Praise for the Jewish physician, a discussion of the Jewish doctor’s difficulty in obtaining university positions, and the activity of the world peace, are pertinent subjects taken up by Col. P. H. Callahan, champion of religious tolerance and author of the Tolerance Code, and Dr. James J. Walsh, New York physician, in correspondence just made public.
Dr. Walsh’s letter says, “I have a number of good friends among the Jewish doctors in New York, and I must say that some of the best of the doctors in the city are Jews.”
“We used to say over in Berlin forty years ago that in order to get a position in the university a Jewish doctor had to be twice as good as any of his rivals for the position. Well, that is almost true here in New York.
“I find that it has been true throughout the country because I am helping Dr. Kagan of Boston to write something with regard to the Jewish physicians of the country, and it is surprising how many of them reached distinction.
“Some of our most distinguished presidents of the New York Academy of Medicine have been Jews.”
“GIVE MORE, TAKE LESS”
In a letter written to Dr. Walsh, Col. Callahan stated, “I used to think that acquisition was the outstanding characteristic of the Jew, but long ago changed my mind, and in community work they give more and take less than any other group.
“Being a member of the World Alliance, I am familiar with some of the activities of the Church Peace Union, of which you are a member, and a few years ago Henry Atkinson told me that for work being contemplated in Geneva, it was really embarrassing when they went to raising the money, to find that the Jews contributed over five hundred percent of the sum required.
“When recently writing about the Jews here in Kentucky I had to say and with some pleasure, that the three outstanding Kentuckians were the Drs. Flexner and Louis D. Brandeis.
“None of these distinguished citizens can be charged with acquisition, even if it is a fault instead of a virtue.”
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.
