Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1919-01-10

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GOLUMBUS JEjWISH CHRONIGLE
"^ Ohio ""iw/ssio --'EEKLt DEVbTED TO THE INTERESTS OF JEWISH PEOPLE OF COLUMBUS AND VICINITY
L.I..
VOL. II.
COLUMBUS, OHIO, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1919.
No, 2
PRESIDENT WMON AND LLOYD GEORGE THE WAR RECORD OF AMERICAN JEWS CONFER ON JEWISH QUESTION
WANT IMMIGRANTS FOR PALESTINE
The Forward of December 30 has the foUpwing cables from Abe Cahan, editor and special correspondent for it, who is now in Europe:
London, December 28.—Haye just^ seen Lloyd George and I asked him what are the pros¬ pects for the Jews to obtain Pal¬ estine. Mr. Lloyd George an¬ swered that he has taken up the Jewish question with President Wilson and that they are both agreed with the declaration which the English Government has made over a year ago.
The answer of the English Premier to my question gives good hope that Palestine shall be possessed by the Jews. How¬ ever, judging by the situation in Paris, it must not be deducted from Mr. .Lloyd George's state¬ ment that Palestine will become an independent Jewish state. It means only that the Jews will be aided in establishing themselves in Palestine.
' London, December 29.—^Yes¬ terday I cabled a brief resume of my conversation with the Eng¬ lish Premier. Now I will give you some of the details of the interview:
"Can you tell me anjrthing new
concerning what is being done
to get justice for Jews in the
¦ whole world, to assure them hu¬
man rights and protection against outrages and persecu- tioh?" I asked.
"Yes," said Lloyd George, strongly emphasizing the word, "President Wilson and I are en¬ tirely agreed concerning the Jewish question—that all efforts must be miade to secure for them justice and equal rights."
"Did you also discuss the British Declaration with Presi¬ dent Wilson?" I asked.
"Yes," the Premier answered, "and we also agreed concerning this."
"Did you discuss the Palestine question on the basis of the dec¬ laration which the English Gov¬ ernment made last year?" "Yes, certainly," he answered. In our conversation, Lloyd George for the first time made public that he has taken up the Jewish question with President Wilson at the very first confer¬ ence which these two statesmen had-in London. It is understood that Palestine wiU not. be de¬ clared an independent Jewish state. Assistance and encour¬ agement will be given,for the founding of a Jewish world-cen¬ ter in Palestine under the prO' tection of the British Govern ment. England is priepared to become the trustee of Palestine in order to-help in the founding of such a center.
By Julian Leavitt, Director Office of War Recorfils, American
Jewish Committee.   I
MEETING WITH MAGNDilCENT SUCCESS CAMPAIGNFORJEWISHWAR SUFFERERS
In spite of the great handicap caused by .the influenza epidemic the end of the year finds a num¬ ber of important campaigns for the Jewish War Sufferers con¬ ducted by the American Jewish Relief Committee meeting with magnificent success.   Following the   splendid   results   already achieved in the states of North Calolina, Mississippi, West.Vir¬ ginia, and North Dakota, cam¬ paigns have jui^t been completed with great success in Alabama and in Georgia.   The state of Alabama has gone over its.quota of $100,000 and incomplete re¬ turns credit Georgia with $170,- 000 not including the important cities of Augusta and Savannah which   have   postponed    their drives to January.   Last year Alabama raised $27,809.56 and Georgia raised $40,236.74.   The city of Atlanta subscribed $90,- 000   as   agauist   $11,325.23   in 1917.   Many of the small cities in Georgia did remarkably well. One of the most splendid cam- pkigns ever held for the Jewish War Sufferers was that of Ath¬ ens, Ga., a town of 14,000 people, which almost tripled its quota of $5000.   Leo.   K.   Steiner   was chairman of the Alabama Com¬ mittee and Leopold Strauss, vice chairman.   Arthur N. Herman acted as executive secretary.  V, H. Kreigshaber of Atlanta was the Georgia State Chairman and Harold Hirsch was chairman of the   Atlanta   Executive   Com¬ mittee.   The success achieved in Athens was due in large part to the leadership of Max Michael and M. d. Michael. ' Another  splendid   success is that of Nashville, Tenn., where three committees, the Father¬ less Children of FVance, the Ar¬ menian and Syrian Committee and   American   Jewish   Relief Committee  combined  to  raise $100,000. Of this aum the Amer- iican Jewish Relief Committee received $40,000.   Lee J. Loven- tjbal wa& the Nashville chairman. Last    year    Nashville    raised $12,008.35.
A splendid campaign has just been completed in San Fran¬ cisco, Calif.. lyh'ere $325,000 was contributed as contrasted with $206,895.10 in 1917.
A number of other important drives are now in progress. A consolidation of the American Jewish Relief- Committee and the Armenian and Syrian,Com¬ mittee' has been arranged ih the' states of Iowa, Kansas and Flor¬ ida. The minimum quota for the Jewish War Sufferers in Iowa is $300,000, in Kansas $150,000, and in , Florida $50,000. Last yealr these states raised, re¬ spectively, $52,654,26; $9,275.24, and $8,660.26. The . state of Louisiana, which i^ubscribed $89,277.67 in 1917, will also run a campaign early in January, its minimum goal being $250,000.
Simultaneously with .these campaigns Chicago will hold its drive for $1,250,000 and Wash¬ ington, D. C, for $60,000. It is expected that this final windup will put the country over the $15,000,000, which is the goal of the American Jewish Relief Committee in 1918.
The outstanding feature of these drives is the- magnificent cooperation of non-Jews who have been eager not only to give generously but to serve as chair¬ men and members of executive committees, as captains, and as team workers.
VOTING STATU&OF ALIEN WOMEN IN UNITED STATES
Judge Newburger of the New York Supreme Court has decided that a foreign-born woman mar¬ ried to a citizen of the United States may register and vote if she has liven in the United States for five years, whether or not she has been married to a citizen for that same period of time. Some women have been denied the right to register when they have not been married for five years although they may have lived in this country even longer.
JEWS ELECTED MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
London.—^Aniong the Jews who were sent to Parliament during the recent elections' are, Sir Philip Magnus, Major Lionel de Rothschild and Cliarles Henry. The first two were re turned by. the Conservative Party.   Mr. Henry is a Liberal.
From the day that the United States first entereii the World War the Jews of America per¬ ceived the wisd,om of establish-^ ing an authentic, contemporary record of Jewish service in the common cause—a record that would serve the vital needs of the present no less than the obvious—historical — needs of the future.
To this end the American Jewish Committee, at its annual meeting in November, 1917 — the first since our entrance into the war — assigned to its Bu¬ reau of Statistics, as a major function, the task of collecting I and collating all data bearing upon the war service of Amer¬ ican-Jews.
Within the year this work has pro<:eeded vigorously and sys¬ tematically in the face of many serious obstacles.    In the first place  no   official- records   are available for the Federal Gov¬ ernment, although it recognizes the propriety-even the desirabil ity," of un-ofiicial ventures like ours,   itself  refrains,  for wise and obvious reasons, from not¬ ing the racial or religious affili¬ ations of its gallant fighters. In the second place, Jewish quotas, Coming as they do.from widely scattered parts of the country, contain ^thousands of men who have   naturally   drifted   away from Jewish   affiliations, other thousands who have, in the pro¬ cess of Americanization, chang¬ ed their names, and some who, for reasons of their own, seek to conceal ftieir racial or religious identity.   The problem bf comb¬ ing out the service records of all oui* Jewish-Soldiers- and-sailors became, therefore, la work of arduous research, to be prose¬ cuted through whatever instru¬ mentalities, and in whatever di¬ rections, the limitations of the undertaking would permit.
Under these.circum.stances the progress achieved in this first year' has well exceeded all ex¬ pectations. The time has not yet come to cast up the account, for the information is still pour¬ ing in—eyery mail brings pack¬ ages of cards from the agents of the Jewish Welfare Board in the camps; scores of individual registration cards sent in by the soldiers and sailors from camps, ships and trenches, or by their relatives and friends at home; honor rolls from synagoguesf and temples throughout the country; service rolls of fraternal, na¬ tional and labor organizations, etc., etc.—^nevertheless it may be possible to summarize, without danger of'serious misinterpreta¬ tion, certain outstanding facts that have already been develop ed in the course of the inquiry.
First, our collection already comprises over 100,000* records of Jews in the military and naval forces of the United States. These are individual records, free of all duplications, and furnishing, in the majority of' cases, all service details,— such as date of enlistment or in¬ duction, branch of service, rank, casualties or citations, etc.— and, in addition, certain details as to age, nativity, occupation, etc., of the greatest possible de¬ mographic value.
, Second, of the 100,000 records at hand about 80,000 have been tabulated and classified in three great files, arranged (a) alpha¬ betically (b) by branches of service and (c) by cities of origin. Of these 80,000 records about *TheBe and all foHowliig flgurea are as of December 10, 1918. Fuller de¬ tails and analyses may be found In the First Report of the OiHce of Jew¬ ish War Records, copies of .which may be had on application to the Amer¬ ican Jewish Committee, 31 Union Square West, New York.
69,000 are in the jArmy; about 8,800 in the Navj);; and about 1,700 in the Mariiife Corps.   Of the 69,000 in the i^Army about 35,000 are classified in the In¬ fantry, 6,500 in the Artillery, 9,300 in the Medical Corps, 3,- 964 in the Signal and Aviation Corps, 1,895   in   the   Engineer Corps, 1,213 in the Cavalry, 1,- 019 in the Ordnance, 4,521 in the Quartermaster^^ Corps, and about 8,814 in other branches (including men in training.) As to rank, thete are 5,021 Jewish commissiohed officers in the Army, of whorh 30 are Col¬ onels   or   Lieuteniant Colonels, 202 Majors, 782 Captains and 4,007 Lieutenants. >: In the Navy there are 205 commissioned of¬ ficers, including one Rear Ad¬ miral, and in the Marine Corps 25 commissioned oflicers, includ- ipg one Brigadier-Ceneral.
As to states and cities of origin:—^the largek centers of Jewish population have, of course, supplied the greatest number of Jews in the service. New York, gtate and city, have supplied nearly one-half —^the total for the stat6 being about 35,000, of which about 30,000 belong to New York City. Penn¬ sylvania follows with about 10,- 000, of which 7,100 are from Philadelphia. Illinois is credit¬ ed with 3,500, of which 2,700 are from Chicago; and Mas¬ sachusetts with 3,400, of which 830 are from Boston. Other states and cities will be found to be pro-rated accordingly.
Mere numbers, .however, signify almost nothing—^in the present instance. ^ The actual significance jD£4he'Sgur£S.,quoted above may be grasped only in their relation to certain ques¬ tions that are, of necessity, up¬ permost in the mind of any one who is at all interested in this subject. It may be well, there-] fore; to present our data (directly in the form of questions and an¬ swers—it being understood, however, that. as. these figures are not final any deductions drawn from them must also lack finality.    '«
What is the total number, and percentage, of the. Jews in the army and navy of the United States?
The  best   available   evidence indicates that there are from 150,000 to 200,000 Jews in the service.   This estimate is based upon two independent calcula¬ tions which tend strongly to' con¬ firm one another. One is a study of the Casualty Lists.   The total number of casualties in the Am¬ erican    Expeditionary . Forces published to November 1, 1918, was 64,157.   The total number of Jewish casualties noted to that date was 2,502—or about 3.9 per cent, of the total.  If the Jewish casualties are not exces¬ sive—and there is no reason to assume that they are (at least not for the earlier period of the war, the later fighting in the Ar¬ gonne Forest in which the 77th Camp Upton, Division, was en¬ gaged, will probably raise the proportions)—^this would indi¬ cate that the Jews constitute about four per cent, of the Army and Marine Corps. As these two arms of the service numbered, at the close of the war, about 3,- 700,000 men, this would make the total Jewish soldiers and Marines about 45,000.   And as the same ratio probably applies to, the Navy, its personnel of 500,000 would furnish approxi¬ mately 20,000 Jews.   The total for all branches of the service would  therefore, according to this method of calculation; ap¬ proximate 165,000. The other possible method of
-The Poale in sessiop in
GIVES FREELY
Philadelphia, Pa. Zion Convention this city passed resolutions pro¬ viding for the regulation of im¬ migration to the proposed Jew¬ ish Republic of Palestine and for the country's political, industrial and economic relations.. The resolutions urge that the new republic be affiliated with the proposed League of Nations and express the hope that Great Britain will allow the Jews to establish their own government in Palestine.
The resolutions provide for the rehabilitation of Palestine through a co-operative form of Government and direct that the immigation shall be under the supervision of a national organi¬ zation to which immigrants shall pay a certain sum in order to be¬ come members of the co-opera- jtive governmental system. It was suggested in the resolutions that immigrants be compelled to remain in the new state for at least two years and that Hebrew and Yiddish be the recognized languages. ,
The Poale Zion or Jewish Workingmen's Party in Amer¬ ica was requested to raise among its members a fund to be de¬ posited in a bank in Palestine to expedite the work of settlement.
Julius Rosenwald, whose mag¬ nificent gif t of $1,600,000, or ten per cent of the total amount raised throughout the country, was the daramtic feature of the
1917 campaign for the Jewish War Sufferers, has again in¬ spired the Jews of America to respond with the utmost gener¬ osity to the appeals for help from our stricken co-religionists abroad. This year he has agreed to give 25 per cent of the total raised in the city of Chicago up to the sum of $250,000. This gift will put Chicago over its
1918 quota of $1,250,000.
SCHONTHAL HOME ACTIVITIES
PILOTS WOMAN'S
PARLIAMENT MEASURE
It was the Right Hon. Herbert Louis Samuels, a Jewish mem¬ ber of Parliament, who moved the resolution in the House of Commons last week expressing ,the desirability of the immediate promotion of a bill making womten eligible for members of Parliament. This resolution was passed by an overwhelming ma¬ jority in the House of Commons andr marks the absolute finish of the anti-suffrage movement in England. The bill contained only seventy-eight words, and the time taken in passing through the three stages of the House of Commons was little over-seven¬ ty-eight minutes.
estimating our total is more com¬ plex, being based upon certain comparative tests made in searching official and non-official records, the details of which would not be of interest at this point. It is sufficient to say that thiis-method strongly confirms the results arrived at by the first method.   ,
How does»the percentage of Jews in the service compare with the Jewish population in the United States?
The entire Jewish pppulation of the. country, according to the latest estimates, is about three per cent, oi the total population. The Jews in the miilitary and naval forces of the United States, however, constitute from four to five per cent, of the total personnel.
On the face of these figures it would seem that the Jews of America have contributed at least one-third more than their share to the armed strength of the United States.
There is reason to believe, however, that the final figures, when made available iwill de¬ monstrate that the Jewish con¬ tribution has been even greater than this. It is well known that selective- service system has operated more effectively in the North and East than in the South' and-West, and in.the ur¬ ban than in the rural districts— that is, in the larger centers of population, which happen to be also the centers of Jewish popu¬ lation. Moreover, the number of industrial exemptions has been greatest in agriculture, mining and the metal in/dustries, where the Jews are least exten¬ sively employed. It has there¬ fore developed, as an unavoid¬ able and incidental feature of the draft system, that the Jew¬ ish elements of the population have perhaps been drawn upon more heavily, in proportion to their numbers, than any other elements.
But the principal reason for the high percentage of Jews in the service rests elsewhere. It is to be found in the remarkable number 'of Jewish volunteers. The evidence as to this is definite and conclusive. A considerable number of the records in pur files state the exact ages of the men reported. By actual count it has been ascertained that of all the men whose ages were
known fully -ten per cent, were well outside the draft ages at the-, time that the count was-made— before the registration of Sep¬ tember 12th. If, in addition to this number there be added the 10,000 sailors and marines, who ^re all volunteers, the total of such volunteers at present re¬ corded rises to more than twenty per cent, of the total in our files.' Should this ratio rep¬ resent fairly the proportion of Jewish volunteers in all the arms of the service—and at present there is no reason to believe otherwise—^this would . indicate that there are from 30,000 to 40,000 Jewish volunteers in the service today. In other words, the nbrmal Jewish quota of three per cent, seems' to have been contributed through the draft, and the excess to have been supplied by volunteers. How are the Jewish soldiers dis-^ tributed among the combatant and non-comhatant branches of the service?
Although distinctions of this nature have become, in the or¬ ganization of modern warfare,' almost meaningless, and are therefore not to be over-emphas¬ ized, certain comparisons that ,have been noted in this conneQ- tion are so striking as to com¬ pel instant attention.
According to the latest official figures available as to the strong of the army as a whole and of each of its component branches, the total strength was, in November, 1918, about 3,665,- 000, of which the Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry and Signal —^Aviation branches constituted 60 per cent., and the other branches, such as Ordnance, Quartermaster, etc., constituted 40 per izent. But among the 70,- 000'Jewish records in our pos¬ session the distribution among the first named branches is fully 72 per cent., of 12 per cent, greater than in the entire United States Army.
The infantry branch consti¬ tutes 26.6 per cent, of the United States army, while of the Jewish total it constitutes 51.7 per cent, or practically double the army ratio.
In Artillery the proportion is 14 per cent, for the arniy as a whole, and 10 per cent, for the Jewish total. , In Cavalry the rate for the ehtire army is two (Continued on page 4)
There is very little that is Feft undone.jjy the management bf the Hermine Schonthal Home for the Jewish boys and girls of Columbus. Guided by the mag¬ nificent intent and spirit of Mr. Joseph Schonthaljf the man who has made the home such a splendid reality for Columbus, it is bending every effort to carry out the charitable ideas of the giver and to build up an institu¬ tion that is verily the pride and inspiration of Columbus.
The closest and kindliest at¬ tention is given, of course, to the younger generation. There is the Kindergarten for girls, where the youngest of them are taught the first rudiments of knowl¬ edge, singing, declamation and other elementary subjects^ To strengthen and develop the mother and the home instinct in them, they are provided with a realistic doll house, where they can play and learn how to be kind and helpful and to keep house. Thirty-six have thus far registered in the Kindergarten. The teachers are anxious to have as many children in the ' Kindergarten as possible and urge their parents to send their children.
There is also a filling class for girls in the afternoon and even¬ ing, where, they are engaged in the making and filling of various things such a pillows, cushions, and the like, which are to be sold ¦ later and the proceeds from which will be given to the fath¬ erless children of France.
To stir the youthful imagina¬ tion of the children and tb instil in them a love for the true, the honorable, and the beautiful, a class'of story telling is conduct- ed every afternoon for giirls of six to eight years old.
A gymnasium with all the requisite equipment for the de¬ velopment of the body.is pro-^ vided for girls and all are in¬ vited to.make use of it. A class in china paihting will be started soon. The cooking classes for grown up and children will be continued^ as scheduled. The billiard room is now open to all. The library of the Home has been augmented and now offers to the Jewish readers a number of well-selected ^and representa¬ tive books on practically every' phase of Jewish life.
But what promises to prove one of the greatest boons of the Home to the Jewish residents of Columbus  is  its  contemplated series of concerts to be given by the best^nusical talents of the city.   This series will be a part of the work carried ori by the , musical    department    of ' the Home.   The fact that Miss Eva Frosch is the manager of the ' series and that it is going to be. given under the auspices of the Columbus MacDowell   Club,   of which Miss Frosch is president, argue well for the artistis value of the concerts, and the JTewish music lovers' of Columbus may anticipate their pleasure in ad¬ vance.  > It is the intention of Miss Frosh to give the Jewish audience the best in composi¬ tion and execiftion.
The first concert of the series will be given Sunday, January 12, at 8 o'clock in the beautiful music room of the Home. The first artists to appear in the series are Miss Mary Hertenr, stein, a gifted pianist, and Miss Carrie Porter, the well known soprano. It will be a rare treat, indeed, to hear Miss Hertenstein share honors on the program with another artist equally dis¬ tinguished in the realm,of song;. The Community Home ex¬ tends a cordial invitation to the general public and to every man in uniform to attend the concert.
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