THE CANADIAN JEWISH REVIEW
JULY 12. 194$;
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CANADIAN JEWISH REVIEW
Aa Impartial Mtdiun fer the Disstmia*ttoa of Jewish News sad Tiewt
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disapprove o/ what you Mty and tcritt defend to the death your right to say <t. � Voltaire to HelTetius.______________
JULY 12, 1946
VOL. xxvm, NO. 41
POGROM
(Continued from P*go One) In addition many Jewish survivors, weeping behind the iron bars of the security police jail in which they are held protectively, said that they would have been killed but for the intervention of the militia.
The fact still remains, .however, that the mob gathered vnd succeeded in carrying out its purpose of killing Jews before the authorities could suppress it and that
What the Kielce events illustrate is that there is a large minority segment of the Polish population committed to the use of illegal means to exterminate Jews and to oppose the Soviet Union� which means, of course, they are against the present government
This underground is not a part of Deputy Premier Stanislaw Miko-lajcsyk's party but it was an undoubted fact that the members would be willing to vote for him as the leader of the only legal opposition, despite their opposition to nis party, its goals and methods.
In the Kielce area, for example, referendum results released by the Government showed 10 per cent
of the eligible 900,000 voters opposed the Government on the question of approving the new Western boundary, despite the fact that all legal parties favored the proposition.
In the broadest sense the people of Poland and the Government must now face up to the tremendous problem of maintaining law and order.
The best known of these illegal bands is the NSZ, which keeps groups in the forests by day, while at night they emerge to raid and
violent anti-Negro, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish campaign in the South of the United States.
The Government insists that this ia tied up directly with the London Poles, such as Gen. Vadislaw Anders* army, but the evidence is not sufficiently impressive yet to convince a neutral observer.
In Poland there live perhaps 100,000 Jews and it is the considered estimate of well-informed Polish officials that under the present conditions not more than 20 or 80 per cent of them wish to stay in Poland. Many undoubtedly want to go to Palestine, but others will settle for anything except Po-
Ever since the Labor Party conference at Bournemouth, England, when Ernest Bevin, Britain's foreign secretary, said: "Regarding the agitation in the United States, and particularly New York, for 100,000 Jews to be put into Palestine, I hope I will not be misunderstood in America if I say, with the purest of motives, that that was because they did not want too many of them in New York," many adjectives have been used to describe 'his remarks. This column agrees with all of them except those which are in the nature of hysterical screams or which imply that Bevin was offhand or carried away. It is hard to believe that Britain's present-day number one fellow was not weighing his words, although he may have been gambling on the effect they would have. The day they splattered all over, this column began a vacation in the States and has since collected a number of opinions on what Bevin said, for quotation here.
What Bevin said was brutal and shocking as though, if he had attacked with a weapon, it would have been a short and heavy stick of wood. It caused a tide of mortification and anger some of which was expressed with a comic opera touch. For example, America was insulted but resentment was expressed chiefly not by non-Jewish Americans but by Jews or politicians reading the lines which should have been spoken by others, or by others also. Judge Bernard A. Rosenblatt, of New York, president of the Palestine Foundation Fund, was a self-appointed spokesman for the citizens of New York. "Bevin's glib talk/' he said, "about our desire for Palestine immigration because we do not want so many, Jews in New York has been sufficiently answered by the Mayor of the City of New York and the two Senators from the Empire State."
Mayor ODwyer met the situation with righteous indignation. "New York City is proud of its Jewish people and with good
land or Russia; the latter opposed is historic in Poland*_ could be because of economic hardship and lack of political freedom rather than anti-Semitism. If, however, anti-Semitism, which
rooted out, the same Government sources believe that 70 per cent of the present Jewish population would want to remain.
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reason. The people of New York do not feel as Mr. Bevin does. We do feel, however, that with the struggle going on �verp where in Europe, if 100,000 of these unfortunate people, who hat* gone through so much suffering, want to go to Palestine and the people of Palestine want them there, they should be helpe4 to get there at the earliest possible moment." Senators and Congressmen from New York also upheld its fair name, reacting swiftly to Bevin's "gratuitous and studied insult to every Ameffr can who believes in Justice and fair play. It will not be excused or forgotten by people of every state."
Judge Joseph M. Proskauer, head of the American Jewish Committee, said that Bevin "should realize that the deep Interest , of the American people is born of the intense desire of the~. �';; American people to save these sufferers from Hitler's tyranny, from further misery, wretchedness and death...by the implementation of the proposal with respect to the 100,000 Jews." Louis Hollander, president of the New York State CIO, said the Bevin : remark was "not only a gratuitous insult to the American people but a complete repudiation of the Anglo-American Commission � report on Palestine." The American Labor Party secretary, Hyman Blumberg, could not find in Bevin's remark anything resembling -Labor Party principles or election platform.
Professor James H. Sheldon, Administrative Chairman of the Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League To Champion Human Rights, which, if this column is not mistaken, is backed by Jews, cabled a protest on Bevin's speech, saying in part: "The City.of New York has been and is the haven for the oppressed of all creeds and nationalities and I believe I speak for the average American in expressing strong resentment at the unfriendly and uncalled-for interpretation which you have put upon a well-established .American policy of friendship toward Jewish Immigration into Palestine regarding which the position of the United States was thoroughly established even prior to the outbreak of the war."
"Bevin's astounding slur on America, his complete disregard of President Truman, and his off-handed dismissal of American labor's interest is a flagrant breach of friendship," said Joseph . Schlossberg, national chairman of the National Committee lor Labor Palestine..
In a masterpiece of whispered and refined objection, the Workmen's Circle, Jewish labor fraternal order of seventy thousand members, telegraphed to Prime Minister Attlee, in part: "We are at this moment pained by a most unfortunate reference made by the British Foreign Minister before the Labor Party conference which casts a patent slur upon the sincere desire of Americans to see 100,000 displaced Jews admitted into Palestine, and we wish to convey to you our vehement protest against this slanderousalluBion."
Representative Emanuel Celler, of New York, said in a speech: "Now w& are put off again. It is unseemly that the United States Government should allow itself to be pushed around this way."
Professor Joseph P. Chamberlain, of Columbia University, and chairman of the board of directors of National Refugee Service. Inc., a Jewish agency, stated that Mr. Bevin indicated by his speech that he is unaware of the humanitarian actions of ~ American Government and the people m ~~ rtilllali f i ilnii Tin i mill'I ��iiiiisanisi lllil fts iissMi � I
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with the first printer and his new-found ability to multiply the written word. Today printing in all its branches is among the most highly skilled of crafts. It is one of the many basic trades which serve and strengthen our whole community life.
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The boy who has made up his mind that he is going into one of the many skilled trades is already on the road to higher earnings, greater security, a more useful and satisfying life. Canada's future depends on a steady flow of youth into trade and technical schools. Hats off to the young Canadian who is "learning a trade".
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director of the A:
Jewish C<
people will reject the Foreign Secretary's nies."
The Synagogue Council of America "read with tion" that Bevin had "once more struck an intemperate note with sinister implications that are calculated to sow seeds of divisive-ness between the British and American peoples.... Mr. Bevin's assertion that the reason for Mr. Truman's demand that 100,000 displaced Jews be admitted to the Holy Land is an American desire to see them In Palestine rather than in New York is either a perverse slander on the American character or cm attempt an the part of a British statesman to minimi** the American repute
for huxnanitarianism and decency----The American people, with
their sense of fair play and integrity in international affairs, wffl find it difficult to countenance alliance with a British leadership which seems in this regard to be morally bankrupt...N
This column agrees with Rabbi Stephen Wise that Bevin's speech was "indecent" and with Judge Simon H. Rifldnd that it
was "b
us". What its purpose was, this
does
know and can only gueis at Its effect was cruel and wounding. But there was one thing back of it which should not be obscured by clamor. Mr. Bevin was expressing an opinion not his alone when he implied that the United Slates talks bdg about providing a haven for persecuted Jews bat, for all the figures and Truman's directive on immigration, and so on, not much is being dabe about it It was several months before the much-talked of 394)00 refugees began to go forward to the United States and it has been estimated that the number will be in actuality only 25,000 for this year.
Whatever its political purpose was, Bevin's speech a challenge to the United States to open wider the qatee of flfesj country regardless of, and aside fjom, its official policy the settlement of Jews hi Palestine. Let av Jews speak up for American principles of see that some of them are put into practice. Giving people a chance to Hve as their neighbors in a land of would be a practical demonstration beyond any doubt
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JEWS FIGHT
(Contiimod from P*ffe One) Sanitations attacked one with fist*, chto and flafpotea, showttec ���* eeftlMU as Ts*-eistr aad "Prorofcsrt!" at OM another. A few Itatiaa state police were present bat marts no effort to intervene.
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