The publication of testimony by the Congressional Committee on Un-American Activities of testimony by ex-Communist leader Benjamin Gitlow charging the late Rabbis Stephen S. Wise and Judah L. Magnes with collaborating with the Communists, has drawn indignant fire from World Jewish Congress leaders here. Dr. Wise was the founder and first president of the WJC.
WJC leaders called the “desecration of the memory of two noble men” a “scandalous calumny” and warned that it had the effect of “besmirching the good repute of America” abroad. Typical of the comments was that of A.L. Easterman, WJC political director, who said:
“Both Dr. Wise and Dr. Magnes were unrelenting opponents of Communism. Throughout his life and shortly before his lamented death Rabbi Wise at a plenary session of the World Jewish Congress denounced, with his famed eloquence, the policies, pretensions and activities of the Communists.
“To ascribe to them any connection with the Communist Party, or to suggest they served it in any way, can only be regarded as a malicious and contemptible outrage and a disgraceful affront to the Jewish people. “
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
