Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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24 M A S M I D ness on earth, commits suicide. The epilogue consists of a scene in Pales- tine where an American Chalutz and a Hun- garian Chalutza. finding perfect harmony between themselves, decide to marry. They desire to have a child, so that the interest of the land of the fathers may be advanced. Mr. Lewisohn has expressed nothing new in this, his first play. The drama contains the ideas he has been preaching since the writ- ing of Up-Stream — the racial unity of Israel, the failure of assimilation: the dual conscience of the Anglo-Saxons and the thor- oughly Jewish doctrine that the basic instinct for marriage is not sexual desire but repro- duction and the preservation of the race. He has, however, given another evidence of how deeply these ideas have penetrated his soul and how they have inspired him to start on new forms. This form of dialogue has the added value of realistically portraying the actual at- titude of the Gentiles when they are faced with the problem of assimilating the Jews; and convinces one more than any of the pas- sionate pleas that Mr. Lewisohn has ever written in the interest of the Jews. We have lately read views questioning the reason for Mr. Lewisohn ' s return to Judaism. A certain popular critic has claimed that Ludwig Lewisohn was persecuted during the War not because he was a Jew but because he was a German. But, says the critic, Mr. Lewisohn was too proud of his German ex- traction to admit this fact, and he therefore alleged he was persecuted because of his Jew- ish faith. No one who has read Mid-Chan- nel will take this critic ' s view seriously. There is, moreover, another side of Mr. Lewisohn ' s turning his back upon the Anglo- Saxons and that is that he feels himself per- fectly at home in Jewry. Since his return to Judaism, Lewisohn has devoted himself pas- sionately to the study of Jewish culture. He is enthusiastic about the Jewish past and future. We have always been unable to agree with Mr. Lewisohn ' s statement that the Anglo- Saxons as a race are possessed of a dual con- science. Were not the Puritans, were not all genuine English religionists and, for that matter, some of the outstanding English athe- ists, consistent in belief and action? Lack of unity between theory and action is a quality that belongs to any man, irrespective of race, who is without religion, without firm con- viction. Real Jews, it is very true, are har- monious in thought and action: but this is also true of Anglo-Saxons or even of Budd- hists. Mr. Lewisohn himself urges passion- ately, in almost all of his works, that the Anglo-Saxons should adopt unity of theory and action, thus admitting that the fault is not inherent in the race but lies in their en- vironmental conditions. Ludwig Lewisohn ' s contribution as the in- troducer of the modern Jew and his problems into the English literature is undeniable. He delves deeply and truthfully into the Jew ' s soul and breaks off the tradition of caricatur- ing the Jew. Though Lewisohn may be mis- taken in some of his theories and though he lacks a high moral dignity, yet he is sincere, and thoroughly human. H. M. SUMMER TIME Scrawled demands On shifting sands. Ardent expression of fleeting affection Glibly proclaiming a vague predilection. Promising Most anything. Eegee

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M A S M I D 7 tragedy which overshadowed the lives of a group of Grecians on the Island of Brynos, in the Aegean sea; and after the curtain has dropped the author again takes up the de- scription of a sunset which is the same in another country. The story is the drama of the lives of the people of Brynos, and of the arrival of Crysis, the Woman of the Island of Andros, and of her young sister in their midst. Crysis is an heitaera, a member of the world ' s oldest profession, but a dignified and philosophical woman who arranges weekly banquets for certain privileged young men of the village at which philosophy is discussed. There is nothing new in the philosophy that is presented. It is pagan, with a pessi- mism peculiar to the Greek as he thought of the passing of youth, and of its helpless- ness in the hands of Fate. The real value of the book lies in its subtle style. The only definite allusion to the real period of the story is: The sun was setting over the land that was soon to become holy. The conversation of these ancients might well have been that of our contemporaries. As for their dress the only reminder that these people were living twenty centuries ago is an occasional phrase as he sat down he smoothed the folds of his robe, reminding us that the toga was the vogue of the time. Thus, the back-ground peculiar to that an- cient age seems to merit only casual mention, emphasizing the universality and repetition of the drama of life. Though Crysis, the Andrian, is an heitara there are very few references to sex. The re- ference to Crysis ' profession is not only not repellent but it affords a deep insight into the philosophy of lonesomeness. Crysis — because she realizes the lonesomeness of life, gathers about her a motley array of salvaged human derelicts, who, because they are de- pendent on her, will remain with her, unlike friends who are so fickle and transient. Crysis, says the author, because of her profession, re- alizes all the more this lonesomeness and its consequent craving for human companion- ship. Crysis tries to guard her young sister from falling into her footsteps, but fate tricks both. Pamphilus, the son of the first family of Brynos, has for years been expected to marry Philumena, the daughter of the sec- ond family of the island, but has continu- ally put off the marriage. Crysis secretly loves Pamphilus. but he loves her sister, Glycerium. Crysis dies, still alone; Glycerium, her sis- ter, bears a child from Pamphilus, out of wedlock, and soon dies, too, Pamphilus is left alone, still hesitating to marry Philume- na, the choice of his and her parents. ADAM By LUDWIG LEWISOHN The latest product of Ludwig Lewisohn ' s pen, Adam, contains almost all of the doctrines for which he has stood in the last few years. Adam is a realistic play con- sisting of a prologue, a body of nine acts, and an epilogue. The prologue deals with past and the body of the play with present Jewish problems; and the epilogue prophe- sies a scene in Palestine. The prologue presents a discussion be- tween Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Yishmoel, and Rabbi Akiba, and demonstrates the necessity of the Talmud in preserving Jewish unity during the exile. The play is the story of Adam. Elhar, the only son of a Polish Rabbi. Adam has fled from home and has worked himself up to the top of one of the famous firms in England. He has done everything to become assimilated into the Gentile world only to meet miser- able failure in the end. Honest and simple Englishmen and Americans, who respect him for his human qualities, refuse to accept him into their society. Even his young American wife who has tried hard to love him, feels the abyss that divides her from the Jew, Adam. The end of this marriage is separa- tion; and Adam, who could not finc happi-

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M A S M I D 25 The yew in the German Literature of the 15th, l6th and 17th Centuries By Bernard A gloomy picture unfolds itself to our view when we consider the German literature of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in its relation to the Jew. Hate and prejudice for the Jew are the funda- mental features of the literature during these centuries. The poets, to be tolerated, wrote from the peoples ' viewpoint, and the people were filled with the most venomous hatred for the Jew. Superstition and fanaticism, fanned by the goading and persuasions of the travelling friars and flagellants united to por- tray the Jew as the enemy of Christianity. The first part of the literature to be con- sidered is the Passion Plays. It was the purpose of those plays to show the Jews the weakness of their religion and to strengthen the Christians in theirs. As a result, all men- tion of the Jew in these plays, as well as in the moralities, brings forth a debate over the relative values of Judaism and Christian- ity. Considering the purpose of these plays, the outcome of the debates is obvious. The debates in the Passion Plays occupy a position of secondary importance, being inserted only where they have a bearing on the main theme, and take the form of direct cross-examinations of each side by the other. The participants of the debate are the lead- ers of the Church and the leaders of the Synagogue. When the synagogue puts the questions, they are made simple and easy to answer, but when the church puts the ques- tions, they are complicated and very difficult to answer. The answers of the Christians are generally polite and polished while the answers of the Jews are almost always vul- gar and boorish. The debates almost always end with the victory of the Christians, and some of the Jews accept baptism, while those who don ' t, go off amid the abuse and jeers of the mob. It is interesting to note that only rarely does Jesus appear in personal debate with the Jews, and when he does it is only to say a few short words, at the con- clusion of which the Jews stone him. He. however, is not affected by this, and goes un- harmed. We next encounter the debates in the mora- Greenberg lities. where we find them promoted to a position of primary importance. The debate here finds its inception between two ordinary laymen but ultimately they invoke the aid of theii respective religious orders. Typical of this sort of play is the morality play of Kaiser Constantin, by Hanz Folz. Constantin had gone over from Judaism to Christianity, and his mother was trying with the aid of the Rabbi to bring him back to the teachings of his forefathers. Constantin demands that a Jew and Christian dispute the question before him. A long dispute ensues. Here also the questions are so adroitly framed that the Christians can answer without difficulty, while the Jews can ' t. At the end of the argu- ment, the Rabbi, who had set out to convert the Christians to Judaism, is himself con- vinced of the truths of Christianity, and ac- cepts baptism, as do also Constantin ' s mother and other Jews who were present during the argument. Immediately afterward, the mother and the Rabbi are seen eating swine ' s flesh, thus giving the poet a chance to ex- press his scorn and contempt for them, saying that they accepted Christianity not because they believed in it, but because of their desire for swine ' s flesh. Another interesting incident occurs in this play, revolving about the religious belief that the name of God cannot be mentioned with- out bringing about immediate and powerful results. The Jew deduces from this belief that Jesus cannot be the true God because his name may be pronounced without any consequences whereas if the Jew pronounces the name of his God, the one to whom it is spoken must die. An ox is brought up for demonstration. The Jew whispers some- thing in the ear of the ox, whereupon the ox falls dead. The Christian asserts, how- ever, that the Jew spoke the name of the Devil. Then he declares that he can bring the ox back to life again. He whispers the name of Christ in the ear of the ox, and lo! the ox is revived. All the Jews are convinced by this miracle. This incident may well serve as an example of the manner and means by which the religious strife was carried on.