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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
TITUS FILIPOWICZ
Polish Ambassador to Washington
Polish Ambassador to Washing
ton, and Carol Davila, Ruma
nian Ambassador, must find
themselves amused at the num
ber of delegations they must re
ceive—each one ostensibly rep
resenting American Jewry. To
each of these bodies Filipowicz
and Davila are very happy to
promise that anti-Semitism shall
reign no more in their respective
countries. But the net result is
nil. An interesting angle of di
plomacy was introduced during
5691 by the creation of a so-
called Polish-Jewish Good Will
Committee. The object of the
body is to bring Polish and
Jewish notables in the United
States into occasional confer
ences for discussion of the pro
motion of good will between races in Poland. One cynic in Poland
asserted that the good will committee was for consumption in
the United States and was not intended as a product for Poland.
Whatever the truth of that skepticism, it may be said that the
Committee has done nothing so far to justify the generous blurbs
which accompanied its organization.
Haym Salomon Dispute
From time to lime inter-factional jealousies flare up into
serious controversies as in the case of Haym Salomon dispute.
For several years, the Federation of Polish Jews has been stimu
lating interest in a monument to the Revolutionary War Polish-
Jewish patriot. This year it launched a campaign for $150,000
with such notables as President Hoover and Senator Jim Watson
endorsing the project. Then Max J. Kohler, New York attorney
and historian, came forward with a pamphlet attacking the merits
of the case, and contending that Salomon did not lend a cent to
anyone and that he deserves no memorial. The Polish Federation
charged it up to jealousy on the part of a German Jew, but one
must, nevertheless, credit Max Kohler with courage and candor.
He has done much to puncture professional Jewish pride.
America was on the verge of restricting immigration completely
for two years, but because of a Senate filibuster at the last min
ute, the bill did not become law. That was hailed as good news
by Jews. There can be no doubt that the restriction of immigra
tion has worked great hardships on thousands of suffering Jews
abroad who have been anxious to reach these shores. Although
the topic is never discussed above a whisper, it is generally under
stood that the group whom the 100 per cent Congressmen and
Senators aim at in the main are the Jews. That is why, too, Jews
must be particularly interested in
the fight now being made against
the Michigan compulsory alien reg
istration bill. There are other
groups affected, of course, but thou
sands of Jews, through ignorance
or carelessness, have failed to apply
for naturalization. If the law is
sustained, it may mean deportation
for many of them. It is gratifying
to note that a number of Jewish
attorneys are in the vanguard of
the fight against the measure, par
ticularly in view of the fact that it
was a Jewish agent provacateur
who was in large measure responsi
ble for the passage of the bill.
Whether it has been due to the
economic crisis or to a decline of
interest in matters Jewish, it is
noteworthy to point to the status
of English-Jewish journalism in the
United States. The Jewish Tribune,
one of the oldest of the publica
tions, had to suspend because of
lack of funds. The Menorah Jour
nal, loving to refer to itself as the
Jewish American Mercury, has ap
peared from time to time. The New
Palestine, Zionist organ, has been
reduced to a few flimsy pages also
LORI) PASSFIELI)
Originator of the White I’aper
appearing from time to time.
A number of other of the larger
Jewish journals have found it
a struggle to keep their head
above water, although the past
year has seen the birth of two
new Jewish publications in the
U. S. A.
The Menace of Discrimination
The problem of discrimina
tion has gradually assumed its
proper proportion in the minds
of the American Jewish public.
There is no doubt that the re
strictions placed upon Jews in
all fields of employment—from
the highest professions down to
the meanest labor—have been
accentuated as a result of the
economic crisis. But the year
5691 saw the recognition of the
issue by Jewish leaders, who
were no longer content to muffle discussion on the subject. Though
blasts against anti-Semitism in employment have flared forth
every few weeks, no one has yet evolved any plan to deal ade
quately with the situation. In the meantime, the number of Jewish
unemployed, particularly among the women increases constantly.
A problem intimately related to unemployment is the rising
menace of the chain store as far as the Jewish merchant is con
cerned. For decades thousands upon thousands of Jews have
obtained their livelihood as the middle class merchant. But the
vast mergers and combinations daily crush scores of these petty
traders who can see no ray of hope, particularly in view of the
fact that the chain stores rarely employ Jewish managers.
If the record of American Jewry has never been rich in other
respects, it has always in previous years, been able to point to a
long list of imposing gifts to every form of philanthropy. The two
years before 5691 were unparallelled for the munificence and the
variety of the benefactions by Jewish donors. But 5691 offers no
such impressive spectacle. Many generous contributions were
made, it is true, but they are insignicfiant in comparison to the
total rolled up in more prosperous years.
Philanthropic Gifts
The name of Julius Rosenw r ald always stood at the head of the
list. It must be pointed out, that the Julius Rosenwald Fund dis
tributes millions of dollars annually in its activities for negro
education, medical research, etc. Lessing Rosenwald, in Philadel
phia, has been making the news columns with his activities in the
Jewish sphere and his larger benefactions include a gift of
$100,000 to the fund for the un
employed, and one of $50,000 to
the Federation of Jewish Charities.
Among the larger bequests or gilts
for the year were: $1,000,000 to the
New York Federation and other
charities by Mortimer Schiff ; $•*,-
300,000 to the University of Chi
cago and other institutions by Al
bert Kuppenheimer of Chicago.
$1,000,000 for a philanthropic
foundation by Max L. Rosenberg,
of San Francisco, and $1,000,00( to
various homes and settlemen
houses by Morton Meinhard, o
New York. The largest gift '
year, from the point of value.
made in the will of Michael h riet '
sam, who left his art collection. ' a '
ued at $10,000,000 to the Metropo -
itan Museum of Art.
Contributions of the past a
been of such consistently - rU ‘
that one must speak of gifts
vicinity of $100,000 as ^
amounts.” Some of the more P ^
tant of these benefactions v
following: Albert Hallga 1 T : ;
New York charities, $L
$250,000 to Milwaukee non-se
charities (Please turn to P‘-
JULIUS ROSENWALD
At the head of the list.
the
to
000;
rian
47)