Three American Jewish Leaders Placed on ‘black List’ of Chauvinistic Fraternity

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

Three Jews are induded in a blacklist of fifty-six names of “dangerous un-American personages” who are working to undermine the government by showing what it ternts “Communistic tendencies” in a special bulletin issued by the National Society of Scabbard and Blade. The bulletin in the form of a lengthy mimeographed report, gives a biographical sketch of each person and then reasons why they are “reds” and should be boycotted by all 100 per cent Americans. The report suggests that it be filed away by the members of the society and be used for publicity purposes whenever any of those named “come to you town” for lectures or any other purposes.

The three Jews named are Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver of Cleveland, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise of New York, and Joseph Schlossberg, also of New York, at present secretary-treasurer of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.

Other prominent Americans listed in this report are: Miss Jane Addams, Senator William E. Borah; Senator Robert M. LaFollette, Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, Prof. John Dewey. Sherwood Eddy, Zona Gale, Rev. Charles W. Gilkey of the Hyde Park Baptist Church of Chicago; Prof. Francis B. Sayre, son-in-law of late President Woodrow Wilson; John F. Sinclair, Minnesota banker; Ex-Governor William E. Sweet of Colorado and Oswald Garrison Villard.

The main charges against Rabbis Wise and Silver seem to be that they are active in Jewish movements.

After stating that Dr. Wise founded the Free Synagogue in New York, the charge proceeds: “He is also the founder of the Zionist Organization of America and a member of various liberal Jewish societies. He is a representative of the American League to Enforce Peace; Vice-President of the Open Forum of the National Council of the American Association for Labor Legislation; director of the Peace Society of New York; one of the organizers of the Civil Liberties Bureau; National Committee member of the American Civil Liberties Union: Neutral Conference Committee; Fellowshop of Reconciliation and League to Limit Armaments. Many of these are communistically controlled. The American Federation of Youth completed its organization at the Community Church in New York City on May 2, 1926. Delegates from Communists, Socialists and ‘liberal’ religious and political organizations united in establishing this movement which received the commendation of Rabbi Wise. He is the endorser of racial equality for Negroes and interested in their various so-called uplift organizations which are mostly communist controlled. He is a member of the Emergency Committee for Strikers’ Relief, organized by the American Civil Liberties Union and the League for Industrial Democracy, to collect funds for support of the Passaic Textile strike (Communist lesson in Revolution). During the course of the strike, Rabbi Wise has constantly appeared on the platform in support of the Communists, who have been active in keeping alive the strike and condemned the mill owners because they refused to accept his services as a strike mediator. He also denounced the courts as being ‘stacked against the workers.’ In a sermon in his church (temple) he stated ‘Religion must not be lowered to the level of ‘scab agencies.’ He is a contributor to ‘The Nation.’ ‘The World Tomorrow’ and ‘The New Student.'”

The charges against Rabbi Silver are of similar nature. “He has been rabbi of The Temple, Cleveland, since 1917. He is a member of the executive board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, executive board of the Consumers League of Ohio, Board of Governors of the Hebrew Union College, Vice-President of the Zionist Organization of America and member of the International Actions Committee.”