Purely Commentary
The Big Blunder in Jerusalem Was Not the Youth
Demonstration but the Lack of Knowledge Armong
Leaders' About U.S. Jewry . . 'Jayhawk Nair'
BY Pb
$kimibrit
• z
Recalling the 'Jayhawk Nazi and the Legacy He retied
to a Son Who Aims to Revive the Ariti-Semitic Hatred
American Jewry' NOt So UnVrboberOme . . . Israelis Hive Midi to leant From said` About Us
Jerusalem was the proper location and the -28th , World lZkmaist Congress the-fitting
In the Talmud—Tosefta Derek Eretz--Rabbi Eliezer is quot e d instrument to instruct
ru Jewish leadership
proper apprc ■ achesikr trinninnill cooperative-
saying: "A hater is like a murderer."
ness. While Americans were overwhelmed in num hers- by Israelis and -those who came f
In the Bible (Lev. 19:17) there is an admonition: "Thou shalt 24 other countries to discover means of advancing the Zidnist ideal in -
the terms of cur-
not hate thy brother in thy heart."
rent needs, they played a very valuable role. They '§erved - on commissions and - labored
Yet, hatred and bigotry are indistinguishable, and often are passed for nine days to find formulas for educational processes among all Jewrie.s of the world.
on as a heritage from generation to generation.
They
aliya—even if they rebelled against themselves settling in Israel under com-
This is the case with the offshoot of the "Jayhawk Nazi" of the pulsion. They came as loyalists. There is reason to believe that they always leave Israel as.
late 1930s, as evidenced in the Winrod letter which has been dis- loyalists: when there are blunders they do not blame Israel, they-merely ascribe it to misled
tributed through the mails and pinned to windshields of parked auto-
leadership. And there certainly were many blunders and much of misguided leadership !
mobiles in Milwaukee and Chicago. The anti-Semitic leaflets brought
But we said it after the 27th World Zionist Congress at which there were no demon-
shock to Jews and protests from-Lutheran clergyman. The Winrod hate
sheets contained such venom as: "The time will come when the people strations—because there were less youth attending the sessions four years ago. And if we
of America and the people of the world will cry for the spilling of the want youth, we accept their immaturity. They are going through the same stages that
blood of all Jews. This is as certain to come to pass as is the rising marked our own apprenticeship in Zionism.
of the sun tomorrow morning! 'KILL THE JEWS' will be the cry.
What needs to be pointed out is not that the errors, the extreme demands of
the daily lament, of every woman and every man. 'DESTROY THE youth, the attempts to impose sanctions in aliya and education, these unwise demonstra-
JEWS' will be the tearful yearning and tormented wail of all the tive demands were so wrong. What Israelis need to learn is that Americans have. some-
people."
thing to teach them. If Americans supervised the congress arrangements, there would be
Who could possibly ascribe to such insane bestialities? They are
greater efficiency. If Western Jews managed the public relations, we'd have had a wiser
the words of the Rev. Gordon Winrod, 43-year-old son of the late Rev.
Gerald B. Winrod, the notorious hater. pro-German, anti-Semite and response from the press which selected the sensational and overlooked the idealistic.
More than that: those who nearly wrote off American Jewry as if we were about
seeker for power who was a candidate for the U.S. Senate from
to collapse as an entity, as if we were either soon to be. slaughtered by anti-Semitism or
Kansas and became known as the "Jayhawk Nazi."
A Lutheran minister like his father, Gordon - Winrod has been were to disappear_as assimilationists, would have done •well to examine our positions. We
repudiated by the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church.
were judged as if we had no schools, no newspapers, no cultural status. We were judged
Gordon Winrod is like his father Gerald Winrod. He utters words with such a lack of knowledge about our status that it was appalling. Never have we found
like his father's, such as "the time will come in the large cities when as much ignorance about American Jewry as at the Jerusalem Congress.
there will be a Jew hanging on every lamp post." Only in democratic
True: we have not reached Very great heights in recent years. Our schools may be
America is it possible for a beast to talk, as Gordon Winrod does now
and as the father, the "Jayhawk Nazi," used to talk in Kansas in in jeopardy because we lack teachers, because we have reduced teaching days, because there is
1937 and 1938, in Pontiac, Mich., where he propagated during those a measure of indifference in some ranks. But the existence of Israel has inspired new feel-
ings,
there
is
there
a love for
Hebrew and an urge
to learn
the language, ere are loyalties to
years and wherever he could reach an audience of bigots.
kinship that are strong. We keep having the slogan of our being an am -ehad—one people
The "Winrod Letter" that has drawn so much resentment arnon
Lutherans as well as Jews is reviewed in an analysis by Justin J g —akin to Israelis and to Soviet Jews and to dark-skinned Iraqi and Syrian Jews. Do we dif-
Finger, director of the fact-finding department of the Anti-Defamation • fer in this respect from Israelis? We say we are fellow Jews, they should echo it.
League. who also traces the current Winrod's background and tells
They can't echo it properly unless they know that we have- newspapers—an Eng-
of action against the hate-mongering by U.S. postal authorities. Finge r lish-Jewish press that is as strong as theirs—and we have schools
- and we have attendance
states:
in synagogues, and there is activity among young Jews on our campuses. '
"In a twisted interpretation of Bolshevism with Jewry. Commu
We must know and understand the young Israelis; they must know and understand
Scripture, Winrod claims that God nism with Judaism, from the pul
- us. That's the way to cement kinships. That's ' the big lesson from- the Binyane Haooma in
has ordained the massacre of all pit. I dared to identify race-mix
Jews, of the ghastly, murdering, ing as Jewish.
- Jerusalem, not the demonstrations and the women's walkout, and the tempest in a teapot
Communist-Jews who, he writes,
over the "illegal" sanctions. When the misguided Zionist leadership speaks of knowledge
"In March 1962, Winrod — was
are guilty of poisoning the nation's
and culture, it would be well that it commenced by being itself fully aware of the great
named national chaplain of the
values that are imbedded in the Israeli partners who reside in America.
food, Water, and clothing, of de- racist, anti-Semitic National States
signing the space program to
-
*
waste money, and of inflicting Rights Party, which he described
So much about the regrettable conditions which lead to rifts between Americans
American society with drugs, as 'The political party with a fu-
because the NSRP has and Israelis, Zionists and their counterparts. The movements's leaders bad better look to
liquo r, atheism:, pornography, Lure .
dared tc take a stand openly leadership and its role at world congresses. The movement's leaders had better look to
atomic bombs and Communism.
against the international Jewish their laurels in search for a better image than they had acquired at Jerusalem two weeks
"Equating Jews with false proph- conspiracy which is destroying
ago. In the rather meager reports about the congress in the Jerusalem ,Post (was the Is-
ets who 'shall be put 'to death,' Christianity and the Constitution
his exhortation concludes with: so of these United States.' Winrod rael press antagonistic to the Zionist Congress?), there was reference to the aspiration for
shalt thou put the evil away :from broke with the NSRP six months power by all Zionist parties. Every report, almost daily, snoke of the horse-trading.
We'd like to ask Louis Pincus, the Hadassah ladies, Micrachi—the victors: aren't you
the midst of thee. later for religious reasons (he
"The Winrod Letter currently be- said the party was preaching 'pan- smarting from such references? Is it worth winning power and thereby losing the dignity
ing circulated quotes a prophecy theism and evolution'), but not that has always gone with Zionist idealism?
Enough said.
from the late father's writings: before undertaking a coast-to-coast
.
.
.
. . . the time will come in the speaking tour for the NSRP which
large cities when there will be a brought his anti-Jewish gospel to been sent tonon-Jews to incite
Jew hanging on every lamp post.' still wider audiences.
them to acts - of violence against
"Gordon Winrod inherited quite
"Since 1964, when he moved his the' Jews. -
a legacy.
" 'I wish to make a distinction,'
headquarters to Gainesville, Arkan-
"A graduate of -the Concordia sas, deep in the Ozarks, Winrod Sorrin wrote, 'between, hate mater-
Seminary in Springfield, Illinois, has concentrated on the produc- ial which is defamatory or which
he served in Lutheran churches in tion of his monthly printed tirades preaches dislike or hatred of a
San Antonio and Houston. In 1960 against Jews. In 1968, the Anti-De, people or a philosophy and mater-
he tried, unsuccessfully, to run as fa mation League protested to the ial which threatens to "destroy
a write-in candidate for the Senate U.S. postal inspector's office, ques- the Jews" or "spilling blood" or
seat then held by Lyndon Johnson, tioning the mailability of an issue "to kill":
The Winrod platform included a of the Winrod Letter which con-
"He asked whether the making
defense of racial segregation and tamed an article declaring that of death, threats and the incite-
'states rights' under the aegis of the Vietnam War would be ended ment of people to commit violence
anti-Communism. His ambition, he if all citizens in these United against a religious or racial group
said, was to start a freedom prairie States, in each country where they through the use of the mails is not
fire across the state of Texas. live, would do their part in killing a violation of federal law.
"The first issue of the Winrod all Jews in their respective coun-
"He has -received a response
Letter appeared in the summer of ties. This could easily be done in only from the office of the postal
1960. In December, Winrod be- one day. On that same day, the inspector who declared that while
came assistant pastor of the First war in Vietnam will end. The it is appreciated that such mail-
-Lutheran Church of Little Rock, League complaint cited Title 18 of ings are objectionable to recip-
Arkansas. Suspended from the posi- the U.S. Code which forbids the ients, as sealed first class items
Lion after only a few months, the mailing of matter which may tend they are regarded as mailable un-
Missouri Synod supported Win- to incite murder. Postal officials der postal laws and regulations.
rod's ouster and suspended him said that in their view Winrod's Further, and regrettably so, there
from ministerial functions because writings -did not constitute incite- is no statutory prohibition against
of his hate-mongering activities. ment.
the mailing of so-called "hate"
In August 1961, Winrod spoke at
"Following the distribution of the literature.'
the Soldiers of the Cross Taber- Winrod Letter his year, Saul Sor-
"A similar query made of Chi-
nacle in Englewood, Colorado. In- rip, director of ADL's Wisconsin- cago postal authorities by Nissen
troduced by the tabernacle's en- Upper Midwest regional office, pro- Gross, ADL's Midwest civil rights
trepreneur, the well-known anti- tested to both the U.S. attorney
director, brought pretty much the
Semite Kenneth Goff, Winrod for the Eastern District of Wiscon- same response."
blamed the Jews for communism, sin and to the regional U.S. postal
There is an interesting back-
taxation, immorality, and two inspector. Sorrin took issue with ground to the Winrod story in our
world wars. He suggested an eco the view that the Winrod material own files. The then eminent -dean
nomic boycott of Jews and offered, was constitutionally protected.
of American social workers, Jacob
for 25 cents each, 'Buy Christian
"Quoting Winrod's real and im- Billikopf (brother-in-law of Louis
Only' bumper stickers.
plied threats to kill the Jews, Sor- Marshall) kept in constant touch
'Winrod's explanation of why he rin declared that the letter had with this commentator_ about the
From Jacob Billikopf to this writer, Aug. 1, 1938: "The attached
correspondence from Henry J. Haskell, editor-in-chief and co-publisher
of the Kansas City Star and William Allen White will interest you. I
do hope William A. White, who was terribly nervous untl a . few weeks
ago, is correct 'in his analysis."
From William Allen White to Billikopf, July 28, 1938: "Thank you
for your good letter and the kind words it contains. Don't worry about
the Kansas situation. It is, I think, solving iselL"
From Henry J. Haskell, to Billikopf, July 30 1938: "As to Winrod,
a month , ago it looked as if he had the nomination. There is general
agreement he has been slipping badly. As his support is not the
organized political support, the county chairmen are rather baffled as
to its extent. They may be mistaken, but we have called many of
them on the phone and the majority think they have Winrod beaten.
It is dangerous to do this predicting on the eve of the election. The
thing will be settled August 2. There would have been no question
of beating him if Clyde Reed, who has a host of political enemies, had
been willing to get out and let a more popular man make the race.
But I trust it is coming out happily; though I wish I felt more sure.
I never have been so disturbed as on our recent European journey.
Always before I have felt there was no real danger of war. Now I
think Czecho-Slovakia makes a dangerous situation. It is- believed
the German general staff is against war at , present and Hitler is
going ,along with it. But he may kick over some day."
Our readers may recall the famous Haldeman-Julius Five-Cent
Books that were published and sold in the millions at that time.
Haldeman-Julius also took a deep interest in the Winrod candidacy ,
for the senatorship and we have quoted him. Whereupon he had
written, July 29, 1938:
"Dear Mr. Slomovitz: Many thanks for the clipping from your
paper. I'm able to report that my pioneering work has already
brought good results. My fight on the Rev. Winrod is making better
progress than I expected because men like William Allen White have
jumped in and helped expose this ;rascal - White and a great number
of liberal, educated Protestant preachers picked up the material in
my 14 volumes of Questions and Answers and` were able to bombard
Winrodism with my data, which has been effective."
Linking -past with present, there is a certainty that just as the
"Jayhawk Nazi" failed to get support in Kansas so will his son, the
inheritor
of his bigotry, be repudiated. It is good<that not only Jews
had been put out of his church been sent to people in the Jewish elder Winrod, the "Jayhawk Nazi."
but the Lutherans: as well have deplored it -And ao:igso 'should all
was: I dared to openly identify community to create fear and had Here is the correspondence
from Christians since anti-Semitism becomes their probleni'math
more than
Billilcopf and the most distinguished ours - if the decenciis of true faith are to
2—Friday, February 11, 1972
have -their la a world
THE DETROiT JEWISH NEWS - .editors - of that decade
free -front hatred.
-