Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
Page 23
A Comprehensive Review Of A Year
Of Jewish History
(Continued from Pape 9)
peutseh (until this year by Dr. Ste
phen 5. Wise), have always been in-
i in practically the same causes
hut have nevertheless been working at
ss-purposes. But a decision of the
;i st conference of the Congress joint
is to be sought. Since a combi
nation of these two institutions will
strengthen the prestige of American
.It-wry and give it a more powerful
|)ic ,'to use in behalf of Jews every-
,vhore it is obvious that co-operation
,« mU ch to be desired.
The idea of united action between
• h, American Jewish Committee and
•he American Jewish Congress is un-
jnubteiily the first fruit of the Jewish
Hitherto when the Commit-
• an ,l the Congress stood at opposite
. ,, n the question of Palestine no
inverted action could have been pos-
:hle. But since the meeting at the
Hutcl Biltmore. New York, last Octo-
-.cr, when four hundred leading Jews
m all parts of the country assem
bled to give non-Zionist approval to
•he Jewish Agency compact, it has
been evident that a new spirit is en-
•erinp the American Jewish commu
nity. There is, for one thing, less acer
bity in the exchange of views. There
is a mutual willingness to compromise
:n order to stand on common ground.
"Tired of Giving?” was a phrase
introduced by the United Jewish Cam-
paipn in order to suggest the very
opposite to its contributors. Neverthe-
1<**-s the mere fact that the phrase was
im d indicated the existence of a cer-
i attitude to some of the national
■ ish philanthropic campaigns. It is
- easy for the United Jewish
Campaign to gather its millions as it
- ten years ago. The receipts of
’he 1 nited Palestine Appeal have been
decreasing. The same can be said for
other national campaigns that
have been conducted during the past
American Jewry has shown it-
f tu lie tired of giving insofar as
‘he national philanthropic are eon-
erned.
"n the other hand, paradoxical
may sound, Jews have giver
l " r< ‘ to philanthropy this year thar
before. The objects have been oi
a different tyj>e, however. They havt
1 institutions near at hand—hospi-
schools, homes, museums anc
like One would deduce from this
that American Jewry is becom-
• “international-minded,” less
•tended in the fate of its brethren
where else. A selected list of thf
tu t ions credited to America!
serves a double purpose: it indi-
' t> l ^ e increasing wealth of Ameri-
* an Jews and the larger social vision
which they possess.
Julius Rosenwald, as always, heads
• °f philanthropists. He has
H>hed himself as the greatesl
1 philanthropist of all time, nol
' ause of the amount of money
expended in philanthropy bu1
' aii'e of the manner in which hf
- ri lutes it. He has applied intelli-
■ the highest order to his role
8 a philanthropist. The Rosenwalc
f nation concerns itself with every
' , *n>e welfare work—
- . egro housing to sanitation
"M,, 1 ™, R,Jsen " ,aid ' s Of $5,.
,r special Russian coloniza
tion work still stands out as the larg
est single contribution of any Jewish
philanthropist. During the past year
Rosenwald’s benefactions included the
following, among many others: $325,-
000 for Wellesley College; $175,000
for the Children’s Hospital of Boston;
$250,000 for the clinics of the Univer
sity of Chicago; $500,000 for the He
brew Union College; $1,200,000 for
the University of Chicago. Other gifts,
such as those for Negro education, are
of an annual nature, so that they are
not even announced.
Among the other important philan
thropic gifts of last year are: the es
tablishment of a $1,000,000 Fund by
Lucius Littauer, of New York, to be
administered for “the welfare of hu
manity”; $250,000 to the University
of Chicago from the estate of A. J.
Lichtstcrn; $1,300,000 to charity from
the estate of Morris Schinasi, of New
York; $200,000 for the creation of a
health clinic in the Jewish Hospital
of St. Louis by Aaron Waldheim;
$250,000 for a Chair of Jewish History
and Literature at Columbia University
by Mrs. Nathan J. Miller; a gift of
$1,000,000 by George Blumenthal to
the Metropolitan Museum of Art for
the purchase of works of art; $500,-
000 left to charity by Mrs. Mollie Ot-
tenberg, of New York; $1,146,722 for
his charity foundation left by Fred L.
Lavanburg, of New York; $1,000,000
to New York University by Percy
Straus; $250,000 to the Rochester Y.
M. H. A. by Simon Stein; $150,000 to
the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis by
Mark C. Steinberg; $500,000 to the
Hebrew Union College by the Guggen
heim brothers; $645,000 left to charity
by Felix Fuld of Newark; the gift of
a $700,000 building to New York Uni
versity by Frederick Brown; a $100-
000 Ophthalmic Institute to the He
brew University in Jerusalem by Isa-
rlore D. Morrison, of New York; $100,-
000 to the Hotchkiss School, Conn., by
Paul Block, the publisher; the estab
lishment of a $3,000,000 fund by Mur
ray Guggenheim for the maintenance
of free dental clinics for children in
New’ York, and $500,000 to the He
brew Union College by Adolph Ochs.
The last elections did not witness
an increase of Jewish participation in
political affairs. Of course, the phrase
“there is no Jewish vote” has become
the slogan of most Jewish leaders, but
that does not account for the striking
absence of Jews from many political
posts which they could fill. Whether
it is because Jews as a rule do not
care for political office or whether
they are actually debarred from such
posts, the fact is that in proportion
to population there are extremely few
Jews in high political positions, either
appointive or elective.
Unusual interest was displayed
when President Hoover appointed
Monte Lemann of New Orleans as
one of the members of the Commission
on Law Enforcement. The fact is,
however, that Lemann was not ap
pointed because he is a Jew but be
cause he is one of the outstanding
legal minds of the South. It is, of
course, absurd to expect Jews to be
(Continued on Page 25)
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