[Illustration: _JOSEPH JACOBS (born in New South Wales in 1854), noted
author and editor, was one of England's well-known scholars and men of
letters when he was called to America to become managing editor of the
Jewish Encyclopedia. He has held the chair of English literature at
the Jewish Theological Seminary, and is now editor of the American
Hebrew. He is the author of many authoritative books, including "Jews
of Angevin England," "Studies in Jewish Statistics," "Jewish Ideals,"
and "Literary Studies."_]
IT is of course difficult to conjecture what will be the ultimate
effect of such a world-cataclysm as the present European war on the
fate of the Jews of the world. The chief center of interest naturally
lies in the eastern field of the war which happens to rage within the
confines of Old Poland. This kingdom, founded by the Jagellons,
brought together Roman Catholic Poland and Greek Catholic Lithuania
and could not, therefore, apply in full rigor the mediaeval principle
that only those could belong to the State who belonged to the State
Church. Hence a certain amount of toleration of religious differences,
which led to Poland forming the chief asylum of the Jews evicted from
Western Europe in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. As a
consequence here lies the most crowded seat of Jewish population in
the world. From it comes the vast majority of the third of a million
Jews in the prime of life who are fighting for their native countries
and often against their fellow-Jews. Probably three hundred thousand
Jewish soldiers are under arms in this district. Besides the
inevitable loss by death of many of these and the distress caused by
the removal of so many others for an indefinite period from
breadwinning for their families, there must be ineffable woe caused by
the fact that this district is the scene of strenuous conflicts, which
lead to the wholesale destruction of the Jewish homes in a literal
sense. When one reflects that one out of every six of the inhabitants
of Russian, Prussian, and Austrian Poland is a Jew, the extent of the
misery thus caused may be imagined. One meets friends whose
birth-place changes nationality from week to week, according as the
different armies take possession. The Jewish inhabitants of Suwalki,
for example, must be doubtful whether they are Germans or Russians,
according as Uhlan or Cossack holds control of their city. But
whichever wins, for the time being, the non-combatants suffer by the
demolition of their houses, the requisition of their property, and
above all by the dislocation of their trade. The mass of misery caused
by the present war in this way to the Jews of Russian, Prussian, and
Austrian Poland is incalculable.
Nor is this direct loss and misery compensated for by any hope of
improved conditions after the war is concluded. One may dismiss at
once the rumor that the Czar has promised his Jewish soldiers any
alleviation of their lot, on account of their loyalty and bravery.
Such rumors are always spread about when the Russian autocracy needs
Jewish blood or money. Besides, we all know the value of the plighted
word of the crowned head of the Russian Church; the emasculation of
the Duma is sufficient evidence of this. And even if the Czar carries
out his promise of giving autonomy to Poland, including any sections
of Prussian and Austrian territory which he may acquire by the present
war, the Jewish lot will not be ameliorated in the slightest. For,
unfortunately, Poles have of recent years turned round on their Jewish
fellow sufferers from Russian tyranny somewhat on the principle of the
boy at school who "passes on" the blow which he has received from a
bigger boy to one smaller yet.
_The Probable Strengthening of Anti-Semitic Influences_
BUT the chief evil which will result from the present war, whatever
its outcome, will be the increased influence of just those circles
from whom the anti-Semitic movement has emanated throughout Europe for
the past forty years. It is, in my opinion, absurd to think that
militarism will be killed or even scotched by the present war;
militarism cannot cast out militarism. Even if Germany is defeated, it
is impossible to imagine that she will rest content with her defeat,
and practically the only change in the situation will be that "La
Revanche" will be translated into "Die Rache"; and in Russia, the
defeat of Germany will simply increase the prestige and influence of
the grand-ducal circles from which the persecution of the Jews has
mainly emanated.
In the contrary case, if Germany gets the upper hand, the influence of
the Junkers in Germany, with their anti-Semitic tendencies, would be
raised to intolerable limits, while the Reaction in Russia, even if it
loses prestige, will yet be granted more power in order to carry out
the projected revenge.
_Diminished Chances of Emigration_
ANOTHER unfortunate result for Jews from the present war will be the
decreased stream of emigration from Russia and Galicia to this
country, so that the escape from the House of Bondage would be still
more limited. Many will be so impoverished by the war that they will
not be able to afford the minimum sum needed for migration. Death on
the battle-field or in the military hospitals will remove many
energetic young fellows who would otherwise have come to this country
and afterwards have brought their relatives with them. Conditions here
too, in the immediate future, are likely to be less attractive for the
immigrant from the economic point of view owing to the dislocation of
trade caused by the current conflict.
Altogether, as will have been seen from the above enumeration, I am
strongly of opinion that the Jews will suffer even more than most
peoples concerned in the present war. They have nothing to gain by it;
they are sure to lose by it.
[Illustration: Signature: Joseph Jacobs]
_SURELY a law, the essence of which is mercy and
justice to one's fellow men, is not a narrow rule of
life, to be discarded by us today on any plea that we
have outgrown it; surely a history of thousands of
years' devotion to spiritual ideals is not a history
to be forgotten. America is a land of divers races and
divers religions. Each race and each religion owes to
it the duty of bringing to its service all its
strength; it derives no added strength from a race
which has forgotten the lessons it has learnt in the
past, a race which deliberately discards the spiritual
strength which it has obtained by devotion to its
ideals._--_From a Menorah Address by Justice Irving
Lehman._