Purely Commentary
Status of Fascism . . .
Lipsky's Narratives . . .
Retributive Judgment
By Philip
Slomovitz
Christian friends with Colin Jordan, how is it possible to ignore
Because he is so distinguished an authority on world affairs such bigots when they keep shouting "kill the Jews"?
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
While in London recently, this Commentator heard from a
to The Jewish News)
and due to his record as one of the first in Great Britain to
JERUSALEM—Prime Minis-
condemn Hitler and to expose the Nazi menace, H. R. Trevor-Roper number of people the opinion that the only way to deal with
is an evaluator of political developments to be taken seriously. Jordan there and with Rockwell in Washington is to "give 'em ter David Ben-Gurion led a
When he states, as he did in his article on Fascism in the New a good lickin'." While we do not advocate violence, the question successful fight in Israel's par-
York Times Magazine, that "A-Rockwell Cannot Be a Hitler," his does arise: how can such inciters to hatred and to murder be liament Wednesday to defeat
treated other than through proper punishments which can only bids for an official inquiry into
opinions call for proper attention.
circumstances surrounding the
be administered if their hate-spewing is noticed?
Trevor-Roper recalls that when Hitler was imprisoned in 1924
We have some reservations, therefore, on the analyses offered case of Dr. Israel Beer, now
"many people thought he was finished then" and "a worthy pro- by Trevor-Roper.
serving a sentence of 15 years
fessor even- went on record with the rash statement that 'there-
*
*
*
for espionage.
after he faded into oblivion.' That was in 1929. Four years later Louis Lipsky's Remarkable Skill as Theater Critic
The Prime Minister took the
Hitler became dictator of Germany. It shows how careful writers,
The Jewish News columnist, Nathan Ziprin, editor of Seven floor twice. He first argued
and especially professors, have to be."
Arts Feature Syndicate, has performed a skillful job of book against a Herut proposal for an
How, then, does he justify his assertion that new circum-
reviewing with his comments on Louis Lipsky's "Tales of the immediate inquiry into the case
stances have arisen that do not make it possible for a jailed
Yiddish Rialto," just published by Thomas Yoseloff. He indicates, and then to oppose a Mapam
Colin Jordan, the new British Fascist leader, to emerge as an-
compromise proposal to refer
other Hitler? Trevor-Roper states in his article, referring among properly and justifiably, in his article in this week's issue, how the Herut motion to committee.
consummate
a
student
of
the
rialto
the
eminent
Zionist
leader
others to the late Senator McCarthy and to Pierre Poujade, the
The vote was 42 to 40.
has been and continues to be.
Herut leader Manachem
French anti-Semite whose Fascist movement collapsed:
In his newest book, the Zionist leader, who is in his eighties,
"Hundreds of sparks may fly, all identical; but only the reveals the idiosyncrasies of many Yiddish actors. While he does Beigin said in introducing his
one which chances to fall on inflammable tinder starts a blaze. not mention them by name, the heroes of his stories are often motion that the supreme court
But for certain circumstances, not Christianity but some other distinguishable, especially by those who are acquainted with the which upheld Beer's conviction
had described him as a person
mystery-religion would have captured the Roman world. But history of the Yiddish rialto.
who had the trust of all the
for certain circumstances, early Nazism would have been a flash
Lipsky's prologue to this fine collection of stories reveals
in the pan, and that professor would have been right. But for him anew as an able student of men, as an evaluator of human Israelis who had military and
security secrets. Beigin said
certain circumstances, Poujade and McCarthy might have suc-
characteristics. He was especially schooled in the theater, and that when Beer had been
ceeded where Hitler might have failed."
the new book proves it. He shows how the Yiddish actors created warned to desist from con-
Viewing the new developments realistically, Trevor-Roper their own world of make-believe. He has a remarkably fine
tacts with a "certain foreign
submits that "relics such as any great convulsion inevitably be- comment on the manner in which the Yiddish theater's Yiddish agent" he continued to do so.
queaths to the next generation"; that the neo-Nazis in Germany emerged out of the conglomeration of the Yiddish of Lithuania,
The Herut leader said it was
today do not prove by their existence "that a new Nazism has Poland. Odessa and other areas.
evident that Beer continued to
been born; they merely prove that certain old Nazis have not yet
"I have tried," he writes, as a comment on the Yiddish have the trust and confidence
died." He applies the same reasoning to the Fascists in England— actors, "to give a glimpse, here and there, into reality in their of top Israeli security personnel
to Sir Oswald Mosley who has dropped anti-Semitism from his plat- hocus-pocus, the truth in their make-believe. Scarcely a trace of long after the warning. He said
form—and maintains that "half of the new Fascist 'movements' the world in which they lived is now left. It has passed away it would be the task of a formal
can be ignored."
and another layer of life has been deposited above it." His plea inquiry to investigate what he
(The Trevor-Rover view has just been upheld in a study
thereupon is: "May your eyes see what I have attempted to bring called "apparently blatant
completed by Dr. Nehemiah Robinson for the World Jewish to life again with understanding and a forgiving spirit." His breaches" in Israel's secret
Congress Institute of Jewish Affairs. Dr. Robinson concludes
narratives are so charming, so brilliantly written, that there is service machinery. He cited
in his study that old-time racists and bigots who supported no doubt about the success of this attempt.
developments in Britain where
Hitler and Mussolini are the backers of the current neo-Fascist
two tribunals were set up to
and neo-Nazi movements).
inquire into a similar case. He
Merwin
K.
Hart,
the
Nortorious
Anti-Semite
But what about the younger Fascists whose platforms are
Birch Society leaders on occasions denied that their move- withdrew his motion and agreed
based on anti-Semitism—George Lincoln Rockwell in the United
to support the Mapam com-
States and Colin Jordan in Great Britain? Trevor-Roper shows ment was anti-Semitic. But while such denials were being ut- promise.
tered,
one
of
the
society's
leaders,
Merwin
K.
Hart,
continued
that while the 19th century nationalists rallied followers against
The Prime Minister, speak-
cosmopolitan princes and priests, their 20th century counterparts to propagate anti-Jewish programs. He had gone to some ex- ing in his capacity of Defense
"found their scapegoats in 'Marxists' and in those identifiable, tremes as to suggest that the 6,000,000 Jews who had vanished Minister, categorically denied
unassimilated, 'anti-national' foreigners in their midst—the Jews." during the rule of Hitlerism were not murdered but "are right that he had frequently con-
But then he makes this telling point which may have a major here in the United States and are now joining in agitation for sulted with Beer on Military
more and more support for the state of Israel — even if the matters. He said he could not
bearing on the entire discussion:
recall whether he knew Beer
Germany and Italy were defeated in the last war, and American Republic goes down."
This bit of insanity was typical of the asseverations of this during the latter's activities in
Germany suffered serious amputation; but both are now pros-
anti-Semite who died in New York last Friday at the age of 81. the Haganah, the pre-state Jew-
perous countries; the very fact that their defeat was caused by
His associations with anti-Semites who operated from De- ish defense force. The Prime
Fascism has discredited nationalism there; and anti-Semitism
is difficult to preach in a country that has liquidated nearly troit, Royal Oak, Pontiac and communities in other states gave Minister said he had often met
him a place of leadership in bigoted movements and in anti- Beer during the Israel War of
all its Jews."
Semitism.
Liberation in 1948.
One of the established facts relating to anti-Semitism is the
He hated the Roosevelts and his associates. He traveled to
The Prime Minister said he
one that was developed by Dr. Theodor Herzl, who pointed out
that there is little hatred against Jews in communities where Arab countries and at one time contended that he could not had asked Beer to write a chap-
their numbers are small; that in such communities Jews are get into Israel — a fantastic assertion that was challenged at a ter on the history of the battle
honored with the highest offices, but that with an increase in the Congressional hearing by Christian members of Congress who of Latrun after Beer was re-
Jewish population anti-Semitism. gains inroads and the security had been to Arab countries and who had no difficulties getting leased from the army and be-
into the Jewish State.
came a member of the General
of the Jews is endangered.
It was on the day of his death that the Saudi-Arabian dele- Staff. The late Col. Mickey
Perhaps there is little chance of anti-Semitic outbursts in
Spain, whose Jewish returnees after the herem imposed on that gate to the United Nations made wild accusations against Presi- Marcus planned and commanded
country had been partially lifted; and there may be too few Jews dent Kennedy and then urged the UN to adopt the anti-Semitic the battle of Latrun, where
left in Germany to account for a fear of a new anti-Semitic platform of the Argentinian anti-Semitic Tacuara organization. heavily armed Jordan legion-
outburst. But even in those countries the "certain old Nazis (who) The shocking appeal by Saudi-Arabia's Ahmad Shukairy was naires commanded the heights
have not yet died" may have left their marks upon the younger immediately challenged by Argentine's delegate Lucio Garcia overlooking traffic between Tel
del Solar who said that Tacuara numbers less than 1,000 mem- Aviv and Jerusalem, which was
generation.
The concern, however, on the basis of Trevor-Roper's own bers, mostly youths; that any violence of human rights in his then the capital's lifeline.
Beer, who held the rank of
reasoning, is for the countries with large Jewish populations, for country would be punished and that Argentine's respect for
the United States, for Great Britain and now for France whose human rights is more worthy of mention than the "acts of geno- lieutenant colonel in Israel's
population has swelled with the arrival of so many "refugees" cide perpetrated by some Nazis" for whom the Saudi delegate army, was convicted and sen-
tenced to 10 years. The supreme
"sees fit to congratulate my country."
from Algeria.
The Cuban UN delegate also upbraided Shukairy, and it was court upheld the conviction last
We now come to Trevor-Roper's concluding argument. He
evident that the hate-monger from Saudi-Arabia .didn't have a week and added five years to
states in the New York Times Magazine article:
friendly response to his bigoted appeal. While the Arabs later his sentence.
"Finally, liberal institutions, where they survive, have been
strengthened, not weakened, by the testing experience . of the all joined in another concerted effort to distort truth and to
malign Israel, their tactics can't possibly gain a friendly hearing. Desecrate Synagogue
last 20 years: The German Federal Republic and the Italian
The bigotry of a Hart is askiri to that of a Shukairy, and it in South America
Republic are structurally sounder than the Weimar Republic
is heartening to know that Hart was repudiated by our Con-
and the Italian monarchy. Altogether, it seems to me far more
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire .
to The Jewish News)
likely that the existing institutions in the West will adapt them- gressmen, just as a Shukairy, who has spoken Hart's language,
RIO
DE JANEIRO—Swasti-
selves to any economic crisis that may arise than that men meets with rebuke in the UN.
kas
and
anti-Semitic slogans
In
the
Great
Beyond,
Hart
may
have
to
account
for
his
in-
like Jordan and Rockwell will be summoned to be the saviors
humanity to the 6,000,000 whose memory he has defiled. In our were discovered to have defaced
of society.
"For what, in fact, do these men offer? Hitler and Musso- terrestial existence, Shukairy appears to be headed for repudia- the new synagogue of Curitiba,
a city in the state of Parana.
lini at least understood something of their own time, as Nasser tion even by his own kinsmen.
Among the Slogans painted
does of his. They wrote for it, and their ideas, whatever we
Who said justice has vanished from the earth and in the on the synagogue wall
were
think of them, were applicable—and applied—to it. But these heavens?
"viva Hitler" and viva Eich-
new prophets have absolutely nothing new or up-to-date to say.
mann." Nei Braga, governor of
To read their pamphlets is to see only reach-me-down ideas
Parana, issued a statement con-
rotating in empty heads.
demning the desecrators of the
"These new Fascists denounce blacks and Jews, extol Hitler
synagogue, assuring the 600
and his methods, reiterate his racial slogans, abase themselves
Jews living in Curitiba of his
before his moral grandeur. But what is this to us in 1962? If
profound opposition to anti-
a great crisis should descend on . us, the potential Fascists of
Semitism and declaring that an
the future will require something more up-to-date than • this
effort. will be made to trace
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
The.. deposition was made by and arrest the vandals.
cracked gramophone record of Der Stunner.
to The Jewish News)
"In unpredictable circumstances I feel sure of one thing
COBLENZ—The prosecution Erich von Ben Bach Zalewski,
A year ago, the Jewish ceme-
at least. The Fascism of the future, if it ever emerges as a
in the trial of 12 former Nazis who was one of the top su- tery of Curitiba was desecrated
force, will be as different from the Fascism of the past as the on trial for the mass murder
when 40 tombstones were over-
nationalism of Garibaldi. It may show certain resemblances to of some 35,000 Jews in Minsk periors of the 12 defendants turned. No arrests in that case
and
who
is
now
serving
several
its archetypes, but it will not be a replica of them. In this it during the war entered as testi-
have been made. The state of
will be very different from the fossil survivals of modern Ger- mony Tuesday a statement from prison terms arising from his Parana includes in its popula-
many, and the belated echoes we are now hearing in England a former SS g e n e r al that SS activities. The former gen- tion about 250,000 European
and America."
"nothing worse" happened to eral added in his statement that immigrants, inclu ding many
It is difficult to dispute the logic of the distinguished British Nazis refusing to take part in lie regretted he was unable to former Germans. It is suspected
analyst's arguments. Yet, in experiences such as we have had in the killing of Jews "than their assist his commrades in the that especially among the Ger-
this country with Rockwell, and those of British Jewry and their transfer to the front."
trial.
mans there are many ex-Nazis.
Rockwell, Mosley, Jordan and the Fascist Revival
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEW S-- Frid ay;
Ben-Gurion
Stops Beer
Case Inquiry
Only Punishment for Nazis Who
Would Not Join in Killing Jews:
`Their Transfer to the Front'