Challenge to International. Red Cross for Continued
Refusal to Membership of Israel Counterpart

By JOSEF FRAENKEL
Jewish News London
Correspondent

Basel, Geneva, Lucerne and
Zurich are Swiss towns of particu-
lar significance in Jewish history.
The First Zionist Congress was
convened in the hospitable city of
Basle in 1897, as were nine subse-
quent ones. The World Jewish
Congress was founded in 1936 in
Geneva, where the XXI Zionist
Congress also met shortly before
the outbreak of World War II.

In Geneva, too, are the head-
quarters of the International Corn-
mittee of the Red Cross.
Henri Dunant (1828-1910), one
of the noblest benefactors of man-
kind, was born in Geneva. On
June 24, 1859, he witnessed the
cruel battle of Solferino, where
some 30,000 dead and wounded
were left on the battlefield. Three
years later, his book, "Un Souvenir
de . Solferino," appeared, describ-
ing the agonies of the wounded
with suggestions for their succour.
His motto was "Inter arma caritas."
He recommended the setting up
in all countries of relief societies
with international affiliation which,
in time of war and catastrophe,
would be prepared to nurse the
wounded and alleviate the suffer-
ing. An international conference
was held in Geneva in August,
1864 and, as a result, 12 European
countries signed the "Geneva Con-
vention." Thus the Red Cross was
born. Since 1864, mothers and
children whose sons and fathers
returned to them from prisoner-of-
war camps have had reason to
be grateful to Geneva. After var-
ious national societies had affili-
ated to the Red Cross League, the
International Red Cross was es-
tablished in 1928.
The emblem of the Red Cross
(not suggested by Dunant) is the
reverse of the Swiss flag — a red
cross on a white background. In
1929 Turkey joined the I.R.C. but,
for religious reasons, would not
accept the Red Cross and was
granted the right to use the Red
Crescent. Iran, too, refused to use
the cross and adopted the "Red
Lion and Sun." Arab States, in-
cluding those founded after the
establishment of Israel, also use
the Red Crescent and are affili-
ated with the I.R.C., a fact which
should be welcomed — though
Henri Dunant was one of the pre-
cursors of Zionism. Today, 104
countries are affiliated with the
I.R.C., among them 12 which re-
jected the cross as their emblem.

The actual administration is
conducted by the International
Committee of the Red Cross in
Geneva. There are 20 Swiss citi-
zens on its executive, three of
whom (Roger Gallopin, Jean Pic-
tet and Claude Pilloud) form the
directorate. But the I.R.C. has
broken Dunant's foremost prin-
ciples: "neutrality" and "non-
discrimination." Israel is not in-
cluded in the 104 countries af-
filiated with the I.R.C.

countries. He wrote: "Who amongst
us would not stretch out their
hand to help them? For, if in
Geneva some years ago so great
an interest was felt for the restor-
ation of the Greeks, who will not
feel an interest in the restoration
of Israel? It is written that all the
nations that fear God will help
them, and that the great maritime
powers will bring them back (to
Palestine)." (Geneva and Jerusa-
lem," page 37).
Gaussen's ideals lived on in
Henri Dunant, but in a more prac-
tical form. He compiled memo-
randa, intervened, contacted the
Turkish ambassador in Paris,
Djemil Pasha, and initiated politi-
cal action. He founded a society
in Paris and another in London,
where he met Col. George Gawler
— a supporter of Jewish coloniza-
tion in Palestine — and Moses
Montefiore, who had similar plans.
In his speeches he quoted another
Swiss, Gaspard Mermillod, Bishop
of Geneva and Titular Bishop of
Hebron as saying: "I believe in
the return of the Jews to Palestine.
This is a subject on which the
Church allows everyone to follow
his own inclination."

In a letter published in the
Jewish Chronicle on December
13, 1867, Dunant recalled that
the Jewish paper "took a truly
human interest in the work in
favor of wounded soldiers," and
continued: "At present, Sir, I
am engaged in another work,
for which I hope you will not
feel less interest than for that
to which I have just referred,
the more so as it concerns Pales-
tine, the country made over by
God to the glorious people of
which you have the honour of
being a member."

Father Ignatius, an English
monk, was so impressed with Du-
nant's letter that he was prompted
to write a week later to the Jewish
Chronicle: "Nowadays, it is said,
Ireland for the Irish, Italy for the
Italians: now much more, a million
times over, must we not say, Jeru-
salem for the Jew! . . ." From then
on, Father Ignatius (1837-1908),
inspired by Dunant, championed
the cause of a Jewish Palestine.
In February, 1896, Theodor Herzl
published his brochure, "The
Jewish State." From the start, the
Zionist movement demonstrated
its love of peace and its humani-
tarian outlook. During the Greco-
Turkish war, Herzl sent an expe-
dition of Zionist doctors, among
them Dr. I. Schalit, his secretary,
and Dr. A. Ronreich, secretary of
the First Zionist Congress, to
Turkey to care for the wounded
in military hospitals.

On the omasion of the First
Zionist Congress, Dunant, in a
letter to the Swiss Zionist. dele-
gate, Dr. D:---Farbstein, wrote:
"I may say it now — I have been
waiting for this Zionist Congress
for a long time, 50 years to be
precise. I wholeheartedly associ-
ate myself with the men now
meeting in Basle."

Henri Dunant had two visions:
Eighty years after the appear-
the Red Cross and the return of
the Jews to the Promised Land. The ance of "Un Souvenir de Solfer-
British movement, "Restoration of ino," the world experienced Ausch-
the Jews to Palestine," began at witz, Dachau and Treblinka. Ac-
the end of the 16th century and cording to the German-language
was based on love of the'Bible and edition of "Inter Arm.a Caritas, the
faith in the Prophets. This move- Work of the International Commit-
ment found a supporter in Louis tee of the Red Cross" (Geneva,
Gaussen, professor of Divinity in 1947), the committee would have
Geneva. He was a religious enthu- liked to help the Jews during the
siast and propagated the return Second World War but "was po-
of the Jews to Palestine. Young litely shown the door." The com-
Dunant was greatly influenced by mittee's delegates were admitted
him. In 1844, a booklet by Gaus- only to the "model ghetto" of
sen, entitled "Geneva and Jeru-s Theresienstadt.
salem," appeared in London. Gaus-
The I.C.R.C. was aware of
sen had seen "signs" that "the what went on in the concentration
Russian Jews, more in number camps, but they did not want to
than all the Swiss, are crossing, raise a "hue and cry." "This
from the Caucasus to meet at would not have saved a single
Jerusalem the Jews" from other Jew," the report argues (page 81).

40 Friday, June 24, 1966

—

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

In the English edition of the re-
port, the relevant sentence reads
as follows: "To engage in con-
troversy about the Jewish question
would have imperilled all the
work, without saving a single Jew"
(page 76). Since the committee
assumed that not a single Jew
could have been saved by its ac-
tion, it refrained from raising a
"hue and cry" and remained silent
while six million Jews were being
murdered. Where is proof that
"not a single Jew could have been
saved?" It might be argued with
equal justification that the I.C.R.C.
would have saved tens of thou-
sands by raising its voice.
When Dunant stood alone on
the battlefield of Solferino and as-
sisted the wounded he did not
hesitate to raise a "hue and cry"
and—the Red Cross was created.
But no Dunant came forward to
alleviate the suffering in the
ghettoes and camps.
I well remember my home town,
Ustrzyki dolne, 90 per cent of
whose inhabitants were Jews.
Shortly after the outbreak of the
First World War, trains carrying
Russian prisoners-of-war and
wounded passed through this town.
The Jewish community immedi-
ately organized a relief service,
though it was forbidden to speak
to prisoners. The station master
was bribed and induced to stop
the trains to enable Jewish women
to hand the prisoners flasks of
tea, coffee, bread, eggs, etc. One
day a train with wounded Cossacks
arrived. Jews were traditionally
afraid of the cossacks who were
notorious for their pogroms. Still,
trembling hands passed them tea
and coffee. We were small chil-
dren then and our mother told
us: "It is no great feat to help
people when allowed to; but it is a
nobler deed (Mizva) to do so when
it is forbidden." Trains with suf-
fering Jews in sealed wagons
passed through many towns, but
there was no Henri Dunant to
raise a "hue and cry" or even
to give them a drop of water.

Where is the neutrality of the
International Committee of the
Red Cross in deciding whether
to accept the affiliation of, or
to recognize newly-established
national Red Cross Societies?

During the First World War,
"Magen David Adom" societies
were formed to help the wounded
of the Jewish Legion in Palestine.
The M.D.A. in Israel assumed the
same functions as the national
Red Cross Societies in other coun-
tries, in accordance with the
Geneva Conventions. Today, the
M.D.A. has some 60 branches in
Israel. Wherever disaster strikes,
as for instance in Yugoslavia,
Brazil, Haiti, Zanzibar and Turkey,
the M.D.A. is among those to send
help. ,The M.D.A. has earned itself
an honorable name.
But ISrael and the M.D.A. are
not to be found in the list of 104
countries and their national so-
cieties, because the I.C.R.C. makes
it a condition that the name
"Magen David Adorn" be changed
to "Red Cross." The I.C.R.C.'s
Director for General Affairs, Mon-
sieur Jean Pictet, explains, that
while it might be "unfortunate"
that the sign of the Red Cross
was chosen, this has no "national
or religious significance" (Inter-
national Review of the Red Cross,.
Geneva, December, 1964). In the
same article, Pictet equates the
"red shield of David for Israel"
with the "red sheep and rhino-
ceros" of African countries.
Monsieur Jean Pictet is no doubt
sincere in saying that he does
not consider the Red Cross to he
a religious symbol. But pious Jews
and Moslems- feel differently
about this and their feelings should
be respected. No Jew in Israel
would wear a cross, irrespective
of its shape, size or color. Mon-
sieur Jean Pictet takes into ac-

Humor and Pathos in Sam Liptzin's
Deeply Moving 'Tales of a Tailor'

An interesting story is related
about Sam Liptzin, author of
"Tales of a Tailor," published by
Friends Publishers and the Sam
Liptzin Book Committee, 2815
Barker, Brooklyn 67, in a transla-
tion from the Yiddish by Max
Rosenfeld, with appropriate il-
lustrations and line drawings by
William Gropper.
The author of these tales was
forced into operating his father's
tailor shop at the age of 13, when
the elder Liptzin passed away.
There were his mother and seven
other children to be supported
Emigrating to this country several
years later, he soon brought the
rest of the family here, worked
in a sweatshop 12 to 14 hours a
day and began to write stories in
whatever leisure time he had. But
he disturbed the family with his
literary chores at midnight, and
when his sister protested, he ex-
tinguished the light. In the mor-
ning, his mother informed him that
she had saved the clean sheets but
the ones he scribbled on were used
to start a fire within the tenement
apartment. But he continued his
labors and the stories in "Tales of a
Tailor" are part of the result of
a strenuous effort.

Liptzin's stories are filled with
humor and pathos. They are the
result of experiences in the
sweatshop, with people on the

East Side, with 11:-. seamstresses,
with a "class-conscious cop,"

with the bosses in the shops and
one who compelled him to be-
come a cantor.

There is a moving story about a
mother who picketed a strike-af-
fected shop where her son worked.
Jews of many beliefs, the strug-
gling working classes, non-Jews in
the environs and the men and
women who made up the era in.
which Liptzin struggled and also..
labored for the advancement of
better conditions for workers are
mirrored in these stories.

Life in an important and near-
ly forgotten era of the sweat-
shop on New York's East Side is
so well depicted in these stories
that they assume historical value.

The fact that 66 tales and a pre-
face are packed into the 272 pages
of this book is an indication of
the extent of the life's experiences
of this interesting author. The
brevity of the tales distinguishes
them as able literary accomplish-
ments.
The introduction of personal fac-
tors in the stories enhances rather
than deducts from their value.
The author, in his preface, takes
occasion to commend the Amal-
gamated Clothing Workers' Union,
of which he was a factor, on its
50th anniversary.

Reissued Mozart Recordings of 'Titus'
Drama Set on Fictional Judea Theme

A three-record set issued by
Dover Publications (180 Varick,
NY 14) offers the impressive Mo-
zart's "La Clemenza di Tito" opera,
one of Mozart's best known works,
that has been reissued as part of
the Dover program of reprinting
classics.
For more than an hour and a
half, music lovers are provided an
oportunity to hear this entire opera
which was composed in 1791, in
the last year of Mozart's life. He
composed it while working on
"Requiem" and "The Magic Flute."
Accompanying the three records

is the text of the opera in two acts
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, text
after Pietro Metastasio by Caterino
Mazzola, with an English transla-
-tion in parallel columns.

tional societies using the "Red
Crescent" in 11 countries, among
them United Arab Republic,
Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia,
Libya, Iraq and Algeria. They
include countries using the "Red
Crescent" established after 1948.

for the coronation of the Austrian
Emperor, Leopold II, in Prague,

Except for the omission of
secco recitatives, the recorded
performance is complete. Parti-
cipating in it are Albert Weiken-
meier, Kaethe Mentwig, Hetty
Pluemacher, Margot Mangold,
Friederike Sailer and Bruno
Mueller and the Tonstudio Or-
chestra of Stuttgart directed by
Gustav Lund.

The plot is fictional and is based
on an imaginary text in the life
of Titus, who was planning to mar-
count the feelings of Moslems, ry Berenice, the daughter of King
of Judea Agrippa.
but not those of Jews.
"La Clemenza di Tito" was com-
The I.C.R.C. does make
missioned by the Bohemian Estates
exceptions. It recognizes na-

Bertha von Suttner, the author
of "Die Waffen Nieder" (Throw
down your Arms), who knew both
Dunant and Herzl, and was a
devoted supporter of the Red
Cross as well as of the Zionist
movement, thought that Dunant's
real intention was: " . . . not the
`Red Cross' but the 'White Flag'."
The refusal to recognize the
Magen David Adom amounts to
direct or indirect support of the
Arabs and to a breach of neu-
trality according to the Geneva
Convention of August 22, 1864.
The admission of the Magen
David Adorn would bring Israel
and her neighbors one step nearer
to the "White Flag" of reconcilia-
tion.
Is the condition of changing
from the Magen David Adorn to
the Red Cross just a diplomatic
excuse? Where is the ,spirit of
Henri Dunant? He would certainly
have admitted the M.D.A. in
May 1948 on equal terms with all
the other countries. Meanwhile
nearly 18 years have passed.
It is welcome news that a "Henri
Dunant Institute" will be opened
in Geneva in 1966. But let us hope
that the Institute in Geneva, the
city of hope, of conventions and
of peace treaties, will be governed
by the spirit of Henri Dunant and
will also serve to strengthen the
principle of humanity between
Geneva and Jerusalem.

and, probably as a result of court
intrigues, he was given only 18
days in which to compose and re-
hearse it. Much of it was written
on his way to Prague, but even
under these trying conditions t;"
Mozard's genius was such that th((„
opera contains some beautiful m17,,
sic, the most noteworthy being the'c.e.
first act finale. After an unsuccess-
ful first night (the Empress Maria-
Luisa, a Neapolitan, called it "una
porcheria tedesca" — a piece of
German swinishness), it was well

received in Prague, where earlier
"The Marriage of Figaro" and

"Don Giovanni" had been enthusi-
astically acclaimed, and in the
other capitals of Europe. It was
the first Mozart opera to be per-
formed in London in 1806.
The subject-matter—the idealiza-
tion of monarcy—may account for
some of today's neglect of "La
Clemenza di Tito." Mozart used a
text by Pietro Metastasio, which
had already been set to music by 'a
number of composers including
Gluck. .
The plot of "La Clemenza di
Tito" centers around Vitellia's love
for the emperor Titus, who is him-
self planning to marry Berenice,
daughter of Agrippa, King of
Judea. The jealous Vitellia per-
suades the emperor's friend Sex-

tus, who is in love with her, to
lead a conspiracy against Titus.
To-o late she discovers that Titus
has sent Berenice back home and
that he intends to marry her,
Vitellia. After much confusion, the
conspirators confess their _guilt,

and the opera closes with the Em-
peror forgiving everyone.

