Daily Digest of Public Opinion on Jewish Matters

The “Jewish Morning Journal”, in an editorial in yesterday’s issue, expresses its approval of the Mizrachi organization’s action in presenting to the Zionist Organization certain demands relative to religious matters in Palestine. The demands are embodied in a series of resolutions adopted by the Executive Committee of the Mizrachi organization of America which was held in New York a week ago.

“These demands surely surprised many of our readers”, says the “Jewish Morning Journal”, “not because it is wrong to make such demands, but because they realized at once that there should have been no cause for even broaching such matters.

“We believe that all Jews, even those that are not religious or pious, if only they are sufficiently interested in the Jewish rebirth of Palestine, do not wish that the Chalutzin be fed with “trefah” by the Zionist Administration.

“The demand that a shochet and a synagogue be provided by the Zionists in every colony supported by the Keren Hayesod is certainly justified, and likewise that concerning the inclusion of religious instruction in the curriculum of all schools subsidized by Zionist funds.

“These problems, now that they have been broached publicly, must be solved in a Jewish spirit, in the spirit of that large and growing element of the Jewish people which is helping in the reconstruction of Palestine.”

THE RE-AWAKENING OF THE SEPHARDIC JEWS

The movement started recently in Palestine by a number of leading Sephardim to convene a world congress of Sephardic Jews, in order to organize them for the task of helping in the reconstruction of Palestine, is the subject of an article by Mordecai Dantzis in the “Jewish Daily News” of a few days ago.

“The leaders of this movement talk about contributing their share to the rebuilding of Palestine with a guilty conscience, as of something they have failed to do before. But we can not forget that had it not been for Rambon, the great Sephardic Philosopher, who seven hundred years ago, laid the foundation of the new Palestine, all the later achievements, and the Balfour Declaration of our day, would have been impossible. Rambon, who found but two Jews in the Holy Land, inaugurated the movement for a return to Palestine, a movement, which has gone through various vicissitudes, accompanied by great sacrifices and labors and deeds of martyrdom, and finally in our day, has reached the point of success.

“With the present movement among the Sephardic Jews a dormant power is rising again in out midst, a power which may bring us new creative genius as in the golden era of the Spanish-Jewish rennaisance of the Middle Ages.”

WHY NOT A NOBEL PRIZE FOR HEBREW LITERATURE?

The award of the Nobel Prize for literature this year to Wladislaw Raymont, a Polish writer, causes Mr. G. Zelikowitz, who writes in the “Jewish Daily News”, to ask why Jews should not establish a Nobel Prize for Hebrew writers.

“Why should not some wealthy Jew follow the example of the Swede, Nobel, and bequeath or endow a fund of, say, one million dollars to be used for awarding prizes to Hebrew novelists and poets. Can we hope that a noble Jewish Nobel will appear in our midst?”