The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-24
TELLS AUDIENCE
WHAT ZI0NISTS'
DOCTRINE ISN'T
Louis D. Brandeis Causes
Spontaneous Response To
Call For Funds.

! OF Boston, the distinguished LAWYER
. py rabbi Myer Berlin of New York,
! ana by Bridgeporters, caused a spon-
| taneous response to the call for funds
from Bridgeport Jews to aid their
stricken brethren both in the Scene Of
actual warfare on the Russian from
tier and in Palestine
A mass meeting at the Park theatre
last night was attended by nearly q
! 600 PERSONS. Preceding the dinner a
banquet was given in Mr. Rrandeis,
honor, at the Hotel Lorraine At this
| gathering, at which were many prom
1nent Jews and other guests more
| IMAM $500 was pledged, in less than
| nve minutes, when DR.. Louis Smirnow.
chairman of the committee in charge
OF arrangements, made an appeal for
/ prompt and substantial relief. About
! $1,000 already has been pledged
Bs1des the Jewish people, there was
a large representation of men of other
beliefs in the Park theatret last night
Attracted by the announcement that
Mr.. Brandeis would speak, they avail
ed themselves of the opportunity of
i hearing the famous Massachusetts
lawyer and investigator
Mr.. Brandeis spoke at no great
length. He was obliged to leave early
in the evening and was first on the pro.
gram. Mayor Wilson, presented by
! DR.. Smirnow, made the brief introduc-
| tory speech for the noted guest.
Mr.. Brandeis made very plain the
| objects Of the meeting. He said that
at the outset of the war, with al
Europe embroiled, it had deve1or
! upon the American Jews to take
| the burden that hitherto had br
i borne by the Jews of Europe
| contribution of funds to maintain Il
Zionist movement, in Palestine.
| What. is America going to do?"
| TF1tlt question, he said, was echoed
/ mi nd
There was a ready response and vast
/ good was accomplished
! But with the progress of the war,
the relief work of the Jews in Amer
lea was not restricted to sending sue
| cor to Palestine. Rather, it was
! Jews. keenly afflicted in the present
| war, have received great comfort from
their brethren in America.
Mr. Brandeis pointed out that of
the 1400O,OOO Jews in the world, at
I1east 100000 of them are within
I the realm of the present conflict. Six
million are in the zone swept by the
| fierce engagements of the Russian
west frontier; 200, 900 are in Ga1icia.
| Unlike the peoples living in the west
ern part of Europe; the Jews OF the
east are keen1y afflicted In the west
after the first great movements OF
the war, siege conditions began, and
have continued. But on the Russian
frontier the great armies have swept
back and forth, have laid waste whole
countries and with the continuous
movements of the great bodies OF
| troops, the countries have been STRIP
ped and the peoples have been Ieft to
starved. There is need for great and
imm ediate help.
Mr.. Brandeis' discussion of the work
of the Palestinian colony was very in
teresting. He told of the Jewish Pill
grim Fathers early struggles when,
leaving Russia and Rumanias they
went back to the cradle of their race
and, a generation ago, set out to re-
h abiIHate the traditions of Zion in
a land that for many centuries had
nurtured them.
Beset with great obstacles, they pur-
sued their work with the spirit that
actuated Cyrus w. Field as he under
took the task of laying the Atlantic
cable. -
1t is often necessary, in discussing
Zionsim to tell, not what it is, because
that is simple enough, but what it is
not, said mt. Brandeis ztonisn is not
a movement to gather all Jews of the
world in Palestine. That wouldf be
physical inpossibi1ity. Palestine is
about the size Of Massachusetts, which
has a population of three and one-hal9
ruiIIicns. To crowd the IA million,
Jews of the world into Palegtine would
he an irnpossibility.
Describing the early days of the
Jon movement, he told of the subjuga-
ton of the plague of malaria by tbs
orpIica+io of modern science: the
planting of the eucalyptus trees TO
absorb the waters of the swamps, thus
getting much needed wood supply; OF
the filling of the soil, which many
ecofcers had declared was no 1onee r
fertile, and the demonstration tn a., It
wus as rlch as it was many centuries
acc when it was known as the laal of
milk and honey.
He told of the work of the agricul-
turaI experts-for none loves the land
better than does the Jew; or Aaron
Aaronson's discovery of the hardy
wild wheat, which led the U. S. de-
partment of agriculture to call him
into conference, with view to the
possible use Of the wheat in place of
the American product; and then pic
tured- the frightfu1 calamity that be-
fell Palestine when the war broke out |
Five hundred thousand cases of Or
anges, finest fruit in the world, were |
lost because of the shipping restric |
tions. Imports and exports became no |
longer possible. There was no trade. |
The 40 little self-governing states Of |
the country were sore1y afflicted.
Mr.. Bandeis said that the Jew who |
exemp1ifed in his life the principles
of zionfsm was an ideal American cit
izen. Twentieth century Americanism,
he said, demands democracy and social
justice. These principles he said, I'M
derne the faith of Zion, and have
been there for centuries. The ancient
names for these principles were
brotherhood and righteousness.
No one believes that an Irishman is
lacking in Americanisna because he
advocates by force of intellect and by
means of cash home rule for Ireland.
Nor is a Jew less an American by rea-
son of his devotion to Zion.
The dreamers of yesterday realize
the possibilities of our today and our
tomorrow said Mr.. Brandeis. The
charcoal burners of Italy, a hunz
dred years ago, dreamed of a united
kingdom, and their dream was real
lied through Victor Emmanuel and
Garabaldi. The modern history of