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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."