Jewish Ex-soldiers in Germany Explain Stand on Tannenburg Slight

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

In connection with the decision of the Union of Jewish Ex-Soldiers in Germany not to take part in the unveiling ceremony of the Tannenberg Memorial, the East Prussian Branch of the Union issued a statement explaining their stand.

“The Memorial Committee arranged that, together with the Protestant and Catholic Chaplains, Rabbi Dr. Levin of Koenigsberg, who was one of the Jewish Chaplains in the Field, should take part in the religious service and deliver an address,” the statement declares. “This arrangement was published in the official program and in the newspapers. The text of the Rabbi’s address was submitted to the Memorial Committee for approval, but no acknowledgment was received. To our astonishment, the next thing that happened was that the Rabbi was asked not to take part in the religious service, and it was suggested to him that he should deliver his address after the ceremony at the Memorial, during the second part of the celebrations.

“We Jewish soldiers who fought at the Front regard this change in the program as an affront to our religious feelings and to our rights as citizens. We are proud of what our Jewish spiritual advisers did on the field of battle. It is our right that at a Memorial service which unites Christian and Jewish soldiers in common reverence to our dead comrades the Jewish Chaplain should have his word equally with the Protestant and Catholic Chaplains.”

Two professors at the University of Illinois, Frederick C. Dietz of the department of history, and Arthur W. Secord of the department of English, have been appointed to fellowships in the John Simon Guggenheim memorial. A traveling fellowship from the Social Science Research couneil was granted Dr. J. Wasserman, of the department of economics and will enable him to pursue his research in France. P. Jacobson of the Department of architecture was awarded a medal by the American group of the Societe des Architectes Diplomes par le Gouvernement Francals.

A Board of Trustees for Young Judaea, Zionist Youth organization, will be created to extend the work of the organization, it was announced by Samuel J. Borowsky, Executive Chairman.

Nathan Straus will be the Honorary Chairman of the new board. Dr. David de Sola Pool. Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue will be the Honorary Vice-Chairman.

The Board of Trustees will be instrumental in solving the problem created by the withdrawal of the subsidy hitherto granted to Young Judaea by the Zionist Organization of America.