A Controversy of Zion – II
For your consideration: Some thoughts, the naïveté of which are only exceeded by their unintended irony…
“We have spoken in the past of European Judaism,
we speak of Palestinian Judaism,” he said.
“There is no reason why for Jewish Americans
there shall not be a modern, vibrant, vigorous application of Jewish faith
which will be thoroughly and dominantly American.
“In advocating the formation of an American Council of Judaism,
we do not in any way minimize our kinship with our brothers
in every land and in every other interpretation of Judaism.
We merely say to our neighbors and to the world at large
that for us here in America our prayers and our customs
will be so shaped as to be intelligible not only to our children
but to all Americans and that we shall so use our Jewish heritage
that all who may wish to come to our temples will find themselves at home.
Thus, on our part,
the oft-repeated aim to Bring Christian and Jew together
will become more than a pious phrase or a publicity slogan.
It will become a sincere program of better understanding.”
Rabbi William F. Rosenblum, 1942
______________________________
Continuing with the Jewish Exponent’s mid-WW II articles about opposition to Zionism organized from within – but not entirely representing – Reform Judaism, and, countervailing forces from Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, let alone the Reform movement itself, here’s the newspaper’s second article. From December 18, 1942, it’s one of three on this topic published on this date.
This article focuses on the creation of the American Council for Judaism, in the text actually titled the “Council for American Judaism”. Reporting comes from the “Independent Jewish Press Service, Inc.”, an organization – described in an extensively footnoted entry at Wikipedia – as having been founded in 1935, based in New York, and active in the 1940s. The Service was under the leadership of Martha Neumark (executive director in the early 40s) and Dr. Judd L. Teller, one of its reporters having been Bernard Lerner, and ceased activity at the end of 1948. Neumark was the first American women to have been accepted to Rabbinical School (at Hebrew Union College). (However, she was only permitted to earn a “…qualification as a religious school principal instead of ordination, though she had spent 7 and a half years in rabbinical school.”)
The Exponent’s article covers the initial two meetings of the Council, held on November 2 and November 23, 1942, at Temple Rodeph Shalom. Though the reporter’s name is not given, the Philadelphia associations – Rodeph Shalom having been the setting of the two meetings, the Exponent’s detailed coverage of those events, the fact that the organization was founded in Philadelphia, and the mention of Attorney Morris Wolf and Lessing Rosenwald of that city – suggest to me that an IJPS correspondent or stringer simply sat in on one or both meetings, or, received information about the Council’s formation from one of its attendees. More likely – given the level of detail, quotes, and unflattering anecdotes – the former.
The Exponent’s article first summarizes the main points pertaining to the Council’s creation, and then goes into much deeper detail about the events, personalities, and agendas of the two meetings. Particularly interesting are the reported claim by Rabbi William Fineshriber about interacting with Secretary of State Cordell Hull, and, Rabbi Morris Lazaron’s attempt “to “see” Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, in order to present the Council’s anti-Zionist position.
The article closes with statements by Rabbi Louis Wolsey and Rabbi William F. Rosenblum which present the ethos and aims of the Council. In that regard, it’s essential to present this quote from Rabbi Wolsey’s FindAGrave biographical profile:
“Beginning in the fall of 1944, however, Wolsey began to experience a sense of alienation from the anti-Zionist movement. He felt that [Elmer] Berger and Wallach ran the ACJ in an “undemocratic fashion” and that they overemphasized ACJ’s anti-Zionist aspects rather than its Reform principles. As a result, Wolsey resigned as vice-president in December 1945 and thereafter became totally inactive in the ACJ.
In 1948, upon the creation of the State of Israel, Wolsey formally withdrew as a member of the American Council for Judaism. In a statement released to the press, he called for the dissolution of the Council and pleaded for an effort to heal all wounds in order to strengthen Israel by creating a united spiritual front of American Jews. Wolsey’s recognition for the realities of the situation and his willingness to state his changed position in public won him much acclaim.”
And so, the article:
Form Group to Fight Zionism in U.S.A. and Palestine
The Jewish Exponent
December 18, 1942
EDITOR’S NOTE: The story which follows is an exclusive account dealing with the formation of the Council for American Judaism, released to its subscribers by the Independent Jewish Press Service, Inc.
PHILADELPHIA (JPS) – With the objective of splitting all of American Jewish life, war has been pledged on Zionism and on all persons and institutions sympathetic to that program, with the wealth of influential Jews and the power even of irreligious Jews mobilized in order to smash every gain the Zionist movement has made in the United States and Palestine in forty years.
That is the goal set for itself by the group called the Council for American Judaism, which was born in this city six weeks ago although its birth was announced only this week. Dedicated to battle against those who would build up the Jewish National Home in Palestine, the initial meeting was held in Temple Rodeph Shalom, Philadelphia. The anti-Zionist rabbis held their first gathering here on November 2nd and perfected their plans on November 23rd. Behind them, they contend, are some of the most powerful and wealthy Jews in America, who, one of the conveners alleged, have the power of persuasion over the State Department and ready access to present these anti-Zionist views to other members of the United States Cabinet.
The Independent Jewish Press Service has learned the secret background of the Council and, because of the extraordinary issues raised and the outstanding personalities involved, decided to make the lengthy material available to the general public.
These are some of the elements involved in a drama which derives special significance from the present situation in Europe, where millions of Jews are being slaughtered by the Nazis.
(1) A small group of anti-Zionist Reform rabbis, many of them retired from their pulpits, has undertaken a wide-ranging political program against Zionism, to which these Rabbis allegedly object because it is political in character. Asserting that Zionism is “secular” and “irreligious” and that is why Reform Judaism, as they understand it, opposes it, these anti-Zionist rabbis have decided to enlist irreligious Jews as well as the religious in order to attempt to achieve their anti-Zionist aims, long rejected by the majority of American Jewish leaders.
(2) The names of Morris Wolf, prominent Philadelphia lawyer, associated with Lessing Rosenwald of this city, Henry Ittleson, wealthy head of Commercial Investment Trust; Arthur Hays Sulzberger, publisher of the New York Times; Samuel Leidesdorf, prominent New York accountant; Paul Baerwald, Honorary Chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee, are among those of laymen involved in the remarkable story.
(3) Match that lit the antizionist fire of these rabbis and laymen into flame was Sidney Wallach, until recently “educational director” of the American Jewish Committee, retiring from that body under unknown circumstances. But a decade ago, Mr. Wallach was the editor of The New Palestine, official organ of the Zionist Organization of America. Another person associated with the tale is Dr. Maurice Hexter, now Executive Vice-President of the New York Jewish Federation, but prior to that for many years in Palestine as the Felix Warburg named member of the Jewish Agency Executive.
(4) Secretary of State Hull’s department can be “reached” by this anti-Zionist group, one member of it, Rabbi William Fineshriber, of this city, claims, quoting a statement of anti-Zionist intent by one of the leading members of the State Department.
(5) Rabbi Lazaron also undertook to “see” Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes before he delivered his speech on December 6th at the National Council of the United Palestine Appeal in New York in order to present the anti-Zionist position to the Secretary. Whether he “saw: him or not, Mr. Ickes said not one word about Palestine at a national Palestine gathering.
(6) Among the epithets hurled at various other leading American Jewish personalities were these: Adolph H. Rosenberg, head of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, was described as an “appeaser” by Rabbi Louis Wolsey, of Philadelphia; Rabbi James G. Heller, President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and Rabbi Israel Goldstein, President of the Synagogue Council of America, were both denounced as using these organizations for Zionist purposes; the American Jewish Committee itself, under present control, was charged with having “ducked” the Zionist issue.
Campaign for Large Funds
To achieve its purposes, the Council for American Judaism, a name proposed by Rabbi Lazaron, has launched a campaign for $25,000 in the first month. On the advice of a “public relations” counsel that it would look “nicer” to have a rabbi instead of a layman as the executive director of the organization, youthful Rabbi Elmer Berger, of Flint, Mich., was appointed to the post.
Meeting of November 2nd
The story is best told as it unfolded, itself at two intimate and private meetings at Rabbi Wolsey’s Rodeph Shalom. Rabbi Wolsey was in the chair. Others present were venerable Rabbi Samuel Goldenson, of New York’s Temple Emanuel-El, William Rosenau, Morris Lazaron, A.D. Shaw and Abraham Shusterman, the last four of Baltimore, Rabbi William Fineshriber, H.J. Schachtel, and Isaac Landman of new York, Norman Gerstenfeld, of Washington; emeritus David Phillipson, of Cincinnati; emeritus Solomon Foster, of Newark; and C.A. Rubenstein, of Baltimore.
Rabbi Samuel Goldstein introduced Mr. Sidney Wallach, until recently with the American Jewish Committee but now a “free lance” in public relations. Mr. Wallach, once the editor of the official Zionist journal, told the group that non-Zionism was the most important issue in American Jewish life and that the failure of this cause would be harmful to everything American Jewry values. The opposition movement is the last stand of the anti-Zionist forces, he stressed, and to achieve its objective an organized group must be fought with organization. The Zionists, he charged, have captured the organs and media of public opinion. In his view, the number of Zionists is very small. Most of them had been “taken in” and were, in reality, only philanthropically minded. He said it would be regrettable if the anti-nationalist fight remained Reform. A place should be found for the non-Reform, even in the irreligious anti-Zionist. Let the irreligious Jew find his place in American Jewish life, but not the place the Zionists want him to have. The American Jewish Committee, he charged, has “ducked” this issue. Its members were not aggressively anti-Zionist, although they were and are basically anti-Zionist.
Mr. Wallach’s plan involved “grooming for action” several thousand people, at least one representative in every city who would fight for a hearing and who would have, according to Mr. Wallach, the same function as a Christian Science representative in a community. He declared that Dr. Magnes was “crucified” by the Jewish press. To reveal this, he stated, would reveal the unreliability of the Zionists, showing the parallelism between the German 19th century mysticism and Zionist ideology. This would help show up Zionist errors. Even the “gad-fly,” he declared, has a place in the establishing of truth.
At this point, Mr. Wallach modestly suggested that he did not want to earn his living doing this type of public relations but, after all, he would have to have the “burden of making a living lifted” from him, if he were to do this public relations work.
Rabbi David Phillipson said he had come from Cincinnati to present the point of view of Mr. Adolph Rosenberg, leader of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Mr. Rosenberg felt the group must have a “positive” view, with Americanism as its central theme. The only salvation for Judaism, he felt, was to identify this movement with Americanism. Dr. Phillipson said he shared that view and would return to Cincinnati to organize a group on that basis. But this was not satisfactory to Rabbi Wolsey, with said that in his relations with the U.A.H.C., Mr. Rosenberg had been an appeaser.
Rabbi Rosenau said that the Baltimore rabbis had given a great deal of thought to this cause. It was their endeavor to create a non-U.A.H.C. organ of Reform Judaism. It was his thought, however, that stressing of the American keynote would cast aspersion on thousands of those who differ. They claim to be Americans and are loyal Americans. The movement, he felt, is a religious one in opposing Zionism.
Rabbi Schachtel was impatient to proceed with practical matters and said the immediate engagement of a person such as Mr. Wallach was essential. Rabbi Fineshriber agreed that the group ought to follow Mr. Wallach’s plan. It was necessary to have a person like Wallach or to start a magazine, for financial reasons.
Mr. Wallach responded that a “man’s size job must be done by a man,” whether himself or somebody else. He felt it would be wise to get clarification of the views of Wendell Willkie and Secretary Hull on Zionism. In his view, money-raising for anti-Zionist purposes should be very easy. He knew many men who would be ready to contribute.
Dr. Goldenson agreed to this, saying once a man was engaged the financial support would flow in.
Rabbi Foster was opposed to joining with irreligious Jews, saying his antagonism to Zionism was of religious origin.
Rabbi Lazaron asked the practical questions: How much would Wallach’s services entail? What would he do if he had the money? How would he raise the money?
Mr. Wallach said he would need from $7,200 to $7,500 a year. He would get busy doing the kind of thing he had been talking about, get a hearing for anti-Zionism. One magazine was not enough. If we show we mean business, Wallach said, groups in every city will contribute, especially if we can get tax-exemption. The zealots in every city must be found. He believed that anti-nationalism would strengthen Reform, rather than Reform strengthen anti-nationalism.
Rabbi Gerstenfeld, of Washington, was satisfied. He would call his laymen together promptly to raise funds.
Would Use Yiddish Press
Mr. Wallach suggested a key group of individuals in New York to supervise the spending of the money and the conduct of the work. This group would have to have freedom to work and to make decisions. The Yiddish press, he suggested, should be approached, so that with “friends” inside, an occasional item would be published to inject doubt of Zionism in the readers’ minds.
Rabbi Schachtel wanted to know whether “our movement is to be pro-Reform or anti-nationalist”. In his view, the main program should be “anti-nationalist”. Rabbi Lazaron said he did not like to see an anti-program but a positive one. Rabbi Shaw agreed.
Then the discussion went on, with suggestions being offered for various types of magazines, methods of getting tax exemption, and getting speakers onto various lecture platforms. Rabbi Goldenson asked whether the group should identify itself solely with Reform or strike the larger American note. He was for the latter, although sole identification with either would be a limitation on any money-raising venture.
It was Rabbi Gerstenfeld, seconded by Rabbi Phillipson, who proposed that $25,000 be raised in one month, that Mr. Wallach be engaged and a program be worked out for the year. The motion carried.
After adjournment for lunch, Dr. Goldenson started off the afternoon proceedings by reading the letter in the New York Times of November 1st, from Dr. Judah L. Magnes, President of the Hebrew University. Each of the men, led off by Rabbi Phillipson, explained how he was going to raise funds in his city for this crusade. With Rabbi Lazaron as chairman, a committee was appointed to formulate objectives. Other members were Goldenson, Schachtel, Gerstenfeld, and Fineshriber.
Rabbi Wise Reports on Meeting
The second meeting of the group, called in the same temple, here, on November 23rd, heard a letter read from Rabbi Jonah B. Wise, of New York, a national chairman of the United Jewish Appeal and fund-raising chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee, who described a meeting held in New York on November 16th to consider purposes in which Rabbi Wolsey’s group was extremely interested.
Rabbi Wise dismissed the importance of the answer to the 95 anti-Zionist rabbis singed by 733 rabbis. He declared that only 199 of 476 members of the Central Conference of American Rabbis were included. He pointed out that neither Dr. Julian Morgenstern, President of the Hebrew Union College, nor Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, President of the Jewish Theological Seminary, had joined the 733 rabbis.
Another letter was then read by Rabbi Wolsey from Rabbi Jonah B. Wise. In it the latter described a meeting in New York, on November 16th. Those present were: Alan M. Stroock, son of the late President of the American Jewish Committee; William Rosenwald, President of the national Refugee Service and a national chairman of the United Jewish Appeal; Paul Baerwald, honorary chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee; Arthur Hays Sulzberger, publisher of the New York Times, who, in four years, made no contribution to the United Jewish Appeal on the ground of his principle objection to Palestine; Edward M.M. Warburg, a lieutenant and chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee; Maurice Hexter, once a member of the Jewish Agency Executive in Jerusalem; George Backer, president of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency; Samuel Leidesdorf, treasurer of the New York United Jewish Appeal; Edgar Nathan, Manhattan Borough president; Henry S. Hendricks, and Henry Ittleson, head of the Commercial Investment Trust. Excuses for absence were sent by Judge Samuel Rosenman, confidant of President Roosevelt; Lewis Rosenstiel, head of Schenley Distillers; Nathan Ohrbach, New York merchant; and Alexander Kahn, managing editor of the Jewish Daily Forward; Joseph M. Proskauer, anti-Zionist candidate for the Presidency of the American Jewish Commiteee, conveyed his views to the group in a letter.
Rabbi Wise told the Philadelphia meeting in his letter to Rabbi Wolsey that the New York gathering of November 16th had reached certain conclusions on their common interests and that Maurice Hexter had been instructed to report as soon as possible on a program of procedure and an outline of probably enterprise. Rabbi Wise concluded that he and Rabbi Goldstein were very much pleased with the results of the meeting. There is no doubt, Rabbi Jonah Wise reported, that these laymen mean business. What the Zionists regarded as a victory for themselves the men present at the Rabbi Wise meeting regarded, on the contrary, as a victory for their own viewpoint. The reference was to a big story in The New York Times (whose publisher was present at the Wise meeting and who is related by marriage to Rabbi Wise), headed “733 Rabbis Rebuke Anti-Zionist Jews.” The anti-Zionists at the Wise meeting regarded the story as an evidence of progress and as giving public notice that not all American Jews were Zionists.
At this point Rabbi Israel Goldstein, President of the Synagogue Council, came in for sharp criticism from Rabbi Schachtel, who charged that Goldstein was using the Synagogue Council for Zionist purposes. He reported that he had secured the consent of Rabbi James Heller for a change in the constitution to permit, hereafter, a vote by majority instead of unanimously. As criticism was offered, letters were read in criticism of Rabbi Julius Gordon, of St. Louis, for his activities as chairman of the Committee on Palestine of the C.C.A.R. He was alleged to be acting without authority. Rabbi Heller and Rabbi Barnett Brickner, of Cleveland, were charged with making replacements on C.C.A.R. commissions of Zionists almost exclusively.
During the discussion on the question of an executive director, it was pointed out that Sidney Wallach has advised that it would be better for a rabbi than a layman to be chosen. Rabbi Elmer Berger was then selected to obtain “a salary commensurate with the position”. A lay public relations adviser, t be Wallach, was also agreed upon, the actual choice to await the gathering of funds.
Rabbi Fineshriber then summed up the achievements of the group: 1. We have stirred up the Zionists and the country at large to a realization of the opposition; 2. We have started the first effective collective action on the part of American rabbis in opposition to Jewish nationalism; 3. Rabbi Lazaron has to his credit the achievement of wide publicity for Arthur Hays Sulzberger’s anti-Zionist speech in Baltimore; 4. We have 96 actively interested rabbis.
Rabbi Lazaron reported that he has already received some funds for his so-called Lay-Rabbinate Committee, the forerunner of which is now the Council of American Judaism, a name unanimously chosen after Rabbi Lazaron had suggested it. It was pointed out that the name has several advantages. 1. It meets the desires of the financial backers; 2. It meets the request of Adolph Rosenberg, President of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, for emphasis on Americanism; 3. It defines the aims of the group, it was said.
Rabbi William Rosenblum, of New York, was chosen chairman of a committee, with Rabbi Schachtel and Nathan Perilman, assistant Rabbi Goldenson, to draw up incorporation papers and a constitution. They will submit their work to Lazaron, Wolsey, David Lefkowitz, of Dallas; Julius Feibelman, of New Orleans; Irving Reichert, of San Francisco; Louis Binstock, of Chicago; and Dr. Leo Franklin, retired Detroit rabbi.
The management of a lecture bureau, to send speakers all over the country to spread anti-Zionism, was entrusted to Solomon Foster, retired rabbi of Newark, who will operate the bureau form his home. Rabbi Foster reported he had already obtained $1,500 in Newark for his work.
The rabbis, who continuously emphasize that they are in favor of the upbuilding of Palestine although they oppose Zionism, agreed that it would be an excellent thing to have their next meeting in New York on December 7th, because it was the day following the meeting of the National Council of the United Palestine Appeal, which is a non-partisan fund-raising organization for Palestine. They could then deal with the subject matter of that meeting.
__________
Rabbi Wolsey’s Statement
PHILADELPHIA. – In explaining the functions of the Council for Judaism, Rabbi Wolsey said the plans for the American Council for Judaism were formulated at a meeting last June in Atlantic City, “with the purpose of combating nationalistic and secularistic trends in Jewish life”.
“We are definitely opposed to a Jewish State, a Jewish flag or a Jewish army,” he said. “We are interested in the development of Palestine as a refuge for persecuted Jews, but are opposed to the idea of a political State under Jewish domination in Palestine or anywhere else.”
Rabbi William F. Rosenblum, of Temple Israel, New York City, chairman of one of the organizing committees, in addressing his congregation, declared that while Judaism was a universal religion, it was evident that the spiritual capital of world Judaism after the war would be in the United States.
“We have spoken in the past of European Judaism, we speak of Palestinian Judaism,” he said. “There is no reason why for Jewish Americans there shall not be a modern, vibrant, vigorous application of Jewish faith which will be thoroughly and dominantly American.
“The members of this congregation have heard me advocate such an accent on our Jewish faith for the last twelve years. In advocating the formation of an American Council of Judaism, we do not in any way minimize our kinship with our brothers in every land and in every other interpretation of Judaism. We merely say to our neighbors and to the world at large that for us here in America our prayers and our customs will be so shaped as to be intelligible not only to our children but to all Americans and that we shall so use our Jewish heritage that all who may wish to come to our temples will find themselves at home. Thus, on our part, the oft-repeated aim to Bring Christian and Jew together will become more than a pious phrase or a publicity slogan. It will become a sincere program of better understanding.”
Appearing Next: December 18, 1942 “ZOA President Replies to Anti-Zionist Group”
The American Council for Judaism, at…
… The American Council for Judaism (the organization’s own web page)