PROGRESSIVE WORLD STRUGGLE OF THE JEWS 



23 



professions, and in business. They have 

 retained always an acute interest in the 

 welfare of their coreligionists through- 

 out the world. Their religious training 

 has inculcated in them the duty of charity 

 to all — Jew" and Gentile — and they have 

 given unsparingly to aid their brethren 

 in distress. 



Individuals like Sir Moses Montefiore 

 have given much time, money, and effort 

 all over the world to the cause of their 

 race. Baron Hirsch and Baron Roths- 

 child have planned and carried through 

 rural colonies of the Jews in Palestine, 

 in Argentina, and in Texas. 



The Zionist movement to secure a mi- 

 gration of Jews back to Jerusalem does 

 not meet with the undivided support of 

 the Jewish people, but it certainly has 

 substantial strength as one project for 

 relief of the congestion in east Europe. 



During the World War the Jews of 

 this country and elsewhere raised a fund 

 of nearly $25,000,000 with which to aid 

 their poor peoples suffering in the train 

 of the war. 



In the countries where they have 

 money, power, and influence, great Jew- 

 ish committees have long been organized 

 to help in securing civil rights, religious 

 freedom, and equal opportunity for the 

 oppressed of their race. 



The influence of the leaders of the 

 Jews in Europe and America upon the 

 Congress of Nations at Paris in behalf 

 of the better treatment of the Jews has 

 been weighty and we can be sure that it 

 was courageously and wisely exercised. 



The direct interest we have in the Jew- 

 ish question in these Eastern countries 

 was stated by Secretary Hay to the 

 signatories of the Berlin Treaty in pro- 

 test against Rumania's persecutions and 

 breach of her treaty obligation, to wit, 

 that we are the world's refuge for such 

 people, driven out by measures of op- 

 pression and restriction, and their coming 

 in great numbers in their present condi- 

 tion imposes an unfair burden upon us. 



We may rejoice that more than half 

 the members of this great race have won 

 their long progressive struggle for merely 



an equal chance with other men ; but we 

 cannot tear out that distressing page in 

 the history of Christian civilization con- 

 taining the record of seventeen centuries 

 of persecution. 



THE JEWS IX THE NEW STATES TO BE 

 PROTECTED 



The result of the war and the breaking 

 up of Russia and the giving reign to the 

 principle of self-determination of racial 

 units have created seven independent 

 European States in central and eastern 

 Europe. Of these, the Baltic Provinces, 

 Poland and the Ukraine, as well as the 

 Czecho- Slovak State and the Jugo-Slav 

 State, have many Jewish citizens. In 

 addition to this, the Greater Rumania, 

 which is to receive Transylvania from 

 Hungary, is another State which will 

 have many Jewish citizens. 



The German treaty specifically pro- 

 vides that the five great Powers shall 

 make future treaties with Poland and 

 with the Czecho-Slovak State securing 

 the religious liberties of the people who 

 constitute a minority in those States ; and 

 it is understood that similar provisions 

 are to be included in the Austrian treaty 

 in respect to the Jugo-Slav State and 

 Rumania. 



It is to be hoped that the securities ex- 

 acted in these treaties will be of a char- 

 acter more effective than were the re- 

 quirements of the Congress of Berlin in 

 respect to Rumania. Indeed, we can be 

 sure that they will. The prejudice against 

 the Jews still remains in those countries, 

 and cannot of course be eliminated by 

 mere legislation. But Jews can be given 

 equal rights and be protected in those 

 rights, and secure the equality of oppor- 

 tunity through such protection. 



The League of Nations is to be a con- 

 tinuous body and will have power enough 

 to see to it that treaties of this character 

 are performed by nations which the war 

 has in fact created and which will con- 

 tinue to be dependent for some years 

 upon the League for their own integrity 

 and independence. 



