Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-23
Jews and the Promised Land,

again the discussion of the general
movement of that race to this country
as the land of promise. OF the total
Jews in the world, estimated at 9,OOO,-
600 to 100000. over half are in Rus
STA and of the rest about 100000 are
In this country, being more than there
are in any other land. In Germany
where there has been a pronounced
anti-Jewish agitation, there are fewer
Jews than there are In New York city
and in the whole British empire there
now oyer 100000 Jews in New York
city. making 1T the greatest Jewish CEN
ter in the world. Within 20 years the
Jewish population in this country has
been doubled by immigration, and most
of the newcomers have been from Rus
STA. The stream from that country is
. certain to increase as the result of the
recent bloody outrages at Kishineff
and other places.
The New York Sun has collected the
opinions Of prominent men, Jews and
Gentiles. as to the significance of this
movement to America and its prob
able result. DR.. Parkhurst said that
he looked forward. after some genera
tions." to the complete mixing of Jews
with Gentiles" in this country, so that
lin the ages to come they will all form
one undivided people, one race type"
Edward Lauterbach, however, de-
clared before the Young Mems Hebrew
Association. on the same day, that be-
cause Of discrimination against Jews in
New York, by clubs, for example, they
must stand together. 1t does not seem
to have been necessary for him to give
that counsel. for never in the history Of
: this country have the Jews shown more
: determination to keep together than
they are exhibiting now. AS their num-
bers increase actually and relatively
they are the prouder in their self
sufficiency as a race. The mixture Of
Jews and Gentiles to which DR.. Park
hurst looks forward so hopefully has
been retarded rather than accelerated
even in his own opinion, by this great
and rapid increase, for however strong
may be the prejudice against the race
mixture on the Gentle side, it is, for
, the present. at least, even stronger on
kh< r;I &c tIo
pecially the strictly orthodox Jews of
whom the great immigration of the
race is now made up almost exclusive
= ly.
: The lesson of the massacre at Kishi-
neff which have Mortified the civilized
world is. therefore, in the opinion of
Israel Zangwill, that the only hope Of
the Jews Is in the Zionite movement
Accordingly, London meeting at
which he spoke adopted resolution
declaring that the only practical sou-
ton Of the Jewish question would be
found in a legally assured home in Pal
estine. Professor Gottheil of Columbia
l.
ton of American Zionists, has pub
lished letter in which he expresses the
same opinion: "a free people in a Sc
cure home!-for that we Zionists have
been working: for that we hope to work
successfully under Divine guidance in
the future. The blood of these inno-
cent Kishineff martyrs will not have
been shed in vain if it incite us to
such a noble effort"
Practically, however, the land of
promise for the prosecuted Russian
Jews is America, in the opinion of
many Of our most intelligent and in
fluential Jews. THE only thing left for
the Jews in Russia is to emigrate.'
said Jacob II. Schiff. and inferentially
he meant to fly to our shores MI
Zangwill had said in London, the day
before. that such emigration is really
the end for which Russia is working,
Russia does not want the Jews" he
declared. so far from wanting them
L}u"Sid Woulu pay SIlllilnSS Il mead u
get rid of them" But, obviously, as
Leo N. Levi. president of the Bnai
Birth. told the Jews of New Haven
the wholesale emigration of the Jews
from Russia is impossible. All of them
cannot emigrate forthwith, and those
who remain or the vast ma jority of this
six millions in the Empire. must look
for protection to the Russian govern.
ment. aroused to enlightenment and to
humanity by the sentiment of the civ
ilized world. Undoubtedly. DR.. David
Blaustein has good reason to expect
that as consequence of the Kishinef
atrocities we shall have during the mex
six months the greatest Jewish immi
grafton of our history" but large as il
may be. it will be of only very small
part of the millions of Jews in Russia
The ties binding them to their home:
th1r-