Judge Mack and Rabbi Landman Debate Zionism

A debate on Zionism and the attitude of Zionists toward the rebuilding of Palestine was held at the Men’s Club of the Free Synagogue, 40 West Sixty-eighth Street, New York. Judge Julian W. Mark took the stand for Zionism and Rabbi Isaac Landman defended the views of the non-Zionists.

Judge Mack pictured the upbuilding of Palestine and the establishment there of a Jewish majority as a necessity to the development of Jewish culture and outstanding Jewish contributions to the world. He declared that Zionism sought that end as rapidly as possible. The Jews were the only people in the world without a home. He denied that he sought particularly a Jewish Free State or objected to Palestine’s being a dominion of an empire, but sought a home or centre for Jews and their culture.

Rabbi Landman declared that Zionists pictured non-Zionists as opponents of the upbuilding of Palestine, but this was not the case, he said. Every Jew desired rehabilitation of Palestine, but the fault with Zionism, he declared, was the political element.

Rabbi Landman then declared: “Let the forthcoming Convention of the Zionist Organization of America declare definitely against the idea of Jewish nationalism as inherent in the ideal of Zionism. I will then stand by the offer I made to Samuel Untermyer in 1922, that I am prepared to devote the rest of my life, to work towards organizing American non-Zionists for Palestinian reconstruction. If the Zionist Organization cannot or will not make such a declaration, then non-Zionists cannot but conclude that Zionism places Jewish nationalism above the rehabilitation of Palestine.”

Justice Joseph M. Proskauer, of the Supreme Court, was elected president of the Ninety-second Street Y.M.H.A., succeeding Sol M. Stroock, who resigned recently to accept the presidency of the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies.

As president of the organization, Justice Proskauer becomes head of the oldest Y.M.M.A. in the country, the Manhattan association having been founded in 1874. Justice Proskauer, until his election, was a trustee-at-large of the Federation, but hereafter will represent the Y.M.H.A. on the city-wide board, affiliation with any of the ninety-one constituent societies of the Federation, as an officer precluding eligibility as a representative of the general public on the board.

Since 1906, the Ninety-second Street Y.A. H. A. has had three presidents: Felix M. Warburg, who left the office to become the Federation’s first president in 1918: Irving Lehman, who resigned to become Associate Justice of the New York State Court of Appeals, and Mr. Stroock, whom Justice Proskauer succeeds.

“Ivriah,” the Mother’s Branch of the Jewish Education Association, has issued a call to the Jewish mothers of New York, to enroll as workers for the cause of Jewish religious education, in order that it may be enabled to carry out its program of bringing 10.000 additional pupils into the Jewish religious schools of this city during 1926. The decision to issue a call for workers was made at a recent meeting of the organization.

Mrs. Joseph Leblang, well-known philanthropic and communal worker, is chairman of the committee which is to enroll the workers.

N. D. Naman, chairman of the joint campaign of the United Palestine Appeal and the United Jewish Campaign in Houston, Texas, was honored at a dinner, which marked the successful completion of the campaign.