THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS -- Friday, July 5, 1963
Anti-Foreign Nativism Reviewed in
Dr. Higham's 'Strangers in the Land .:
Inadequacies on Anti-Semitism Noted
New Data About the Hero of
Texas—Rabbi Henry Cohen
The late Dr. Henry Cohen this book is me story of the
sian authors of the canards had of Galveston, Tex., who gained development of the plan for
aid to immigrants who were '
borrowed from French sources nationwide fame as a defender
of the rights of the down- settling in the Sguth and Mid-
the libels -against Jews.
trodden, as a man who came west and whose port of ar-
Also: when Prof. Higham to the aid of needy regardless
rival was at Galveston:
He was not a Zionist, but he
makes the statement: "Through- of race or creed, who was be-
out the eighties, Italian, Slavic, loved in his community and in joined the Jewish Agency forces
when the unity was established
and Yiddish immigration in- his state, has become a legend
and many tales about him still between Zionists and non-Zion-
creased." What is Yiddish im- are told in many quarters.
ists in the late 1920s. But he
migration? Yiddish is a language,
The story of his life already aided and gave comfort to the
has been told in a book, "The Council for Judaism — another
not a people.
fact that is difficult to under-
Also distressing are the sev- Man Who Stayed in Texas" — stand about a distinguished man
because
he
had
been
offered
eral references to the "filth"
who was honored, among others,
and uncleanliness of the Rus- , -many more lucrative positions by the great Zionist Dr. Stephen
sian Jewish immigrants—as if and he turned them down. It S. Wise.
there were another group to was written by his son and
He succeeded in his fight
whom the command of "cleanli- daughter-in-law.
against the teaching of the
Another
informative
volume
ness being next to godliness"
"Merchant of Venice." In his
were as sacred as to Jews! It dealing with his life has just youth he was a member of the
is by not questioning the been published by Bloch under Hoveve Zion. His home at 1920
"charges" that Dr. Higham the title "Henry Cohen — Mes- Broadway in Galveston became
senger of the Lord." It contains
renders a hurt.
biographical sketches of the an historic landmark.
In its entirety, "Strangers in noted rabbi excerpts from his
Rabbi Cohen's major activi-
the Land" is a creditable work. writings and from works written ties are reviewed and outlined
There is much to be learned about him and numerous trib- in articles by Rabbi Victor E.
from it by Jews and others. utes to him. The book was com- Reichert, Dr. Abraham Cron-
There are accounts of anti- piled by Rabbi A. Stanley Drey- bach, many other prominent
Semitism, accounted for by a fus, the man who now holds Jews and non-Jews. This inter-
rich literature to which Prof.. Rabbi Cohen's pulpit in Congre- esting man's life story is told in
Higham refers in his notes, that gation Bnai Israel of Galveston. the compiled series of tributes
will enlighten his readers,—just
It was in commemoration edited by Rabbi Dreyfus.
as there are recapitulations of of the 100th birthday of Rabbi
historical happenings that will Cohen that this work was
stir great interest in the numer- undertaken and that two of
ous events elaborated upon in Rabbi Cohen's grandsons, Dr.
this noteworthy book.
David H. Frisch and Rabbi
n7,1 4s trz?n l'IPP -1144
Henry Cohen, and many
* *
Jingoism and nativism are at- friends of the late hero of
'71 r171 1?"
tributed to groups which often Texas joined in contributing
articles
to
this
volume.
included prominent personali-
1
•.•
The grandson, Rabbi Henry
ties. In the latter part of the last
R44)
'7"nntz,
rnriivr
Cohen,
wrote
"Portrait
of
a
century, for instance, during the
debates about an international Rabbi," and in it he reviewed •
,(12ritrr.'74
' :t44
money standard and the gold- the highlights in his grand-
father's
career,
from
his
child-
silver issue, Jews were viewed
n1
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by the bigots of that time "as hood in his birthplace in Eng-
innn
land
to
his
becoming
a
rabbi,
opprj •
an internal threat." Prof. Hig-
his pulpit in Jamaica, his arrival
ham states:
in Texas and Galveston ministry
Innntrin 4rInL77 73
"Did the Jews perhaps have for 62 years.
an international loyalty above
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His background was, of f ir,x1)- T i
all governments, a quenchless course, Orthodox, yet his grand-
resolve to rule the world them- son finds it necessary to resort ,-on 4 1g. 1 *t ,(ta .,trIp) ry,plz.pk
selves? For at least a few na- to old Reform attacks on ortho-
4'rri
rr-rnb,
tivists, the new tendency to see doxy. He describes his grand- tnruvi
- •
•,-:- -
America's adversaries operating father's attitude as having been
on a world stage inflated the in consonance with the extrem-
Jewish peril from one of nation- est anti-orthodox Reform views
al subversion to one of world of his time, including the anti-
domination. An occasional east- Zionist attitude. It is a negative
ern conservative detected a note which leaves a bad taste
clandestine Jewish league con- in reading the story anew.
trolling the money markets of
Otherwise there are many
the world, or blamed the depres- fascinating tales about the em-
sion on Jewish bankers who were inent rabbis — about his inter-
said to be shipping America's cession. after a hurried trip to
gold to Europe. Western agrar- Washington, with President Taft
ians not infrequently slipped in behalf of a Christian immi-
into similar allusions. Minne- grant, and many other tales
sota's Ignatius Donnelly wrote about his unselfishness and his
an iutopian novel, "Caesar's Col- readiness to help all men.
•
T -
umn,' prophesying a totally de-
He rode . on his bicycle to
graded society ruled by a Jewish make calls to the needy. He was
world oligarchy. The greatest of loved by Christians as well as
opprj rqn
6-mx
the silverites, William Jennings Jews and was honored equally
T
Bryan, bluntly accused President by all, as the numerous essays,
rig? T1P L 71iS
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Cleveland of putting the country editorials and tributes printed
in the hands of the English in the navy' book indicate.
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Especially enlightening in
Rothschilds."
xinl 717T:
* * *
The various movements that Hebrew Corner
zj171
,t7prt,
were organized against unre-
stricted immigration to this
nbtp7
country are analyzed skillfully
7 `'n 1? t.z4,3tg nirrr niv
dier is shown here bringing a by Dr. Higham. He asserts that
Torah Scroll ceremoniously into while "earlier nativist episodes
To the music of "Arise, G-d, and
;nx
the synagogue under a canopy produced only marginal changes Thy enemies shall flee in all direc- rI L47PP 1.1
a new military synagogue was
supported by fixed bayonets. in American life," "now the tions,"
dedicated at a Zahal (Israel Defence PPP -'114 "
:'1
'7r fr.
Gilboa is the 28th site to be country will be the same again, Army) paratrooper base.
The
ceremony
took
place
with
or
either
in
its
social
structure
settled by Nahal units. Like
tv-174
irrrr
stately pomp, in the presence of the
Almagor, founded at Korazim in its habits of mind." He con- Minister of Religious Affairs, the
Chief Rabbi of the Army, generals, Ant?
last year, it was established on cludes:
44'? "riv
important civilians and soldiers of
Nov. 29, the 15th anniversary
"Although immigration , of the paratroopers regiment, wearing
of the UN Partition Resolution. some sort would continue, the red berets, and their parents.
tV1P 71 - Thq
The new synagogue, situated on a
Nahal will make it a tradition vast folk movements that had hill,
is noticeable from the distance
rnr
bilryn
to settle another border area formed one of the most funda- by its dome, built in the form of a
parachute, that signifies the regi-
on this anniversary each year. mental social forces in Ameri- ment.
Among its members are hun-
PIbTr1
So far, the Jewish National can history had been brought dreds of religious soldiers, members
Fund has this year cleared to an end. The old belief in of religious youth movements and
rriirm
n7bral
students.
2,300 dunams of soil for the America as a promised land for Yeshiva
At the ceremony, Colonel Rabbi
Solomon
Goren,
the
Chief
Rabbi
of
settlers on the mountains, and all who yearn for freedom had
Lpv rit.lt.tpg
rmrip
the Army said, "The synagogue and
additional 1,300 dunams will be lost its operative significance. the
Bible were the core of our people
cleared by next summer. The And the new equation between before we became a nation. The Holy
itr4IPP
went in front of our people and
Gilboa covers 80,000 dunams of national loyalty and a long Ark
spread holiness in our camp."
71 -1.1771
which 50,000 are suitable for measure of political and social
The Zahal band played "hassidic" 17ntr)p r)
afforestation and farming. The conformity would long outlive melodies and holy scrolls were car-
under a canopy held up on rifles
new farmers will start sowing the generation that established ried
with bayonets, while the soldiers of
the regiment served as guard of honor.
in the very near future. The
Translation of Hebrew Column.
JNF will also employ them in it."
Urt. tiv r141,1 r1"1 ntlinp
Published by Brith Ivrith Olamith,
—P. S. Jerusalem.
afforestation work.
In "Strangers in the Land," ham is not the first to refer
published by Atneneum Books back to the anti-Jewish order
(162 E. 38, NY16), Dr. John Hig- that was issued by General
ham, professor of history at the Grant. In June 1962, the School
University of M i c h i g a n, has of Graduate Studies of Western
made a thorough study of the Michigan University (Kalama-
patterns of American nativism zoo) issued a pamphlet, "A Sol-
as they were evidenced from dier's Life—The Civil War Ex-
perience of Ben C. Johnson,"
1860 to 1925.
which contained charges that
This paperback is an impres-
Jewish sutlers were exploiting
sive effort to determine the ex-
Civil War soldiers. The Jewish
tent of the anti-foreign spirit
News Commentator criticized
that had found expression pri-
Western Michigan University
marily in the fight to restrict
immigration to the United for issuing such an anti-Semitic
pamphlet, Detroiter Charles E.
States.
Feinberg joined in the protest
In the course of his research, and Dr. Jacob R. Marcus, direc-
. Prof. Higham delved into the tor of the American Jewish
numerous demonstrations of Archives at Cincinnati and a
anti-Semitism, commencing noted historian, then joined in
with the Civil War episode the protest by stating:
when General Grant yielded to ;
"Hundreds of Jews died in the
charges that Jews were respon-
Civil War; thousands served in
sible for exploitations in the
the armed forces, and six per-
army and expelled all Jews from
sons of Jewish descent achieved
his military jurisdiction. That
order was revoked three weeks the distinction of reaching the
rank of General officers. Unfor-
later by President Lincoln.
tunately, there was corruption
Prof. Higham introduced this in the army, but it is an equally
occurrence by stating:
notorious fact that much of the
"Suspicions of disloyalty, corruption in the army was car-
touched the Jews during the tied on by the officers them-
war years. Too small a group to selves."
*
*
contribute noticeably to the •
armed forces, they had only re-
This reviewer is not accusing
cently won prominence in Amer-
ica as retail merchants and Prof. Higham of bias, but he
clothing manufacturers. At a - calls attention to these facts to
time when war profiteering was indicate that often an historian
rife and traders of all sorts may quote details without in-
were swarming through Union dicating that they were untrue.
lines to smuggle and speculate There could and should have
in southern cotton, the Jews been explanatory notes in Prof.
were often singled out for ex- Higham's splendid study to guide
his readers towards paths that
ploiting the war effort."
would enable them to sift truth
Then, in a subsequent note • from canards. ,
relating to this occurrence. he
Western Michigan University
referred to Dr. Bertram Wallace
Korn's "American Jewry and • officials expressed regret over
the Civil War," and stated with the issuance under their im-
regard to it: "Although allow- primatur of an anti-Semitic pam-
ance must be made for an ex- phlet and there was a formal
cess of zeal and for certain apology for it. At least in that
methological limitations, t h e instance the "sutler" issue in-
evidence that this study presents ' volving Jews of the Civil War
I period was solved.
is still impressive."
* * *
This reviewer of the Higham
paperback must pose the ques-
Prof. Higham makes a splen-
tion: if the evidence is, indeed, did presentation of the various
impressive, why the original battles in the history of our
emphasis on the non-noticeabil- country over immigration issues,
ity of Jewish contributions to and his discussions of xenophobia
the war effort? The numbers of are, indeed, scholarly. But in
Jews in both armies during the another instance, that involving
Civil War was impressive when the canards that were spread
judged percentage-wise to the as "The Protocols of the Elders
number of Jews in this country of Zion," his historical record
at that time. And even more is incomplete. It is not enough
significant was the aid given the to point out that Henry Ford
Union cause by rabbis and other had apologized for his anti-
Jewish leaders.
Semitic attacks and for publish-
* * *
ing these falsehoods. It would
But what is primarily anxiety- have been more effective if he
creating in this respect is that had reported how the London
the reader may be left with a Times had exposed the libels,
feeling that Jews were, indeed, how American newspapers, es-
the profiteering element in the pecially the New York Herald
war of the brothers. Prof. Hig- Tribune, showed that the Rus-
-
Gilboa Site Prepared by JNF
as New Border Settlement in Israel
Recently a religious Nahal
(farmer - soldier youth corps)
unit raised the flag of Israel
over the Lew border settlement
of Mispeh Gilboa as they be-
came the first Jewish farmers
on Mt. Gilboa in 2,500 years.
It was prepared for settle-
ment by the Jewish National
Fund, which will spend four
million Israeli pounds on soil
clearing and road building dur-
ing the next four years. The set-
tlement on the crest of the
mountain, 1500 feet above sea
level, overlooks the Jezreel and
Beisan Valleys, on one side, and
the Jordanian villages of Pakwa
and Jelabun, about two miles
away, on the other. Jordanian
soldiers and dozens of villagers
were among the curious onlook-
ers in the crowd of about 2,000
who attended the ceremony on
the mountain top. A young sol-
11;p71
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A Synagogue in
Paratrooper Base
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