The Denver Jewish news., 1923-01-17
Letter from Austria
BY NJ. A. Tenneblatt.


been the scene of the recent lnterna-
tional Musical Festival. Operas and
compositions by the greatest musicians
the world have been per-
formed there to an audience consist
ing Of universally famed artists from
all countries. Musical authorities
came to Salzburg especially for the
Festival, and the conductor was the
great Richard Strauss.
of course, among the compositions
were the works also of Jewish com
posers. and in the modern section it
was they who We're awarded the palm.
Unfortunately. however. one of the best
of the composer Schoenberg, is an
apostate.
But the greatest impression was
made by the work of Ernst Bloch,
whose Rhapsody Hebraique' simply
caused a stir Another Jewish COM
poser who was present, Berischansky,
several of whose work were also per-
formed. declared that of all the mod
ern music heard at the. Festival, that
of Bloch and Schoenberg alone had
stood Fout as great and original.
Everything else was of secondary value.
The critics of the foremost news
papers have all united in praise of
Bloch, including even the critic of the
"Neue Freie Presse'' of whom it is
said that he has praise only for his
son, who is celebrated composer.
Bloch himself did not come to Salz-
burg. He stayed at home i'm Ameri-
cn and it has been only from reports
that he has heard how he was ac-
claimed as perhaps the foremost mu-
sician of the day.
At the same time Max Reinhardt WAS
producing his series of plays. in one
OF the old fornsteries in Salzburg.
People In Austrian business life
have of late begun to observe the
growing importance of Palestine In
their affairs. Native-born Vienna Jews
have always deprecated Zionism md
Jewishness generally. Only hand
ful among them have ever had any
faith In the Zionist successes. They
were sceptical even about the British
and American reports OF the recogni-
ton Of Jewish national home In
Palestine.
But business interests have succeed
cd in bringing about change. The
good Egyptian pounds which have been
steadily coming in 10 the Vienna mar
ket from Palestine have convinced them
that the talk about rebuilding Pales-
tine does really mean something. They
hnvc proved to he more effective than
all the interna tional documents and
the Government declarations. Pales-
tinian Jews are buying machinery,
tools. raw materials. etc. In Austria
because owing to the present rate of
exchange they are cheaper there than
elsewhere and also because they are
of excellent quality.
Jewish business men in Vienna arc
now counting upon Palestine Jewry,
and even in Government circles 1t Is
being recognized that the Jews of Pal
estine are an important factor In the
Austrian business world. Palestininn
Jews are coming to be regarded with
as much respect as the business men
who came to Vienna from England or
America. Business considerations have
prevailed where religious and race con-
sitleratious failed. They have proved
stronger than even the traditional dis
taste of the assimilationist for jew
ish nationalist ideals. The develop
ment of Palestine as business centre
is doing more than everything else to
secure recognition for Jewish Nation
alism.
Meanwhile. anti-Scmitism in Austria
is growing stronger. \ recent develop
mcnt has been the movement against
letting Jews take their rest-curc ut
Austrian health resorts, and this time
there is no distinction drawn between
the detestcd East European Jew and
the nativc-born Viennesc Jew taking
l,;S I,nJ;Iuy triu The eyisteucp has