THE  JEWISH  WESTERN BULLETIN
The Jewish Western Bulletin
Official Organ of the Vancouver Jewish Admfaiistrative Coondl Published Weekly Every Friday at 2675 Oak street--BAy. 4210
Business Hours: 9 a.in. to 5 p.nL, except Saturday and Jewish Holy Days.
Nathan Slutsky______________.________.----------------Committee Chairman
Ruth Toubman._________________...............................Society Editor
By CHABL01TE WSSER
VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA, FRmAY, DEC. 27, 1946.
EDITO Rl A L
The World Zionist Congress
By NATHAN ZEPRIN
Never before in its history has the Zionist movement faced such a poHtical crisis as it does now.   Britain's dis-> regard of commitments, coupled with a poUcy of vacillation and cruelty, has set off a chain of terrorism which threatens to develop into civil strife.
While that is the internal picture in Palestine, tens of thousands of Jews who survived Hitlerism are languishing in displaced perspns camps and their threads of Ufe are held together by hope that a way will ultimately be f otand to have them brought into the Holy Land. Similar hopes are shared by the the tens of thousands of Jews "who escaped the camps, but whose Hfe in hostile surroundings and on soil drenched in Jewish blood, is a nightmare.
These are but few of the problems to be considered by the World Zionist Congress now being held in Basle. To hope that the conclave will evolve a solution would require an unbelievable degree of optimism, since no decision it will reach can have any concrete meaning unless it is implemented by action—and the implementation of those decisions seems to rest on an indifferent, if not hostile, world. Yet Jewry throughout the world, irrespective of views and outloops on political Zionism, will have its eyes on the Zionist Congress. For apart from being a gathering of men and women representing the Zionist view, the World Zionist Congress is a conclave of a vast, perhaps most influential, segment of Jewry. It is, in every sense, a conclave not concerning itself with Palestine alone, nor with political Zionism alone, but iwith the vast problem of saving the Jewish people. •
It would be idle to speculate at this time on the ultimate solution of the Palestine porblem. The world is too morally shattered to pay much attention to just grievances and honest claims. But the Congress can contribute to the healing of Jewish wounds, to the assuaging of Jewish hurts, if it rises to the spirit of the moment and its platform is transformed into an expression of the Jewish conscience, of the voice of the living and of the millions of slaughtered Jews. PoHtical leadership is an instnmient for political attainment. The Congress will surely find that leadership. But in these tragic
is need more for the seer than the for prophecy, for a word of consola-and revielation.   Millions of Jews j^l^^lgl^^d are looking forward to hear that word.
mmY
By Phinear J. Biron
Within the next few weeks, a provisional Jewish Gtovemment for Palestine will be established. It will be announced immediately after the Zionist World Congress by an independent Zionist Group, in spite of the opposition of the Jewish lAgency. We are reliably informed that important sections of Palestine Jewry will approve the move. The provisional government wiU immediately issue 100,-000 visas for the immigrants to Palestine. The first foreign power to recognize the iJewish provisional government vnll probably be France.
STAGE and SCREEN
Attention Ho^va^d Fast: Several men of means in Chicago are very much interested dn helping to finance a screen version of your Freedom Road with Paul Robeson as the star. James Roosevelt, eldest son of FDR, is very much to-terested in producing a movie on Palestine. iBen Hadit has promised to write the scenario. Which reminds us that David Ellin, who conquered Broadway's drama critic's in Ben Hacht's Swan Song is the son of the editor of the Montreal Yiddish Daily "The Eagle."
Louis Levine, president of the National Jevidsh Cotmcil for Russian Relief, spoke in Chicago recently on his return from a trip to the Soviet Union. He told the story of how he went out one day in Moscow "looking for the iron curtain". He set up a camera in Red Square and began taking pic-ttu-ea. Expected arrest or worse. As he went about his photography a large crowd gathered and closed in on him. The (sinister purpose of the menancing mob? They wanted to get into the picture.
We predict ithat the iron curtain aroimd alleged Army anti-Semitism in the American zone of Germany will be exploded shortly. Shrapnel will pierce many a •'brass hat.'
WE WONDER
Is it true that an elderly, very distinguished Jev/ish leader, who all his life was (opposed to Zionism, will publicly join the Zionist Organization of America? It would be very embarrassing for the non-Zionist Committee of which he is fee head.
TEIE LAST HERZL
Stephan G. Norman, grandson of Theodore Herzl, who committed suicide recently, is the third member of Herd's immediate family to end his life by his own hand. Hans Herzl, only son of Thedor, killed himself some fifteen years ago and Pauline, a daughter, did likevnse.
BETWEEN COVERS
The Dutch Government is very much alarmed lover the rising tide of anti-Semitism in the Netherlands. One of tl\p reli^ous papers in Holland advises people to counteract bigory by reading Heine, the great Germaii poet. We'd recommend for this piupose .the work of the native Netherlander: "Earth Could Be Pair" by Pierre Van Passen. The battle be-tv/en orthodox and radical Jwish publications is on with the debut of the Freiheit-backed "Jewish Life," a few weeks after the first issue of the orthodox magazine of the same name. Bets are being taken as to which will haws the longest life span.
Odds and Ends
Is the "British Magazine," which made its bow in New York a few days ago, a British Government publication- An anti-fascist Jewish World Conference is being planned for early next year in Europe. It will be attended by a large delegation from Palestine. Unless the British put the same stay at home order to worfc that they used to keep Hebrew University students from attending the World Student Congress at Prague this summer.
Every so often a columnist is faced 'simultaneously with a deadline and the numbing realization that he has no confidential document to "break" to the public eye, no one has whispered •any state secrets to him, and he has, in fact, no hitherto tmpubli^ed news of any sort with which to inform his readers. At such times one is indeed reduced to pinAing tales out of thin, or almost thin, ah*. Here follows the chronicle of such a tale, how it was built up and, subsequently, shaken up.
Onfe day a week ago Henry F. Grady, who had more or' less dropped out of sight since the president's Cabinet Committee on Palestine and Related Problems had returned to Washington with the Grady-Morrison plan, called at the Whitehouse for a chat with President Truman. Grady emerged from this talk with his chief and told reporters that the President might seek to reactivate the Committee.
iWmking this might indicate that somethmg was in (the wind on the Palestine situation, a reporter asked Acting Secretary of State Dean Acheson the next day what Mr. Grady meant by the allusion to the Cabinet Committtee. Could the secretary shed any light on what kmd of work the Committee would concern itself with? Would it work again with the British. Cabinet Committee?
Mr. Acheson was mystified. He had no mfornlation about any soon to (come meeting of the Committee, he said. Neither did he know what sort of work the Committee would ibe called upon to do if it were, to be resurrected at this time. The matter was dropped.
Shortly after ,that it was reported out of London and out of Palestine that the British Government had a new seven-point plan for settlement of the Palestine problem which, the news stories said, would be presented at the forthcoming London Conference scheduled to get under way again in January^,
The new plan supposedly set out the Negev for Jewish col-onization, allowed for the immigration of 100,000 European refugees into Palestine in the next 18 months but had no provision for immigration thereafter, said Palestine would be a British Mandate for the next 15 years and
provided for a 40 per cent Jewish 40 per cent Arab and 20 per cent British legislative coimcil.
Was there such a plan and was ithe Cabinet Committee to be resurrected in tlie near futvure 'to study it?
. An imofficial British source doubted that there was, as yet, a formal report along those lines, but said he thought that Byrnes and Bevin had come quite a way in finding grounds for discussion that would make it possible for both the Jews and Arabs to sit dovra together at the conference table in January. He said he thought the points outlined in the reportedly new plan were probably in the memorandum on which Byrnes and Bevin are basing their New York talks,
A British Embassy official, on the other hand, said that they, at the Embassy, had not seen nor heai:d of any such report. He said he thought it "quits imlikely" that Byrnes and Bevin should have reached any such conclusions as are supposedly set forth in the new plan because the proposals do not "go as far" as President Truman's demands. As stated piiblicly in the statement issued by the Whitehouse on October 4. In that statement Truman supported the proposal of the Jewlsn Agency Executive calling for the creation of a viable Jewish state in control of its own immigration and economic policies, and as the immediate issuance of 100,000 immigration certificates.
As a miatter of fact the Cabinet Committee, lor rather the Cabinet Committee alternates, Henry F. Grady for the Secretary of State, Goldthwaite H. Dorr for the Secretary lof War, and Herbert G^^-ton for the Secretary of the Treas-suxy held regular meetings up until six weeks lago when Dorr left for Germany on a War Department mission to study the conditions of *the Jewish displaced persons in Germany.
Thus, judging from all official and well-informed soiwces, who are highly ^epUcal of any approaching activity by the Committee, this interim period is a poor time for hastily drawn conclusions. All eyes, apparently, are now on Basle, Switzerland, where the World Zionist Congress is I holding sessions.
THIS WEEK
By HECHALUTZ
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Democracy does not mean solely political freedom. It includes spiritual and cultural freedom as viell. For were it not so, diemocracy would not lat all be a noble ideal, but rather a most ignoble one. What price political freedtom if one must enter a spiritual prison? Our rabbis rmderstood lihat "Tzei uland ma bekaysh lavan Hoaraami"
Pioneer Women
On December 23rd at the home of Mrs. Fah'gin, the Pioneer Worn, en's Organizaltion celebrated Channukah in. the form of a meet-ting tmder the chairmanship of Mrs. A. Lapidus, the vice-president. Mr. and Mrs. I. Horowitz, teachers at the Talmud Torah attended as special guests.
Very little business was talcen up at this meeiting, where it was decddied to hold a Social on January 18th, at the Community Centre. A new idea was suggested at the meeting that the members of this organization send "Channukah Gelt", in rthe name of their children or granddiildren, (to the imfortun-ate children that were brought into Palestine or that are still in Europe. After some discussion the idea was accepted and everyone gave Channukah Gelt generously and a substantial svan was raised. It was decided not to send the ' money immediately so {that the members that were not present at the meeting would have a chance to have their namees on the special list of Channukah Gelt contributors.
—Laban was a neater danger to Jewish survival than /was Pharoah for Pharoah wished/only to weaken Israel by killing most of the males but Laban wished to entirely uproot Israel by forcing them to conform to his Aramic culture and values.
Now whait do we mean by spiritual and cultural freedom within a democracy? Very definitely it means there can be no suteh thing as a state [religion, for then members of "any other religion would be discrimanated against in a sphere of vital imiwrtanoe to them. Just as definitely, it means that no special favors can be shown to "any erligion for then members of any religion for then memhers of criminated against. What can be deduced from all this? Simply this—that there can be no religious education in lihe public scihools tmless'it is such that it is aocep> table to ALL religions. In truth this, too, is insufiEident, tfor is it democmtic to force religion on any nian or his duldren? Of course not, and so religious education really ought to be banished entirely from the public sdhools and left to the parents or the organized religions themsdves. But assuming that all icdtizens of the democracy are members of one religion or another—what religious education is democratically pemriissable in the public schools? jObviously only that which is common to and
By ALFRED SEGAL The opinions expressed by the authofr of this column are not necessarily    subscribJed    to . by this newspaper.
HEAVENLY DISCOURSE
It is brought to me that there is going to, be an' evangalistic movement, you might call it, to bring JeiyisJx religion to the Jews. Like the circuit riders of Christian tradition in the U. S., rabbis are travelling from town to tovra. carrying the old faith in Reform garments.
It's called a cavalcade which is a fancy title for "revival," a term much to be preferred. The Union of American Hebrew Congregations is running it. I am told that Jews all roimd the coimtry are welcoming this revival of a Jud-.aism that has to do with God and 'with the way for Jews to live in a social v/orld.
I have no confidential connection with the Divine Mind but it is fair for me to guess that God is rejoicing, too, over tiiis hopeful manifestation among the children of Israel.
As I'hjve reason to believe there has been considerable distress up in" heaven about the way Jews have been going In many starange directions of being Jewish. It is recalled .there that it was Abra' ham's vision that discovered God.
It was the Jews who stood at Sana! and there received the teaching for personal behavior in the Ten Commandments and the social teaching that you can find in the Torah.
It was the Jewish prophets v/ho preached the social way to live. ("What doth the Lord thy. God require of thee but to deal justly and to walk humbly. Have we not all one Father, hath not one God created us?")
So on the heavenly leven there has been no littie distressful puzzlement about the way the current Jews hive been going. They have been going far from (the spiritual concept of being Jewish. Jewish religion has become minor among Jewish activities.
It comes to me—though if you asked me how it comes to me I couldn't tell you—it comes to me only recently -there was discourse about the, whole matter on the top level of :tke angelic host—Gabriel, Daniel and Uriel. Daniel started it by asfldng What's a Jew? Gabriel repeated that the concept of what is a Jew has 'been gettirig to be horribly confused lately.
"Of course," said Uriel, "I'd say that being a Jew^ must "now and forever be the same thing it has always been in times .before. To be a Jew is to walk as a man whose feet are on the earth and whose head is as high as God. A Jew is a man who carries his spiritual teaching as an everlasting biurden; it disciplines the way of life."
"Precisely!" Daniel exclaimed. "But, look, that isn't the way of Jews in these times." He was pointing to the Jewish scene on earth. ^
Gabriel,- Daniel and Uriel beheld Jews running aroimd in circles and getting nowhere at all. They heard Jews in angry controversy over politics. There was the spectacle of Jews furtively plantjing bombs to settle a Jewish problem. The sole preoccupation of some
Jews was fighting anti-Semites. The anti-Semites seemed (to Gabriel, Daniel and Urjel) no more than flies in a garbage can but these Jews were fighting them fiu-iously. There was a trixmiph-ant shout from one of them J "I almost caught up with one of the flies. His name is Gerald Smith."
Gabriel, Daniel and Uriel meditated upon the confusion.
"Where," asked .Gabriel, "is a Jew whose head is as high as God?".
"Where," asked Daniel, "Is a Jew who understands the spiritual and ethical endowment of being a Jew?"
"Where," asked Uriel," is a Jew who is serving at the alter rather than making a speech in the forum?"
Yet there were a lot of littie people, not at all conspicuous, who were walking along in the quiet ways like the way in which God walked in the cool of the evening. They had no speeches to give out, except what their hearts spoke.
Their hearts were saying what the "prophet said about the duty of man to deal justiy and to walk • humbly. They were going humbly with other kinds of people- who were going their way toward the brotherhood. Their way of being Jewish was in the brotherhood of man; they knew there *can be no brotherhood where the brothers set themselves apart in separate exclusive companies. They knew that there can Ibe no salvation of Jews that was separate from the salvation of mankind. Among them walked the prophet who had spoken about the people being all God's children .together.
Gabriel, Daniel and Uriel discovered these Jews amid the confusion of Jewry and they could rejoice as at a saving remnant and ran to God with the tidings.
It's no wonder that the Rabbinical missionaries have been welcomed by the Jews in all cities. The Jews who never ascend to the speaker's tables are sick and tired of the brawl in Israel. They are grateful to be led into where thre is peace of mmd and a return to the lofty place where a iman's head is as high as God.
I congratulate the Union of American Hebrew Congregations on the success of its revival which has long been needed in American Jewry. I am not sure, though, that they can convert to the spirituality of Judaism aU of the politicians in Israel.
Some of them love the prominence with which the status of politician endows them. .They like the sound of their voices in the forum, -The Judaism that walks religiously and htmibly with God is so quiet. It doesn't call for speeches, except (those which a man's conscience addresses to him. It'd the way to peace of mind and it's no "way for political extroverts.
To all communities to whi|ch the Jewish revival may |be coming I commend they give it such a welcome as they certainly would give to the Jewish teaching if they stood at Sinai waiting tor the tablets.
acceptable by all the religions.
This perforce restricts reli^ous education (to the Tanach. This is inexiorably and very necessarily so —otherwise there is religious intolerance which is of course contrary to one of the four freedoms and one > of these things against wihich the last two gr^t wars were supposed to be fought.
It is probably known to, all that religious intolerance exists Sn our public schools—that a prayer taken from 'the piirely Christian testament is said ©very day by all the children; that there are readings to the children from 'the purely
Christian testament; that school time is devoted to the celebration of purely phristian holidays; that purely Christian reli^ous songs are taught to ALL the pupils, tniis is emphatically reli^ous intolerance: It is luidemocratic and it is the duty of EVERY true dtizen of a democracy to combat this practice.
And) sin^e this Sntoleraiwle as practiced diiefly against us, how about our guardians, our Rabbis and our anti-defaination leagues and oiur congresses doing something about it?