What They Say

Lord Rothermere has come out in favor of a strong Fascist movement in England and appeals to every young Britisher to don a black shirt, in a spirit of emulation of Mussolini and Hitler…. It requires nerve, indeed, even on the part of such a cheap sensation monger as Lord Rothermere, to come out publicly in favor of a Fascist regime in England. Let one but compare England with Hitler’s Germany. England is powerful, the sphere of her influence embraces the whole world, she is an important member of the family of nations, while Hitler’s Germany lies half-choked to death, tormented and hated by all decent people all over the globe. England has attained her status with the aid of her democracy, with the aid of her spirit of liberalism, whereas Germany has fallen so low owing to Hitler, and also to the Kaiser, who was a kind of Hitler himself. Kaiserism is an older brother of Hitlerism. Yes, let the world compare England and Germany, and then the contrast between Democracy and Fascism, combined with reaction and dictatorship will be only too obvious.

The Jewish Daily Forward, New York.

WHERE VON PAPEN IS WRONG

Von Papen, the “liberal” German Chancellor under Hindenburg, has made a public utterance to the effect that the German Jews give up all hope for better times…. Sorry, but we do not put much stock in prophecies. And we are justified in this attitude of ours. Nicholas II, the last Czar of all the Russias, pursued his Jew-baiting policy for a number of years. With an iron fist and iron restrictive laws he would not permit the Jews to participate in the public life of the country. He, too, and his henchmen kept notifying the Russian Jews, by word and by deed, that it was futile for them to hope for better times in Russia. It was futile for them, but of course not for him and his fellow-oppressors. . . . And what has happened since then?

Our faith for better days to come for our brethren in Germany is not based on the expectation that Hitler will relent, but on our firm belief that he will ultimately disappear altogether from German public life, and oblivion for him is nearer than he and his minions would like to believe.

The Day, New York.

GOV. LEHMAN’S RECORD

Governor Herbert H. Lehman of New York has won the acclaim of his political opponents as well as that of his own party with his recent message to the Legislature. . . . The reduction in taxes he proposes is both welcome and imperative because the burden of heavy taxation on the middle classes is a considerable impediment on the road to an upswing in industry and business. . . . To be sure, circumstances that are not directly connected with the affairs of the state, such as repeal, have contributed their share toward the general improvement, but governors just as presidents are held responsible for all troubles occurring during their administration, even if those troubles are not of their making. And it is only fair to give them credit for improvements which may have been extrancous to their personal efforts. The main thing is to make a good record, and this is what the first Jewish Governor of New York has undoubtedly achieved.

Jewish Morning Journal, New York.

CRIME DECREASES AMONG JEWS

According to the studies made in some of the principal penal institutions of the State of New York, there has been a diminution of crime among the Jewish population, amounting to as high as fifty percent. This is a very welcome bit of news, and the credit for the accomplishment belongs, without any doubt, to the Jewish educational institutions that have been doing very good work in many cities of New York State. The Jewish educational institutions are giving the American-born Jewish children a traditional, moral bringing up and thus reduce any possible tendency toward lawlessness among them.

Jewish children who receive the benefit of a religious or traditionally nationalistic education remain law-abiding and respectable when they grow up, and that is the reason why crime among the Jews keeps decreasing as time passes. This shows once more how indispensable our educational institutions are for elevating and maintaining the high moral status of our youth which, automatically, raises the level of the American people as a whole.

Daily Jewish Courier, Chicago.

NAZI PROPAGANDA-AND THE ANTIDOTE

It is not difficult to dupe the masses, who are, as a rule, illinformed, and easily susceptible to smooth – tongued and plausible speeches which are usually framed on identical lines and easily answered. It is up to those in charge, to the utmost of their power, to follow every Nazi speaker and track down every article and letter, and not let the Jewish defense go by default. We cannot believe that the question of cost will be allowed to stand in the way.

Jewish Chronicle, London.

UNITED WE STAND

It is only from ourselves that we are trying to escape by our reluctance to admit that we are a people all by ourselves. We still resist the idea that we have common bonds and interests which will not be protected unless and until we ourselves rise up to defend them in a united effort.

Gazeta Israelita, Rio de Janeiro.

SILENCE NOT GOLDEN

Mere silence will not avail us. In Germany, too, the Jews under-estimated the strength of the anti-Semitic movement and considered it unnecessary to reply to the Nazi attacks, on the assumption that intelligent readers would be able to see for themselves how false and unfounded they were. Alas, the number of readers of the anti-Semitic press who can and do think for themselves is pitifully small. It is therefore our urgent duty to organize an efficient defense committee and get all Jews to contribute toward such an organization or, rather, permanent institution. The least anti-Semitic disorder would cost us much more than a systematically planned defense against Jew-baiting. The sooner we realize and act upon it, the better.

Yiddishe Zeit, Buenos Aires.