Odhams Press Ltd., one of the largest publishing firms in Britain, acted swiftly today to carry out a pledge to remove from its “Concise English Dictionary” slurring definitions of Jews.
The Glasgow Jewish Times had sent a protest earlier this month to Odhams director C. K. Jones, noting that the dictionary definition of Jews include the synonyms of “extortionist, bargainer, moneylender” and used the word as a verb, meaning “to cheat, outwit.” Mr. Jones promised immediate action.
Today the firm notified the Jewish newspaper that several thousand copies of the dictionary, scheduled for delivery this month, were being amended, as were all unbound copies in stock in the publishing plant.
The amended definition for Jew reads: “A member of the Hebrew branch of the Semitic race; Israelite; believer in the Hebrew religion.” Mr. Jones said that the change “will involve us in considerable expense” and added: “It is something we willingly undertake. In our lifetime, anti-Semitism has brought death to millions and untold misery to hosts who survived. We will not wittingly lend our support to racial or religious discrimination.”
Jewish circles here expressed satisfaction with the publisher’s decision to amend a wrong. Morris Linden, editor of the Glasgow Jewish newspaper, was lauded for having initiated the protest to Odhams Press.
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