Purely Commentary

By Philip

Two of England's Most
Jewish
Distinguished
Families

•

•

SIO MOVitZ

Break Ground for
Schumer Center
in Acre, Israel

stitutions in Palestine he has been studying Judaism
and was attracted by its teachings. He took this step
The visit -here last week of the Dowager Marchioness of
only
after considerable thought and study.
Harry Schumer, Detroit Labor
Reading, who attended the convention of the General Federa-
"He has already made it clear that he feels very Zionist leader, officially dedi-
tion of Women's Clubs, drew attention to the Readings, one
strongly
the
position
Of
Jews
in
Germany
and
has
done
cated the Schumer Cultural Cen-
of the most -distinguished and most colorful Jewish families
what he could to ameliorate the situation and their ter in Acre, Israel, last week,
in England.' • •
condition. His action now will be a great encourage- with 500 residents of the an-
The first Marquess of Reading was Rufus Daniel Isaacs,
ment to Jews throughout the world."
cient port city, together with
a great jurist and a Member of Parliament who rose to the
In 1937, the younger Lord Melchett was the head of the government and Histadrut lead-
post of Lord Chief Justice of England. It was in 1913, when
he became Lord Chief Justice, that he was made Baron Reading World Maccabi Union, in addition to his numerous other Jew- ers and civic dignitaries, pres-
of Erleigh. In 1926, after serving for five years as Great Brit- ish responsibilities. The Melchett women especially displayed ent at the ceremony. Also pres-
great devotion to Jewry and to Zionism.
ent were Mrs.
ain's Viceroy of India, he was created Marquess of Reading.
The visit here of the Marquess of Reading thus unfolds
It is said that India mistrusted him as the representative a most interesting story about two great inter-related families Harr y Schu-
mer, Mr. and
of England but respected and welcomed him as a Jew.
—the Readings and the Melchetts.
Mrs. Jack
*
*
The Marquess of Reading was interested in Palestine
Schumer of
and in Zionism, but was compelled, due to his official posi-
Our Columnist Nathan Ziprin—Sexagenarian
Detroit (broth-
tions, to refrain from playing an active role in the Zionist
It is a genuine pleasure to extend happy birthday greetings er of Harry),
affairs. But he was elected president of the Palestine Elec-
to our confrere, author of The Jewish News' feature column a n d Sigmund
tric Corporation in 1926 and on many occasions he spoke in
defense of the Zionist orinciples in the House of Lords. With "On the Record," Mr. Nathan Ziprin, who has just turned 60. Shmul iv i tz, a
This sexagenarian is one of our able writers, a fine editor cousin from
the second Lady Reading, he visited Palestine in 1932 and
Florence, Italy.
and a man who knows and understands Jewish life.
played an active role in the Zionist projects that were estab-
Mr. Ziprin had an excellent Jewish education. He was pre-
The Cultural
lished in the land of • Israel by his son's father-in-law, the
paring for the rabbinate, and that calling has lost a very good Center was
first Baron Melchett.
The first Marquess of Reading was especially active in person in the gain that was made by Jewish journalism to which built b y the
our friend and co-worker has turned instead.
Histadrut with
efforts for the rescue. of German Jews.
But his training has come in good stead. Mr. Ziprin is a funds raised by
Schumer
His son's marriage to the daughter of Sir 'Alfred Moritz
Mond, who became Lord Alfred Melchett, linked two distin- master of Yiddish, he knows Hebrew, he understands Jewish the campaign in Detroit, in
guished families in many affairs, especially Jewish Palestinian problems and therefore is able to interpret them and comment honor of Schumer's 60th birth-
day and in tribute to his many
causes and Zionism. The Melchetts especially rose to high-ranks upon them.
What is more important is that he has the courage to face years of active leadership in the
as defenders of the Jewish name and the nationalist Jewish
Histadrut campaign. He served
cause. They headed fund-raising campaigns and appeared on many issues with constructive criticism.
We wish Mr. Ziprin, who is the editor of Seven Arts Feature for many years as president and
public platforms to propagate the Zionist ideal.
The biography of :Melchett in the Jewish Encyclopedia Syndicate, many good years, the best of health and all the chairman of the board, and is
states that although. he was brought up as a Christian and was means with which to carry on his work in the spirit in which at present the honorary chair-
he now labors—to the best advantage of our people.
man of the local organization_
married to a Jewess, he kept
Schumer is also president of the
reaffirming his loyalty to
City Committee of the Farband
Ezra Pound on Rampage Again
the people he stemmed
from. It was in April 1917
Noted Americans went out of their way to assist in the re- Labor Zionist Order of Detroit
that, - "trembling with pas-
lease of Ezra Pound from the asylum in which he was kept from and president of the Labor Zion-
sion," he manifested an in-
the time of his conviction on a charge of treason. Some of them ist Order of Detroit. In addition
' terest in Jewish affairs
may have cause to regret their actions, as is indicated in the to his campaign activities for
while uttering a protest
column by former Detroiter Tony Weitzel in the Chicago Daily the Histadrut, Schumer is an
against the persecution of
News. In a "sad note on Ezra Pound," Weitzel wrote that "he's active worker for Bonds for Is-
Jews in Russia at a public
now writing weird hate letters to the friends who got him out of rael, Jewish National Fund and
rally at Queens Hall, Lon-
the asylum. His notes to T. S. Eliot are so nasty Eliot now burns the Allied Jewish Campaign.
don. The biographical -note
'em without reading."
During the dedication cere-
of Melchett asserts that
When Ezra Pound was freed, it was said that he had caused monies, Schumer was lauded by
"although he never for-
as much harm while in the asylum as he possibly could when Itzchok Haskin, Histadrut treas-
mally returned to Judaism,
out of it. Whichever way he is judged—he is causing harm. urer.
Lord Melchett was an ar-
dent Jewish nationalist. 'I
■
DeGaulle Confirms
do not consider myself as.
an Englishman,' -he 'said.
Boris Smolar's
France's Friendship
am a Palestinian. My
heart is in - Eretz Israel.
for 'Courageous Israel
This is my electorate. These
PARIS (JTA) — Pr emier
are my people.' He was bur-
Charles de Gaulle confirmed
ied in a Jewish cemetery
France's close friendship with
and his son recited Kaddish
the state of Israel in a message
(Copyright, 1958,
in Hebrew."
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
•i :he sent in re-
Your Commentator has-
,ply to con - Graduation Season:
located an interesting clip-
gr a tul a -
Thousands of Jewish students will graduate this month from
ping in his files. Regret-
tions from Is- American colleges and universities . . . What asset will they
tably, the -date is illegible.
'r a e 1 Premier become to organized American Jewish life? . . . Will they display
The heading reads: "Jewish
A3 avid Ben- an interest in Jewish communal affairs? . . . Have they any
Faith Gaining — -Lord Mel-
Gurion on his interest in Israel? . . . Directors of Hillel Foundations, which
chett Among Recent Con-
investment as are closest to the more than 200,000 Jewish students attending
verts from Christianity" The The First Lord Alfred Melchett
Chief of Cabi- American schools of higher learning, are pessimistic . . . From
reference is surely to the son
net.
their observations, the average Jewish student is indifferent
of Lord Alfred Melchett. The story reads:
The de to Jewish activities . . . He does not deny his Jewishness, but
During the World War many Jews in England and
Gaulle mes- he does not know its meaning and does not care to know it .. .
the United States who • were of German extraction
s a ge, handed He is definitely not interested in attending debates on Jewish
changed their German surnames to English ones. Now
to Israel Am- problems and his interest in Israel is very remote .. . Most of
there are signs of Jews here and abroad who had been
bassador Yaa- the Jewish students do not even know the Jewish alphabet,
baptized Christians or who -had entered some Christian
cov T s ur by though some of them claim that they had attended Jewish
church returning to the faith of their fathers, together
Premier de Sunday schools . . . The average Jewish student, according to
with some non-Jewish persons adopting the Jewish
Gaulle's secre- directors of the Bnai Brith Hillel foundations, comes from a
Orthodox faith.
Whether these reconversions or conversions are
tary, declared: home where there is no Jewish book to be found, not even the
intended as a rebuke to Hitlerism is not stated—in cer-
De Gaulle "I thank you Bible . . . His major interest is to pass his examinations and
tain cases it is --denied that they are. On July 24 a dis- for your kind message which he spends his free time primarily seeking a "good time" . .
patch of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency said that Dr. express such noble sentiments. Some students spend more on one date than their grandparents
Arnold Schoenberg, the well-known Austrian composer I greet the courageous Israeli earned in a week in sweatshops . . . On the whole the Jewish
and :teacher, had been readmitted to the Jewish faith nation with which France has student, although bent on mixed "dating," is not inclined
at the Liberal Synagogue, Paris, with Rabbi Louis Ger- solid links of friendship and toward mixed marriages . . The Hillel Foundation directors
main Levy, the eminent Hebrew scholar, conducting the shares the same spiritual ideals. find him selfish, ambitious for a career after graduation, and
ceremony.
I hope, like you, that man's completely non-idealistic . . He is not inclined to be religious
A fortnight before Lord Melchett was received into wisdom will consolidate and despite the existing opinion that religion is on the upgrade in
the same faith at the North London Synagogue, with the insure peace."
the United States . . . The same seems to be true of non-Jewish
Rev. Maurice L. Perlzweig presiding. At the same time
The government of France students who are also uninterested in an exchange of opinions
three other converts were also received.
has decided to open a consular on humanitarian problems . . . Hillel directors attribute the
Dr. Schoenberg had abandoned the Jewish faith in agency and a cultural center at present state of mind of the Jewish student to the fact that he
1921, while he was conducting classes in composition Eilat, Israel's port on the Gulf comes from self-satisfied surroundings, mostly from upper-middle
at the Berlin Academy of Arts. Lord Melchett was bap- of Aqaba. France is the first
tized as a Christian in the Church of England as a nation to take such action with class families.
*
child. His father, the first Baron Melchett (formerly respect to Israel's rapidly-devel-
The Communal Front:
Sir Alfred Mond) was buried according to the Jewish oping southern port city.
Leaders of the United Jewish Appeal and of the Israel
rites but had never been a member of any synagogue
Bond campaign are putting up a considerable opposition to a
or associated himself with the religious life of the Arizona AFL-CIO Parley
plan to launch a third fund-raising campaign for Israel in this
Jewish people.
country . . This plan has been conceived at the last session of
In commenting on the brief ceremony for Lord Hits Saudi Arabian Bias
PHOENIX (JTA)—The State the Zionist Actions Committee in Jerusalem and aims to raise
Melchett at the London Synagogue — it was a matter
of fifteen minutes Rabbi Perlzwieg told a representa- Department was criticized for funds through the machinery of the American Zionist movement
allowing discrimination by . . . The exact amount to be raised has not yet been decided
tive of The Daily Telegraph:
"Although in his earlier years he belonged to the Saudi Arabia against "Ameri- upon, but the sum of $15,000,000 a year has been mentioned
Church of England, Lord Melchett has not been actively cans who worship as Jews" in . . . Dr. Dov Joseph, treasurer of the Jewish Agency, is now
connected with it for some years. His decision to a resolution adopted by the in this country in connection with the plan .. . Together with
change his faith has no political significance. It is a Arizona AFL-CIO convention. Dr. Nahum Goldmann, Jewish Agency president, he conferred
matter of his private religious convictions, and the Nazi The resolution charged that the with top leaders of the United Jewish Appeal, trying to convince
movement in Germany was in no way responsible for Arab governments which dis- them that the UJA drive would not be affected by the projected
criminate against American special Zionist drive . . . UJA leaders are especially sensitive to
his action.
new fund-raising campaigns in the current economic recession.
"Following close contact with Jews and Jewish in- Jews are dictatorships.

The Readings and the Melchetts

114

414111*

'Between You
and Me'

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