Evolution of an Eminent Philo-Semite;
Robert St. John's 'Jews, Judaism, Justice

Boris Smolor's

'

For more than 25 years, Robert cultural institutions would require
But the entire story is of gen-
St. John, world traveler, author, vastly more expansive coverage. eral interest because it deals with
biographer, lecturer, radio broad- But this is a narrative, a running American Jews and therefore with
easter, had taken a deep interest story to be read for an acquaint- a vital portion of America itself.
In the Middle East — and quite ante with an American Jewish'
St. John has not eliminated
naturally in Israel and in Zionism community. For brevity, it emer-
anything
any thing of value in the story of
before the rebirth of Israel; in the ges a work of splendid writing re-' the American Jew. Just as he
tragic world affairs which emerg- s suiting from good research.
' has given prominence to the
ed from the rule of Adolf Hitler;
Naturally, the story of the
partnership with Israel, so, also,
the Holocaust and the resistance; American Jew begins with the ar-
has he dealt with the Jewish
the struggle for survival of the rival of the first Jew—Columbus'
contributions to the civil rights
hundreds of thousands of Jews interpreter, the Marrano Luis de
mov ement.
who survived the concentration
The major Jewish movements
camps.
are under scrutiny, and the ex-
He became a natural author of a
planations for the Bnai Brith, the
work delineating the role of the
Zionist Organizations, Hadassah,
Jews in this country. He emerged
National Council of Jewish Wom-
as the proper evaluator. of Jewish
en and other groups assist under-
affairs for Doubleday publishers.
Aandin..4 the makeup of Amer-
A knowledge of his background
ican Jewry.
explains why he should have been
The eminent Christian philo-
assigned a task out of which he
Semite who has authored this
emerges anew as a master his-
fascinating work has an interest-
torian in his newest Doubleday-
ing concluding chapter on the
published work, "Jews, Justice
tomorrow" in which he sum-
and Judaism" which has a defini-
marizes his story of the Amer-
tive subtitle: "A Narrative of the
ican Jew, of Judaism in the New
Role Played by the Jews in Shap-
World. asserting: "Nothing has
ing American History."
been
omitted intentionally. No
An important incident in St.
person or group has been slight-
John's life explains in very

-

ed purposely. But emphasis has
small measure his early interest
ROBERT ST. JOHN
been placed on those who seem
in the conditions that threatened
to have best carried out Jude-
Jewish existence under Nazism. Torres — and with the projected
He was in Bucharest as an As- question whether Columbus was, . admonitions about
justice, for
sociated Press correspondent as often claimed, a Jew.
that certainly has been the
whet. a Jewish editor asked him
It
is
in
his
treatment
of
the
contribution
for
which
history
to hide his wife and daughter
cultural values, his admiration
will credit this religious group,
because he heard that Roman-
for
the
Hebraic
inspiration
that
and for that reason it has been
ian pogromists were threatening
marked the activities of the
the theme . . ."
their life and that night, in 1941,
Puritans, his eventual elabora-
there was to be a roundup of
In this sense St. John concludes
tion
on
the
religious
develop-
Jews. St. John provided the hid- ,
menu in American Jewish life his theme by stating:
ing place for them and the next
that the justice inherent in
"Tomorrow, next week, the year
morning he learned that Roman-
Jewish
tradition, the Judaic after next, conditions ma y devel-
ian Fascists rounded up bun-
principles
of
the
Jews,
that
add-
op
in America that will call for
deeds of Jews in trucks, strip-
ed glamour to the history of the bold voices to speak out and for
pad them naked, drove them
American
Jewish
community,
bold action to be taken to protect
like animals to the slaughter
and their bodies were hung on As a chapter in American his- the freedoms that were won by an
hooks around a wall on the out- tory, this specific volume devoted earlier generation of Jews and
to Jews and Judaism becomes a non-Jews alike. When that time
skirts of Bucharest.
renewed analysis of the principle comes some will hesitate, some
St. John dates back his interest
of religious freedom in America will equivocate, but, as always, a
in Jewish problems to that experi- in
the struggle for which Jews giant here and there will stand up
ence. But there was much
more. played an important role. The and demand to be heard, pointing
Seven years later the United
Na- story
Brown of University (orit- out the way of the ancient proph-
tions voted for Palestine's parti- inally of
College
Rhode Island) • eta, and warning, as Jeremiah did:
tion.
He began to cover the events for example, the gift to it of the Woe to him who builds his house
related to the emerging Israel. Jewish benefactor
Moses Lindon. by injustice!"
Many creative works resulted. He
It is in such a spirit, inspired
produced a work that aroused , the acclaim of it as "at last a
really free college." and Rhode by the faith of a people in jus,
tice
much interest — "Shalom Means , Island's pioneering f
or
religious
stimulated
by a rich history, that
Peace." He wrote a biography of freedom, mark this portion
of the a Christian who knows Jews and
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda who was the'
St. John book as
of general Amer-
Judaism has produced a good
inspirer of a revived Hebrew ican interest.
; book.

spoken tongue in another notable
book, "Tongue of the Prophets."
He wrote another outstanding life

story, "Ben-Gurion, the Biography
of an Extraordinary Man," which

_
N
Newsweek Editor, , Co-Author

man, Dutch, Hungarian and Swed-
ish translations. The Ben-Gurion
story also has a children's ver-
sion, "Builder of Israel."
For Time and Life he edited
Edward Klein, general editor of included in the total to be report-
a special edition on Israel.
j Newsweek magazine, will be lea- ed.
He met with Nasser and wrote tured guest at the first worker re-
The Mercantile Division will
his biography under the title "The port rally of the 1969 Allied Jewish
h
hold
a workers rally 8 p.m. Tues-
Boss." . Campaign-Israel

•
Campaign
, Worker Rally

Emergency Fund
Another
Another of his notable works on 10:15 a.m. Sunday at the Jewish
is "They Came From Center.
Everywhere." He authored a no- Klein is one of three co-authors
vel "The Man Who Played God • " of "If Israel Lost the War,"
a story of the tragedy of Hungar- novel now on the best seller list a
ian Jewry under Nazism. I which details the nightmare if Is-
"Roll Jordan Roll," his story rael had been defeated in 1967.

day in the board room of the Jew-
ish Center, Benjamin H. Frank
and Warren D. Greenstone, chair-

men, announced. Workers will re-
port on current assignments and
review and reassign pledge cards
for prospects not yet reached.
The final drop-off day for work-
of the Jordan River, is one of his
Maxwell
J
o
s
p
e
y,
campaign
ers in the Metropolitan Division
great accomplishments.
chairman, said that continued will be held 10 a.m.-1 p.m. April
Doubleday had a man with a efforts of volunteer workers 20 in Room 272 of the Jewish Cen-
very impressive background to
since the March 26 campaign ter, Allan Nathan, division chair-
whom to turn for his present opening is bringing in a steady man, stated.
work, "Jews, Justice and Juda- flow of pledges, but he urged
Solicitors should bring their com-
ism"—a book so magnificent that extra effort for the April 13 Plated pledges at that time for pro-
meeting.
it will serve as a valuable guide
resting. Division officers who will
for students of Jewish history, for
"We hope we will be able to re- receive pledges are William Green-
people of all faiths who crave for port a substantial gain over the berg, Bernard Linderman, Mrs.
understanding of major Jewish $7,891,000 reported at the opening Juliu s Ring, Martin Taylor, John
occurrences.
of the drive and that we will be Nemon, Morris Asher, Morris
It is a sketchy book for those well on our way to the greatest Friedman and Samuel Greenberg.
who have already attained knowl- total that we have ever reported
The workers rally for the Real
edge about American Jewry. A in the 40 years of our fund-raising Estate
E
and Building Trades
total pictse-.can not possibly be history." Jospey said.
Divis
will be held 10 a.m-
incorporated
incorporated in less than 400
Workers should turn in their Apri t.20 in Room 202 of the Ceis.r
pages. Some incidents would in completed pledge cards to the
George M. Zeltzer, chair-
themselves require individual vo- campaign office prior to the meet- ter,
man, announced.
lumes. The Ford case, the Cough- ing or should bring them to the
The Food Division will hold its
lin outbursts, creation of great workers' rally so that they may be workers rally 10 a.m. April 20 in

.

40 Friday, April 11, 1969

—

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

'Between You
...and Me'

(Copyright 1949,, JTA -Inc.)

PERSONALITY PROFILE: Tens of thousands of Jews now residing
in Israel owe their happiness—and many of them their lives—to Dr.
Joseph J. Schwartz, who has now reached the age of 70. Many of these

Israelis may not even know that it was Dr. Schwartz 4tho was instru-
mental in bringing them to where they are now.

Dr. Schwartz has been sucessfully directing the Israel Bond cam-
paign for the last 14 years as executive vice president of the Israel
Bond Organization. Previously, he successfully directed the national
campaigns of the United Jewish Appeal for a period of five years as

UJA executive vice chairman. His exceptional leadership in these two

fields was preceded by his high record of achievements in humanitarian
work during World War II, when as director-general of the Joint Distri-
bution Committee, he dedicated himself tirelessly to saving Jews in
Europe from Nazi hands.
He reached great heights in the years immediately after the end of
the war, when he showed extraordinary devotion in enabling displaced
Jews liberated from the Nazi camps to make their way to Palestine in
defiance of the British Administration there. The British, at that time,
were determined not to admit Jewish immigrants to Palesine. They
declared as "illegal" the entry to Palestine of the Jewish remnants of
the Nazi Holocaust.
It would be no exaggeration to say that had Dr. Schwartz not taken
any emotional interest -in that critical period in helping the thousands
of displaced Jews to proceed to Palestine as "illegal" immigrants to
start their life there anew, many of them would not be in Israel today.
The British blocked their way by intercepting the ships which carried
them and by turning these ships back to European ports. In this cruel
process, some of these ships—like the "Struma"—were sunk with all
passengers on board. However, the despair of the survivors of the Nazi
regime was stronger than the British policy of banning them from
entering Eretz Israel. Wave after wave they continued, at the risk of
their lives, to proceed to Palestine, breaking through the line of British
ships which patrolled the Mediterranean against them and landing on
Palestine shores "illegally" with the aid of underground groups organ-
ized by Palestine Jewry.

The emissaries of these groups who were sent by the Jews in Pales-
tine to liberated Germany, Italy and France to organize there the
"Bricha"—the Jewish emigration which the British called "illegal"—
could have never carried out their mission if not for the cooperation of
Dr. Schwartz. Dr. Schwartz made the departure of thousands of dis-
placed Jews possible by providing JDC funds. He did it much against
the will of influential Jews in the United States who were opposed to
helping "illegal" Jewish emigration to Palestine.
In his consistent stand on this issue, he was strongly supported by
Edward M. M. Warburg, who at that time served in the U.S. Armed
Forces on the European front and was among the first American mili-
tary officers to enter the Nazi camps and see face-to-face the tragedy
of the Jews liberated in these camps. Dr. Schwartz's stand was also
strongly backed in New York by JDC national chairman Paul Baerwald
who was of the opinion that, come what may, the JDC must finance the
"Bricha" and save the remnants of European Jewry whether the Bri-
tish liked it or not.
THE MAGIC CARPET: The bringing out of all the Jews from
Yemen to Israel on airplanes, when their lives were in great danger,
was another of Dr. Schwartz's great achievements. It will be known in
Jewish history as "The Magic Carpet Operation." History will also give
Dr. Schwartz due credit for bringing out tens of thousands of Jews from
Iraq, following the outbreak of the Arab-Israel war of 1948.
It was imperative that the Jews of these Arab lands, where they
were considered as "internal enemies" following the establishment of
Israel, be taken out before it would be too late to do so. The Jews had
lived in those two countries since the destruction of the First Temple,
some 2,300 years ago, when they were exiled as captives. In Yemen,
they had been isolated and oppressed for centuries. They were far from
any civilized life and from any real contact with the rest of the Jewish
world.
The Yemenite Jews, when taken out to Israel on JDC-chartered air-
planes, considered their mass departure for the -Holy Land as the ful-
fillment of the Biblical prophecy that the time would come when they

would be carried from Yemen to Israel "on wings of eagles." They had
never seen an airplane, nor had they ever dreamed of being brought to
Israel en-masse, although as extremely religious Jews they had prayed
daily for it for centuries.
They saw in Dr. Schwartz "the messenger of Almighty" who car-
ried out the prophecy in which they believed. Many of them pray for
Dr. Schwartz in Israel even today. He is to them the "redeemer" as
former Premier David Ben-Gurion is to them the "King David" of
modern Jerusalem.
A GREAT HUMANITARIAN: A great humanitarian, Dr. Schwartz

has distinguished himself in his leading positions in the JDC and later
in the UJA as a man who was more interested in the people for whom
the funds were raised than in the dollars collected. Successful in his
executive leadership in both most important philanthropic agencies of
American JeWry, he always saw living people behind the statistics. He
visualized the human beings for whom the many millions of dollars
were raised.
Since his assumption in 1955 of the executive leadership of the Israel
Bond campaign, the campaign has brought unprecedented results. His
personality and the high respect he gained when he directed the JDC
operations in Europe at the most crucial period in Jewish history—as
his accomplishments in UJA—have contributed no little to his success
in directing the Israel Bond campaign, which has become a strong
pillar in the development of Israel's economy.
Born in Russia, he was brought by his father—a distinguished rabbi
—to the United States at the age of eight. He studied for the rabbinate.
After graduating from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
in New York in 1923, he served as a rabbi for several years. He re-
ceived his PhD at Yale. University in 1927 and later taught Semitiu
at the American University in Cairo and at Lohg Island' University iii'
Brooklyn. He joined the JDC in 1939 shortly before the outbreak of

World War H. This brought him to Europe to direct the JDC far-flung
operations in the period of the greatest peril and need for European
Jewry. His 40 years of supreme dedication to the Jewish people and to
,
according
.
Israel make him today one of the most popular personalities in con-
11 o l o i m
a r 27
v e2 y o L.
f t w
h ee i C ‘ l e l e n t r e g r .
temporary Jewish history- . . .

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