The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-30

While non-Jews will not be solicited it was announced that any assistance from them would be gladly received. Bir- mingham's quota is $s5, GOO; Mobile $25,ooo; Montgomery $25,000; Selma $l00o0 and all small Jewish communities in proportion.
 Louis Pizitz has been made chairman of the committee in this district for the raising of the fund and a mass meeting will be held Monday night at Temple Emanu-El at which time some of the most noted Jewish orators in the United States will be heard. Among the dis tinguished visitors on this occasion will be Rabbi Leon Harrison of Temple Is- rael of St. Louis, who is a speaker of ability and large crowd is expected to hear him on this occasion He will go to Selma and Mobile from Birmingham where he wul speak in each city in be- half of the American Jewish Relief com mittee.
 APPEAL TO JEWISH PEOPLE
 The following appeal has been issued to the Jewish people of Alabama
 During the week beginning December i, there will be presented to the Jews of Alabama an opportunity such as they have never before known-an opportun- ity of giving in behalf of noble Jew ish cause not only, but also of giv-
 
 one body with a united Jewish conscious ness. Never before in Alabama's history has the call gone forth to the Jews to sacrifice in unity-with the feeling that as each Jew gives, so do his fellow Jews in every section of our state, for the same Jewish purpose
 There are Jews in Alabama whose Jewishness lies dormant only because nc united call has ever gone forth to them no appeal to do something or surren- der something for the faith into which they were born. These men have the Jewish spirituality-tha intangible some- thing that we may call the Jewish soul. It is their birthright; but it has re- mained asleep within them, awaiting only the appointed time to flare up and burn as brightly as in ancient days.
 That appointed time Is now upon us. The fearful story of Jewish suffering and Jewish misery in the war-stricken lands of Russia, Poland, Galicia, Ru- mania, Lithuania and Palestine is being proclaimed in terrible detail. The very lives of millions of Jews in those re- gions are at stake. Whether they are to live or die depends upon what we Jews of Alabama do in this crisis
 Eight million Jews lift their eyes to us in fearful supplication for bread, clothes and ahelter-S000, 900 of our own faith battered by horrible years of war and even more horrible years of peace; because peace to them has not meant what 1t means to us-a return to saIe and secured existence.
 Peace to them is a hollow mockery-a period more bitter than warrior 1t Is a peace of pestilence, of disease, of star vation, of death! It is peace With thousands of Jewish fathers killed in battle. leaving their children dependents upon charity It is a peace with other thousands of Jewish fathers maimed and made useless for the support or their families. It is peace or devastated lands. ruined homes, unspeakable des- olation--a peace of naked, starving chil- dren, of famished, stricken mothers, oI hungry homeless, aged ones! We Tn America rejoice over the peace or nap piness and content that we know here but to our so0o,ooo correligionists in Flu rope it is the peace of death!
 DUTY IN CRISIS
 What is our duty in this crisis. nay our privilege? It lies plain before us Alabama is asked for $l00,ooo, Will she respond to this appeal? Have her Jew fish citizens lost their Jewish conscious ness-their Jewish feeling? This shal be the test In the measure that each Jew gives shall his pride in his race and his appreciation of his religion be measured.
 Some of the Jews of this state have in the past given a few dollars for their brethrens relief. Some have given not one cent They have preferred 10 grow fat upon the plenty of this land-for- getting their obligations as Jews, forget ting that the Judaism into which they were born is not mere name, but thai it demands the sacrifices, the unselhsh- ness and the nobility of spirit of it's fol lowers that the ancient Jews so well un- derstood. But if they fail their staW- ing people in this hour, if they remain untouched by our appeal, then we shall know that they have perverted their faith into a religion of selfishness. the ideals of Judaism into the basest mate rialism and their holy birthrlgnt lntc worthless dung!
 Jews of Alabama! Rise up from your sleep, You who have buried yourself in little communities. away from Jewish influence, show that you still have the Jewish spirit And you, in the larger centers, who have not given, show that you. too, can respond as quickly and as finely as your progenitors of old. to the cry of suffering Israel!
 Every Jew in Alabama is today or trial. We, who have faith in our people know what the ringing verdict will be. One hundred thousand dollars from the state of Alabama for Jewish war re- lief.