The Denver Jewish news., 1921-12-21
A Proposed National
Jewish War Memorial
CENTER FOR WASHINGTON JEWS
CONTEMPLATED.
by MAN RHOADE
Copyrighted by Jewish corrcspon-
dcncc Bureau.


dencc Bureau.
In Lafayette Square. opposite the
White House in Washington stands an
heroic statue of Koscziusku, the Pol
ish General, who aided the American
Revolutionary forces during the strug
gle for independence On it is in
scribcd the words of I.OngfellOw
"And freedom shricked when Kos
lcziuskO fell" \ Jew visiting the Ma
tonal Capital and passing by the
statue. experiences conflicting emo
tons when reading the inscription
paying tribute to the Pole. Ones un-
conscious thought runs at once to the
idea of freedom as put into practice
in Poland regained toward the Jews !;
boycott and beard-pulling-word of
hate and physical violence.
There is no monument of stone in
Washington to remind Americans OF
the noble sacrifice of Haydn Solomon,
the Jew who financed the Revolution.
and as some say. enabled the final
victory of the Colonies. Neither is
there tangible testimonial of the quite
respectable part played by the Jew
in the Civil War. or the Spanish
American War.
Skcptics can wave away Haydn
Solomon as being out of the class of
Koscziusko. and may also mini,
miZe the role of the Jews in the two
later American wars. But shall the
Jews of this country also remain in
different to their $500 dead who lie
underneath the soil of France beside
their American brethren of Christian
faith. (whose civilization tits good to
say, translated for the Jews the word
freedom" In much different way
than the descendants of Koscziusko>
and shall no permanent remembcr-
ancc he set up in the chief city of the
milton to those 2OO.OOO or more Jewish
sons who wore the Kmki of Uncle
sam in the Great War-Gfo of the
Army out of 3k.fo of the total pop
ulation?
/ am not the first who has asked
this question. altho the propaganda
for suitable memorial in Washing
ton for the Jewish dead of the Great
War, has not been very widespread or
vigorous. Back in 1920 the first known
nrticulate effort to enlist public inter
est in the idea Of a. War Memorial
was made by young Jew holding
post with the government in Washing
ton, Leo b. Kagan. a graduate OF
Harvard Law School, able in both
speech and pen. Mr.. Kagan made his
first proposal to the local Young Mems
Hebrew Association, which unanim-
ously adopted his suggestion. later
publishing II in the form of a pamph-
let.
Kagan's idea is not that of the con-
ventional war monument. He does not
propose an equestrian statue or that
of military figure in any form. He
asks for n truly Jewish memorial
house of learning and center for
the Jewish consciousness: not only a
museum wherein to permanently pre-
serve the record of Jewish military
performance. but to serve Jewish in
tellcctual and spiritual needs. \ place
where well equipped with great audi
torium important Jewish intellectual
gatherings might be held. Thus il
would be "living memorial" and sat
isfy the Jewish ideal. AS is true Of
Washington's population as whole,
Jewish inhabitants of the Capital are
for the most part from the whole
land. the population is more of ma
tional than local character. The never
ending flow of travellers and the pres
cnce of many government employees
emphasizes the larger horizon of the
Jewish element of the city. Hence
even if to certain extent the ac-
tivities within the Center might in
sense be for the benefit of local Wash
ington .Jewry, the Jews of the whole
country would have their constant
share in its use and it would there
by always remain conscious nation
al possession.
Nothing would he calculated to I'M
press the non-Jewish world with the
non-ma terialistic spirit of the Jew
than such form of the Jews express
sion of his remembrance of his wal
dead and his war-livinS. Nothing
could emphasize the Jews advocacy
of Peace: hero there would he no in
trinsic glorification Of might, separat'
ed from the ideal of Peace, as is the
custom in war memorials. Side b!
side with the record Of Jewish mill
III lon, To- In IrniInl Stnfns