The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-11
The Serious Jewish Problem.

The Serious Jewish Problem.
A correspondent OF the American He
brew writes from the New York Ghetto
to complain Of the neglect and misrepre-
sentation Of that great Jewish commun-
ity, now by far the most numerous OF that
race in the world, and to express surprise
at the ignorance Of It's Importance dis
played by the people Of the town outside
OF it's limits, and by Jews no less than by
Christians.
He gives to the Ghetto population OF
some $1,000 souls, all active and ener-
getic,' or as many as the whole popula-
ton OF cities like Buffalo, Cincinnati
and Cleveland-about as many Jews as
there are in Prussia, all told, and nearly
twice their number in the whole British
Empire. mo one says the Hebrew
papers correspondent, thought it worth
while to bother with that community Of
5000 until some shrewd East eide mer-
chant showed the banking world that the
East Side could support not alone one
bank but possibly dozen, and now there
are sir banks east Of the Bowery, all Of
them doing business with the despised
Ghetto
To this densely crowded Ghetto is still
tending large part Of the Jewish immi-
grafton to the port Of New York, now Of a
total 80 great; yet the American Hebrev
quotes tho remark Of prominent Jew
that = It would be good thing = to bring
to this country the five million Jews in
Russia, under the auspices Of the B'nai
Birth a suggestion which that paper
does not seem to regard favorably.
Mr.. LEO N. LEVI. the president Of the
B'nai B 'rith, in his address at Cleveland,
spoke Of the aversion the Western
Jews have for the Eastern Jews as
an explanation of the hostility Of many
American Jews to such an immigration.
Mr.. LEVI expects to see the majority of
his race settled in this country during
the present century, but he does not
seem inclined to force the event, for the
whole number OF Jews in the world is
from ten to twelve millions, and their
rapid immigration to this country would
be embarrassing, all around.
The Executive Committee Of the Fed
Grafton of American Zionists, also, has
issued an address concerning the Kishi-
neff massacre, in which there is the in
ference that the true policy is to divert
this immigration from the United States
to Palestine. A real message Of COM
fort, to every pain-stricken centre in
Russia and Roumania, 1t says, will be
Q message bespeaking the united deter
mination Of Israel in the free and loving
United States to end the days of suffer-
ing by opening the gates Of the cities Of
refuge in Zion.
Many thoughtful and far-seeing Jews
seem to agree with Gunton's Magazine in
the opinion that il the Russian Jews
could be dumped into this country we
should soon have race problem in the
East between the Jews and other nation
alities that might be more disturbing
than the race problem in the South. n
To prosperous Jews who have become
thoroughly Americanized, Mr.. LEVI
tells us, the Russian immigrants Of
their race are generally distasteful.
Their coming in great food is also
bitterly resented, on the ground that
they bring reproach on the race in Amer
lean eyes and drive the American Jews
out OF certain lines OF business The
East Side Ghetto, with it's population OF
$50, 900 Jews, almost exclusively OF recent
or comparatively recent emigration
from Eastern Europe, looks on the West
ern Jew Of the uptown Ghetto" as a
cad and humbug, and the antipathy
is fully returned by the other.
The problem of the East Side Ghetto,
a. to which the correspondent Of the
American Hebre,p says there is 80 much
ignorance, is complicated by this feeling
Of hostility between the Americanized
and the Russian Jews. Nor can it be
denied that in New York among the races
called gentle by the Jews there is an
anti-Semitic prejudice which might
be aroused to violence. We receive
many letters in which this prejudice is
hotly expressed, but we decline to print
them, for they furnish fuel for an agita-
tAUu WHlCu kIu&Ht DCSOIHC udlRcIOuo
The great safeguard OF the Ghetto
will be in it's American citizenship. A
population Of $4,000 destined to become
half a million is Of political power 50
great that it can command protection
At the rate the stream of Jewish immgra-
ton is now coming in from Eastern Eu-
rope the number Of Jews in all parts OF
New York will be million in ten years.
and their political strength will keep them
in security; yet, as all intelligent Jews
see, the Jewish problem in America, and
on Manhattan Island more particularly,
10 OF the most serious importance for
that race and for all other races in our
population.
Tho Yonkers Questionable One
Question.
The discussion Of Mr.. HAvEMEYERs
labor oueatiopC nv tho Vopk Org np;opo