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Page 14
The Southern Israelite
&
Itomloin Thoughts
&
Ity CHARLES II. JOSEPH
Copyrighted
Well, we’re moving along. Time
was when the only place for a .Jew
seeking diplomatic appointment was
Turkey. Then Rabbi Kornfeld of Co
lumbus, Ohio, broke the spell by an
appointment to Persia. That wasn’t so
bad, because after all it was an Ori
ental post and our Government prob
ably felt that the Rabbi would get
along fine with his new neighbors. Af
ter that there were a couple of scat
tered South American posts, I think
Louis Kaufman of Pennsylvania re
ceived one of them. 1 heard a lot
about .Jews who were going to be ap
pointed to Italy, Germany, and a few
other important places because I knew
that it couldn’t and wouldn’t be and
it isn’t. However I hear that the Bos
ton banker, A. C. Rathesky has been
nominated as Minister to Czechoslo
vakia by President Hoover. That
promises to be an interesting mission
because no one ever knows what’s go
ing to happen in such a country. 1
think that Thomas Masaryk did more
to make it a place on the map than
any other individual. By the way, 1
forgot to mention Harry Guggenheim,
who is now in Cuba. For a time it
seemed that he might have a high
hurdle to clear in getting bis appoint
ment confirmed but lie came through
with flying colors. Which was to be
expected, being a flyer. 1 have heard
ofMr. Ratshesky for many years and
if reputation means anything he’s
likely to do a mighty good job in the
Balkans.
A Jewish young woman in Pitts
burgh, Miss Sophia Levin, has been
presented with a gold medal by the
National Red Cross organization in
Washington, in recognition of 14
years of service in the American Red
Cross. It was Miss Levin who origin
ated the Annual Red Cross Roll Call
in Pittsburgh and which later on was
adopted throughout the entire coun
try. In fact this young woman was
called to Washington to place it in
practical operation. Red Cross officials
were eager to pay high tribute to the
remarkable work done by Miss Levin
in Red Cross work during and after
the war. I have known Sophie Levin
for many years and she is a woman
of unusual executive ability and a
natural leader. She has been instru
mental in conducting a great many
campaigns to raise funds for com
munal welfare purposes. The meual
awarded Miss Levin bears four ser
vice stripes and is said to be the only
one awarded in Pittsburgh.
1 am in receipt of the following
letter from Jacob Bernstein, of Provi
dence, R. I., who hastens to correct
the impression that Rabbi Gup of that
city was the first, and only Rabbi to
occupy a Methodist pulpit in the state.
He wants the world of Jewry to know
that New England isn’t behind in
“good-will" relations between Jew and
Gentile. He mentions that Rabbi
Harry Levy of Boston was the
pioneer in the Goodwill movement. I
am glad to hear that. I knew Rabbi
Levy when he was a youngster in
Wheeling, W. Va. And from what I
hear he has created a commanding po
sition for himself and his congrega
tion in Boston. But there is another,
belonging ,to the younger generation,
and a former Pittsburgher, so Mr.
Bernstein informs me, has occupied
the pulpit in nearly every Protestant
church in Rhode Island. His name is
Morton Goldberg. He is now located
in Fall River, Mass. I am always glad
to find space to note these practical
evidences of the goodwill that exists
between our own clergymen and those
of other faiths, particularly in small
er cities, where the influence of an ex
change of pulpits is of a great deal
of practical value.
In justice to those of the Zionist
group who believe as does the writer
of the letter just received from Phil
adelphia I must find space for its pub
lication. He says:
(1) I)r. Magnes was appoint
ed the bead of the Hebrew Uni
versity to bound the institution to
observe neutrality concerning po
litical tendencies. The speech of
Dr. Magnes infringes on such
neutrality and as head of the Uni
versity may involve it in party
disputes thus endangering its de
velopment.
(2) If Dr. Magnes were not at
the head of the University bis
statement might have passed un-
not iced.
(.'{) The danger lay in the
wide publicity it received and ac
cepted by those who do not clear
ly understand the Zionist move
ment.
(4) He wronged the Zionists
by making it appear that they
were animated by ill will toward
Arab interests.
Space prevents full publication of
the letter but the writer mentions
that the Zionists endeavor to gain
the goodwill of the Arab but that lias
been made more difficult by Magnes’
statement: he further thinks that
Magnes’ statement was inopportune,
and finally lie thinks the Zionists have
been most tolerant in not asking for
Dr. Magnes’ resignation, and says
better men are available, notably
Einstein and Bergson.
1 would like to know what Einstein
would do as the head of a Hebrew
University that is to be one of the in
spirational sources for Judaism and
Jewish culture. Einstein is merely a
Jew racially if we may use such a
term, lie doesn’t believe in Judaism,
he doesn’t believe in a God such as
most Jews do. If we are to have a
University to teach science Einstein
might do. But then I always believed
that the Hebrew University had a dif
ferent purpose in mind. Without for a
moment considering the issues in
question I differ with my correspond
ent to the extent that if he travelled
the world over he’d have a hard time
finding any Jew to fill the place of
Dr. Judah L. Magnes as Chancellor
of the Hebrew University.
For the past two weeks I have been
looking at a book that was sent to me
by the publisher, L. M. Stein, of Chi
cago. It’s really one of the most beau
tiful books that has come into my pos
session in a long while. Ihe title puz
zled me, “Thirty-five Saints and Emil
Armin.’’ I felt like asking, “who in
the devil are the saints?’’ and in heav
en’s name who is “Emil Armin?" But
these questions are satisfactorily an
swered by J. Z. Jacobson, the writer
of this monograph on one of the most
unusual “modernists" in Chicago’s art
colony. And permit me to interrupt
myself long enough to say that J. Z.
Jacobson can write! And Mr. Stein
can print! And Mr. Armin can paint!
Really “three of a kind.” I can under
stand how these three men find them
selves united in one book. Kimfred
souls if I know souls. Well, I want to
say so much about Annin’s unusual
art and Jacobson’s unusual writing
and Stein’s printing that I am tongue-
tied and pen-tied. But it looks as if
the purpose of the monograph was to
spot-light Emil Armin and this Jewish
artist deserves it. I suppose the term
“modernist” belongs to “Arty” con
versation, but to me Emil Armin. is
just HIMSELF when he paints and
sculps. 1 imagine he is not much con
cerned with what the world names the
type of work he produces—“modern
ists” will probably do for want of
nothing more expressive.
This immigrant Jewish boy had !
what the late Elbert Hubbard would i
call the “urge.” Mr. Jacobson elab
orates this so beautifully:
“All of us seek something in
life though many of us know not
what. It beats around us like an
angry sea and much of the time
even the best and wisest and
strongest of us are content if
happily we may find an island of
peace. But the storm is not only
on the outside. Inside us, too, is
fermentation. Inside of some of
us there is an urge, a call, a driv
ing force which is implacable, a
commanding voice which must be
obeyed. Out upon the uncharted
seas of the spirit it sets the
chosen few asailing, into the
crackling heat of the battles of
the intellect it forces them to
go.”
1 here you have a revealing-flash of
the spirit of one of the “chosen few,”
the irresponsible, individualistic, ideal
istic genius Emil Armin, who suffered
and struggled to escape the clutches
of the “conventions” in order to be
free HIMSELF.
It you want a beautiful book, one
that you will prize if you are a lover
of beautiful things, “Thirty-five
Saints and Emil Armin” will appeal
to you. If you are not inclined that
way but want a “gift book” that some
one else will appreciate it will serve
such a purpose admirably. Emil
Armin is still coming to him slowly
but surely. But struggling and work
ing: recognition is such genius as has
been revealed in the Jacobson mono
graph must eventually be given uni
versal recognition.
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