THE JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
Friday, August 23, 1946.
The Jewish Western Bulletin
Ometal Crgan of ihe Vanecwver Jewish Admlnistrsare CouncQ
Nathan Slutsky........................................Committee Chairman
Ruth Toubman._______________________________^.............-------Society Editoi
Published Weekly Every Friday at
2675 Oak Street--BAy. 4210
â– uoaiMs Boxur. T 4i.ni. to 5 pjn.. except Saturday and Jewish Holy Days. ^.::ered sa Second Class Mail Matter at Ottawa
I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors, and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true
—Ahrahdm Lincoln
VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 23,1946
EDITORIAL
By Fred A. Stem
Black Water or Black Cells ?
As this issue is going to press, disturbing reports are coining from Palestine that several Jewish refugee ships are crowding the Haifa Port and that British naval vessels are standing by to seize and deport the Jews. Since the report comes on the heels of a British request to European powers to halt "illegal" Jewish immigration at its source, it follows that the drama unfolding itself on the waters of the Holy Land evidences British determination to flout world public opinion and to proceed with an anti-Jewish policy come hell or fire.
That one of the ships is manned only by the unskilled hands of the refugees and that there might be a repetition of the Sturma tradgedy—^that does not concern the lords of 10 Downing Street. That the desperate Jewish refugees might seek death in the black waters rather than life in the hell-holes called camps—^that does not phase the British politicians. That the policy of mercilessly turning back men seeking haven after years of torture in the heU-chambers of Europe might write another bloody chapter in the history
of Jewish martyrology—^that does not worry self-styled champions of socialism.
Hitler looked upon the Jews as stumbling blocks in his struggle for world domination, and he ordered them liquidated. The British politicians who are determined to dominate the Near East, with Palestine replacing Egypt as a military base, are providing themselves more than apt Hitler pupils.
Palestine Jewry, a small but compactly built commimity, has conducted itself with dignity in the face of the recent British provocations. But patience is not an inexhaustable human quality. England has declared war against the Jewish people of Europe and Palestine but the voice of Jacob may prove itself stronger than the hands of Essau.
By Pliineas J. Byron
ROOM AND BOARD For Gentleman FAir. 4275 Y
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1946 PATES
August 7 to August 14 August 17 to August 24 August 26 to September 2
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The Jewish Child in a Jewish Schqol
The Vancouver Peretz School is now registering
chjldreii £<8r the saexC school terirj, teach: w»
Yiddish—Reading, Writmg and Grammar;
Jewish Literature,'
Jewish History;
Songs, Poetry, Dramatics.
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EXPLANATORY FOOTNOTE
Lt. Gen Sir Evelyn Barker^ Bri-•tish Ccomnander in Palestine whose anti-Semitic remarks aboui fraternization with Jews were repudiated by his coimtry, and used to command occi^pation troops in Sclowosswig Holstein. He was removed from Germany because he was too frietidly with the NazLs... PAINTER OFSADNESS
Max Band, one of the world'c outstanding contemporary painters, writes: "You call me the paintei of sadness . . . The artist paints what he loves . ..I love the color, light and shadow of trees, rivers and moimtains ... I love the beauty, sensuality, and texture of flowers and fruit ... As for human 'beings, the oppressed, the sad are nearest to my heart — I paint only what I love." NOT FIT FOR PRINT
Newspapers did not report one of the most disgraceful anti-Jewish incidents. It happened in Liberty, New York. Two ex-GI's in imif orm stormed into a tavern and administered a cruel beating to the owner, an elderly Jew . . . While demolishing his place they shr-ieked: "We'll finish the job for Hitler ..." The police took the two soldiers into custody . . . Everybody in and around Oberty tries to shrug off the incident as an tmfortunate affair. . . . The press is being kept away . . . Nothing really happened, 'the Jewish friends of the tavern keeper answer to all inquiries. . . . But the tavern keper's face and body tell
a different story.....
THE FIGHT MUST GO ON
Rev. Ben Richardson delivered a stiring address the other night before a breathless audience at Lake Mohegan. When he concluded his speach, calling upon Ameri-
ca's Cauristiao leadership to take up the case for persecuted Eiiro-pean Jewry, the men and women who surged forward to shake his ihand noticed deadly pallor. . . . They never knew that just before Richardson mounted the irostruBi: he had received a wire reading: "Reheubic (his wife) in Coipely Hospital critical condition result of automobile accident" Rhoubie Richardson is a brilliant .dental research worker and a militant Miti-fascist , . . Our hat is off to Ben who knows that the fight must go on. ATTENTION MR. ATTLEE
Karl Kauf mann, Adolph Hitler's extraordiary deputy in Hamburg, who is detained as a war criminal in the camp of Neuengamine (British Zone) is now giving lectures to his co-prisioners from SS gangs on "Nazi Race" and Nationality Questions" .... Kaiifmann, ordinary thug and a Nazi of long standing, is a notorious miurderer... His record shows more than forty executions of. Jewish and non-Jewish and anti-fascists orederd by him before the outbreak of the war. . . During the war he multiplied his record. . . . Why is this gangster permitted to spread Nazi doctrine With the official sanction of the British command? .... RECOMMENDATION.
We recommend 'Plathways Through The Bible" by Mortimer J. Cohen, with 25 two-color illustrations and a five-color fronts is piece by Arthur Szyk. . . The price of ?3.00 is a reaj bargain: . . .Any other publisher would have charged ?6,000 for this! delux edition. . The Jewish Publication Society of America is rendering a great service by making this beautiful volume accessible to the public of America. , . .
"THIS WEEK
By Vancouver Hechalutz
11
"ILLEGAL" IMIGRA'nON
In recent,news reports, we find that American Jewry is being accused of financially supporting "illegal imigration of European Jews into Eretz Israel. Before we can challenge this accusation, we must first examine the phrase "illegal immigration".
We wonder how this term "illegal immigration" ever came into use to describe the retima of Jews to Palestine. Palestine had always been considered the Jewisfli homeland, and was so recognized by the League of Nations. Is it illegal for a person to entery his own home? We suspect that the British Colonial Office is employing an old propaganda techinque of Hitler's: Use "illegal immigration" often enough, and people wil begin to believe that there actually is something illegial about a Jew returning to his homeland. Actually, to tell a persecuted European Jew that it is ilegal for Mm to go to Palestine is a fantastic as telling an Englishman that it is illegal for him to make his home in England.
Morally indefensible as Britain's actions would be even xmder normal conditions, the present plight of the Jews makes her poli<y a plain case of murder. Six milion Jews have already been killed, if the remants stay in Europe any longer, they too face death in the rising tide of pogroms. After these Jews have suffered and starved for the past ten years, it is in-hirman to peep them away from the one place which offers them life!
But even disregarding the moral issues involved, as Britain would have us do, and looking at the situation from la strictly legalistic viewpoint, we must come to the conclusion that it is Britain, not the Jews, who are acting illegally.
Palestine is not a British colony. ^The only reason that Britain was given trusteeship over Paiestihe by the League of Nations was so that Britain might encourage and assist Jewish immigration into that coxmtry and "facilitate the establishment of a Jewish National Home" there. Moreover, Britain was supposed to create "s^tiitable conditions" to absorb this influx.
But up to the present time, instead of encouraging Jewish im-nugration, Britain's well-oiled im>
perialistic machinery has done everything possible to hinder it. She has carried out the policy of hindrance, in direct opposition to the decisions of the League of Nations, purely because she had the force necessary to defy the League, and not becaxise it was legal fos her to do so.
Wihen Britain brought out the White Paper of 1939, which limited Jewish immigration into Palestine, this edict was pronounced "incompatible" with the terms of the Mandate by the Permianent Mandates Commission. Nevertheless, Britain went ahead and enforced this law, even after it had been declared illegal. Yet, ironically, Britain would have us believe that it is the Jews who are acting illegally!
How can we be accused of supporting "illegal" immigration when there is obviously nothing illegal .abuot it? How can we help but sympaothize with our European brethren who are existing in Europe only in hope that soon they soon may be standing on Jewish soil?
In these times, when those European Jews do not find their way to Palestine are faced only with further persecution and continuing pogroms, we, must stand firmly behind the Palestinian Yishuv, and pledge ourselves to support in every way the desires of the remnant of our people to "legal" immigration itno Palestine.
23 irgunists, Tried In Absentia, Get Death Sentence
HAIFA (WNS) — Nineteen men and four women, alleged members of the Irgun Zvai' Leumi, were sentenced to death here this week following coTiViction after trial in ebseritia on diargts of havirxg attacked the Haifa Bay Railway yard on Jime 17.
The defendants are expected to api>eal from the conviction. Legal authorities here pointed out tiist while trial in absentia was no novel legal procedure, it was doubtful that such e practice was applicable in a case where the court ha sthe physical custody of tiie defendant
Plain Talk
By ALFRED SEGAL The opinions expressed by the author of tttis cohtmn are not necessarily subscribed to by Ail newspaper.
I SPEAK IN HEAVEN
.. A gentleman who read my recent piece enititled "Waiting for the. World to End" (it was that Sunr day when the racperimental'atomic bomb went off at Bikini) asked: "And suppose the world really had ended that day. Couldtn't God have made a better one?"
This suggestion remaiaed deep in my mind. I carried it home in the evening. Yes, I thought, maybe that's the best thing: If Ciod had anotehr chance, he would certainly profit by the immense experience of the past. A better (human race certainly could be created in a new world.
The more I though of this, ttie more I liked the idea of starting the world all over again. The cxir-rent human race seemed just too stupid to work with any longer. It was incapable of learning even the lessons that come to it by tremendous suffering.
That evening, having coonfortably disposed of my dinnier, having lighted my pipe—it was the same pipe I have used on similar mysti-caloecasions—I composed myself in my most comfortable chair. That's it, I mused, a brand new world built on the ashes of the old! It couldn't be any worse and it nught be great deal better. Ajfter all the bitter experience of many thousands of years, God will know how to create a better human race.
I was aware of a confusion of cloudy substance tiiat suggested chaos; though this may ihave been onyl the exhalations of my pipe which is like a volcano When it gets well started. Suddenly the •clouds cleared away and I was seated amid a great assembly of people in a hall whose immensity seemed the length and breadth of eternity.
I asked: "Where am I?"
A man as my. elbow—he looked like a million years old—replied we were all in Paradise. "You are a newcomer here?" he asked. This assembly, he explained, was of all the people of the world who had died—all the people of all the past, including those, of the very recent past who had died when mankind destroyed itself by atomic energy —"You mi^t say it was a mass suicide," (he said.
Now it al Icame back to me: That terrific crash that seemed to toss me away from my typewriter at which I was working at the moment. And now I was in heaven!
The old man continued: God had called all the former inhabi-tarat of the earth to plan a good, ^ew world with Him—"And that's what we're all here for."
There was an immense tumult of voices. It appeared that all of those who had been lou dspeakers on the earth now were filling heaven with their soimds, as each addressed God, telling Him how to make a good new world.
I recognized some of them: Statesmen who had been failures on the earth but who, xmabashed, continued to project the authority of thei rvoices in heaven, rabbis and other kinds of clergjntnen of all /the religions who had projected esrmons once a week through many years, like arrows shot into thin air.
I caught some familiar rabbinical voices. They had the rolling soimd of organ music of wtdch the old ladies of their congregations used to say they couldn't understand what the rabbis meant but it was all beautiful just the same.
Now. they were ail ^ealung to God together—the statesmexi, the clergymen and all the others who on earth were wont to give out their voices in loud speeches. Each had a diffeemt idea of what <he new world should be like.
A former Italian statesman was saying that a new world should contain no Yugoslavs. One whom I was quick to recognize as Bilbo said the new world must be one
of white skins only—"You made a mistake when you made black ones last time."
Stalin was shouting it must be a new world of (^xmmunists only. He wished to have it imderstood, though—as a matter of procedural record—^that the fact that he was addressing God ^ould not be regarded as any recognition o£ tiie existence of God. He said he refused to believe in God^ even though, as some might argue, he wa speaking to Him face to face. "As to Grod the Soviet Govetm-ment oontinues to stand on the iwrty line," he said-Churchill's voice was giving the roimded priods ithat used to do something to me on the radio—"Regardless of whatever else You may do with a'new world, the British empire must not be liquidated. And, as to Palestine, the British government stands four-square where it always has."
The clergjntnen said 4here should be only one religion in the new world, but each insisted that his own religion must be the one, if the world was to be goverened by truth.
God smiled. He was patient. It was like the patience of kindly fathers on .the earth when their kids were noisy in the house, and fighting all over t he place, I thought of my own sunilar !«-tience when my children were yotmg long ago. This was the patience of everybody's Father.
God looked up and suddenly the remotest comers of heaven were bright with the splendam- of his countenance—"Children, Children!" He called us^He said he had heard from all the big people of the earth, but none of the little people had said a word. Wasn't there one of the little people who would like to tell him how to make the new world good?
I trembled as I arose, I never had been any good at public speaking and now my voice quavered:
"I think it's all in being kind. Yes, that's it. A new world in which everybody will be kind to his neighbor. Kind hearts and charitable minds! There wasn't kindness enough in the old world— that was the trouble;! It was like mad dogs devouring each other. O, good <3od, make the new world kind."
British Statement Called ''Defense Of Injustice"
PARIS (WNS) — A statement calling Britain's aimouncement on Palestine a bid to "defend a re-grnie of injustice and a violation of the international obligations accepted by the British under the mandate" was issued here by the executive of the Jewish Agency.
Expresing the Agency's belief in the sympathy of the British people with the efforts to establish a Jewish national home in Palestine the Agency's statement said that the "Balfour Declaration gave the Jewish people their greatest chance and wiU xiever be forgotten in Jewish history." The statement recalled that though the leaders of the Labor Party had condemned the White Paper policy "this illegal White Paper policy is now virtually beuig continued by a Government v/bose leader condemned it outright at the time it was Introduced." '
Sabbath
Ends Saturday, Aug. 2i, at 8:17 pjn. Bea^s Friday, Aug. 30, at 7:56 pjn. Ends Saturday, Aug. 31, at 8:01 pjn.