World Jewry was called upon last night to unite forces and create a central authoritative body to speak on its behalf in a speech by Sholom Asch, distinguished Jewish novelist, at a reception in his honor at the Hotel Astor.
About 1,000 persons were present at the affair, which was under the auspices of the American Jewish Congress.
Fresh from a first-hand contact with the needs of European Jewry, Mr. Asch assailed the futility of pouring relief into Europe for stricken Jewish communities as long as there were no political guarantees for them.
“It is like filling a sack full of holes,” he said.
The paramount need of European Jewry, according to the noted Jewish writer, is not material but political.
“The Jewish people need a mouthpiece through which to speak and demand their rights,” he stated.
DEMOCRACY UPHELD
Mr. Asch vigorously defended the democratic principle as being responsible for the greatest development of the human personality and for the greatest progress of civilization.
“It is high time,” he asserted, “for civilized people who cling to the democratic principle to unite.
“No one needs the democratic principle more than the Jews. For only under democracy have we and other oppressed peoples been permitted personal freedom and personal development.
“For that reason we feel that whoever tampers with that democratic principle, tampers with our most sacred possession and endangers our only guarantee for freedom.”
ASKS AUTHORITATIVE BODY
Mr. Asch called for the ending of “free-for-all” Jewish leadership and for the creation of an authoritative body to demonstrate to friends and foes alike “the Jewish will to live.”
The greetings of the American Jewish Congress were conveyed by Dr. Stephen S. Wise, honorary president of the organization, and Professor Horace M. Kallen of the New School for Social Research.
Other speakers included Chaim Greenberg and Dr. Joshua L. Goldberg, national secretary of the AJC.
Warm tributes to Mr. Asch from his associates in the literary world were read at the reception, including greetings from Sinclair Lewis, Erskine Caldwell, Robert Nathan, George Sokolsky, Louis Untermeyer, Waldo Frank and Herschel Brickell.
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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.
