Arturo Toscanini, noted conductor and head of a protest by world famous musicians against the persecution of the Jews in Germany was hailed yesterday as a “great friend of justice, truth and freedom”, by a committee of Jewish leaders, who presented him with a certificate of inscription in the Golden Book of the Jewish National Fund, the honor roll of the Jewish people.
The original certificate of inscription which was received several days ago from the headquarters of the Keren Kayemeth Le Israel in Jerusalem, was presented to Mr. Toscanini at his apartment at the Astor Hotel yesterday afternoon” in recognition of his magnificent act in refusing to direct the 1933 Festival at Bayreuth.” The quiet ceremony was an echo of the storm of protest against the discriminatory policies of the Nazi regime in Germany.
Mr. Toscanini headed a group of distinguished composers and musicians who forwarded their protest to Adolf Hitler against the ousting and persecuting of world famous artists on the ground of their race, religious or political affiliation. Dr. Israel Goldstein, rabbi of Congregation Bnai Jeshurun and president of the Jewish National Fund of America, headed the committee which consisted of Morris Rothenberg, president of the Zionist Organization of America; Mrs. Rose L. Halprin, president of Hadassah; Rabbi Wolf Gold, president of Mizrachi, orthodox Zionist organization; Jacob I. Kaplan, representing the Order Sons of Zion, and L. Glantz, representing the Zionist Socialist Labor Party, the Poale Zion, and Louis P. Rocker, chairman of the finance committee of the Zionist Organization of America.
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.
