The Maccabaean

THE Treaty of Peace has Still No Peace for Jewry been signed, and nation- in Poland—Pogrom-O al celebrations are be- Demonstrations in Engl ing organized in all the Al- Philip Magnus—Board lied countries. That the fes- Jewish Association—Th tivities will assume an elabo- Central Office in London rate and spectacular charac- By ISRAE ter goes without saying; but it is doubtful whether the re- Special Correspondent of joicings will be as profound and spontaneous as they were on the day the Armistice was signed. The deep sense of relief that was felt by the whole world on November 11th last, at the very moment when the guns ceased their murderous work, can hardly be felt so keenly after six months’ protracted negotiations, during which we have been saddened so often by news of the racial and national feuds and the economic distress that are troubling the continent of Europe. So far as we Jews are concerned, we shall take our share in the rejoicings of our fellow-citizens, for we are traditionally fond of a Simchah. But as Jews we cannot help feeling that there is much cry of “Peace, peace!” when there is no peace—for Jewry. Some Jewish journalists in Paris, on having heard of the proposal that some of the smaller States, such as Rumania and Poland, would have to sign a special Treaty providing for the protection of certain Jewish interests, immediately burst forth into paeans of joy and dashed off articles on “The Charter of Jewry’s Emancipation.” Treaties can help very considerably, but the real emancipation can only come with a change of spirit in the oppressors.

I have just seen a copy of the text of the special Treaty that Poland has signed for the protection of her national minorities. It is more satisfactory than I had anticipated, since it concedes the main essentials of cultural autonomy, but until the Jews secure proportional representation in the Diet their reasonable demands will not be gratified. The main provisions are those that enable Jews to establish and control at their own expense, charitable, religious, and social institutions and schools, with the right to use their own language and to exercise their religion freely, and also with the right to an equitable share from the State or municipal education budget in towns where the Jews form "a considerable proportion of the population"; and likewise those that safeguard the strict observance of the Sabbath. These provisions should help to mitigate somewhat the misery of the Jewish position in Poland. They had to be fought for stubbornly, and this very fact must make us watch very carefully how Poland is going to carry out her obligations. Experience has taught us that the most liberal promises of a reactionary State can be interpreted into airy nothing, and much will therefore depend upon the machinery that the League of Nations will set up to see that the terms of the special Treaty with Poland are observed in the spirit as well as in the letter. Even if the main provisions are fulfilled there still remain numerous opportunities for harassing our hapless brethren in the economic and political spheres. So long as the economic boycott is upheld and so long as Jews are prevented from playing an adequate part, or taking a proportionate share, in municipal and political life, their lot is bound to be wretched.

Still No Peace for Jewry—Jewish National Rights in Poland—Pogrom-Orgy Continues—Protest Demonstrations in England—Sorry Rôle of Sir Philip Magnus—Board of Deputies and Anglo-Jewish Association—The Zionist Situation—The Central Office in London.

Special Correspondent of THE MACCABAEAN in London

But what still continues to be a source of grave anxiety is not so much the economic and political freedom of the Jews in Poland, as their personal safety. Telegrams still arrive almost daily from the Continent which show that our brethren continue to be treated by their Polish fel-

treated by their Polish fellow-citizens, whether in uniform or not, as alien enemies. Killing and looting Jews seem to be the favorite sport of Poland’s legionaries, who vary their pastime by tearing out beards and earlocks. And these Paladins are to save Western Europe from the nameless terrors of Bolshevism! The eyes of England have at last been opened up to the barbarities committed in the New Poland. The press, on the whole, has been rather shy of publishing news about the pogroms in the land of Paderewski, doubtless under the false impression that such reports would be harmful to the interests of an Ally. But no reports could injure the interests of Poland so severely as the outrages themselves. The most energetic and ingenious efforts have been made by the Poles to discredit all protests against pogroms as hostility to Poland. But they have proved all in vain in face of the widespread and impressive observance of Thursday, June 26th, by the Jews in this country as a day of mourning for the victims of the atrocities. The demonstrations in London were of an unparalled character. Two mass meetings of protest were held simultaneously in the East End in crowded theatres, which, had they been ten times as large, would not have accommodated all who wished to enter. Over forty thousand Jews took part in the orderly and imposing procession that marched to the heart of the West End, and the striking inscriptions on the huge black banners formed the first intimation to many an Englishman that the liberated Pole was abusing his liberty. The service in the Queen’s Hall, with the bold address of the Chief Rabbi, began as a solemn assembly and concluded as a thrilling demonstration. All the big cities—Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, Birmingham—also had their services and meetings on the same memorable day.

A by-product of these manifestations requires a word of mention. The general arrangements were in charge of a special committee appointed by representatives of the Joint Foreign Committee of the Board of Deputies and Anglo-Jewish Association on the one hand, and of the Zionist Organization on the other hand. It comprised men of such varied outlook as the Zionist Lord Rothschild, the Mizrachi convert Sir Stuart Samuel, the "Liberal" Jew Claude Montefiore, the Assimilationist Lionel de Rothschild, and the Chief Rabbi. All were in favor of a Mansion House Meeting, and as the Lord Mayor was approached by a deputation including an ex-Lord Mayor, Sir Marcus Samuel, it was generally expected that the use of the famous building (which has re-echoed to protests against Russian atrocities) would be granted. But the decision was unfavorable. The Lord Mayor received a letter from the Foreign Office expressing disapproval of the proposed meeting, and as, only a few weeks before, the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs had