up against your family—in the Brandt case. Demagogues arose and kept up a venomous agitation against you and yours. Who knows how the thing would have ended for you were it not for the political and moral influence of a three million Jewish mass which stood solidly behind you, sharing your trouble, backing you by the strength of numbers, and manifesting a sympathy born of brotherly relationship.
"Here is a relative of yours appointed to a high position and a streak of prejudice breaks through even the venerable Senate of the United States. Scant ceremony would have been shown to one Jew, Warburg, if there were not a couple of millions to resent an offence to a Jew.
“Such instances may perhaps prove to you some day that to have a free Jewish people—free from such humiliations and indignities—is not such a foolish thing at
all!
“The story of the rich Jew who never contributed to the synagogue may perhaps find its application here.
“Listening once to the appeal of the Rabbi for a new roof to the synagogue he was struck on the head by a piece of plaster which fell from the ceiling. He was frightened and immediately announced a contribution of one hundred rubles. Whereupon the Rabbi lifted his eyes heavenward and prayed: ‘God strike him again!’
"Far be it from us to wish any evil to Mr. Schiff! May he live in happiness and contentment in golus. But such pieces of plaster, suggesting unsafety, are sometimes unavoidable.
“Mr. Schiff may yet be liberated from his spiritual golus in spite of himself and in spite of his check-book.”
THE GRADUATES OF YOUNG JUDAEA
What shall we do with the Young Judaea Club when it grows up? What is to become of our young graduates, and when should they be graduated? Let us say "Never!" if graduation may mean graduation from Zionism. And in too many cases that is true. In spite of the successful and satisfactory continuation of some of the older girls' clubs The most common saying is: “I used to be a Zionist.” Or, as one girl of seventeen put it: “Yes, I’m a Zionist; only I don’t know anything about Zionism.”
Zionism has been satirically called a "young movement," because, according to its critics, it consisted of only very young people. They all dropped out when they grew up.
Why do we lose our club members when they reach their teens? I believe it is because we as club leaders are untrained, untrained in three things—in the underlying principles of Zionism, in the principles of psychology and leadership, and in the most effective use of speech.
Almost anyone with love of children, enthusiasm, and perhaps a knowledge of a few Hebrew songs or a few stories can hold a group of small children. But the boy or girl over fourteen is keenly critical, keenly intellectual and even philosophic. An emotional appeal is not enough. A song is not enough. If Zionism is to hold its own and become a dominant interest to these young people, it must be presented by nature leaders with training and intellectual grasp.
A member of Hadassah Chapter of the Daughters of Zion lately was invited to speak on Zionism to a club of grown-up Jewish girls led by a friend of hers, a Christian woman, in a non-sectarian settlement house. The Zionist found, as everywhere on the East Side of New York, a sprinkling of Zionist knowledge, some “graduated” Zionists, so to speak, and much interested in her subject. But she also found inexcusable ignorance of all things Jewish. When a picture was shown of Rachel’s tomb, not one girl could correctly answer their leader’s question “whose wife was Rachel?” “Why,” said the leader indignantly, “every Christian Sunday-school child knows that.” And the Zionists felt properly ashamed. But when there appeard a picture of Potach