The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-11

liable communications than any OF the
spirits who write upon the states Of the
mediums
Differences Among New York jews.
The new Jewish problem introduced
into this country by the great and sud-
den increase Of the Jewish population
through immigration, from Eastern
Europe almost exclusively, continues to
engage the most serious attention Of the
thinkers and philosophers and practical
philanthropists Of the race OF longer
American residence.
The exodus now proceeding, to use
the words of Mr.. LEO N. LEVI, in an ad-
dress before the Sous Of the Covenant,
published in the Menoroh, promises
soon to change the habitat Of the Jews
to the Western Hemisphere Already
there are more Jews in New York than
have been together at any one time and
place since the destruction Of Jerusalem.
The great mass Of these Jews are on the
east side Of the town, and at least one
half of them are from Russia, the re-
mainder being made up Of immigrants
from Galicia, Roumania and Hungary.
Even before they began to come in a
volume so great, and, more especially,
about fifty years ago the elements COM
posing the Jewish population were with
out cohesion, IL not discordant. The Sc
phardim, or Spanish and Portuguese
Jews. held themselves aloof from and
superior to the Others The English Jews
were insular in their ideas The Ger
man Jews resented the arrogance Of the
Sephardim," yet on their own side were
not less arrogant in their assumption
Of superiority over the Poles, who,
for their part, retorted with sneers at
the assumptions of the Portuguese. the
English and German Jews Small
groups were formed, and these groups
were jealous Of and In a measure hostile
to one another" All the same. the Jews
were then, and they still remain, a peculiar
people both in their own estimation and
because the outside world, il they ever
forget It for q moment, rudely reminds
them of it. The only way for the Jews
to overcome this prejudice is to sur
render their religion, and that surrender,
Mr.. LEVI declares, they will never make,
though they we'll know that by clinging
to their religion they must face hostile
world
In spite OF this discordance among
American Jews, produced by the diff
ferent customs. habits Of thought
phases Of religious belief. intellectual
requirements and inherited prejudices,'
brought to this country with them as
separate people, they are forced to keep
together and are classed together. Ac-
cordingly. the purpose Of the Sons Of the
Covenant and Of many other Jewish
orders and organizations Ii to provide
for the common protection and advance
ment of the whole race. Never was there
20 much need for such systematic and
organized efforts as there Ii now when
immigration Is throwing on the COM
munity 30 vast volume OF Jewish pow
erty and OF alien ignorance OF American
conditions. As Mr.. LEVI puts it:
a million Jews In this country and the tremen.
dous annual accessions 70 their numbers must be
guided and welded into an ultimate civilization
which shali be Alike adorned By patriotism and the
traditional virtues of Israel. The poor, the Widows
the orphans. the Sick the ignorant and the down
trodden must be looked after. congested districts
must be relieved. homes established. evil Tendencies
checked. virtues implanted and fossered.-
This later Jewish immigration, how
ever, Is peculiarly resentful Of anything
suggestive OF patronizing spirit. The
East Side Jews, instead Of counting them
selves among the submerged ienor-
ant speakers OF an outlandish gibberish,
feel and assert their intellectual superb
ority and their religious presminence.
They refer with derision to the uptown
Ghetto Of the rich and fashionable
Jews az the peculiar abode Of Jewish
ignorance, while in their own Ghetto
reside learning and illumination.
Characterizing the different elements
Of which the East Side population is
made up, Mr.. DAVID BLAUsTEIN lately
described the Russians as Intellectual
the Galicians as emotional. the Rou-
manians as frivolous and the Hun
garians as imaginative With the
Russians the highest thing is scholar
ship, and particularly Jewish scholar
ship; with the Galicians,- piety'; with
the Roumanians, before everything
else the enjoyment Of life; and the
Hungarians dream, invent and study
The Russians are Of two divisions,
from the west and from the south Of that
empire. Those from the west speak
Yiddish almost universally, and they
are FESTIVE because Of the difficulties they
have in keeping their own Sabbath and
their racial and religious independence,
for they come from communities wholly
Jewish, with their own marriage and
divorce laws. They are, however. the
best educated OF the Jewish immigrants
from Russia, and from them come the
men who 60 to American universities
and become scholars Of the highest
standing Those from the south are
more liberal, are less scrupulous in the
Observance Of the Jewish religion, speak
Russian oftener than Yiddish, and from
them a considerable percentage OF the