THE ANTI-SEMITIC OUTBURST IN BUCHAREST LAST WEEK OF PATRIARCH MIRON CHRISTEA, CHIEF PRELATE OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH IN RUMANIA, LED J. H. HERTZ, CHIEF RABBI OF GREAT BRITAIN, TO RECALL TODAY THE TIME THE PATRIARCH DENIED ANTI-SEMITIC PREJUDICE AND PROTESTED THAT SOME OF HIS BEST FRIENDS WERE JEWS.
“I READ WITH AMAZEMENT THE BARBAROUS OUTBURST OF THE PATRIARCH,” DR. HERTZ SAID IN A STATEMENT TO THE JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY. “I AM ONLY CONCERNED AT THE PRESENT WITH THE STATEMENT THAT HE EXPRESSED HIMSELF IN EXACTLY THE SAME WORDS TO A DELEGATION OF BRITISH JEWS WHILE IN LONDON. THAT IS NOT TRUE.
“THE DEPUTATION CONSISTED OF LEONARD MONTEFIORE AND MYSELF. THE PATRIARCH DENIED ANTI-SEMITIC PREJUDICE AND ASKED KINDLY CONCERNING DR. (MOSES) GASTER AND DR. (JACOB) NIEMIROWER. HE FERVENTLY PROTESTED THAT SOME OF HIS BEST FRIENDS WERE JEWS.
“HE WAS A GREAT ADMIRER OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY AND I THEREFORE APPEALED TO FOLLOW HIS GRACE’S EXAMPLE AND SPEAK ON HIS RETURN TO RUMANIA WORDS WHICH WOULD CALM THE DISTURBED FEELINGS. HIS PANACEA FOR THE JEWISH QUESTION IN RUMANIA WAS THE CALLING OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS.
“I PRESSED THE POINT, MEANTIME, THAT HE HAD A PECULIAR PRIVILEGE IN SPEAKING WORDS LEADING TO PEACE, UNDERSTANDING AND BROTHERHOOD AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF RUMANIA. HIS REPLY WAS:
“‘FIRST OF ALL I AM A RUMANIAN.’
“MY PARTING SHOT TO HIM, WHICH LEFT HIM SHEEPISHLY DISCONCERTED, WAS:
“‘NO, YOUR HOLINESS, FIRST YOU ARE NOT A RUMANIAN BUT A CHRISTIAN.'”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
