That the condition of the Jews in Europe continues to show a trend toward improvement and that there is a marked tendency toward the cessation of racial and religious intolerance as it affects the Jew in the United States, is the optimistic note sounded by Mr. Louis Marshall in his annual report to the American Jewish Committee, of which he is president.
This does not, however, preclude the need for continuous watchfulness, as several occurrences during the past twelve months have indicated, he declared. Addressing the twenty-second annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee, which held its sessions all day Sunday at the Hotel Astor, Mr. Marshall gave an extended review of the Jewish events of the past year throughout the world, as they came within the focus of the Committee.
The sessions, over which Mr. Marshall presided, were attended by fiftyfive members of the Committee from many sections of the country.
Mr. Marshall was re-elected president, Dr. Cyrus Adler of Philadelphia and Julius Rosenwald of Chicago, vicepresidents; Colonel Isaac M. Ullman, treasurer, and Morris D. Waldman. secretary.
Mr. Marshall’s report was divided into a survey of American and European conditions. Describing the situation in the United States, he told of the Committee’s efforts to bring about a mitigation of the hardships of the present immigration law which resulted in the passage of the Jenkins Bill; and of Mr. Henry Ford’s announcement of the withdrawal of the European rights to his “International Jew.” He discussed in detail the Massena incident, and told of the Committee’s work in exposing those guilty of attempting to revive the agitation, and of their apologies. An account of the Non-Zionist Conference and the resolutions adopted calling for the participation of non-Zionists in the extended Jewish Agency was included.
He read an exchange of letters between himself and W. H. P. Faunce, President of Brown University on the organization of Jewish fraternities, which were forbidden by President Faunce.
Mr. Marshall reviewed conditions in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Roumania, Poland, Russia, Turkey and Palestine. Summarizing the general condition of Jews in Europe, he declared:
“In a general way it may be said that the conditions of the Jews in the various countries continued to show the trend toward improvement which was noted during the past three or four years. Unofficial anti-Jewish propaganda and outbreaks of a violent nature against Jews dwindled in number and in intensity during the period, except for the riot in Oradeamare, Roumania, which aroused the notice and the indignation of the civilized world. Freedom from oppression and relief from the necessity of forestalling and combatting unfavorable agitation, left the Jewish communities of all countries, with a few exceptions, free to turn their attention and to apply their energies to communal problems, religious, cultural, and educational interests, and to such questions as emigration, economic reconstruction and the restoration of Palestine.”
Of all the countries of East Europe, according to Mr. Marshall’s report, Turkey shows the least signs of improving conditions for Jews. He related the efforts of the American Jewish Committee which succeeded in bringing about a modification of the expulsion order, giving the refugees. among whom were a large number of Jews, another year in which to depart from the country.
AUSTRIA
Henry Ford’s retraction had at least one immediate reaction abroad, he pointed out. It has brought about the decline of the Hakenkreuzler movement in Austria, the first manifestation, of which was the failure of the anti-Semitic press to publish the blood ritual murder story on Passover. Nor were there recurrences of the student outbreaks such as occurred at Vienna University in 1927. Anti-Semitism is, however, more prevalent in Austria than in Germany, inasmuch as the authorites do not display the same vigor in suppressing it as Germany does.
HUNGARY
Turning to Hungary, the most important development in that country is the modification of the numerus clausus law, which does not, however, work out as well in practice as in theory, Mr. Marshall said, pointing to the recent anti-Jewish riots at the Universities at Budapest, Debreczin, Szeged and Pecs.
ROUMANIA
Improvement in the conditions of Jews in Roumania began to be noticeable in July of 1927 and continued until the Oradeamare excesses in December of 1927. He told in detail of the Committee’s protest to Ambassador Creztiano, which resulted in Roumania’s pledge of protection to the Jews, her disbanding of the Christian Students’ League, her payment of indemnities to the Jewish communities and individuals, her punishment of the of fenders.
POLAND
Except for a few incidents, Poland was practically free from anti-Semitism this year, the report states.
“The economic situation of the Jews in Poland constinued to be unfavorable during the past year. In July last, the Joint Distribution Committee reported that, during the year 1927, over a million Polish Jews had benefitted by the credit institutions which had been established with the support of the committee. A total of 874 such institutions were then in existence. These loan Kassas are situated in cities and towns having together 80 per cent of the Jewish population of the country.
RUSSIA
“In Russia, three important questions engaged the attention of the Jewish population, viz. (1) agricultural colonization, (2) urban industrialization and (3) the growth of anti-Semitism.
“Insofar as agricultural colonization is concerned, it may be noted that Aug 30, 1928 marked the completion of four years of activity in this direction by the Government, Mr. Marshall continued.
“In March last, announcement was made by James N. Rosenberg of New York City, Chairman of the Agro-Joint that Julius Rosenwald of Chicago had agreed to subscribe $5,000,000 to a fund of twice that size for the continuance and further development of Jewish colonization work in Russia, after the program outlined in 1925 by the Joint Distribution Committce and the Agro Joint shall have been completed. The Russian government had agreed to expend for this work $10,000,000 over a period of ten years if an equal amount is contributed by American Jews, and, in addition, to provide land valued at another $20,000,000. The fund collected in the United States is to be administered by a new organization, viz., The American Society for Jewish Farm Settlement in Russia, which is to continue the work in Russia through agents, of whom Dr. Joseph A. Rosen is to be the head.
“Demands that the Government help in the industrialization of Jews who were without work, were made by representatives of Jewish organizations, stimulated by the wretched condition of thousands of Jewish artisans. In Aug. 1927, the Central Executive Committee decided that the Comzet, the government department originally charged with the supervision of the work of settling Jews on the land, include in its activities steps to further the industrialization of the Jewish masses. In the Spring of 1928 the Ukrainian Soviet ordered the local Soviets in a number of places to take vigorous measures to combat the unemployment in those districts, mainly among the Jewish population, by providing the unemployed with implements and tools and undertaking public works on which they may be employed. These Soviets were directed also to increase the subsidies being given to Jewish technical and trade schools.
“The Russian press gave a great deal of attention during the past year to indications that anti-Semitism was spreading among the worers and even members of the Communist Party. The government encouraged the publication of books and leaflets condemning anti-Semitism, and a number of persons charged with molesting Jews were brought to trial. The indications are that the government looks on this phenomenon as one of its most serious problems.
“The anti-religious activities of the Jewish section of the Communist party continued during the year, but on a smaller scale than heretofore.”
PALESTINE
Discussing the general conditions in Palestine, he declared:
“In Palestine, the unemployment crisis noted in our last report passed last Spring, when it was found possible to absorb those out of work and to suspend the payment of doles.
“The economic depression did not vitally affect agricultural colonization. The older Keren Hayesod settlements covered eighty-five per cent of their requirements from the proceeds of their own work, and only £8,000 had to be contributed for the support of these settlements as compared with £27,000 needed in 1926. An increase in the land devoted to citrus cultivation is marked in the settlements not under control of the Keren Hayesod.
“Urban development naturally was retarded by the economic depression, but towards the end of 1927 there were indications that a change was about to take place; a fair amount of new building was begun. Industrial development was also retarded during the year, but industry there were also signs of approaching revival. Several firms which were obliged to close down during 1926 re-opened during 1927 and 1928 and progress was reported in the textile, tanning, woodworking, metal working and printing industries. The year 1927 was marked by an appreciable increase, continued in 1928, in the export of manufacturers to Syria, and three companies were formed for exporting Palestine manufactures to various Jewish communities in other countries. The government gave a stimulus to industry by excepting various raw materials from import duty.
“The Palestine Electric Company operating the so-called Rutenberg concession considerably extended the scope of its operations during 1927.
In the matter of education it is worth noting that at the beginning of the school year 1927-28, the total number of Jewish schools in Palestine was 275, having an enrollment of 26,537 pupils; 222 of these schools serving 18,611 puplis, are under the supervision of the Palestine Zionist Executive. It is interesting in this connection to note that, for the year 1926-27, the goverment grant-in-aid for the Jewish schools maintained by the Zionist Organization was £14,870, almost double the grant in 1925-26, and almost seven times as much as was granted in 1924-25; for the year 1927-28 the sum of £19,603 has been alloted by the government for this purpose.”
JEWISH FRATERNITIES
Mr. Marshall read correspondence between him and President W, H. P. Faunce of Brown University on the organization of Jewish secret fraternities. In a letter to Dr. Faunce Mr. Marshall said he understood there were at Brown University a number of secret fraternities in which it was impossible for a Jewish student to enter, however meritorious his character and abilities. Excluded because of racial and religious motives, said Mr. Marshall, the Jewish students had no alternative but to establish Jewish fraternities.
While he thought it would be better if there were no secret fraternities of any kind, either in or out of the colleges, Mr. Marshall declared that the fraternity spirit has of late become very strong in university life and it has become the ambition of most students to join a fraternity.
“To deprive Jewish students because of their creed and race of membership in existing fraternities and to forbid them to organize fraternities of their own, while everybody else is either urged or permitted to join a fraternity by secret oaths, savors of unfairness and injustice,” Mr. Marshall said.
In his reply Dr. Faunce said he regarded the establishment of any fraternity along racial or religious lines “as a confession of failure on the part of the American democracy.”
“I should strongly object to a Baptist Fraternity at Brown, although I am a Baptist,” he declared. “If I had my way I would open every college fraternity in Ameica to every worthy man of good character and scholarship, regardless of his origin of faith. That is my ideal, and for it I am steadily working both in Brown University and in every other college where I may have the slightest influence.”
The report condemned an order issued by the Department of Labor requiring the issuance of identification certificates for all aliens admitted after July 1, 1928, as a usurpation of legislative powers and as an indirect means of introducing the registration of aliens, a measure that had been defeated in Congress.
At the conclusion of the report, high tribute was paid to Mr. Marshall, by Mr. Julius Rosenwald of Chicago. “I cannot listen to this remarkable report,’ declared Mr. Rosenwald, without a feeling of gratitude to you who have served in capacity of President for over twenty years. I want to congratulate the Jews of America and the Jews of the world on your leadership. How fortunate is this generation of Jews to be able to say they lived in a time in which you lived.”
Belief that a more liberal attitude toward the Jews of Roumania would be adopted by the new Roumanian cabinet was expressed by Mr. Solomon Sufrin Mr. Sufrin based his conviction on his personal knowledge of six of the members of the Maniu cabinet.
He expressed the hope that the new cabinet would grant amnesty to its wat prisoners among whom are more than three hundred Jews, he said.
That the American Jewish Committee organize a Department for Internal Problems, and that it publish a daily Anglo-Jewish paper was urged by Mr Jacob Massel. The time has came, he said, when we must begin thinking of the internal Jewish problems in the United States, and these problems are acute. As long as immigration was continuous to this country, the immigrants organized Jewish life. With immigration diminished, what are we doing to continue the Jewish spirit and tradition. There is no centralized effort to organize Jewish life in the United States, he said.
While expressing sympathy with Mr. Massel’s point of view, Mr. Marshall explained it is not within the jurisdiction of the American Jewish Committee to undertake the action suggested. He declared, however, that he would discuss the matter with the Executive committee and that an effort would be made to stimulate to action those organizations within whose purview the problem of Jewish education properly belongs.
Among those present were: Dr. Cyrus Adler, Mr. William Gerstley, Rabbi B. L. Levinthal, Mr. Morris Rosenbaum, Mr. Victor Rosewater, Judge Horace Stern, of Philadelphia; Mr. M. F. Aufsesser, of Albany, N. Y.; Mr. Louis Bamberger, Miss Elizabeth Blume, Mr. Felix Fuld, Mr. Frederick Jay, of Newark, N. J.; Mr. David A. Brown, of Detroit, Mich.; Mr. Philip Dimond, Paterson, N. J.; Judge Eli Frtnk. Mr. S. N. Sonneborn, of Baltimore, Md.; Mr. Henry Laster, Springfield, Mass.; Mr. August Gatzert, Mr. Jacob M. Loch, Mr. Julius Rosenwald, of Chicago, III.; Mr. William Newcorn, Plainfield, N. J.; Mr. B. S. Pollak, Secaucus, N. J.; Mr. A. C. Ratshesky, of Boston, Mass.; Archibald Silverman, Providence, R. I.; Mr. Henry M. Stern, of Rochester, N. Y.; Mr. Benjamin Stolz. of Syracuse, N. Y.; Mr Eugene Warner, Herman Wile, of Buffalo. N. Y.; Mr. Isidore Wise. of Hartford, Conn.; and Mr. Ben Altheimer, Mr. Herman Bernstein, Mr. Nathan Bijur, Judge Benjamin M. Cardozo, Mr. Elias A. Cohen. Mr. Abraham Herman, Mr. Max L. Hollander, Mr. Henry Ittleson, Mr. Max J. Kohler, Mr. William Liebermann, Mr. Louis Marshall, Mr. Alexander Marx, Mr. Jacob Massel, Mr. Edgar J. Nathan, Mr. Albert Rosenblatt, Mr. Sol Schelinsky, Mr. Bernard Semel, Mr. Joseph Silferman, Mr. Max Silverstein, Mrs. Spiegel. Mrs. Estelle M. Sternberger, Mr. I. M. Stettenheim. Mr. Solomon Sufrin, Mr. Cyrus L. Sulzberger, and Mr. Ludwig Vogelstein, of New York City.
Five Jews will occupy seats in the New Jersey House of Assembly during the next session of the Legislature, final election returns in that state indicate. They are Assemblyman David M. Litwin, of Newark; Assemblyman Morris E. Barison and Joseph Greenberg, of Jersey City; Assemblyman Joseph Altman, of Atlantic City; and Joseph Levenson. of Cape May. Dr. H. I. Goldstein, of Camden, was not elected, as reported on te basis of early returns.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
