Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-05-21
Jews PLEDGE $4,000
FOR WAR RELIEF WORK
Respond to Appeal in Behalf OF
Their Kinsmen at Sacred Con-
cert at Polls Theater.

Responding to the appeal in behalf OF
their kinsmen and suffering brethren In
the eastern war zone of Europe, people
of the faith of Israel at Polls Theater
last night contributed the sum of $4,000
as a starter for the present year; with
abundant promise of more to come.
1t was the prime object of a sacred con.
cert of Hebrew music, by rev. JOSEF
Rosenblatt. cantor Of the orthodox syna,
by Sascha Jacobinoff, a brilliant young
Jewish violinist, and section OF .he
trained choir of male voices. ranging
from boys of ten and twelve years OF age
to mature adults. all of them remarkable
singers. The concert was one OF series
of a propaganda tour under the auspices
of the central COMMITTEES for the reheI OF
Jews suffering through the war, anu
under the personal direction OF cam
paign committee composed of Samuel X
Travis, chairman: Morris Engelman, eX-
ecutive director, and NJ. II. Hanson gen
eral manager.
made by Julius Peyser, who 1ntroducea
as the chief speaker of the evening Isl
dore Herschfeld of New York, VINO mas
been the means of communicating WIN
the Jews abroad and who visited various
scenes and cities in the war zone on tne
eastern front; by Rabbi George silver
stone of the Above Sholem Congregation:
and by Rabbi Benjamin l.. Grossman OF
the AudS Israel cSilicii- ~. -. '~'A-
Simon of the Washington Hebrew Con-
gregation and Il party occupied one OIL
the boxes.
Tells of War Sufferers.
Mr. Herschfield, in recounting incl
dents of his visit to the Russian prov
and Galicia--told of
mothers wooing their children to sleep
to cheat them of their breakfasts and
of sending them to bed early in the aft
ernoon that the pangs of hunger might
not remind them Of the loss of their
supper; of the one meal day OF cab
bage SOUP small portion of cabbage
and virtually hot water, with a small
morsel of black war bread, from which
the children would nibble bite and
hide the remainder in their hosoms to
ease the pains of hunger when the meal
was past. He told of the thousands that
have died-old men, women and chill
dren-not by the sword, but as the
result of being driven from their homes
at a moments notice at the whim of
their temporary rulers, huddled here,
there and anywhere, often without shell
stances without the barest protection
from the weather. It was forceful
and impressive picture of some of the
conditions brought about by the world
war. In one city, he said, thriving
of $4,000 people, which had
been evacuated at an instant command,
but 1900 returned when the conditions
permitted. Death, disease. starvation
and the utmost poverty reigned on all
sides, lightened only by the one hope
that relief would ultimately come from
America.
The concert was rather a sacred service
of the orthodox Jewish religion than a
display of vocal or instrumental enter
tainment. Opening with 1.-THE Star
Spangled Banner beautifully sung by the
choir under the eminent director. Herman
Wohl, an authority in Hebrew music and
choir direction, the numbers of the pro-
gram consisted of prayers of the Hebrew
ritual and Psalms set to music by Cantor
Rosenblatt and Director Wohl, which
sounded strangely to ears attuned to the
music of the western world. Now would
ring out splendid choral harmonies, to be
quickly followed by pleading appeals, as if
wPung from the heart, and then softened
almost into the cooling and grooming of
mother over her child in suppiication to
the Almighty.
In the choir the sweetness of the boys
voices contrasted with the melodious un-
dertone Of rich bass voices and the al
most unnatural falsettos of the youths.