VOL, i No. 6 PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE SEPTEMBER 1944 AJC PRESENTS VIEWS ON POST-WAR ORDER TO CORDELL HULL; PEACE COMMITTEE FORMED Equality of Jewish Citizens in All Countries Stressed As Fundamental Premise

In accordance with its belief that the Jewish citizens of every land should be conclusion of the First World War in en- guaranteed the right of complete equality, and that this must be a fundamental deavoring to aid in the formulation of premise of the post-war world order, the American Jewish Committee has initiated peace terms which will secure a world in steps towards bringing about the inclusion of this principle in the peace terms. which Jews, like all others, in a phrase ad- In a letter to Secretary of State Cordel! Hull, Judge Joseph M. Proskauer mirably used by you, 'are free to abide in proffered the cooperation of the Committee in the formulation of peace terms which peace and in honor'." will help to meet the post-war needs of the shattered Jewish communities overseas. In his reply, Secretary Hull formally He has also filed with the State Department a Statement of Views, adopted by the acknowledged the establishment of the Committee, which sets forth the basic premises for the maintenance of Jewish AJC's Committee on Peace Problems "to rights. serve in a liaison capacity with the De- Simultaneously, a Committee on Peace In its letter to Secretary Hull, the Com- partment and other agencies of the Gov- Problems has been formed by the Ameri- mittee expressed its earnest desire to co- ernment in respect to post-war matters can Jewish Committee for the purpose of operate with the United States Government affecting American Jewry." He also stated studying and drawing up measures for the within the area covered by the Statement of that the Department was glad to receive rehabilitation of Jews and the restoration Views, and its aim "to function as the at any time any expressions of views which of their economic rights. American Jewish Committee did at the the Committee might wish to bring be- fore it. Officers of the Committee on Peace Demand United Nations Commission Problems, which comprises Jewish com- munity leaders from aD parts of the coun- To Probe Mass Exterminations try, are: Hon. Abram I. Elkus and Judge Irving Lehman, New York, honorary chair- An immediate investigation by a special stated, "upon the speedy and just punish- men; Joseph M. Proskauer, New York, United Nations commission of the Nazi ment of those who have broken the laws chairman; Jacob Blaustein, Baltimore, and mass exterminations at the Maidanek con- of God and the laws of man." George Z. Medalie, New York, associate centration camp near Lublin in Poland was The United States Government was spe- chairmen; and Morris D. Waidman, New urged by the American Jewish Committee cifically urged to take the lead in the for- York, secretary. in a letter addressed simultaneously to Sec- mation of this commission. The Commit- Members of the Committee include Carl retary of State Cordel! Hull and the diplo- tee also suggested that the commission j. Austrian, New York; James H. Becker, matic representatives of the United Na- should include, besides United Nations Chicago; Dr. Monroe Deutsch, Berkeley; tions in Washington. representatives, leaders of the Catholic, Continued on page 7 This request was based on the fact that Protestant and Jewish faiths. "The findings Poland was converted by the Nazis into a of such a body would be unimpeachable," center of mass murder, where one and a the Committee's communication declared. IN THIS ISSUE half million men, women and children Pointing out that the Jews of the world from all Nazi-occupied Europe were esti- have in the past few years been apprised SynagogueBroadcastfrom mated to have been killed by poison gas, of the probable murder of three million Liberated Rome Page2 firing squads, starvation and brutality. The souls by the Nazis, the letter declared that Bureau Keeps Record of Jew investigating commission to be appointed ishServicemen Page 3 "we reluctantly and mournfully accept the AJC Representatives Visit will be in a position fully to establish the evidence of Maidanek as conclusive proof Latin America Page 5 evidence of this most horrible crime in of our worst fears." Even a world accus- What Nazis Have Done to modern history, and bring about the rapid tomed to the horrors and tragedies of mod- Belgian Jewry Page 6 punishment of the perpetrators. ern warfare "is stunned by this latest proof Prize Poem Deals with Fate "The future peace of the world will rest of Nazi inhumanity to man," the letter of Jews Page8 in no small measure," the Committee letter added. 7 THE COMMITTEE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER1944 FIRST JEWISH BROADCAST FROM FREED EUROPE SPONSORED BY AJC; GEN. CLARK TAKES PART structure, built at the beginning of this century and situated in the center of the old Roman ghetto, on the banks of the Tiber. It stands on the site of an ancient synagogue which dates back to the early days of the more than 2,000-year-old Ro- man Jewish community. Many hundreds of letters from Canada and the United States, commending the Committee's sponsorship of the Rome synagogue broadcast and requesting copies of the script, have been received in the Committee's offices. Among the comments, which came from both non-Jews (many of Italian descent) and Jews, was the following from Canada: "Somehow listening to the broadcast gave one a moral lift. We felt that jewry Above; Chief Rabbi of is bound to carry on . Rome Israel Zolli and U. S. Army Chaplain Aaron Paperman. Golden Calf" Chosen Script- of-the-Month »> (« "The Golden Calf," the American Jew- ish Committee's Shevuoth broadcast, first presented over a National Broadcasting Company coast-to-coast network, has been chosen the "script-of-the-month" for Sep- At right. Crowd gather- tember, 1944, by the Writers' War Board, ing for special liberation a voluntaryassociation of professional service in front of writers. Tempio Israelitico. Chosen for this honor among hundreds of scripts, "The Golden Calf" will be sent by the Writers' War Board to 620 local stations throughout the United States for "This is a proud day for the Fifth Army, for the Jewish people and for the their use. free world." This is the second time that an AJC This was the message of Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, Commander of broadcast has been designated the "script- the United States Fifth Army in Italy, to the special thanksgiving service which of-the-month."'Battle of the Warsaw was broadcast from Rome's leading synagogue to the United States on Sunday, Ghetto," an AJC radio play written by July 23 by the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with the American Morton Wishengrad, was named "script- Jewish Committee. of-the-month" for October, 1943. Marking a significant date in the resur- Read by United States Army Chaplain gence of democratic ideals, the program Aaron Paperman, General Clark's message New Pamphlet Describes beamed forth from the ancient Tempio continued: Israelitico was not only the first Jewish "For us who are fighting this bitter Committee's Activities broadcast from territory liberated by the struggle, today's services represent the fruit A new eight-page pamphlet, entitled United States, but also the first Jewish of what we are fighting for, the promise of The Committee, describing the basic poli- broadcast from Italy since the advent of what the United Nations will bring to a cies and program of the American Jewish Fascism. liberated world." Committee, has just been issued, accord- More than 1,000 persons attended the The 73-year-old chief rabbi, who had ing to an announcement by David Sher, services, which were conducted by Chief been in hiding during the Nazi occupa- chairman of the Publicity Committee. Rabbi Israel Zolli. Among those present tion of Rome and on whose head the Copies of the pamphlet have been sent were Major General Harry S. Johnson, Nazis had placed a price of 300,000 liras, to the professional and lay leadership of military commander of the Rome area, termed the Allied soldiers who had freed welfare funds, federations and community Colonel Charles Poletti, AMG Commis- Rome "the expression of the ideal of liber- councils throughout the country. Copies of sioner for Rome, and members of their ty and justice for which European Jews The Committee may be had upon appli- respective staffs. The entire program was have suffered." Chaplain Paperman, who cation to the Community Activities De- recorded and rebroadcast over a European is attached to the Fifth Army, also spoke. partment of the American Jewish Com- network by the United States Army. The Tempio Israeliticois a modern mittee. THE COMMITTEE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 1944 3 HEROISM OF U.S. JEWS PERMANENTLY RECORDED

Nearly 500,000 Jews Now Serving in Armed Forces, Says Burean of War Records

"To Sergeant Robert Arch, for gallantry under fire at Oranthe Silver Star. in New York, where a staff of statisticians Sergeant Arch set out alone in a jeep to reach his company and with utter disregard is headed by Dr. Samuel C. Kohs, psycholo- of personal danger followed a half-track engineer vehicle up a hill in the face of gist and inventor of the Army's "block heavy enemy machine-gun fire." intelligence test." Authentication, verifica- "To Captain Roy Bright, for completion of a dangerous mission over enemy tion and reliabilitythese are the watch- territorythe Distinguished Flying Cross." words of the Bureau, established late in "To Lieutenant (j.g.) Wilbur E. Quint, wounded in action in the South Pacific 1941, and supported by 35 leading national the Purple Heart." Jewish organizations, among them the That Captain Bright, Sergeant Arch and Lieutenant Quint are Jewish was not American Jewish Committee. stated, of course, in the newspapers which published these official announcements. After the last war, estimates of Jewish However, the Bureau of War Records of the Jewish Welfare Board is compiling participation varied annoyingly because and making available to the public a permanent record of servicemen of the accurate and comprehensive records had Jewish faith who are taking part in World War II. not been kept. Thanks to the Bureau of One American Jewish hero, Lieutenant War Records, that won't happen again. Commander Samuel A. Isquith, a surgeon, received the Legion of Merit for heroism Community Surveys Made in action aboard the USS Vincennes, sunk off Tulagi in the Solomons early in 1943. The Bureau has a second jobthe mak- Wounded, Isquith remained at his dress- ing of community surveys to determine the numbers and proportions of Jews in the ing station below until the ship was al- armed forces in particular communities. most completely abandoned, and then con- tinued to take care of the wounded on an In Trenton, New Jersey, it was found that open life raft. His citation reads in part: 22.7 per cent of Jewish men between the ages of 20 and 45 were in service as com- 'By his grim determination and outstand- pared with 20.4 per cent for non-Jews in ing professional ability..., healleviated the suffering of wounded men and un- the community. Furthermore, 8.4 per cent doubtedly saved the lives of many who of Trenton's men in the service are Jew- ish, although Jews make up only 6.1 per otherwise might have perished." cent of the total population of the city. Highest Award to 31 A study of 6,836 physicians in Brook- lyn and the Bronx in New York City Figures recently released by the Bureau showed that of the 4,409 Jewish physicians, indicate that nearly 500,000 Jews now 32 per cent were in the armed forces; of are serving in the United States armed the 2427 non-Jewish doctors, 27.5per forces. At least 31 Jewish servicemen have cent were in the armed forces. This study received the Distinguished Service Cross, was one of many concerning participation the nation's second highest award for gal- Sgt. Schiller Cohen of New York, tail gunner in the war effort of conspicuous Jewish lantry and great sacrifice. There are more in a Flying Fortress, who u'on 13 decorations, groups, such as doctors, dentists, nurses, than 500 Jewish families in the United including the Distinguished Flying Cross. refugees, etc. States who have contributed an average of Presenting the facts that can safely be nearly four members apiece to the services. Aaron, Louis Isaac Abraham and Paul C. made public at this time, the Bureau of Because of the peculiar, yet unavoidable Bernstein prove to be non-Jewish. This War Records performs a double service: obstacle which faces the Bureau's staff of type of error has performed a service, how- it places reliable information in the pub- statisticiansnamely, that the official rec- ever, in revealing the vast reservoir of lic's hands; and, secondly, it contributesto ords of the War Department are inaccessi- sympathy among non-Jews for their Jew- the inner morale of the Jews of the United ble for the durationthe Bureau must ish fellow-citizens. One non-Jewish wo- States. comb all official government lists of casu- man told an investigator: alties and awards for names which sound "No, our family isn't Jewish, but we as if they might belong to Jewish service- feel so close to your people that you may The native son, the Jew, the "Wo p," men. Careful and painstaking authentica- include our boy if you wish among yours." The Pole, the Swede, the "Mick". tion is the next step, under the direction Jewish Mothers Courageous The city feller wise and cool, of the Bureau's supervisory Technical Corn- The baffled country hick... minee, headed by Dr. LouisI. Dublin, Jewish mothers whose sons have fallen statistician and vice-president of the Metro- The kids out of the melting pot, in action are behaving with admirable for- For them to God give thanks, politan Life Insurance Company, who is titude, the Bureau's field staff notes. The also a member of the Overseas Committee mothers maintain an appearance of com- The foe now has one name for them- of the American Jewish Committee. posure and express themselves in heroic And that is "FIGHTING YANKS!" Confusion Reveals Sympathy terms about their sacrifices. Before any statistics are released, they From THE SUN DIAL by H. J. Phillips OccasionallytheBureaufindsthat must fulfil the rigid authentication require- The Sun, June 7, 1944. names like Aaron F. Moses, Stanley R. ments set up by the Bureau's central office 4 THE COMMiTTEE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 1944

must not remain dead paragraphs in election platforms. They must become weapons in the hands of the molders of ACROSS THE DESK public opinion. They must be solemn promises to be adhered to by all those who will vote for either of the parties. On Pistol Packin' Lastly, these pledges must become 7' eee eúote realitythrough implementation by The writing of a new dictionary will legislative measures which will guaran- have to be one of the major post-war re- Published by tee equality in all phases of American construction jobs. The twelve years of The American Jewish Committee life. Hitlerismassuming that by January 30, 386 Fourth Ave., New York 16, N.Y. 1945 it will be all overwill have left a OFFICERS great deal of confusion as to the meaning Democracy Returns of terms which previously allowed of little Joseph M. Proskaher, President misinterpretation, living-space," for in- Jacob Blanstein, Chairman Exec. Corn. Jews throughout the world will re- stance, would have meant, as late as1932, Morris D. Waidman, Vice-Chairman ceive with particular joy the tidings a space where human beingslived. In Hit- Executive Com,niuee that on July 5, one month after the ler philology however it takes on the mean- Alan M. Stroock, Chairman Admin. Corn. Allied forces descended on occupied ing of a space as large as the European honorary Vice-Presidents continent where innocent men, women and Irving Lehman and Abram I. Elkus France, all laws and orders of discrimi- children are being constantly exterminated, Vice-Presidents nation against Jews and other minority Jacob J. Kaplan Edward Lazansky groups which had been enacted by the The very words "nationalism" and "social- Fred Lazarus, Jr. M. C. Sloss Vichy Government were officially re- ism" will need elaborate reinterpretation Horace Stern Henry Wineman voked in the liberated area. This action after the shambles Superman has made of Ira M. Younker, Treasurer was taken through a special order issued them. Nathan M. Ohrbacli, Associate Treasurer by François Coulet, regional commis- Or take one of the simplest and most Victor S. Riesenfeld, Secretary sioner representing General Charles de popular words in all languages and dia- John Slawson, Executive Vice-President Gaulle in Normandy. lects. I refer to the word "mother," The Harry Schneiderman, Assistant Secretary This order, which renewed the tradi- standard dictionary has to assume ignor- Zachariah Shuster, Editor tion of equality for Jewish citizens in ance on the reader's part andseriously the first country to proclaim Jewish defines "mother" as "a female parent, es- 250 emancipation, was heard over a Radio pecially one of the human race." Francebroadcast fromAlgiers.It Who would have imagined that "mother" stated: "All constitutional acts, all ord- would also be a name attached to a female Election Pledges ers containing discrimination against racketeer, who under the banner of ma- Jews, all orders concerning secret so- ternity preaches hatred, violence and pre- Both the Democratic and the Repub- cieties, all decrees which inaugurated judice and spreads poisonous ideas, the lican parties have included in their special jurisdiction or established com- result of which can only be destruction and platforms special planks condemning petence or procedure of such jurisdic- death? This is the case with some so-called racial and religious prejudices, and re- tion are suspended." "mother" organizations in this country. asserting the principle of full equality Similarly, in Italy, official steps have Motherhood as a racket, "mother" as a for all American citizens. Such declara- been taken to restore full civil and po- synonym of hate instead of love, female tions are of significance in themselves. litical rights to Jews and others de- parentage as a form of seditious activity They show the awareness on the part prived of them on racial and political this could have emerged only in this of organized political opinion in the grounds. On January 20,1944, the darkest era of modern history whose eclipse United States of the dangers which Italian Government adopted a decree we are now witnessing. bigotry and discrimination present to to this effect which at the same time Philip Wylie, in his book Generationof the American way of life. The declara- annulledallFascistdiscriminatory Vipers, points his finger at the cult of tions also help to make the American measures. Moreover, the Italian Gov- "mom-ism." There is too much worship, public at large conscious of these dan- ernment is now preparing a series of genuine or artificial, of the female parent gers at the present time. decrees providing for restoration of in the United States, he claims. However, declarations alone, promul- gated once every four years, are not property confiscated by the Fascists on In my humble opinion, this accusation sufficient. In the last decade, bigotry racial and political grounds. These de- is unjustified. There is nothing wrong with and prejudice have become powerful crees will also provide indemnities for the true mother and the attitude of respect the victims of Fascist discriminations. shown her by society. The only danger- political instruments in the hands of On their own initiative prominent hal- the anti-democratic forces. A constant ous influence is that of the false mother, process of education is necessary to jans have organized a National Com- whose eternal prototype is the woman counteract their influence and to im- mittee to Aid the Victims of Fascist of the Bible who pleaded with King munize all segments of the American Racial and Religious Oppression. Solomon to cut the child in two. Loving population against the evils of bias and This resurgence of the democratic and comforting are the function of the discriminatory attitudes. The schools, spirit in liberated Europe presages, we true mother. Mutilating and hating are press, radio, platform and other means hope, the inclusion of equality for Jew- the mission of the racketeer, of enlightenment must be utilized daily ish citizens, as for all others, as a found- Let us return motherhood to its ancient in the task of preserving American de- ation-stone of the peace structure now meaning; and let the pistol-packin' morn mocracy. being discussed and planned by the drop eitherher gun or her title. These planks of both great parties United Nations leaders. z. s. THE COMMITTEE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 19/id A J C Envoys Tour Latin America; Visit President Avila Camacho

(The American Jewish Committee re- prints and distributesleaflets, pamphlets and articles which deserve wide circula- tion.Ti-ia C0MMIrrEE REPORTER here calls attention to some of these, which may be obtained upon application to the AJC offices.)

The Voice of Thy Brother's Blood: An Eleventh-Hour Appeal to All Americans. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.) A warmly-expressed, forthright appeal to all Americans to support governmental action for the immediate rescue of as many Jews as possible from Nazi-occupied Eu- rope. Describes realistically the Nazi mass- extermination methods, sums up the steps to date taken by the United Nations, and lists the democratic avenues through which United States citizens can bring public officials to take action in the matter. Writ- ten by a non-Jewish woman, from a truly Christian point of view. Frank, fair, logical, Manuel Avila Camacho, President of Mexico, (center) who has just announced that Mexico will open excellent. its doors as a temporary haven for refugees, greets Morris D. Waldman (right), and Jacob Landau, (left), American Jewish Committee representatives. Democracy and Racial Minorities. By the Hon. Francis Biddle, Attorney Gen- Mexico City was the first stop in a tour of Latin American countries recently under- eral of the United States (an address deliv- taken by Morris D. Waidman, vice-chairman of the Executive Committee, and Jacob ered at a dinner marking the fifth anniversary Landau, of the Overseas Committee of the American Jewish Committee, in order to of the institute of Religious Studies in New York.) gather first-hand information on Jewish community developments in the South and Central After touching on the treatment of the American countries and acquaint Latin American Jewish leaders with the activities and Japanese, Negroes and Jews in the U.S. policies of the Committee. during World War 11, Attorney General During their stay in Mexico, which lasted several weeks, Mr. Waidman and Mr. Biddle warns that "intolerance...under- Landau had a number of very satisfactory conferences with President Manuel Avila mines our moral authority as a nation Camacho, Foreign Minister Ezequiel Padilla, and other high-ranking Mexican govern- which apparently can profess but cannot ment officials. They also were in close touch with George Messersmith, the American practice democracy," and suggests the or- Ambassador, with whom they discussed various phases of the present emergency in ganization of a national movement, under Jewish affairs. private auspices, to bring home to the Mr. Waidman and Mr. Landau also held discussions with many Mexican Jewish com- American people the "tragic implications munity leaders. Among the important functions which they attended as honored guests of these disunities." The Attorney Gen- was a banquet for the American Ambassador, held at the home of Elias Surasky, prominent eral's address was first reprinted in the Jewish community leader and financier. Arturo Wolfowitz, president of the Jewish Central Winter 1944 issue of the magazine Corn- Committee of Mexico, was also present. mon Ground, a publication of the Common The itinerary of the two American Jewish Committee representatives includes Council for American Unity. Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia and the countries of Central America, where they will continue their discussions with public Meet Your Relatives. leaders on matters of general Jewish interest. A playlet for elementary school children, adapted by Alice B. Nirenberg from the pamphlet The Races of Mankind, by Ruth Benedict and Gene Weitfish. (Public Affairs Mexican Havenfor Jewish Refugees Hailed Committee.) The Mexican Government's recent an- Requesting Ambassador Castillo Náj era A catchy, amusing playlet that should nouncement of its intention to establish a to convey to President Camacho the senti- bluw the cobwebs of prejudice out of chil- haven of refuge for persecuted Jews was ments of gratitude and admiration of the dren's heads and give them a fresh set of acclaimed by Judge Joseph M. Proskauer, American Jewish Committee and of the sensible, unbiased notions, as the following United States as a whole, Judge Proskauer's lyric to the tune of "Pistol Packin' Mama" president of the American Jewish Commit- tee, in a letter to Dr. Francisco Castillo letter declared: "What makes your hos- indicates: pitality all the more valuable now is the No matter, if you happen to Nájera, Mexican Ambassador in Washing- critical situation of Jews in such places as Be white, or brown, or yellow- ton, as "one more generous deed in the Hungary, from which they may yet be Chemically, your skin/s the same long Mexican tradition of refuge for the saved if they can find a reception in coun- As any other fellow!" oppressed." tries not cursed by Nazi rule." THE COMMITTEE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 1944 NAZIS DESTROYED BELGIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY 70,000 Jews of That Country EHjoyed Prosperity and Equality Under Democratic Régime

As this is being written, the battle of France is nearing its cli- max. The sounds of liberation are already being heard in the other countries of Western Europe which have been occupied by the Nazis. Among them is Belgium, in which some 70,000 members of the Jewish community were trapped by the Nazi invasion of May, 1940. How many Jews will be found when the Nazis have left, it is difficult to estimate, stated Dr. Jan-Albert Goris, Commissioner of Information for the Belgian Government-in-Exile, to a repre- sentative of the COMMITTEE REIORTER. The reports from the underground have been conflicting. 'For example, in June, 1943, the underground reported that the country was almost, jüdenrein' after one year of deportations to Poland and the Ukraine; subsequent communications, however, mention Jews as being present in various localities," explained Dr. Guns. The 70,000 Jews who remained in Belgium represented 75 per cent of the total Belgian Jewish population, Dr. Goris said. This picture of a German concentration camp at Huy, Belgium was The Nazi invaders first persecuted those Jews who were not smuggled out by the underground. Belgian citizens; this included 25,000 refugees from Germany, Poland, Rumania, etc., as well as Jews long resident in Belgium who had not yet taken Out their citizenship papers. In Antwerp, ail groups enjoy full religious freedom, and the Jews have since Dr. Goris' native city, where there was the largest concentration that time maintained their own communal organization, with of Jewish population (about 45,000), the diamond industry was a central consistory and chief rabbinate in Brussels. almost entirely in the hands of Jews, many of whom had come Since the Nazi occupation, the Belgians have demonstrated originally from Russia, Poland or Galicia. Living in one neighbor- conspicuous friendship towards the Jews, Dr. Goris remarked. hood, these Jews provided an easy target for Nazi attacks when Several thousand Jewish children have been taken into Belgian the invaders began to put the Nuremberg laws into effect, several families; some Jews are known to be in hiding in Belgian homes; months after the occupation. and the showing of anti-Semitic moving pictures is frequently disturbed by stink bombs thrown by patriots. When the Nazis Jews Robbed, Imprisoned, Deported refuse food ration cards to Jewish children, the Belgian Winter Relief Society steps in and feeds them before the other children. Starting mildly, with the marking of Jewish shops, which, however, customers were not forbidden to enter, the Nazis soon Asylum to Jewish Refugees intensified their anti-Semitic measures, finally eliminating Jews entirely from the economic structure of the country, where they Moreover, the Belgian Government acted benignly towards had been prominent in the diamond, fur, leather and textile indus- the many thousands of Jewish refugees who came to Belgium tries, as well as in the liberal and white-collar professions. as a haven after 1933, Dr. Goris stated. In 1939, when economic The rounding up of Jews and their shipment to concentration conditions compelled the restriction of the hitherto generous im- camps was the final step in the German program, said Dr. Goris. migration facilities for refugees, the Belgian Government credited Nazi trucks would drive up to Jewish neighborhoods at four in Jewish welfare organizations with six million francs ($200,000) the morning and speed away with their victims. Several concen- for the care and vocational retraining of refugees. In 1940, eight tration camps were established, notably one at Breendonck, a million francs were appropriated for the same purpose. former fort between Brussels and Antwerp, where prisoners in This action of the Belgian Government was taken at thesug- the Jewish section were marked by yellow patches sewn to the gestion of M. Paul Emile Janson, Minister of Justice, a man of front and back of their uniforms. A camp at Mechelen (Malines, deep humanitarian sympathies, whose death in a Germancon- in French) served as a shipping center from which Jews were centration camp was announced recently. M. jansonwas respon- periodically deported to eastern Europe. Cardinal van Roey, Pri- sible for opening the gates of Belgium to the Jewish refugees mate of Belgium, who lives in that city, protested against the on the St. Louis who were desperately seeking a country of deportations of Jews, but without success. refuge, and for Belgium's decision to waive her immigration Prior to the Nazi invasion, the "Jewish question' hardly existed restrictions in favor of the persecuted Jews coming from in Belgium, commented Dr. Goris. There was neither legal nor Germany. social discrimination, of the type seen in "restricted" hotels and With regard to post-war prospects for Jews in Belgium, Dr. clubs. The Belgians were by and large completely indifferent to Goris stated that "the Belgian law has never made any distinction the religious affiliations of their friends, neighbors or business between Jews and other citizens." The question of what isto be acquaintances. done with those Jews who are not Belgian nationals is an inter- national problem, and will have to be solved by international Jews in Belgium 16 Centuries agreement. It is known nevertheless that the Jews in the diamond industry have been told officially that their return to Belgium Jews have lived in Belgium since the fourth century, and al- will be welcomed regardless of their nationality. That all ordi- though they suffered persecutions from time to time during the nances promulgated against the Jews in Belgium by the Nazis Middle Ages, there have been no anti-Semitic outbreaks since are unconstitutional and will be voided upon liberation (see the fourteenth century, Dr. Goris declared. According to the con- the May issue of the COMMITTEE REPORTER) has been officially stitution drawn up after Belgium won her independence in 1830, declared by the Government-in-Exile. THE COMMITTEE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER1944 United Demonstration Demands Rescue of Hungarian Jews

The American Jewish Committee joined with the American Jewish Conference and seven other national organizations in spon- soring a New York City mass meeting of more than 40,000 persons to protest the threatened annihilation of Hungarian Jews by the Nazis. At the meeting, which overflowed two city blocks, messages from President Frank- lin D. Roosevelt and Governor Thomas E. Dewey, pledging that there would be a day of reckoning for those guilty of bar- barous acts against the Jewish people of Europe, were greeted with cheers by the assembled throng. Above: (left to right) Judge RepresentingtheAmericanJewish Jose ph M. Proskauer; Henry Committee, Judge Joseph M. Proskauer Monsky; Senator Ralph O. declared that "nothing can save the rem- Brewster; Assistant U. S. nant of our brethren from this ruin Attorney General Norman except the aroused and concerted action S. Littell. At right: Part of of the civilized world." the crowd at mass meeting Other speakers at the meeting included to protest against persecu- Senator Ralph Owen Brewster of Maine, tion of Hungarian Jews. who said that the United States would again request permission for Jewish im- migration to Palestine "whenever mili- tary necessity will permit"; Dr. Stephen S. Wise, who presided; Norman S. Littell, Assistant U. S. Attorney General; Henry Committee's depositions to high Catholic Peace Committee Formed Monsky, president of B'nai B'rith; Adolph dignitaries have brought favorable results. Held, chairman of the Jewish Labor Com- In a letter to Judge Joseph M. Proskauer, Continued from page ¡ mittee; Dr. Geza Takaro, of the First Mag- president of the Committee, Archbishop judge Phillip Forman, Trenton; Judge Eli yar Reformed Church; and Rabbi Isaac A. G. Cicognani, Apostolic Delegate in Frank, Baltimore; Waldo Frank, New Rubenstein, former Chief Rabbi of Vilna Washington, stated that "the Government York; Judge Jacob J. Kaplan, Boston; Dr. and former member of the Polish Senate. of Hungary has given assurance to His Hans Kohn, Northampton, Massachusetts; Byvocalindorsementthemeeting Eminence, Cardinal Seredi, Primate of Arthur K. Kuhn, New York; Fred Lazarus, adopted a resolution which appealed to Hungary, that deportations of Jewish peo- Jr., Columbus, Ohio; Monte M. Lemann, the United Nations to broadcast warnings ple will cease," and that "in fact the whole New Orleans; Samuel D. Leidesdorf, New to the Hungarian Government and people racial situation has somewhat improved." York; James Marshall, New York; Harris that they wou1d not be allowed to escape (As to the sincerity of the Hungarian Peristein, Chicago; Dr. Milton J. Rosenau, full responsibility for the crimes now being Government's assurances that deportations perpetrated against the Jews within their Chapel Hill, N. C.; Dr. Alexander N. Sack, will be stopped, there is ground for grave New York; Dr. I. L. Sharfman, Ann Arbor, territory. doubt. According to a dispatch from Swe- The resolution also said that the pro- Michigan; Hon. Murray Seasongood, Cin- den on August 27, the Hungarian authori- cinnati; Hon. M. C. Sloss, San Francisco; tection of the United States and the other ties in cooperation with the Gestapo re- Jesse H. Steinhart, San Francisco; judge United Nations should be openly extended sumed the mass deportations of Jews im- to the victims; that the territories under Horace Stern,Philadelphia; Dr. Frank mediately after Rumania joined the Allies. Tannenbaum, New York; Sidney J. Wein- their administration should be open to all Only repeated Allied warnings to the Hun- Jews who can be rescued; that all possible berg, New York; Maurice Wertheim, New garian satellites of severe retribution for York; Rabbi Jonah B. Wise, New York. effortsto extend relief to the victims their abominable acts may still save some through the International Red Cross should of the surviving Jews, against whom the Adopted on January 31, 1943, the State- be made; and that military authorities, in fury of a desperate and crumbling Nazi ment of Views of the American Jewish cooperation with the underground forces, power is now being unleashedED.) Committee urges upon the United Nations should make every effort to destroy the that the framers of the peace take meas- implements and facilities of the Nazi mass AN OMISSION ures for the relief, repatriation, rehabilita- tion and restoration of the civil and religi- executions. The name of Solomon Barkin, director of While the Committee participated in researchof the Textile Workers' Union of ous rights of the distressed Jewish popu- this mass demonstration on behalf of the America, was inadvertently omitted from the lations of war-torn countries. list of participants in the Conference on Re- The Statement of Views also reaffirms Hungarian Jews, it continued its efforts to search in the Field of Anti-Semitism, published amelioratethe situation through other in the July issue of the COMMITTEE RE- the Committee's sympathy with those Jews channels. It is gratifying to note that the PORTER. who wish to settle in Palestine. 8 THE COMMITTEE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 1944

TJhe /9ro?nLieof ihflewyear RUSH HASHONAH MESSAGE By Judge Joseph M. Proskauer, president of the American Jewish Committee The New Year holds forth many promises. It holds forth "conclude a union," a union in which right and justice will victory and a democratic peace. It holds forth the end of preempt partisan and narrow considerations. May it bring savagery and suffering, tears and heartbreak. It holds forth us beyond the long and slippery road of blood to the junction liberty, a chance for the humblest of men to breathe freely where all men will meet in the task of reconstructing homes again. More than anything else, it holds forth the promise of and schools, cultural values and tradition. May the New Year a brave new world, a world in which we may plan our future witness increased efforts on the part of American Jewry to and the future of our children without stultifying fear. help bring about the rehabilitation of the shattered Jewish To Jews all over the world, to all of us whoa have suffered communities throughout the world. 5' so much and have waited so long, the clarion chords of the "Persecution," Mairnonides long ago consoled his people, i shofar this New Year will sound the note of hope for this 'is a tribute to the presence of God in Israel's camp." Today, brave new world. In the surge of happy tears which the shofar God is in the camp of myriads of men, women and children, evokes, in the warm symbolism of the holiday, we will lind Jewish and non-jewish. He is in the camp of all the world's ourselves anew and rededicate ourselves to enhance the afflicted. Let us touch the hem of divinity to gather the power 5 inherent goodness and nobility in men's souls which the and inspiration to create the world where man-made holo- 5 princes of evil tried to throttle. causts will cease and all peoples be accorded the dignity and l May the New Year vitalize and perpetuate in our hearts sancity due to His image, a world in which all peoples will and minds the spirit and resolutions of the holiday. May it be endowed with the sacred right to live and develop and go lead us, in the words of the High Holy Day service, to forward to embrace their divine heritage. Prize Poem Expresses Sympathy for Jewish Tragedy "Behold the Jew," by Ada Jackson, Extols Jewish Contribution and Pleads for Justice Profound compassion for the tortured And yet I think that it should be But long and long before that day Jews of Europe is the theme of a poem, a proud glad thing to be a Jew. old Isaacs laid his tools away Behold the Jew, by Ada Jackson, which I am a Gentile, but there are and slept in Abraham, and I was acclaimed England's Greenwood Prize yet names that thrill my being thro'." was tearful, hardly knowing why; Poem for 1943. but prayed that night that it should be In this slender 20-page volume, recently remembered how he gave to me published here by the Macmillan Com- three mohair buttons, fine and rare, pany, Mrs. Jackson succeeds in conveying and asked that God should find a coat- to the reader her warm feeling towards embroidered, sleeve and hem and throat, Jews and her appreciation of the Jewish a coat like Joseph's, bright and fair- contribution to civilization. Her sense of for Mr. Isaacs, Jew, to wear." justice gags at the lukewarm qualified sym- Memories of other Jews come throng. pathy with which some of her gentile ingmen anxious to defend their country, friends accept the Jewish tragedy; and she soldiers who have given their livesin impresses upon her audience the urgency battle. In a climax of indignation the author of immediate action on behalf of suffering exclaims that she cannot keep silent: Jewish populations. "Behold the Jew, in whom I find Closing with a moving appeal for posi- no more of fault than lies within tive deeds of succor, the poem implies that the soul of any other man. failure to act places some of the guilt and Thus do I cry; thus, sharp and thin, responsibility for anti-Jewish fiendishness half wavering before the mob, on the shoulders of the spectators. spake Pilate in another day The daughter of an artist, Ada Preble of Christ the Jewand left it there; Jackson was brought up in Warwickshire, and washed his hands, and turned away. England. An excellent student, she won a But I can never leave it there. scholarship at a teacher-training center and Ada Jackson If I keep silence all these things at eighteen went to her first job at fifty are done of me and in my name, pounds a year. After her marriage to The author now turns from famous and mine the guilt of bludgeonings Tommy Jackson she turned to free-lance names to the rank and file of Jews includ- and massacres" writing and in 1933 won the National ing those whom she has known personally. The sincerity, warmth and sense of jus. Poetry Prize in England. She recalls "old Isaacs," a tailor whom she tice of Behold the Jew, together with its In introducing her theme, the author had hoped some day to repay for a gift attractive poetic qualities, should win for meditates on the valuable role of the Jews of fine buttons, presented to her in her the poem a wide audience, both Jewish and in building the world's culture: poor student days: non-Jewish, in this country as in England,