18 Friday, January 24, 1986

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

PURELY COMMENTARY

Watchman, What Of The Night?

Continued from Page 2

tered in politics and in the state of af-
fairs created by Zionism. At the same
time he was critical of his own British
government for not fully adhering to the
implied principles of the Balfour Dec-
laration, for failing to provide the Pales-
tine Jewish community with wastelands
to facilitate the establishment of the
Jewish National Home. Zangwill thus
demanded action by his government: -
"The British government must meet
us more than half way. It must carry out
at least the letter of the Balfour Man-
date, if not the spirit of it, and the letter
compels them to give us public lands for
close settlement."
He was very critical of Sir Herbert
Samuel, the first British High Commis-
sioner of Palestine, and he called him
"our weak governor," accusiing him of
bringing "the whole of this valuable
work to a standstill."
Zangwill had high praise for Nathan
Straus as "a great personality." He
criticized Jacob Schiff and even Bapn- Teddy Roosevelt
Edmond de Rothschild as having been
velop the Jewish National Home
"deaf" to his Zionism appeals.
there, and by a Jewish Agency.
Zionist leadership was credited with
There is no call whatever to
high ideas but was criticized for certain
make an Arab Agency. Yet, an
impractical approaches and lack of
Arab Agency is proposed by that
vision. The views of Samuel Untermyer,
weak-minded governor. A Chris-
who headed the Keren Hayesod at the
tian
governor would have done
time, and even those of Justice Louis D.
the
thing
much better.
Brandeis were treated as lacking firm-
Now
the
last thing I am going
ness. He commented in the speech at the
to say to you is this: England
Straus-hosted luncheon: "Always I hear
greatly respects American opin-
nothing except the words, 'Give money,'
ion at this moment. She wants
and I say you will get much more money
American co-operation to estab-
when you have got a proper scheme,
lish the peace of the world. Now
when you have considered what the old
your American Jewish Congress
Hebrew word Tachlis means."
can do a great thing. It can frame
Among the criticisms of High Com-
a resolution going out from this
missioner Sir Herbert Samuel was the
great Congress in this great city
following interesting revelation in
— a resolution tactful and dip-
Zangwill's speech: •
lomatic, as you wish, but a reso-
lution that will insist upon the
Do you read, I wonder, the
Mandate being carried out in
Jewish papers which contain
Palestine so as really to build up
what is going on in Palestine? Do
a Jewish homeland. Occupied as
you know, for instance, that the
is my time, I am willing.and anx-
other day there were some rail-
ious, if you like,..to meet a repre-
way tracks belonging to Jews in
sentative committee of this Con-
a thoroughly Jewish quarter in
gress to frame with them such a
Palestine that the people wanted
resolution as I have suggested —
moved on Sunday by Jewish
a resolution which will carry
labor? But "No," Sir Herbert
great weight with the British
Samuel said, "Sunday is the day
government.
of rest. Therefore these things
If you will do that, I will pass
cannot be moved by Jewish
my days here with this committee
labor! The owners of these trucks
frying to frame the resolution in
must pay extra storage until
the hope that the Congress will
Monday, when they can be
pass it. Because, believe me, my
moved."Do you call that a Jewish
heart is with you. I am with you
National Home? Well, I don't.
in the work you wish, to do and I
The weakness of the Jewish position
-hope that this resolution (which I
in Palestine under Herbert Samuel was
trust you will pass) will bring
described by Zangwell as being at the
such a help to Zion that it will
time "neither a Moslem home nor a
really promote the health of
Jewish home. That is an Englishman's
Nathan Straus, which it is my
home."
pleasant task to propose and
Zangwill advocated action and a
which I now ask you to drink.
strong demand for Great Britain to live
up to its pledges to Jewry. He offered his
Most revealing in the Zangwill 1923
help. This strong statement demands re-
Carnegie Hall speech was his account of
peating now as an historical record:
a meeting he had with President Theo-
dore Roosevelt. Many Presidents are
' I saw in the papers the other
often quoted indicating their support of
day that the latest concession
the Zionist hope. The Zangwill recollec-
made by Sir Herbert Samuel is to
tion is unusual in-its revelation of a very
offer to establish an Arab
early endorsement of the Zionist cause,
agency. There is no word about
something seldom if ever heard before.
an Arab Agency in the Mandate.
It is all about a Jewish' Agency.
It is in connection with the TR visit;
The whole purpose of England's
the humanism that elicited support for
position in Palestine is to develop
the Zionist cause from World leaders.,
a Jewish National Homeland. If
that Zangwill rebuked the "Grand
she doesn't, then she has to give
Dukes" who attempted to undermine the
up the Mandate. She has to de-
Zionist ideal.

------------

Max Nordau

Zangwill thus commented on the
Grand Dukes while relating his visit
with TR: •
With the acceptance of the
"Balfour Declaration by Zionists
and anti-Zionists alike, both these
parties should have disappeared
from the Diaspora; and if there is
pathos in the inability of the
Zionists to grasp that their day
has passed, there is nothing more
sordid in Jewish history than the
sullen' and surreptitious attempt
of our Anglo-Jewish Grand
Dukes to undermine a Declara-
tion which, while guaranteeing
their own status, offered to other
Jews a measure of salvation.
But I believe that in the ac-
tual political sense, even with the
magnet of present-day Palestine,
far less Jewish Nationalism exists
than the Grand Dukes ap-
prehend. Nor is America so
foolish as to take what little does
exist so seriously as their High-
nesses. In their agitation they
make Mount Zion out of a
molehill.
Think how America has
borne without demur an Irish,
vote intended to bring pressure
on England for the liberation of
Ireland; think of the magnanim-
ous endorsement of Zionism by
Presidents, Senate and Congress.
Think how John. F. Hylan, the
ChriEktian mayor of this city,
pleaded on behalf of the Keren
Hayesod on the 29th of May,
which Zionists - had set aside as
Palestine Day.
In 1904 I myself discussed
with President Roosevelt at the
White House the whole subject of
the relation of 'American Jews to
a Jewish autonomou-s colony.
Roosevelt. thought that any offi-
cal opinion on the subject had
best come personally through
Secretary Hay, the Minister best
Come personally through Secre-
tary L1ay, 4 the Minister for
Foreigt Affairs,. who, accord-
ingly, after a most sympathetic
conversation, empowered me to
publish his opinion that it was
open to all American Jews, with-
'out the faintest imputation on
their patriotism, to take part in
the foundation of such a colony.
So far from imperilling the

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status of American Jews, Zionism
— if only through the conferment
of the freedom of this great city
on its leader — has increased the
honor of Israel. Is it not time to
have done with these terrors and
bogeys? Has not America herself
rallied nobly to the help of a
stricken yellow people that is
potentially a foe? The human
heart is large enough to hold
many sympathies, and it is only
when they go to an actual foe
that they become unpatriotic.
Thus, two distinguished Americans
were in the Zionist supporting ranks: TR
and his Secretary of State John Hay. (It
will be recalled that John Hay, who, in-
cidentally, knew Hebrew, was the
statesman who was deeply involved in ,
protests and actions against the mis-
treatment of the Romanian government
in the early part of this century). "
A personal note at this point will
hopefully be conceded. Your Commen-
tator was among those who joined in the
toast to Nathan Strus. He was at both
the Carnegie Hall and Commodore Hotel
Zangwillian sessions. They were
privileges worth recording, especially
since the then underpaid reporter-editor
of the old Jewish Chronicle had to make
the trip to New York for the important
occasions on his own limited income. It
was worth being with Israel Zangwill,
Nathan Straus, Stephen Wise and many
other nobles.
It is worth noting that Zangwill not
only covered the Jewish and world
scenes but also took into account the im-
portant Jewish names then in the
lifeline of Jewish activities. He referred
to Samuel Untermyer, the 'dedicated
Keren Hayesod national chairman. Un-
termyer was a good ` .leader and he had
his own way of interpreting his role. He
kept speaking of a "Keren Hayzod."
When he was corrected and was told it
was "Hayesod," he said, "I like it better
my way." Zangwill, would have had a
good laugh over it.
Zangwill also mentioned distin-
guished non-Jews. He spoke of the
British Civil Secretary Wyndham Deedes
of the Palestine administration. It was
before Deedes had quit his post with the
Palestine administration in protest
against the anti-Jewish policies of his
government.
This writer has met many non-Jews
who had roles in the Zionist schemes.
Few if any matched Wyndham Deedes in
his loyalty to human pledges, to national
honor in treatment of the Jews. It was a
great privilege to know this very emi-
nent Christian who pleaded that his
government should honor )ts duties to
Jewry, and resigned rather than be a
partner to pledge-breaking and anti-
Jewish policies.
One more word about this recon-
struction of a notable event that marked
resort to the famous Isaiahan statement,
"Watchman, what of the Night?" 'The
original vanished from this writer's pos-
session a few weeks ago. There have
been experiences of "scholars" visiting
his desk pocketing what did not belong
to them. Perhaps the' original will yet
show up. But to two groups belongs the
credit of retaining and honoring the ar-
chivalist of "Watchman, what of the
night?" — American Jewish ArOives,
supervised by Dr. Jacob R. Manna and
Dr. Abraham Peck; and American
Jewish Historical Society, administered
by Bernard Wax. To both groups and
their executives go a hearty thanks.,

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