Friday, February 7, 1964—TH E DETRO IT JEWISH NEWS-2

Purely C ommentary

Remember the Past,
Reject Affronts ...
Schildkraut Saga

By Philip

SIOMOVitZ

Kin of Israelis Held
in Syria to Seek
Action for Release

ing exposes about former Nazis!
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
The Schildkrauts—End of a Saga
Among the more shocking recent revelations was the ad-
to The Jewish News)
The death, two weeks ago, of Joseph Schildkraut, serves mission that West Germany's Refugee Minister Hans Krueger,
TEL AVIV — Relatives of Is-
as a reminder of ari interesting father-son background in the who has been relieved of his duties, was among the jurists raeli prisoners still held in
theater. The elder Schildkraut, Rudolph, was known to many during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Syrian prisons announced
of us as the portrayer of noteworthy Jewish characters on the
Even more shocking is the experience of an Israeli lawyer Wednesday the formation of a
Yiddish stage. He shared with Sholem Asch the notoriety that who was threatened with disbarment in Germany because he committee to seek practical
followed his appearance in the eminent novelist-playwright's had undertaken to secure and make known facts about Nazi steps by the Israel government
"God of Vengeance." That play, which portrayed a bawdy house judges. His case was presented in the following letter that was to bring about their release.
linked with a synagogue, created such a scandal that Rudolph addressed recently to the London Observer by Bertrand Russell:
Ten Israelis are known to be
Schildkraut was arrested, and while soon released the ill fame
May I bring to the attention of your readers the case in Syrian prisons following the
that accompanied the play resulted in one of the most contro-
of Dr. Richard Weyl, an Israel advocate who returned release of a group last Decem-
versial plays ever seen on the Yiddish stage.
to Germany and applied for admission to the West Ger- ber.
Rudolph Schildkraut was born in Turkey, became popular
man Bar for the sole purpose of pursuing compensation
One of the freed prisoners
as a character actor and comedian in theaters in Germany and
and restitution claims.
speaking for the committee
Austria, starred in a German company in New York and learned
Dr. Wey1 discovered not only members of the Nazi
Yiddish only upon his arrival in this country. It was in Yiddish
Party throughout the West German Judiciary, but mem- told the press of the inhuman
treatment the Syrians had in-
that he emerged as the very great star.
bers of the S.A. or S.S. serving on the highest German
on the Israelis and
It is valuable for those interested in the theater to note that
Compensation Court — the Compensation Senate to the flicted
Joseph Schildkraut played on the German stage with his father,
Bundesgerichtshof in Karlsruhe. One of these former mem- said "Good will is not enough.
under the direction of Max Steinhardt, in 1913-1917. (The elder
bers of the S.A. is a man who was highly commended for Something must be done to
Schildkraut died in Hollywood in
his "diligence, efficiency, excellent conduct and impeccable get our sons back before it is
too late."
1930 at the age of 68). Joseph
conviction" as a Nazi judge and stormtrooper in 1936.
He noted that two of the pris-
Schildkraut apparently also knew
Upon stating publicly these facts and pointing out
enough Yiddish to act on the Yid-
that the law which excludes such people from this re- oners died in Syrian jails, one
dish stage, but his only Yiddish
sponsibility is entirely ignored in West Germany, Dr. who was executed by the Syr-
theatrical appearance was in 1942,
Weyl was recommended for disbarment by that very court, ians and the other who died
in the Yiddish Theater Army and
in the following terms: "Dr. Weyl should be eliminated after being denied medical treat-
Navy Relief Show. Otherwise his
from the German administration of justice as quickly as ment.
Israel publicly denounced
career was studded with so many
possible."
triumphs that he was known pri-
It is not only that such people should be excluded from Syria for the abuse of the pris-
marily for his work on the
membership of a Board passing upon the claims of those oners and demanded an investi-
English stage. In "The Diary of
who were victimized in concentration camps or deprived gation by the Red Cross as well
Anne Frank" he starred on stage
of their possessions, but it is an affront to human sensi- as action to prevent further
and in the movies. He won an Aca-
bility that these evil criminals should sit in judgment over abuse of the Israelis still in
demy Award for his portrayal of
their victims' claims for compensation. Now Dr. Weyl is Syrian jails.
Alfred Dreyfus in "The Life of
to be disbarred for seeking to make known these facts.
The German complacence which enabled the era of the Immigration to Israel
Emile Zola." He played Judas in
"The Kings," appeared in perfor-
gas chamber to take place is with us again.
mances with Eva Legallienne.
Here is a case that proves, as Dr. Russell stated, the con- Mounts in Year 1963;
Paul Muni and William Powell
66 Lands Represented
tinuing "affront to human sensibilities."
were his classmates. The list of his stage and movie triumphs is
The Frankfurt trial reveals some of the basic facts regard-
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
(to The Jewish News)
ing the Nazi ,cruelties. It merely scratches the surface in the
a bit too long to be recorded here.
JERUSALEM — Immigration
Joseph and Rudolph Schildkraut, while they were close to exposes of the extent of participation of former Nazis in official
of Jews into Israel in 1963 was
the Yiddish theater, were not necessarily linked to Jewish German roles.
"the largest in. recent years"
causes. They were strictly of and for the theater. While Joseph's
and included newcomers from
parents both were Jews (his mother's maiden name was Erna
Yiddish and Our Youth
Weinstein), he intermarried twice.
A survey conducted by the United Zionist Organization of "66 countries around the world,
It all goes to show, as we had experienced with many Brazil among 1,736 of native-born children of Rio de Janeiro according to a report to the
prominent intellectuals, that no matter how close they may be showed that 21 per cent of them spoke Yiddish. The survey Jewish Agency Executive Tues-
to Jews or to Jewish arts, regardless of their links to our showed that 81 per cent of the youths were of Ashkenazic families, day from the head of the
languages, they may not always be considered as so close to that 51 per cent of the grandparents spoke Yiddish to their agency's absorption depart-
our heritage that either they or their offspring can be counted grandchildren, 2 per cent spoke Hebrew to them and 46 per cent ment. The report stated that
the immigrants had been "ab-
upon to remain in our ranks.
used Portuguese in their conversations.
*
*
*
sorbed
easily."
21
per
cent
of
the
While the report stated that "only
Of the total of the immi-
About Presidential Running Mates
children spoke Hebrew, the percentage may well be larger than in
grants who had come in 1963,
There is so much talk about running-mates for the Vice many other communities—with the possible exception of Mexico
790 were professionals, in-
Presidency, who should be go-getters and therefore might be where the Jewish schools attended by all the children still use
cluding 200 physicians and
either a Catholic or a Jew for either party, that the stand taken Yiddish, and possibly also in Argentina.
by the Liberal Party in New York, repudiating such a play for
Yiddish retained its hold until recently in Latin American 243 engineers.
The absorption chief stated,
ballots, must be viewed with the greatest seriousness.
countries, but even there it shows a decline. It is retaining some
If such a candidate is to be either a Jew or a Catholic—and force in Israel where many of the newcomers from Romania and however, that there is need for
the latter denomination certainly has a better chance for con- other East European countries still speak Yiddish and where a tailors, carpenters and techni-
sideration if it is—as it indeed is—a matter of vote-getting, then Yiddish daily newspaper is flourishing. The Yiddish department cians. He said there had been
four years hence the Negroes could and might demand that such at the Hebrew University, under the professorship of Dov Sadan, calls for the employment of
"several times" more in these
a candidate be from their ranks.
also is showing some progress.
The New York Times, in an editorial, titled "The Religious
Yiddish has survived all other Jewish dialects. But its categories than the numbers
Test," took a stand with the Liberal Party against the perpetua- future, especially in the United States, is not promising. It who had arrived.
Immigrants from South
tion of the religious qualification in politics, and stated:
has declined in Canada where it was strong until less than two
Article VI of the Constitution says that "no religious decades ago. The only heartening symptom is the serious effort America numbered 5,000 com-
test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office to prevent its total collapse through courses like those that pared with 1,259 Jews who had
or public trust under the United States." This means, first are offered in Yiddish language and culture at the Hebrew emigrated to Israel from Latin
American lands in 1962.
of all, of course, that a Catholic or a Jew or an agnostic University.
or an atheist has just as much right to be President (or
Vice President) as a Protestant.
But it also means, and equally, that a man should not
be nominated or elected to public office because he is a
Protestant, a Catholic or a Jew. To apply such a test,
overtly or covertly, is reverse discrimination, making
religious affiliation as qualification for office, when it is
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Almost hotels discriminating against hotels have a one-season indi-
really irrelevant and immaterial.
This being a truth so seldom honored by the political 60 per cent of the resort hotels Jews was lower than in the vidual guest patronage and seek
parties, we welcome its strong reaffirmation by the Liberal in the United States which dis- United States itself — 9.3 per conventions for the rest of the
year. Hotels that banned Jewish
party in New York. In a policy statement the party says criminated against Jews in 1957 cent.
The study showed a decline guests during the season, had to
it is "deeply concerned" over the emphasis being placed no longer do so, the Anti-
on the selection of a Roman Catholic as running mate for Defamation League of Bnai in discrimination in areas give up the practice since prac-
where laws against bias by tically all trade and professional
President Johnson this year. If, as is generally hoped and Brith reported.
places of accommodation have groups included Jews.
believed, the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960 removed
Describing "this dram a tic
Another development was
specific religious affiliation as a qualification or disquali- progress" toward the elimina- been passed, and almost a
total absence of discrimina- that the convention Liaison
fication for the Presidency, then—says the Liberal party— tion of religious bias in resort
to confine the choice of a Vice-Presidential nominee in hotels, the ADL said that a new tion where the laws are en- Manual of the American Hotel
Association, the American Soci-
forced vigorously.
1964 to a Catholic would "nullify that historic achieve- nrs.tional survey had found that
Almost
half
of
the
total
num-
ety
of Association Executives,
only 9.8 per cent continued to
ment" of 1960.
Any ticket "balancers" who fancy that President Ken- discriminate against Jews in ber of discriminatory hotels — the International Association of
nedy's memory would be honored now, or the Democratic 1963, compared with 22.9 per 82 out of 193 — are in the big Convention Bureaus and similar
resort states, Arizona and Flor- groups, recommended that ex-
party served, by exclusive insistence on a Catholic Vice cent in 1957.
responsible for conven-
President as bait for the "Catholic vote" have shockingly
The report was presented at ida Florida, however, is not one ecutives
tions should shun hotels that
most
discriminatory
of
the
small comprehension of what the 1960 election meant as the ADL's 51st annual meeting
practice discrimination.
by Eugene L. Sugarman, •chair- states on a percentage basis.
a victory for the principle of Article VI.
The study also found continu-
The proportion of discrim-
It often requires a lot of courage to argue as both the Liberal man of the discriminations com-
inatory hotels in Michigan, ing discrimination in certain
Party and the New York Times have done on this issue. We fail mittee of the ADL's Civil Rights
Minnesota and Wisconsin has sections of New York against
to see how any right thinking citizen can differ from the view- Division. The study was pre-
Jews seeking to buy cooperative
point just quoted. If there are to be religious or race tests and pared under the supervision of dropped by more than a half apartments. The New York
from 34 per cent in 1957 to 16
qualifications, then choices for all office, including the judiciary, Arnold Forster, the ADL civil
Commission for Human Rights
per cent in 1963.
will be on the basis of available votes rather than ability. Such rights direct o r, by Harold
has had four complaints of re-
The
study
said
that
Mex-
Braverman
and
Albert
Weiss
of
injections of vote-getting expediencies must be avoided at all
ico's record — one case of fusal to sell such cooperative
costs. We go along with the above position on the religious test. the ADL staff.
bias
in 1957 and none in 1963 apartments to Jews. Two were
*
*
The study was based on an
—was evidence that such bias found to lack probable cause.
evaluation
of
the
practices
of
Remembering the Past and Affronts to Human Sensibilities
was "an Anglo-Saxon heritage." Two others, one in Bronxville
A warning by George Santayana—"Those who cannot re- 2,280 hotels and motels; 1,972 in
Forster said that many hotels and one in Greenwich Village,
member the past are condemned to repeat it"—is being used in the United States and the rest abandoned a "Christians Only" were upheld by the commission
in
Canada,
Mexico,
Bermuda
national advertising by a public information office.
rule when it began to hurt con-1 and settled in conciliation
How well this suits some of the revelations that emanate and the Caribbean. For the total vention business. Most resort I action.
percentage
of
the
study
group,
from Germany—in the course of the Frankfurt trial and repeat-

Sharp Decline in Anti-Jewish Bias Seen
in ADL Report on American Hotels