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The Southern Israelite
The Jews in the House of Commons
A Who’s Who of the British Parliament.
By ROBERT STONE
Although there are only 300,-
000 Jews in the British Isles six
teen of them rverc elected to the
House of Commons at the last
elections, their members almost
eqtuilly divided between the Con
servative, Liberal and Labor
Parties. This is a rapid sketch
of the sixteen members of the
House. The author emphasizes
the fact, in contrast to the sit
uation in American politics, the
Jexvish representatives in Par
liament have reached extremely
high positions in government
service. Most of them are of
old, distinguished families.—The
Editor.
Great Britain may have exerted its
efforts strenuously to keep Jews out of
the latter part of the nineteenth century,
but once the restrictions were removed
Jews have had less difficulties in attain
ing high position in public service than
even Jews in the United States. The
reasons for this are to be found in the
state of mind of the English public, and
secondly in the attitude toward public
office held by Jews in the British Isles.
For some reason membership in the
House of Congress in the United States
is looked upon as the hope of small
|H>litical leaders. In England, however,
some of the foremost Jews in every walk
of life not only aspire to membership in
the House of Commons but stand election
after election if their constituency does
not send them to Parliament the first
time. The list of the Jews at present
in Parliament includes some of the most
distinguished figures whose names are
well known not only in England but
throughout the world.
As in every other country. Jews in
England are rigidly divided in their politi
cal opinions. Of the fifteen in the Com
mons membership in the three parties
claims almost equal numbers.
The most distinguished Jewish member
of the House is Sir Herbert Samuel, who
was for several years leader of the
Liberal Party, until he recently retin-
quished the post to Lloyd George when
the latter resumed his active charge of
the party. His career in public service
has been a long and prominent one. He
has at various times held the i>ost of
Postmaster General, Home Secretary and
Undersecretary of State for Home Af
fairs. Probably his greatest service to
the Empire was rendered as Chairman of
the Royal Commission on the Coal Indus
try which, during 1925 and 1926, was con
fronted with the task of disentangling the
complicated situation in the British col
onies. To the Jews, however, Sir
Herbert Samuel will best be known as
the first High Commissioner to Pales
tine, a post which he held for five years,
being succeeded in 1925 by Lord Plumer.
There is no Jew in America whose
participation in politics can be compared
to that of Sir Herbert. The difference
is, of course, traceable to the variance in
standards between America and England.
In the former country a “politican” is
regarded with opprobrium. In England
“politician” is synonymous with states
man and is a high title of public esteem.
Another prominent Jewish member of
the Liberal Party in the House of Com
mons is James dc Rothschild, son of
Baron Edmond de Rothschild of Paris.
Rothschild has taken an active interest in
every phase of Jewish life and has be
come particularly identified with Pales
tine undertakings, of which his father is
regarded as the outstanding benefactor.
Major Harry Louis Nathan is also a
communal worker who has turned his
attention to politics as a Liberal. Nathan
is well known for his friendship to the
Hebrew University at, Jerusalem. Among
other Jewish posts he holds is that of
Member of Council of Jews’ College.
The two other Liberal Jewish members
arc Major Leslie Hore-Belisha and Percy
Alfred Harris. The former, a son of
Lady Hore, has not been particularly
identified with Jewish interests. He
has, however, a distinguished record in
public life, and served at one time as
President of the Oxford Union Society.
Harris has been connected with a number
of communal projects.
♦
II arburg’s Sense of Humor
Felix Warburg’s comparatively recent
emergence into active contact with all
phases of Jewish life has served to em
phasize the versatility of the man. Every
new campaign and every new occasion
shows a new side of his character and
personality. Nobody, for example, would
think that this international banker and
serious-minded philanthropist is a humor
ist. Not until, of course, one has heard
some of the excellent jokes that he can
and does crack.
We had the opportunity of attending a
little luncheon recently at which Mr. War
burg also was present. He was urging
every one to go out and get big subscrip
tions for the Allied Compaign. Take no
excuses, he said. The object is to get
money atid in a big way. To illustrate
his point he told the familiar story about
Baron Rothschild, and gave it such fine
treatment and spoke his German so really
humorously that he won hearty laughs,
even though most of the people had heard
the story often before.
"/ Know My Business"
The story is one told by Baron Edmond
de Rothschild of Paris, concerning a
schnorrer who came to see him and asked
for a very substantial sum, which would
amount to about ten thousand dollars in
our money. The schnorrer was not plead
ing for a cause but for himself. The
Baron turned to him, after some reflec
tion, and said: “If you were really seri
ous about getting a contribution from me
you should have named a much smaller
sum, which I would quickly have given
you.”
The five Liberal members of the
House of Commons are thus seen to be
among the best elements of British Jew
ish society, giving to political life a dis
tinction which politics could never bestow
upon them.
The Conservatives have six adherents
in the House of Commons, also outstand
ing members of the Jewish community.
The foremost of these is Sir Philip Sas
soon, recognized as one of the most
enthusiastic champions of aviation pro
gress in England. Though still in his
early forties Sassoon (whose other Jew
ish names are Albert Gustave David)
has already occupied the post of Under
secretary of State for Air in the Baldwin
Government. The Sassoon family is one
of the oldest and most famous in British
Jewish life.
Sir Walter 4 de Frece, the London
theatrical magnate, has also gone in for
politics under the Conservative banner.
Arthur Michael Samuel has been one of
the most prominent political figures in
England for a number of years. He has
been at various times Minister for Over
seas Trade and Undersecretary of State
♦
But this enraged the schnorrer. “Please-
Baron,” he protested, “don’t teach me how
to schnorr. I know my business.”
Also a Disease
Talking of millionaires who have a
sense of humor reminds me of Philip
Wattenberg, the man who gave $100,000
for the establishment of the Einstein In
stitute of the Hebrew University in Jeru
salem. Wattenberg has an inexhaustible
fund of stories, which he collects and
creates himself. The other day we heard
him recall this one about Rambam, the
great medieval Jewish scholar familiarly
known as Maimonides.
Rambam, in addition to being a philoso
pher, was also a physician who was widely
respected in his town. He conducted a
free clinic where he treated hundreds of
people daily. His favorite method of
diagnosis was to lift up a man’s eye
lids and then recommend a prescription.
This amused one of the Jewish peddlers
of the neighborhood, who scoffed at this
form of medicine. He was in perfectly
good health. But one day he came into
Rambatn’s office, got into the line as
though he were a sick man. His turn
came and Rambam, of course, lifted his
eyelids. He then wrote out a prescrip
tion and handed it to the man, who
thought that he had put over a fast one
on the physician. But out of curiosity’s
sake he went to the apothecary suggested
by Rambam to get his prescription filled.
After several minutes the druggist came
hack and handed the man a five dollar
bill. Which astounded the peddler. But
the clerk explained: “Rambam writes me
(Continued on Page 12)
Scanning the Jewish Horizon
Gossip and News of Jewish Personalities
By MARTIN GOLDE
fo r Foreign Affairs. He first » fJf
prominence as Lord Mayor of Norwich
to which office he was elected i n 19]j
Since 1918 he has represented the Fan;
ham Division of Surrey. Despite his
political office, however, he seems to have
had the time to devote himself t writing
The title of one of his volumes indicates
that his bent for literature is off the
beaten track, for it is called "The Herr
ing, Its Effect on the History of
Britain.”
The third Samuel in the House of
Commons is also a Conservative. Samuel
Samuel, M. P. since 1919, is a leading
banker in the British Isles and is con
nected with the powerful Shell Transport
and Trading Company and with the
Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company. He
is one of the venerable figures of the
House, having already reached 75. He
has interested himself in a number o
communal enterprises and is now Presi
dent of the Jewish Soup Kitchen of Lon
don.
One of the most striking figures in
the House of Major Jack Benn Brunei
Cohen, Conservative, the only Member
of Parliament who can address his col
leagues sitting down. This is due to the
fact that both his legs were amputated a-
a result of war wounds. He served in the
army' for three years, and was mentioned
in dispatches on several occasions. Th?
son of Alderman Cohen of Liverpool and
the son-in-law of Sir Stuart Samuel, Ma
jor Cohen has served in Parliament since
1918. He is Honorary Treasurer of the
British Legion.
Another Conservative member i> Isi
dore Salmon, who has been in the House
for a long time. He is known widely for
his communal work. In addition to his
duties as Treasurer of the United S\na-
gogue he holds the chairmanship of the
London War Pensions Committee.
The Labor members arc. of course, <
miparatively new element in Parliament
,ut despite this five Jews were elected
s Laborites in the MacDonald elections
ince that time one of them, Dr. L -
pero, has resigned on account c
ealth. The other four include hmanue
hinwell, who was Undersecretary o'
lines in the short-lived MacDonald ca
let of 1924 and who holds a high place
i the present Labor Government. Mic ae
larcus, formerly of the Edinburgh
ouncil, George Isaacs, of Southwark,
nd Harry Dav, also of Southwark, com-
lete the Jewish contingent in the Lai*
inks
Altogether it is a remarkable £^1
lat the 300,000 Jews of the Brito
ave sent to London to repress.
l great many of them have q oeT .- *
igh places; the others have t-
isks as representatives seriou
iating themselves at the same t
ewish communal projects.
With Lord Melchett, Lord Hrt.l'W
nd Lord Rotchschild in the upper
f Parliament the Jews of 0 r .
ffer a striking contrast to - v --' ^
ewry, w’ho have only eight t
Congress and none in the Sen.
Coovrieht 1930, by S. A. F.