The Denver Jewish news., 1918-10-24
DESCRIBED BY TRAVELLER TO
ENGLAND.

~ PiOihAuCut JCWiSu ihiCiahahAs " NV
has recently arrived in England from
Russia. being Interviewed with re-
gard to affairs In thar country, ex-
planned the position In Lithuania as
follows: AT first, the Jewish popu-
lation was very badly treated: the
Germans furiOusly suppressed both
the national and the religious move
ments. The teaching of Hebrew, was
forbidden. and every Zionist tendency
cbstructed. Several times the German
military command thought they would
have to withdraw from wilma, and in
those days the suffering inflicted on
the Jewish population was terrible.
Food was very scarce, and in u short
rerio; about 2O,0DO Jews died of
hunger in the wilma district alone.
All the available food was taken by
the Germans. and the only means of
securing indispensable commodities
was by bribing the German officials.
who have shown themselves to be
AZ susceptible to bribery as the Rus
sian officials of the old regime
ITO relieve the food situation. the
Jews of sLithuania took to land work.
arfI practically every family now pos
sesses an allotment where 1t grows
potatoes and other vegetables. Com
mercial transactions have practically
ceased. and agriculturu, activities are
s.,roo< <ltnu In con usonuaace
when the news of the capture of
Jerusalem reached Lithuania the joy
of the Jews was indescribable- 1t
was worth enduring what we have
suffered to live to hear this. Jew
remarked The Jews in the occupies!
PROVINCES are heart and soul with the
allies, especially with England. hut
Of course 1t is dangerous for them
tc express their feelings openly. The
German gOyernment-after the Brit
Ish decla tion OF Nov. 2nd. 1017-cir-
c,ilated childish story to the effect
that In 1D17 the kaiser and the Turk
ish government had agreed to give
Palestine to the. Jews, but that King
Georges spies discovered this. and the
British ,goysrnpent was urged to draw
up the deelarstion without delay That
cxplsins. Why Ensiand wns the first
to recognIse Zlohism! Needless to
say. hardly anybody in Germany OF
the invaded districts believed this abb
surd statement"
The Russian merchant gave p1ost
cheering description OF the effect up
on the Jews Of Russia. OF tine Brit
ish declaration which. he said. had
given new life to the national move
iuent. And Jewish gratitude iowa rtis
England knows no limits" he added.
In spite of the much hated Bolshevik
England is very popular.
and Russian Jews would gladly fight
under British government I'm Paies-
tine. The Bolshevik government viii
fall. England will then see for her
self how affectiouately she is rcEnrd-
I'd by us Russian Jews. In these
terrible days. the Jews i'm Moscow
have done all they could to help the
British officials in their awkward po-
sition. All they haye done Will ne
known later. when England will reap
the harvest Of her sympathetic treat
ment of the Jews. The Germans are
hated everywhere. by the Jews and
Christians alike. And the genera
feeling is that we would rather be
ruled by Bolshevik than by the Ger
man government. We are very hope
full about Palestine. thanks to Eng
land. | wish l could tell you about
the enthusiasm with which the dec
laration was received. You have heard
about Odessa. Well. 1t was the same
in Russia. also in occupied
towns like Warsaw. wilma and else
where. the joy was great. tho conceal
ed. RumOrs reach ire that the Ger
man Jews also are heart and soul with
England in her Zionist policy. 1t IL
difficult to make definite statements
now, but the whole world will see
later, and England will he blessed al
ways as long as there will be Jews
in the world