The Denver Jewish news., 1923-02-28
Rabbi Denounces
Intolerance
Dr. Harry H. Mayer Of Kansas City
Delivers Startling Rebuke From the
Pulpit.

Pulpit.
Kansas City-The intolerance of Jew
against Jew was vigorously denounced
by DIR. Harry II. Mayer, Rabbi of Tenn
Pile B'nni Jehuda (RefOrm Congrega-
tion) of Kansas City. Mo-, in sermon
delivered at the Temple recently, which
aroused unusual comment i'm this dis
trict He stated that the Jew had
no business TO hope for tolerance ON
the part of nOn-Jews when hatred and
contempt existed amongst Jews Them
selves. In opening his lecture DIR. May
err referred to an article recently pub
lished in n prominent magazine which
was written by a nOn-Jew and which
deals with the three, types, as the au-
thor calls them, of Jews that come to
America. :, The three types are as fol-
lows: Portuguese or Spanish Jews,
German Jews and Russian Jews.
-sf No Real Differences
81 personally. said DIR. Mayer. "can
see nothing radically different In any
of these three types of Jews. of course
externally there may be some differ
ence; the Portuguese have n broader
cultural background while the German
Jew was not emanicipated until later
about 125 years ago-and the Russinn
Jews not until the Soviet came into
power before which Russia had been
living in medievalism.
THE German Jew looks down on the
Russian Jew because he considers him
self better because of his refinement.
culture and appearance. This feeling
creates the feeling of Jew against Jew.
There is no unnnimity amongst the
Jews. Thus there is antagonism. The
German Jew does not approve of mar
ringe with the Russian Jew just as the
Portuguese Jew does not approve of
marriage with the German or Russian
Jew This nntnSOnism is based on dis
tinctiOns which are not entirely justi-
fed. Differences of races or blood of
different Jews are so slight that there
is so slight that after Il generation or
so with interma marriage it is impossible
to tell the stock from which the chill.
dren spring Tie American type of
Jew is n new and distinctive type
which completely eradicates the differ
ent characteristics and which causes
the third and fourth generations to be
all the same. Therefore. it Is the
heighth of folly to say one type of
Jew is better than another. This ques-
ton should be debated so that the un-
rcasonableness of this problem will be
obvious to all.
"Then there is the prejudice between
the Reformed and the Orthodox Jew.
The Reformed Jew blames the Orth-
odox Jew and the OrothOdox Jew
blames the Reformed Jew. The rich
blame the poor and the poor blame the
rich. Thus we have class against class
amongst the Jews themselves. We are
cause they did not stick together: be-
cause there was dissension in their
ranks. Undoubtedly this assertion is
accurate.
THE Jews will triumph over pre-
jndice and intolerance only when they
become more sympathetic with one an
other without necessarily endorsing
each other. do not endorse Jews who
are loud and who lack refinement but
can have the kindness OF their friend
ship even If their thoughts are not my
thoughts. Uniformity is not necessary.
am not pleading for uniformity. 1t
adds to the joy of life THAT all should
not have the same thoughts.
"If perish we must. let us perish to-
gether jew against Jew? Yes we
should be against some kind of Jews,
against them till the bitter end. but
not the Reformed against the Ortho-
dox or the Orthodox against the Re
formed or the poor against the rich,
not the capitalist against the working
Jew. As long as hands is raised
against any Jew because he is jew,
he is my brother. .,fs
Jews Who Hurt Most.
1T is the Indifferent, cowardly and
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