To the Editor, Jewish Daily Bulletin:
The developments in Germany during the past two years have made the Jews more race conscious than at any time in the past century.
They discovered an economic weapon, the boycott, to fight back their oppressors.
In this country unfortunately, they have developed a class known as “professional Jews” who travel about with chips on their shoulders continually looking for trouble and as this is the easiest thing to find they have found plenty.
This leads us to the conclusion that real honest Jewish Jews should not believe everything they hear and above all, should not jump at hasty conclusions.
The professional Jew who spreads unauthenticated propaganda is just as dangerous to Jews as is the bigoted Nazi.
American Jewry, at this time, is receiving whole-hearted support from a large and ever growing group of Christians and it is our opinion that this support should not be jeopardized by a mere handful of malicious propagandists. I use the word malicious advisedly as there undoubtedly are well-meaning Jews who spread propaganda unthinkingly and without first determining whether it is based upon facts.
Let us lean backward a bit before we spread rumors about local institutions that are supposedly discriminating against Jews, and thus avert overt acts which may cause irreparable injury to concerns that are friendly, or which for business reasons are compelled to steer a middle course.
Bear in mind that those who shout loudest in company are not always the most enthusiastic. The soft spoken man who possesses the happy faculty of “attending to his own business’ instead of continually prying into that of his neighbor, who knows what Judaism means and follows its precepts to the best of his ability does, above all other men, bring credit to the Jewish race and respect unto himself.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” are maxims applicable to Jews and Christians alike. Not to one or the other, but to both.
To deserve support for our brethren abroad, respect for ourselves at home, fame, money or anything, we must earn it through hard work, honest dealings, respect for the opinions of others, and good sportsmanship; in fact, we must so conduct ourselves that even he who is without sin cannot cast the first stone.
May we repeat our admonition, not to accept everybody’s and anybody’s word without confirmation and spread that word and do injury to the person or persons concerned. Be aggressive, yes. Do not strike first and think afterward. Do not start a boycott here and then find it was not justified.
Machinery has been set up to handle every situation which may arise and it is your duty as a Jew to submit the facts together with your proofs to the committee in charge for confirmation.
Louis Levy
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.
