This is the third of a series of six articles, which we present in the belief that the viewpoint of the younger American Jew, with his roots in this country, is of vital interest at this time. The writer, born in Chicago, near where his father still operates a farm, is thirty-six years old. He is married and has three children. He studied art, but had scarcely finished school when this country entered the World War, and he enlisted in the flying forces. After the war he went into publishing and advertising and has been successful in both. He puts out several popular magazines and is national advertising representative for nearly 100 newspapers. He spends a great deal of time in the outdoors. Amateur exploration is one of his chief hobbies. Until recently he resided in Chicago. His home is now in New York.
III If this proposed organization is forthright and courageous, and not merely another mask for the old customary servile timidity, it will have a magnet-like attraction for the Jewish young men and women in this country who have made up their minds that they are not going to stand for the European brand of anti-Semitism here.
Far from the purpose of a mere fraternal organization, it should aim to reconstruct Jewish life in conformity with the best Jewish tradition. Its stand on all things that affect our honor as men must be rigid and uncompromising.
It should be deeply rooted in fanatic support of its individual members, for whom it should represent the sanctuary of strength. It should leave non-resistance and other bovine ideas to the Hindus. It should be at pains to inculcate the brave, free spirit of the old Jewish prophets and warriors. It should treat all passive, cringing Jews, the Naumanns who lick the boots of their Hitlerite oppressors, as outcasts. It should recognize that no one who claims to treat us as human beings with pride, rights, culture and sensibilities is doing us any special favor.
LEARN TO HATE THE NOXIOUS
As for all others, they should be hated with a violent endless dislike. We should cultivate hate of the noxious as a direct asset, as we cultivate love for those who are our friends.
It is poor intelligence to forgive a scoundrel like the French anti-Semite Coty for the unforgivable harm he has done. To take him effusively into our arms after he changes his tactics is an insult to our character and marks us as a slavish people. Identically in the case of Henry Ford, who lent his millions and his name to this form of cowardly attack, only a servile, futile people can forgive and patronize him later when he has decided for his own purposes to change his mind.
When these anti-Semites realize that it is not quite such a simple, profitable business and that once dedicated to it they will have earned at least our personal hatred. they will contemplate their irresponsible acts with more thoughtfulness.
When it comes to an act which means suffering to us and degradation to our children, if we are men we can neither forgive nor forget.
DISOWN WHINERS
We will have to immediately deal with those scurvy individuals who will rub their soft fingers together and whine: "But what will the Goyim say about it?"
We will give these sniveling-souled apologists something to think about on their own account. They are Jewry’s soft bottom, our worst menace, since they contribute to the decay of our courage. We should disown and despise them as vermin, and teach our people to hate them above all others: they would let the growing mind and spirit of sensitive little children be tortured with the foul smell of anti-Semitism. They would let Jews be dishonored, ostracized and torn for the sole reason of being Jews, while they find corners to hide their shivering bodies.
We should propagandize our own people from day to night to build a strong, resistant society, which will uncompromisingly stand in defense of our future.
Who can fairly deny us this right? Do not the Catholic and Protestant denominations subsidize their own colleges? Have they not their own youth movements? Do not both labor and capital organize to cement their defenses when under danger? Above all, are not Nazis and anti-Semites organizing as rapidly as they can get adherents to their twisted ideas.
SUGGESTS YOUTH GROUPS
One part of our activity should be the formation of youth groups with athletic societies, comparable to the German "turn vereins" and the Bohemian "sokols." In these athletic exercises all should be encouraged to join to further cement the common ground between us. There is no reason why we cannot hold boxing tournaments, tennis and golf tournaments, etc., as well as general mass calisthenics.
Since, whether we will admit it or not, we are largely shut off from the community life of non-Jews, we should be at pains to organize a proper and spiritually sustained community life in our own circles. Lectures, debating societies and cultural activities of all kinds should form part of one unified plan. The contributions of Judea to the history, arts and sciences of the world should be taught the young to furbish their pride. It should be dinned into them continuously that they come from a great race, that they have nothing to be ashamed of, that their manhood is unimpeachable. They should be taught to meet slander of all kinds with vigorous and heroic gesture.
STRESS SIMPLE VIRTUES
All the simple virtues of loyalty, courage, resistance and hardihood should be burned into their consciousness.
We should make the blue and white Mogen Dovid our symbol and wear it proudly as the Jewish boxers do on their fighting trunks.
We should encourage the study of Hebrew as a cultural language, since from Hebrews we have sprung, and in its richness find inspiration and power.
We should encourage the formation of strong, compact communities as rich sources of Jewish cultural life. We should encourage the virtues of simple labor and teach the desirability of fresh, clean air and the smell of new-turned earth.
We should organize, above all, as resolute men with high standards of expectation, disciplined and intelligent, and not as a disorganized, jabbering mob, who simply come into a room to make the very walls tired with their bickering.
WOULD BRING RESPECT
Is there any reason why such a joining of our mutual interests would make us any the worse citizens? Not at all. It would make us better citizens, if courage, pride and manhood are any contribution to good citizenship. It would cause us to respect ourselves and be respected.
It would be an item of pride with us, inculcated in every theory of life that we are better Americans than any of our detractors.
On our standard will be posted the motto, "America first, foremost and all the time."
Thus we will serve our country best, by resisting encroachments upon its free and liberal traditions, and by combatting grimly the traitors who would destroy her in the cunning guise of harming us.
We will aggressively defend ourselves, yes, but we defend our country first from the inglorious fate that befell the short-lived Weimar Republic of Germany.
As the bloody Nazis sign themselves "Heil Hitler" and greet each other with "death to Judea," so should we answer "long live freedom" and "up, Judea." This defiance should symbolize the tempered steel in our hearts.
To be Continued Tomorrow
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.
