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THE
^ SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
^ A MAGAZINE PERPETUATING JEWISH IDEALS
VOLUME VII.
SEPTEMBER 30, 1932. NUMBER XXI.
ROSH HASHANAH
-AN EDITORIAL-
1 1 IS with a feeling of relief and no regrets whatsoever
that we tear out the last page of the Jewish Calendar of
the year 5692. It was a bad year all around. Economically,
politically and culturally it gave us very little pleasure or
happiness; Anti-Semitism, prejudice, discrimination and in
ter-racial ill-will are still rampant. Hitlerism is still in
(lower. If anything, it is spreading over the borders of Ger
many and infecting other countries. In our neighboring coun
try, Canada, a political party, the Goglus, have formally and
officially adopted anti-Semitism as one of the main planks of
their platform. Poland’s Jewish population will light the
holiday candles on Rosh Hashanah eve with trembling hands
and bent-down head. And so will our unfortunate brethren
in Rumania, Hungary, Greece and, for that matter, Austria.
1 heir position has not altered a bit. Their economic and po
litical status is still alarming. Thus when we contrast our
own position in this country with the plight of East and Cen
tral European Jewry, we must admit that despite the prevail
ing economic depression, which has affected many hundreds
of thousands of American Jews, we are by far better off than
the rest of the world Jewry. We
have a Government that will not tol
erate any second-hand treatment to
its racial minorities and to its citi
zens of religious minorities. We do
not know the feeling of traveling—
politically speaking — second-class.
\nd thus despite the financial crisis
affecting Jewish communal life, de-
v Pite the sad results of our institu-
1,,na l campaigns, despite numerous
problems confronting our congrega-
• ’Hs, our educational institutions,
,le Zionist Organization, the various
l ] ef organizations for domestic and
‘ign charities, despite the general
ebb of American Jewish affairs,
do enter the year 5693 full of
P e and firmly convinced that the
v year will bring a definite im-
'vement and that we are on the
to better times. There may not
^statistically—a basis for this
mism. There is, perhaps, no
logical icason for our faith in a better and more prosperous
V> ( >5. Yet there can be little doubt that we have reached the
very bottom of our crisis during the last year and that we
are, that we must he on the upgrade from now on. A new
Jewish leadership must come forward in the new year. It
is our hope that this leadership will be young, optimistic and
enterprising. 1 hat it will shake off the dead hand of inert
leaders who believe that retreat is the only salvation when
meeting obstacles. It is to be hoped that the new leadership
in this new year will not content itself with empty assurances
from official sources and pass them on to the Jewish masses
as a panacea for our many and varied troubles. It is our
fervent wish that our youth, which in many respects is more
Jewish than its elders and which accepts its Jewish problems
without the theoretical fog that our fathers have thrown over
them—that our youth will tackle the Jewish question in a
free and proud manner, without the slightest trace of mayo-
fez. It is also our hope that the Jewish communal leaders
will do their utmost to systematize and centralize Jewish life
in this country and to do away with duplication of efforts;
to liquidate overlapping institutions
and movements; to put a stop to the
many communal rackets that infest
our communal life, to overhaul the
structure of our entire communal
life. American Jewry has the
strength and the courage to take
■these drastic steps without endanger
ing its future. This radical change
can be expressed very simply. A
united, harmoniously cooperating
leadership that will mobilize the
best sons of Israel under one banner
with the slogan: “No more parties
and conflicting committees but a
Sacred Union of all forces to re
vitalize Judaism in America and
salvage our agonizing brethren in
Europe.” Towards this goal
American Jewry must march in
this new virginal year, which can
be made—if we will it so—a his-
• toric year in the modern history of
the Jews.
CONTENTS
A Year of Jewish History
By Joseph Salmark 4
The Roots of Anti-Semitism
By Horace M. Kallen 6
Best Books of the Year
By Henry Mon tor 7
Jewish Life in Athens, Georgia, 5692
By Rabbi Abraham Shusterman
The “Factor” Behind the Throne
By L eonard I). Smith
The Jews of Tomorrow
By the Right Honorable Viscountess
Erleigh
In Soviet land
By Pierre Van Paassen
Southern Notes
Young Judaean
Foreign Events
Social and Personai
National Notes
In the Limelight
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