The Denver Jewish news., 1923-11-01
BY GERsHoN AGRoNsKY

american Legion anu the SohPshy -
Keeps.
BY GERSHON AGRONSKY
What is known few days in ad-
vance of Israel Zangwilfs speech be-
fore the American Jewish Congress this
Sunday is sufficient to warrant one in
nttributing to it in all sincerity that
over-wOrked word "epOchal,' which in
discriminating and not altogether sim
cere men often use in referring to
lesser events. For Israel Zangwill is
no common work-a-day Utterer. His
public appearances at home. in Eng
land. nre relatively few and their
paucity is alone sufficient to stir at
tention in what he has to say on one
of his rare excursions from literary
retiremcnt in Sussex to the public
platform i'm London or New York. But
this is not all. Mr.. Zangwill has
promised to make his speech a warn
ing. He has served notice that on this
occasion he will tell all he feels about
the Jewish situation. He expects many
people will be struck by what he says,
and he does not think it Will Ike the
sheer beauty of his style that will
strike them-On such occasions he is
apt to think less of form than many
lesser luminaries-but the intrinsic
truths that will smite Jewish men and
women. and men and women outside
the fold.
Israel Zangwill can do it, as no
other Jew can. He is stranger to
America and American Jewry, all
though he appears to understand both.
much better than they understand
stranger. No party ties hold him down
to any creed or panacea. He Is, be-
sides. the Jewish poet-statesman par
excellence. He possesses undimmed
vision of the seer-and a true poet Is
seer-with the historical sense with
out which far-seeing craftsmanship Is
impossible. And when he cares to es-
say into it. Mr.. ZnngwVl can be by far
the ablest journalist in Jewry. which Is
perhaps not saying very much for Mr..
Zangwill. His unequalled poetic pow
crs have not sent him soaring above
the heads and hearts of his fellow>
Jews. Nothing Jewish is foreign to
him. and no Jewish event anywhere
in the world is so small as not to de-
serye his .reactiOn. His contact with
daily life gives him the necessary hold
on the Jews position. And II, taxing
II by and large. it is disrespectfui to
refer to Mr. Zangwiil as the Jewish
Yates, the poet of Erin just now VEN
turing into politics may he delighted
at being called the Irish Zangwili.
But comparisons aside. of all dis
tingtiished strangers who have been
swept to these shores by the ever-ris-
ing tides of Jewish misery, none Is
more welcome than Mr.. Zangwill, who
has come here at the request of the
Jewish. Congress after successfully re-
sisting all attempts by tempters Of va
rio,,s kinds and magnitudes to bring
him here these last twelve years or
more His coming and his stay here
is utterly characteristic OF the man.
Mr. Zangwill comes here because he
WIS moved by the "bon-geste" shown
by DIR. Stephen $. Wise and Bernard
G. Richa irls. officers of the Jewish Con-
gress who invited him in spite of his
attack on the Congress delivered after
this body had recommended the rejec-
tion of the Mexican colonization Offer.
And he is due to sail back to England
directly he has made his statement,
thus showing that he thinks more of
the body that is honestly trying to be
democratic and representative than
lot of men this side of the Atlantic
who would not have to cross the street
to help the Congress maintain itself
and uphold the dignity of the Jewish
people here and safeguard their rights
everywhere else.
Nh. Zingwill's presence here and,
particularly, his Speecn SunuaS IL 10
feared will cause uneasiness, If not
misgivings, In the Zionist camp. Hold
ing himself to be the only true surviv-
ing Herzlian Zionist. Mr.. Zangwill un-
doubtedly will not spare the heads Of
the movement who have had to make
one compromise after another to meet
n situation beyond their expectation or
control. To Mr.. Zangwill's way of un-
official thinking these compromises are
wrong in themselves. no matter how
cxpcdicnt and strategic and, to the cX-
tent that they permit of whiting down
of the Zionist policy launched by the
Britain, are cruel and treacherous. He
will not hesitate to say so. The Zion