World Watches Prosperous America, Henry Morgenthau Tells U. J. C. Workers

Need Greater Than $15,000,000 Can Relieve, He Says; Bishop Manning Donates $50; William Nelson Cromwell Makes Largest Non-Jewish Contribution of $5,000

The fifteen million dollars which the Jews of America are engaged in raising for the relief of their stricken coreligionists overseas is an insignificant sum compared with the great need that exists among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, declared former Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to 500 men and women assembled at head-quarters of the United Jewish Campaign to report on the results of the first three and a half days of the New York campaign. Mr. Morgenthau told his hearers that $75,000,000 was a figure that would more closely approximate the sum required.

“The tremendous economic crisis in Eastern and Central Europe, may, I fear lead to some tragic outbreak-and the Jew will again, as in the past, be made the scapegoat,” declared the former Ambassador. “The only way in which a new tragedy, a shocking pogrom can be forestalled, is, if by our action here we demonstrate to the whole world that the Jews of America are standing solidly behind their people abroad-not merely with lip-service, but with money.

“The thing that I observed more than anything else in my trip around the world is that America is being watched by the whole world as to how we are going to conduct ourselves during this extraordinary era of prosperity through which we are living,” Mr. Morgenthau declared. “They are watching now how we spend our money. They are not watching our little excesses. They do not care whether we are spending too much on our selves or whether we are engaging in jazz and other things, but they are watching to see what sort of characters we are developing. They want to know whether we are going to represent our best in this era of prosperity or ignore and disregard the wants, the tremendous need for help of the whole world. I have been asked what was the reason that the Jew differed from all other people. It is because the Jew has not failed to hear the cry of his needy brethren. My friends, we are part of the American people, and one of the ways in which I believe we can best serve this country is to show to the rest of our fellow-citizens that we are heeding the cry of our needy brothers in Central and Eastern Europe.

“I have maintained from the beginning, since I was in Poland, that the Jewish problem can be settled nowhere else except where the Jews live. For the Jews of Eastern and Central Europe it cannot be settled except in Eastern and Central Europe. The Jews in Poland, Roumania and Russia are the ones that need help. We are undertaking here to try and give them some help, but what we are trying to give them is absolutely insignificant. We are trying to raise $5,000,000 a year to help 7,000,000 or more people. That is less than $1.00 per person-that is about three days’ support. Thirty-three cents can support them one day.

“Just imagine how little we are trying to do for them and imagine how we are rolling in wealth. Just think of the opportunities that you have had in this country and also remember that we have left behind us some blood-relatives. I cannot understand why the Jews of America haven’t risen to the heights in view of the conditions that exist. Much more should be done than we are attempting to do.

“I was one of the twenty-four men that President Wilson appointed in 1917 to formulate the plans for the Red Cross. The evening before our meeting in Washington, we had a conference of seven men. When I told them that evening we ought to raise $50,000,000 they ridiculed it. They said, ‘It is ridiculous-it cannot be done.’ I was persistent. They said to us, ‘Put it before the Committee next day.’ I got up and spoke and John Wanamaker was sitting to my right and another very rich man to my left. They both thought it was impossible and I said to them. ‘Here sits a Jew-Julius Rosenwald, who has given $1,00,000’ and I said, ‘You ought to be ashamed of yourselves if you do not undertake to raise $50,000,000.’ When they elected the chairman, Mr. Henry Davison, they told him ‘Morgenthau has made a foolish proposition to raise $50,000,000. The most any of us considered is $25,000,000.’ Mr. Davison said ‘Yes-it was foolish, you should have said $100,000,000.’ In the end we raised $107,000,000.

“My friends. I think we ought to raise not $15,000,000 in this campaign, but we ought to raise a fund from $50,000,000 to $100,000,000 and it can be done if it is gone after properly, and for this reason. Yesterday a gentleman came to see me from Poland. He arrived only the day before. He told me that the danger of a tremendous upheaval in Central and Eastern Europe is greater today than it ever was. He said somebody will have to be made the scapegoat of the fearful conditions which prevail there. That will be the Jew. Nothing can counteract it except an absolute showing on the part of the American Jew that they are ready to stand by their brethren not merely with ‘lip service,’ not merely with $1.00 per head, but with some big powerful organization with almost unlimited resources that is going to help these people extricate themselves from a condition which has never been as bad as it is today. You cannot do it in this sort of way. Let us go ahead and do this $15,000,000 job with a vim, but I believe that the men and women who are raising this money should, when they are through, study the bigger problem. We are going to save a few people with this fund. We are going to alleviate conditions a little. But this tremendous problem demands extraordinary remedies. Why could not the Jews of America get together and say, ‘We will spare 5 percent of our resources.’ I think I can guess, without any calculation that 5 per cent of our resources would be a great deal more than $200,000,000.”

The results of the canvass at the end of the rally brought the total for New York City up to $3,400,000. This includes $500,000 from Brooklyn.

An outstanding contribution announced by Mr. Bressler was of $120,000 from the Charity Chest of the Fur Industry of New York, with a provision that if its own collection from the industry improved larger sums will be given in 1927 and 1928.

An outstanding non-Jewish contribution was a gift of $5,000 reported by Louis Marshall, honorary chairman of the campaign, from William Nelson Cromwell, an eminent New York lawyer, who is president of the Society of Friends of Roumania. Another was a check of $50 from Bishop William T. Manning of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, with a letter to Chairman William Fox, expressing the wish of the sender that he could “make it many times larger.” in keeping with his interest and sympathy with the humanitarian purpose for which the overseas chest is being raised.

Rabbi Israel Goldstein of the B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, Chairman of the Rabbis Committee, reported that $4,000 had been contributed by the Rabbis of Greater New York Synagogues and Temples to date.

Mr. Harry Goodstein, chairman of the Real Estate Division, raised practically single handed the sum of $369,000. Reporting from the Bankers and Brokers Division. Carl Pforzheimer, chairman of this division announced that its quota of $1,500,000 was more than half raised with $810,000 already subscribed.

Joseph Leblang announced $386,000 had been raised by the Theatrical Division. Zach Oppenheimer, chairman of the Jewelry Division, brought in pledges totaling $35,000. Louis Vorhau, chairman of the Lawyers and Judges Division, reported a total of $10,500. Jacob Sperber, chairman of the Cloak and Suit Division, announced additional pledges of $12,000 since the last rally.

Plans for the construction of a new synagogue in Brocton, Mass., by Congregation Israel, were adopted at a meeting of the executive board.