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8 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)