A Week’s Events in Review

The official announcement which Louis T. McFadden made this week, informing the United States that he intends to run as a candidate for President in 1936 on a purely anti-Jewish platform, will not shock the Jews, though it will require more concentration on the part of Jewish leaders to combat Mr. McFadden’s anti – Semitic propaganda.

It is quite clear that the Congressman who was defeated in his own State of Pennsylvania after serving ten terms in Congress, stands very little chance of being elected President. From this viewpoint the announcement of Mr. McFadden can be considered merely a joke.

There is, however, no doubt that in choosing to run for President, Mr. McFadden is backed by certain forces that will finance his campaign. And this is something to which serious attention ought to be paid by Jewish organizations in America. The anti-Semitic campaign around McFadden’s candidacy is more to be feared than the candidacy itself.

JEWS HAVE PERSONAL INTEREST IN CAMPAIGN

Always keenly interested in the Presidential campaign, American Jews this time, due to McFadden’s anti – Semitic ambitions, will have to be interested in the election also as Jews. Once one the Presidential candidates runs on an anti-Jewish platform, it is only natural that the Jews should be interested in defeating him personally and in counteracting his propaganda campaign.

It is for this reason that, in the forthcoming Presidential campaign, Jewish activities will have to assume an unprecedented aspect. Making, till now, no distinction between one political party and another, the Jews of America now definitely will have to unite for an open fight against a definite party.

The Independent Republican party which announced McFadden as its Presidential candidate is in no way connected with the real Republican party. The name of the new party is, however, misleading and may be confused by many with the regular Republican party. The latter, therefore, will have to disassociate itself openly from McFadden’s group.

The headquarters of McFadden’s new party are announced as being in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington—the same hotel where the huge Jewish gathering for Palestine took place last Sunday and Monday.

This pro-Palestine gathering, which was addressed not only by Zionists but also by non-Zionists, can be considered one of the historic events in the life of American Jewry. It was attended by the most representative leaders of American Jewish organizations and it echoed the sentiments of American Jews when it decided to establish an American commission to coordinate the activities of all public and private agencies engaged in the United States in economic work for Palestine.

Such a commission has long been necessary, not only for America, but for all countries where funds are collected for Palestine. A well-planned economy for the development of Jewish national interests in Palestine is possible only when plans are concentrated in the hands of one group and not when dozens of differing bodies and hundreds of private individuals are competing. Such a well – planned economic system for Palestine is especially necessary now, when speculation there has assumed dangerous proportions.

AMERICAS’ CONRIBUTION TO THE HOLY LAND

It was reported at the Washington conference that American Jews have contributed $13,000,000 towards the total of $25,000,000 collected for various reconstruction purposes. This was exclusive of funds expended by the Jewish National Fund for the purchase of land as the inalienable property of the Jewish people.

The large sum of money contributed by American Jewry discloses how important a factor they were in the upbuilding of Palestine, though at present they do not play so important a role.

With their eyes on the Washington conference, Jews in America this week also watched very closely developments concerning the crisis in the new Jerusalem municipal council. The crisis arose when certain Jewish organizations in Palestine objected to the government’s appointment of Daniel Auster, vice-mayor of Jerusalem, without previously consulting the Jewish National Council of Palestine.

Mr. Auster is a General Zionist and a well-known figure in the Jewish community of Jerusalem. Opposition demanded, however, that the government appoint as vice-mayor Haim Solomon, another of the newly-elected Jewish members of the municipal council.

SPLIT ASSUMED SERIOUS PROPORTIONS

Supported by the General Zionists and the Sephardic community, and especially by M. M. Ussishkin, Mr. Auster refused to resign from the vice-mayorship. A split among the six Jewish aldermen was thus caused, three of them siding with Auster, the other three with his opponent.

This split reached such proportions that the Sephardic community was prepared to withdraw its representative from the Jewish National Council. It prevented the High Commissioner from participating in the inauguration ceremony of the municipal body. It was finally settled in favor of Mr. Auster, who will be the first Jewish vice-mayor ever appointed in Jerusalem.

JEWISH EXILES OF THE SAAR

The problem of the Jews in the Saar was transformed this week from a matter of Jewish