "The Jewish State"
had he read Leo Pinker's
"Auto-Emancipation" earlier.
On Feb. 14, 1896, the printers
Hollinek delivered 3,000 copies
of "The Jewish State" to the
publishing firm of Breitenstein.
"Hectic days, full of palpita-
tion and breathlessness,"—was
Herzl's entry in his diary on
that day.
Breitenstein left 500 copies of
"The Jewish State" to Herzl.
When the bale containing the
books was brought into Herzl's
room, he felt "deeply shaken."
He realized that his life had
now taken a decisive turn. The
die had been cast for Theodor
Herzl and the Jewish people.
Breitenstein d isplayed 20-25
copies in the window of his
bookshop. Many university stu-
dents passed his shop, stopped
in front of the window and
stared at the words "Jewish
State." Some joked and passed
on, others grew pensive and
bought the book.
Dr. Max Breitenstein had
never been a Zionist. Al-
though he rarely took part in
politics, he, the publisher of
"The Jewish State," was
known to be against a Jewish
State. He was influenced by
his brother-in-law, Dr. Op-
penheim, who was known as
an anti-Zionist and leader of
the assimilationists in Vienna.
Immediately after the appear-
ance of "The Jewish State," a
vehement campaign developed
against Breitenstein and his
firm. The leaders of the Union
of Austrian Jews and of the
Vienna Jewish Community
flung bitter reproaches at "poor"
Max Breitenstein. The leaders
of the Jewish Community even
forced the intimidated publisher
to issue the first counter-bro-
chure against Zionism. A year
and two months after the ap-
pearance of "The Jewish State,"
on April 16th, 1897, Dr. Breiten-
stein published the anti-Zionist
pamphlet "National Judaism"
by Chief Rabbi Dr. Moritz
Guedemann, first a supporter
and subsequently an opponent
of Herzl. The leaders of the
Jewish community probably
imagined that a Jew who
bought "The Jewish State" from
Breitenstein would at the same
time also take the "antidote,"
i.e. the pamphlet "National
Judaism."
Shortly before Breitenstein's
death, his archives were
searched for the manuscript of
"The Jewish State," on the oc-
casion of the 30th anniversary
of its publication. Breitenstein,
however, who had kept the
manuscripts of all the books he
had ever published, was unable
to trace Herzl's manuscript. In
fact, this manuscript with
Herzy' handwritten corrections
has not been found to this day.
I, too, have very ofte tried my
luck—but in vain.
To the end of his life, Breit-
enstein remained an anti-Zion-
ist, just as the Hollinek broth-
ens remained anti-Semiftea.