The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-20

they are lacking in enterprise, energy and
courage The Ashkenazim are not good to
look at, as a ule, hideously unpictures-
que. aggressive and self-assertive; but be-
cause of this aggressiveness and self
assertiveness, and because of their poll
teal relation to western nations, they re-
present, on the whole. progress as opposed
to the immobility of their Oriental COM
patriots.
1t is a well-knowI fact that holy cities
are extremely apt 10 be the most unholy
places that can be found, and Jerusalem
IS no exception TO the rule. The Jews
who settle there are generally either the
most fanatical and narrow in their re-
igious views, those TO whom form is the
main part of religion, and morality con-
sequently a secondary consideration, or
poor and prosecuted Jews who have lived
In countries like Russia, where they have
been oppressed and bounded for ages.
with q resultant warped and inferior
moral and physical development The
haluka also has been a fruitful source
of corruption and degradation. To live
on aims without work, especially if the
receiver OF the aims supposes that he is
especially holy and through that holiness
exempted from the obligation TO TO work,
as a consequence OF the great influx OF
Jews in recent times, the haluka is no
longer sufficient to go around, so that
a large portion of the Jews live in the
most abject poverty, receiving enough
to tempt them to remain in Jerusalem,
bat not enough to support them. Jewish
leaders the world over are awakening 10
the degraded condition of the Jews Of Je-
rusalem, and the demoralizing effects of
the haluka, but it is of course very diff
ficult to stem the tide of popular pre-
judice and ignorance and check the flow
Of aims
On what outside the haluka the Jews Of
Jerusalem live today it is difficult TO say.
On mail day the Austrian and German
post Offices (the different nations in Tur-
key have their own postal service) are
crowded with men and women sending
off letters and parcels, and from the num-
Der and size Of the parcels which they
send in the mail at first supposed that
there was some sort OF business going on,
of which 1 had not heard or which l had
overlooked but on questioning the post
masters I was told that these letters and
parcels represented for the most part
tiers representing the miserable ctrcum-
stances and conditions OF the senders,
either truly or falsely, and parcels con-
tanning stink stone from the Dead Sea,
olive leaves, flowers etc, for which the
senders hoped to obtain some fictitious
value.
But while by far the greater part of the
Jews in Jerusalem live upon aims or char
fly of the faithful in some form, it must
not be understood that all are thus de-
pendent. Some have private means. They
have amassed sufficient money to enable
them to travel to Jerusalem and spend
their old age and die in the Holy City.
There are also Jewish merchants in Je-
rusalem; indeed, a considerable part of
the shops, especially in the newer parts
of the city, are in the hands of the Jews,
and Christians and Moslems alike com
plain that the Jews are driving them out
Of business, sometimes by questionable
methods. There are also some Jewish
artisans in Jerusalem. The London Jews
Society (for converting the jews es-
tablished years ago n House of Industry,
in which Jews might learn trades. That
has never been abundantly supplied with
small scale. practically the only business
taught being book binding. The Jews
themselves have done the best work in
the matter of industrial training and the
schools of the Alliance Israelite, where
all sorts Of arts and crafts are taught,
are the model schools of Palestine. These
schools are unquestionably the best civil
izing and uplifting agency existing in Je-
rusalem today; especially because of the
liberal policy pursued by the managers,
who have admitted Moslems and Chris
tians as we'll as Jews
Nothing could be better than such pol
icy for the uplift Of the Jews as well as
the native Christians; but 1t has met with
severe criticism, both from the narrow
Jews at Jerusalem, and also from Ashke-
nazim in this country and elsewhere. The
critics have claimed. among other things,
that the management being in the hands
OF the Sephardim, the Ashkenazim are
Disseminated against, and that, as the
funds were given for the education of
Jews. ii is improper TO use them for train
ing Of Moslems and Christians. In point
OF fact. so far as my Investigations went,
there seemed TO be more Ashkenazim
quite a fair sprinkling OF Christians,
generally Latin CRoman Catholic) and an
occasional Moslem. AS stated, this plac-
ing together Of Jews, Christians. and
MosIems in the workshops is of great
value to Jews and Christians alike in
breaking down race prejudice; and race
prejudice is very bitter in Palestine. The
Jew is looked upon with detestation by
the Christian. No Jew may enter the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre; no Jew
would be tolerated in the Christian town
of Bethlehem; and the Jews retaliate
by an equally bitter feeling, although
their position has not allowed them to
display II in the same manner. The re-
suic OF this animosity is. as has always
been the case with religious animosities,
injurious 70 both sides
The newly come Jews settle for the most
part outside Of the old walls Of Jerusalem,
especially 10 the north and west Of the
city. Here they group themselves in COM
munities according to their origin. In
some cases. especially in the case Of the
Bokhara Jews. their dwellings are well
built ano representable, but in general it
must be said that they are the dirtiest
and most unsanitary part Of the very dig
ty population OF Jerusalem. The water
supply Of Jerusalem is not good and temp
tations to cleanliness are not numerous
at the best. Such as there the Jews in
general resist with great ease.
Besides Jerusalem there are three other
holy cities in Palestine in which the Jews
oongregate and in which the conditions
ara similar 70 those prevailing iD-Jerl!-