Now-editorial Notes

Chief Rabbi Kook of Jerusalem has initiated a plan for peace among the various factions of Palestinian Jewry. The first meeting held in his home was attended by representatives of the Histadruth, the Central Labor Federation of Palestine and the Jewish Farmers Association. It is understood that Rabbi Kook will soon also arrange a conference between the Laborites and the Revisionists for the purpose of bringing about an end to the tense political conflicts between these organizations.

It is fortunate that the Jews of Palestine have in Rabbi Kook a man of great moral strength, endowed with the wisdom of the Hebrew sages of old, with a fine sense of responsibility and dignity. Genuine in his piety, he is broad-minded and big-hearted. He understands that the rebuilding of Zion cannot be brought about by faith alone. Humble and simple, as the truly great have ever been humble and simple, he inspires respect and confidence even among those who differ from his religious views. They know his sincerity and his devotion to Jewish ideals.

Rabbi Kook understands that the greatest threat to Jewish Palestine is internal conflict and he is therefore working whole-heartedly for peace and harmony in Palestinian Jewry.

Chief Rabbi Kook is one of the foremost spiritual pioneers among the rebuilders of Zion.

COUPONS AND PRINCIPLES

Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, president of the German Reichsbank and Hitler’s Minister of Economics, in the leading article in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, makes several strange and strong statements about present Germany.

Thus he writes:

“For four and a half years Germany waged war against almost the entire world, and in the end lost.”

This is an unexpected admission on the part of Hitler’s apologist. The Germans, especially the Nazis, have always maintained that the whole world had waged war against Germany, and that Germany was only defending herself.

Dr. Schacht says further:

“How can anybody be surprised that Germany has lost all confidence in the justice of a world opinion dominated by the victorious powers? How can anybody still be surprised that Germany should concentrate all her energies on regaining that position which, as one of the oldest and greatest of civilized nations, she has occupied through more than a thousand years of history? Is it not a blessing for the entire world that the present German government, desirous only of peace, has restored national unity and has thrown itself into the struggle against bolshevism and unemployment with unheard of energy and absolutely astounding success?”

Dr. Schacht is apparently seeking to justify and bolster up Hitler’s mad boast of a thousand years of Hitlerism by pointing to the position that Germany has “occupied through more than a thousand years of history,” as one of the oldest and greatest of civilized nations. And he enumerates the blessings bestowed upon the whole world by the present German government—that it is desirous only of peace, that it has restored national unity and has thrown itself in the struggle against bolshevism and unemployment.

That Germany under Hitler is working only for peace has been demonstrated by her rapid rearmament and by her attempts to impose her own brand of dictatorship upon another country, which almost precipitated a new European war.

That Germany under Hitler has restored national unity is demonstrated by the fact that all Germany has been transformed into a huge concentration camp where thinking people have no right to express their thoughts, where the press and the church and the schools are Nazified — muzzled and terrorized. The unemployment problem in Germany has been solved to some extent by the engagement of many of the unemployed in munitions shops.

As for Naziland’s struggle against bolshevism, it can hardly be described, as Dr. Schacht describes it, as an “absolutely astounding success.” As a matter of fact, the reverse is true. Bolshevism has gained immensely by the comparison with the Nazi dictatorship.

Dr. Schacht then proceeds to lecture America as follows:

“It seems to me unworthy of the American people to oppose the new Weltanschauung which has been built in Germany today, the more so as this new conception of life rests upon the noblest human sentiments: fidelity to duty, national unity without differences of class, contempt for all privileges of birth, rank and position, but recognition of personal achievement. This conception of life cannot be altered by reason of any possible material disadvantages.”

But the American people, as the people of other civilized lands, cannot help wondering about the Nazi interpretation of “the noblest human sentiments” of which Dr. Schachat writes. “National unity without differences of class,” with the exception of Jews, Catholics, Protestant, labor unions, intellectuals and advocates of peace. “Recognition of personal achievement,” excepting those discriminated against on racial, religious or political grounds.

But Dr. Schacht’s eulogy of the Nazi regime in Foreign Affairs is mere window-dressing for the things he wants to sell to the American public. And that is presented in the following sentence:

“Whoever boycotts Germany is preventing the payment of German coupons.”

May we remind Dr. Schacht and other Nazi apologists what a great American, the late President Woodrow Wilson, said in urging the abrogation of the commercial treaty with Russia in 1911?

“There lies a principle back of our life. America is not a mere body of traders; it is a body of free men. Our greatness is built upon our freedom—is moral, not material. We have a great ardor for gain; but we have a deep passion for the rights of man. Principles lie back of our actions. America would be inconceivable without them.”

It is quite natural that the American idealist who uttered these sentiments should be despised by the Nazis. But the sentiments expressed by Woodrow Wilson, as Governor, were afterward expressed also by the entire American people when, by a joint resolution of Congress, the commercial treaty with Russia was abrogated.