⁨⁨The Hebrew Standard⁩, 12 ינואר 1917⁩ — Lord Mllner and the Jews. [⁨כתבה⁩]

Lord Mllner and the Jews.

Although the present cabinet contains no Jews it has in it many broad-mind-ed friends of our people, and it is interesting, at this moment to recall the attitude of one Of its most distinguished and influential members— Lord Milner. When his lordship occupied the post of High Commissioner in South Africa he was brought into frequent relations with Jews, and always his personal attitude was one of the most cordial character. Towards the end of the year 1902 he addressed a letter to a Zionist meeting at Johannesburg, in 'Which be expressed his "repugnance" of "anything like an ungenerous attitude to- ■ wards Jews of foreign origin who are > either already resident in the Transvaal or may be intending to enter it." "I have no prejudice against Jews as Jews," he went on, "and I cannot think [ -what has given rise to such an idea. Some of the best people I have ever known, some of my closest personal friends, are Jews, and Jews intensely devoted to their race and religion. I S have known the Jews as excellent colIVUUUIl HID UCYYO ao DADCliCllL cut" m

onists at the Cape,' industrious, lawabiding and thoroughly loyal." When the Jewish Board of Deputies lor the Transvaal was established, in | the following year, Lord Milner was one of the speakers at the inaugural ' meeting and again paid a handsome < tribute to Jews. "The Jewish commu- ' nity of thjs colony," he said, "is .a very large and "influential one. It is perhaps not quite so large as is commonly | supposed. You would sometimes think, to read certain newspapers— and those I not altogether friendly to the Jews as i a_D£QDl£T-that the wholp of this community consisted exclusively of Jews"."'" There Lord Milner put his , finger upon a common error. How often might not 7the same impression have 'been ileft uplon the minds of newspaper readers far nearer home. And then his lordship proceeded to make these salutary re- | marks: "This great comunity>has its j own race traditions and race loyalty, i There is absolutely nothing incompatible in this' with the most thoroughgoing British patriotism. All of us who . come from the old country have known many Jews who, clinging with intense ~ -devotion-to-their-own-raee-and-reUgion^- - are as patriotic and as public-spirited citizens as you can find anywhere in the world." There, surely, spoke the states-, i man of insight. — London Jewish Wor'.A.