Annual Convention of Roumanian Jews Hears Heated Discussion; Siegelstein Elected President, Succeeding Wolfson; Dr. Wise Urges Aggressive Policy; Marshall’s Letter to Senator King Calls forth Criticism
Two currents in Jewish public opinion as to the attitude which is to be taken toward the recent anti-Jewish excesses in Roumania clashed during the proceedings of the nineteenth annual convention of the United Roumanian Jews of America, held Sunday at Pythian Temple, New York City.
The policy of moderation advocated by Louis Marshall was the center of discussion which developed when the resolutions committee introduced the text of a declaration concerning the attitude of the Roumanian Jews in America toward the recent events in Roumania and the undertakings of the government, embodied in the letter of the Roumanian Minister at Washington, George Cretziano, to Congressman William I. Sirovich.
The Marshall policy of “cogitation instead of agitation” was attacked and defended following addresses by Leo Wolfson, Dr. Stephen S. Wise and Abraham Hirsch of Philadelphia, vicepresident of the organization.
Solomon Sufrin, one of the former presidents of the organization, and member of the American Jewish Committee, defended the Marshall policy. Mr. Sufrin was supported by a number of the delegates, while others who participated in the discussion urged a militant attitude, favoring a more aggressive policy advocated by Dr. Wise.
Although no reference to Mr. Marshall was made by Dr. Wise in his address, the president of the American Jewish Congress urged American Jews not to be “more fearful than Roumanian Jews are.”
“Roumanian Jews understand that justice to the Jews will come not as a free will offering on the part of any Roumanian government, but as a result of the unwithstandable pressure of public opinion,” Dr. Wise declared.
The conflict centered around the text of the resolution which was presented on behalf of the resolutions committee by Mr. Sufrin. This resolution, couched in milder terms, was defeated in favor of a substitute resolution sponsored by Mr. Wolfson and Mr. Hirsch. The resolution as adopted reads:
“The United Roumanian Jews of America in convention assembled this 29th day of January, 1928 at the Pythian Temple, New York, having heard the President’s report relating to the conditions of the Jews in Roumania makes the following declarations:
1–“It sees no reason to hail the promises and assurances given by the Roumanian Government and the Roumanian Minister at Washington. There have been such promises and assurances given before and they have not been kept.
2–“The Roumanian government is and should be held responsible for the cruel, tragic and horrible events which recently took place in Roumania. The convention severely condemns and censures the Roumanian Government for having failed to protect the Jews contrary to the promises and assurances of safety which it has given before.
3–“With reference to the promise and assurances the government has recently given, the convention notes with satisfaction that it has actually punished some of the offenders and made some compensation for losses. It says however to the Roumanian Government that the world expects more than a superficial redemption of the said promises. It asks an honest effort to redeem the pledges and that it take the sternest measures so that no such acts of vandalism shall take place again.
“The United Roumaman Jews will follow a policy of being on the watch and that to the extent the government will actually make good its pledges and keep order, it will gain the confidence, good will and assistance of the Roumanian Jews in America and also the Jews of the world.”
A discussion also developed on the resolution introduced by Mr. Sufrin expressing the opinion of the convention that it reaffirms its faith in “the idea of the democratic organization of American Jewry as expressed in the movement to amalgamate and coordinate all Jewish forces through the American Jewish Congress.” The same resolution, however, urged that the representation which the United Roumanian Jews of America has now in the American Jewish Committee be continued. In the discussion, the argument was made that the organization cannot simultaneously be a member of both bodies which differ in their views. The resolution, however, was passed.
Criticism of Mr. Marshall’s policy was voiced by Abraham Hirsch and Paul Silverman, head of the Newark delegation, because of an alleged move on the part of Mr. Marshall to dissuade Senator William H. King from addressing a mass meeting called by Roumanian Jews in Newark to protest against the anti-Jewish excesses in Roumania. In declining to address the meeting, Senator King wrote to Rabbi Julius Silberfeld of Temple B’nai Abraham of Newark, declaring that he declines the invitation because of the opinion of Mr. Marshall that “the introduction of further resolutions on this subject in Congress would occasion the Jews of Roumania serious in jury and would certainly not be productive of good results.”
Bennett E. Siegelstein, New York attorney, was chosen president of the organization following the declaration of Mr. Wolfson that for personal reasons he is compelled to decline re-election. Herman Speier was re-elected secretary, Chaim Hymowitz, treasurer. Abraham Hirsch, Paul R. Silverman, Peter Ferster, Leon Fisher, Samuel Cantor and Morris Florea were elected to the executive.
The convention adopted a resolution felicitating Nathan Straus on his eightieth birthday.
In his address Dr. Wise declared: “As Americans we do well to rejoice in the action taken by the American Committee on the Rights of Religious Minorities, which deputized a group of distinguished men to visit Roumania and to report on the conditions of the minority peoples of that country. That deputation prepared and published a preliminary statement of its findings some weeks ago, which does honor to the deputation and to the American Committee responsible for it. It is a frank, dispassionate statement of conditions among the minority peoples in Roumania and it came with poor grace from the Roumanian Minister to America to sneer at the report as if it were, quoting his language, “The work of Hungarian propagandists.”
“As Jews and as Americans we have been grieved beyond words to learn of the excesses of which our brother Jews in Roumania were recently the victims,–excesses that came immediately after the Roumanian Minister’s denial of the truth of the report of the American Committee on the Rights of Religious Minorities. These excesses should not and need not have happened. They could have been averted by the Roumanian Government. Instead of remitting railroad fares, the Roumanian Government should have served notice upon the students that any excesses committed against any element of the population would be severely punished and that such excesses would be crushed as a revolt against the peace and integrity of Roumania. Punishment of student ring-leaders who have acted, as they have the right to believe, in the spirit of Roumania’s attitude toward the minority peoples, is not enough.
“We have recently been warned that this is not the time for agitation but rather for education. True enough, it is time for the education of American Jews in respect to the truth that Roumania cannot be ‘breakfasted’ or ‘lunched’ into just treatment of its offenders. Inasmuch as we are not in the League of Nations, under which, as it were, the charter of he new and enlarged Roumania stands, we may and we must agitate to the end hat Roumania may understand that inhuman treatment of Jewish and other miorities in Roumania is not a Jewish ques## mewed with abhorrence by all ## Americans, he declared.
“Our ## as to agitate to the end that ## may be educated to an ## at the ## fact that ## naum asserves to be regarded as ## uncivilized and ## practices against persons and, ## all, the sacred objects of the synagogue, as were recently committed against our fellow-jews and their holy places in Roumania. And lee not Jewish diplomacy carry education to the point of seeking to avert public expressions of grief and abhorrence over such things, as it is not enough for Roumania feebly to punish instead of firmly preventing. You, American Jews of Roumanians in lifting up your voices on behalf of your brothers. They are not silent in Roumania. They have spoken up with magnificent courage. Shall we be more fearful that they Roumanian Jews understand that justice to Jews will come not as a free-will offering on the part of any Roumanian Government, but as the ## of the unwithstandable pressure of public opinion, as that public opinion makes itself felt to Western lands and America”
Commenting moon the recent promises of the Roumanian Government and of the Roumanian Minister at Washington, Mr. Wolfson in his address said:
“We have seen no reason to hail the promises and assurances of the Roumanian Government or of the Roumanian Minister. There hare been such promises and assurances before. To the ones recently given we give a just valuation. In fairness it must be admitted, and we do so cheerfully, that the promises of the present government have more substance and ring timer. Furthermore, the government has actually attempted to redeem the same by some measures. It mast however be stated the government is responsible for the events which recently took place in Roumania even though we do not believe that in instigated them. The Roumanian Government is composed of men intimately connected with Roumanian affairs and it is both naive and futile for them to claim that they were taken unawares. It was its business to ## order and safeguard the Jews. It miserably failed to do so.
“This is the simple fact and on the basis of it, the Roumanian Government night to be severely condemned and censured. With reference to the promises and assurances the government ought to be told frankly that the world expects and asks more than a superficial redemption of the same. The Jewish world expects and asks the Roumanian Government to redeem its pledges and take the sternest measures so that nothing of the kind shall ever occur again. In view of what happened, we cannot express our confidence in the Government but we say to it that we will follow a policy of watchful waiting and that to the extent that it will actually make good its pledges and keep order it will gain the confidence and assistance of the Jewish world.”
Mr. Wolfson deplored the lack of unity of action in connection with the problem of the Roumanian Jews. “The handling of this problem during the last events shows the necessity of unity of action.” he said. “Some protested, some acted some corresponded, some had conferences with the Minister, some introduced resolutions in Congress, some newspapers approved the activities of one croup, others the activities of others and so on. It would have been best if the Roumanian Government had been presented with a determined policy agreed upon by all parties interested.”
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