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Ida Nasatir book review
Action for Unity by Goodwin Watson
June 19, 1947—Book review—Action for Unity by Goodwin
Watson—Southwestern
Jewish Press, page 6: Dr. Watson's small book called Action for
Unity, on the subject of anti-Semitism, is quite provocative. The author, a
Columbia professor, believes that the program of our Jewish defense agencies is
timidly executed, foolishly conceived and utterly inconsequential. For instance
he takes the assumption which Jews make that "correct information will
eliminate anti-Semitism, that anti-Semitism flourishes simply because the facts
about Jews are not known, or understood. " The simple truth, says the
author, is that the attempt to "educate" the non-Jew about the Jew is
absurd and stupid, based as it is upon the pious but hopeless illusion that the
non-Jew wants, or can be educated on this highly emotional subject, or that the
anti-Semite and his followers will accept the truth about Jews and
Judaism. The scientific survey proves that relatively "few prejudices
are removed by intellectual argument." Which means that the elaborate
educational paraphernalia designed to preach tolerance accomplishes next to
nothing. An example of this will be found in the case of Rabbi Roland Gittlesohn.
(He was stationed in San Diego during the war). In a fascinating article,
Gittelsohn tells of the shocking anti-Semitism he met at Iwo Jima not only
amongst the men in the ranks but amongst the chaplains. Even the famous sermon
he preached at the dedication of the Iwo Jima cemetery was the cause of an
exceedingly ugly religious controversy. Against the priest who told Rabbi
Gittlesohn that Father Coughlin is the "greatest Catholic priest in the
world," no reason or argument can avail. Dr. Watson discusses at
length the ludicrous aspects of the so-called "Brotherhood
Week." Jews alone celebrate it, he maintains. We are pathetically
eager about it, and use methods which oft times border on the vulgar. In the
entire city of New York not a single important Christian pulpit invited a rabbi
to preach during the week. Furthermore, not even a single important Church took
public notice of it. But, and this is the shame of it, almost all large
Synagogues did, and frantically, with large newspaper advertisements, with
Christians preaching to Jews, not to Christians about good will. The author does
not believe that education is the sole answer to a solution of discrimination.
For if it were the answIer,
can one discover in the entire world a more learned and better educated
individual than Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler? Too often the most educated are the
most bigoted. Action for Unity is an illuminating book. The author does
not come to any hasty conclusions, he made them after a long, careful scientific
survey. What he has to say is in sharp contradiction with the cherished
illusions of many American Jews and of their self-appointed leaders. This book
should be a reading "must."