The Maccabaean

JEW-BAITING IN SWEDEN

Those good folk who are fond of leveling the accusation at Jews that they made profit out of the War, are victims of the fixed idea. Throughout the world, amongst great nations and small, the war has brought nothing but misery and shame to the Jewish people, fulfilling as they do their ancient rôle, now nearly two thousand years old, of scapegoat in the scheme of things.

Sweden provides us with a minor case in point. Too much has been said of the condition of Jewry in the Central Empires and Poland; anti-Semitism there is only to be expected. But what of the new anti-Semitism which is beginning to raise its head in countries where it was unknown until the other day? In particular, what of Scandinavia?

vi vVualiuiliavias, . Sweden has a Jewish population’ of under twenty thousand. No one would pretend that the Jewish community of Sweden has ever been orthodox. A visitor to the country in 1914 would have been puzzled to discover where the Jews were, so completely had they merged themselves in the citizenship of King Gustav Adolf’s realm. They did not occupy positions of that undue prominence which excites envy, but no avenue of good endeavor was closed to them. They stood well professionally, commercially and socially, and by far the largest proportion of them were families whose residences went back for the past century. Their neighbors respected and liked them, and Dr. Klein, the Chief Rabbi, and his successor, Dr. Ehrenpreis, were welcome visitors at the hospitable table of the Royal familv.

Today in Gothenburg, the second city of the country, there is published a daily sheet known as Vidi, a boulevard organ, the chief function of which is to cultivate anti-Semitism. Anti-British propaganda has also been a feature of this publication. Nevertheless, anti-British propaganda is becoming just a trifle dangerous; so the talented editor of Vidi concentrates himself today upon the anti-Semitic side.

ANTI-SEMITISM IN BAVARIA

Although Munich has but a comparatively small Jewish Community, the anti-Jewish demonstrations in connection with the, intrigues of the monarchists are becoming more disgusting every day. At the Lyceums very young boys spread vile anti-Semitic literature and thrash the Jewish scholars.. Pamphlets and leaflets are spread broadcast, and anti-Semitic posters incite the population against the Jews. At a recent monarchist demonstration the crowd shouted “Down with the Jews!” and ill-treated many Jews.. A number of university students forced a Jewish party to leave a much-frequented bar. The Socialist Münchener Post states that several former Bavarian princesses are behind the anti-Jewish agitation. A vile paper, the Münchener Beobachter, almost asks the people to attack the Jews bodily. The paper publishes the most shameful lies, and states that the nations of Germany were systematically ruined by the Jews, and that the Jews succeeded in making even the Kaiser a traitor to his people in his megolomaniac weakness. In an appeal to the public at large an anti-Semitic society says: “Take the Jews into custody, then the country will be calm again. Jews incite to Sparticism. Jews stir up the nation. Jews prevent the Germans from becoming united. Jews want to be in the front row everywhere, Jews are profiteering with foodstuffs. Jews smuggle the army’s linen and underwear to Poland. Away with the Jewish busy- bodies and disturbers of the public peace. Germany for the Germans!”

JEWS PERSECUTED IN JUGO-SLAVIA

The committee of the Jewish Delegations at the Peace Conference has been obliged to take steps against the persecutions of the Jews in Jugo-Slavia. The authorities of this State have started the expulsion of a great number of Jews who have lived in this country for many years. This measure is a breach of the Peace Treaty, which by Article 3 guarantees that all persons living at the date of the Peace Treaty in the territory of Jugo-Slavia are to enjoy full citizenship. Among those who have been expelled are women and

old men, whose descendants have served in the Jugo-Slav army. They are in an extremely difficult situation, as no country allows them to cross its frontiers. The measure has caused great consternation among the Jews of Jugo-Slavia, who feel that their security is menaced. In view of the liberal traditions of Serbia, they had never expected such treatment at the hands of the new State. The committee of the Jewish Delegation in Paris has sent a memorandum on the subject to the Jugo-Slav Delegation at the Peace Conference.

Not to be left behind in this drift of European sentiment, the Helvetian Republic, as seen below, renews an old quarrel with its Jews, laid temporarily aside during the storm and stress of the war:

SHECHITA ACAIN PROHIBITED IN SWITZERLAND

The Swiss Federal Council has revoked its Provisional Order of March, 1918, authorizing Shechita to be practised in Switzerland. From the 1st of January Shechita will be prohibited throughout Switzerland.

"IN THE HOPE OF THE NEW ZION"

In the face of well-nigh universal oppression, the Hope of the New Zion, as catholic and ever-present as anti-Semitism itself, is realizing itself apace, in mass-movements, in vast volunteer levies of finance, in the Palestinian work of specialists, and in a brilliant press discussion of Palestinian problems, carried on to good effect in the Zionist press of Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Holland, and in the Hebrew press organs of Eretz-Yisroel. First, as to mass-movements. The New Palestine, dispatching now from American Zionist Headquarters twice a week, accounts of the birth-throes of a new nation on the ancient soil, carries this message of a resistless human tide in Poland:

"THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND" READY TO LEAVE POLAND FOR PALESTINE

One hundred thousand Jewish families in Poland, over 500,000 men, women and children, stand ready to emigrate to Palestine.

This is the outstanding feature in a statement of Dr. Jerzy Rosenblatt, member of the Polish Diet and vice-president of the town council of Lodz. Dr. Rosenblatt, who is a member of the executive committee of the Polish Zionist Organization and president of the Lodz Zionist Committee, is here conferring with Zionist leaders. He left Warsaw November 22d.

The great mass-desire of Polish Jews to start at once for Palestine, which has led to their converting all their properties into cash, planning various industrial undertakings for their Homeland, organizing groups of "Pilgrims," and even starting out on foot for Palestine, is described as follows by Dr. Rosenblatt:

"The impelling reasons for this great movement toward Palestine in Poland are the situation which has resulted from the war and the imminent realization of the Palestinian hope.

“Perhaps 100,000 Jewish families are prepared to emigrate to Palestine, while practically the whole Jewish population, including those in Galicia and Lithuania, is pro-Palestinian.

"Many Jewish merchants, manufacturers and property owners in Lodz, which is the Polish textile center, have cashed in their possessions and interests and are holding their money in readiness to invest in Palestine. In Lodz alone two million roubles have been subscribed to various industrial undertakings planned for Palestine and representatives have been sent to investigate conditions and possibilities, with especial reference to establishing textile industries.

“One half million roubles have been deposited in the Jewish Colonial Trust, which is later to be invested by private individuals in Palestine, where they hope to make their home.”

A plan is under consideration by Zionist leaders whereby these large holdings of roubles, which at the present rate of exchange are hardly more than worthless paper, may be converted into credit,