Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Chicago Chronicle, June 13, 1924.

Every studious reader has in the last four years frequently come across, be it in the Anglo-Jewish weeklies, in the Yiddish or in the general American press, some news items of Jewish interest which attracted his attention from time to time. Preceding every such item he was always bound to read the three words “Jewish Telegraphic Agency.” I imagine many have asked themselves what these three words meant, why a Jewish telegraphic agency, why an agency, and if an agency why a telegraphic agency. I think a few words of explanation at this moment would not be out of place.

There is not a single businessman who takes his business seriously who would form his opinion about any matter concerning his business or private affairs without making an attempt to get the best available information on the subject. Information, in our days, is the underlying principle of that constant endeavor, toil and speed, which, for convenience and brevity’s sake, we call “life.” All of us have our interests. Our interests are dictated first of all by our natural inclinations. One cannot be interested in the country if one’s interest in one’s own city has not yet been aroused. One cannot have a deep concern in the affairs of a community if one’s heart has not been opened to the affairs of his own family. One cannot have a real broad view of the world’s affairs if one is not sensitive to the needs and demands of his own race.

Whether one is a Zionist, a non-Zionist or an anti-Zionist, a Reformed Jew or an Orthodox Jew or even a radical, one’s attention is eagerly caught when mention is made of an event of a Jewish nature. We are affected when we hear of atrocities committed against Jews, no matter how distant the place of their occurrence may be, if only we preserve our sincerity and are truthful to ourselves. We are glad to learn of any change for the better that takes place in any of the persecuted Jewish communities. We have an interest, pro or con, in that tremendous effort which is now being made to rebuild Palestine. We are, above all, deeply concerned when we notice that some American papers carry an item concerning Jewish life, which is represented in an improper form or with the usual lack of accuracy and knowledge of conditions. What is all this? It is our desire for proper and reliable information.

It is not more than half a century [ago] that the most outlandish problems in Jewish life in nearly all the countries with a Jewish population was the question, how and what to do [so] that our neighbor may know more about us. It was thought at the time that salvation would come if this information could be imparted.

The writer of these lines knows a fact that will well illustrate this. It was during the stormy period at the end of the war, and during the armistice. Numerous Jewish communities in Eastern and Central Europe were constantly threatened with terror and violence, the result of tremendous changes of regimes and social orders. A desperate cry for help reached the Western European countries from the devastated regions. It seemed that only a few lines – a few truthful and impressive lines – in the press of the civilized world would suffice to relieve the situation. However, those who were charged with this task found it very hard, if not impossible, to accomplish it, because of the fact that Jewish news was considered as mere propaganda.

To disseminate Jewish news items amongst Jews, and to keep the Jewish press of the world informed of what is going on in Jewish life all over the world, to have the general press posted on Jewish happenings and problems – this is the task to which the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has set itself and which it has been carrying out for the last five years. Some labor under the impression that specific Jewish news items must imply either pogroms or sufferings or misery of another nature in some distant lands. But Jewish life, like the life of all other peoples, is manifold and is rich both in tragedy as well as in happiness, in pathos as well as mirth. In fact, it is even still richer. Those radio fans who “listen in” on those evenings when news of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency is being given (its news items are broadcasted twice a month from station WEAF, New York City) have had a splendid opportunity to convince themselves of the many amusing and instructive aspects of the knowledge thus imparted. When one is well posted on Jewish life, as understood in a broader sense, one gets the breath of all climates under the sun, the effects of all governmental regimes, the workings of all kinds of social orders, and the changing pressure of civilization and culture according to the degree achieved by that particular place of settlement on the globe’s surface.

A tremendous effort is required in order to keep in constant touch with these changing conditions in that moving Jewish world. Misrepresentation which is in other cases, and to other people, harmless is in the case of the Jews, very harmful and even dangerous. Constant study of the political, economic and social conditions in the various countries is necessary in order that information may be disseminated. The position of the Jews should be properly and accurately represented for our own knowledge and for the knowledge of the general press. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, believing in the usefulness of the work and the tremendous amount of good that could result from it has taken upon itself this responsibility. It has established offices in New York, London, Warsaw, Berlin, Paris and Jerusalem, and maintains correspondents in every important Jewish center of the world. An event of Jewish interest that occurs in New York, for instance, comes to the knowledge of the Jewish community in Shanghai; an incident that takes place in Vladivostok is reported in Paris; an occurrence in Jerusalem is communicated to San Francisco; a happening that takes place in Jewish life in Moscow is commented upon [by readers] in Winnipeg. In transmitting this news, the Agency has preserved the line of the golden mean, not bending towards any of the conflicting parties, submitting only the facts, leaving the rest to those who are ready to form their opinion. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is not affiliated or bound to any of the tendencies fighting for supremacy in Jewish life. It takes an interest in everything which is Jewish, in everything that relates to Jews and may affect them, directly or indirectly.

The service of the Agency during its five [sic] years of activity was recognized to be of great value not only by those public institutions which deal with matters of international concern and need authentic knowledge of facts, but also by those institutions which are mainly concerned with local affairs. Its value as a news-gathering and -transmitting agency was appreciated also by the general American press which considers it the proper and reliable source for information concerning Jewish events and activities.

A glance at the editorial pages of the numerous and influential Anglo-Jewish publications of this country will readily prove that nearly all editorial comment is based upon the dispatches of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has been the source of many references in the general press concerning the Jewish situation in one or another country.

There is one more point which deserves the attention of our educational leaders. The amount of knowledge among the younger generation of current Jewish history is, as is well known, very limited. In some cases their ignorance is simply amazing. A few of these leaders of education have found it extremely valuable to make use of the news gathered and issued by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency for educational purposes.

Arthur Brisbane, perhaps the leading American journalist, says of the Agency: “I am delighted to say that I consider the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of very great value to American newspaper workers and newspaper readers. You have representatives able to recognize news when they see it and to express it clearly.”

The “Interpreter,” published by the Rockefeller Foundation, has this to say: “A very important factor in the life of the Jewish group of immigrants in the United States is the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, which specializes in the transmission of news events and general information of interest and importance to its patrons. The news agency was organized four years ago and now maintains principal headquarters in New York and London. One hundred and fifty newspapers printed in Yiddish are served directly by the service, while the non-Jewish press of the United States and other countries is served indirectly with its material through the large general news agencies. Special correspondents are maintained at present in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Constantinople, Rome, Paris, Washington, Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit, San Francisco, Moscow, Vienna and other important centers.

“The Jewish Telegraphic Agency functions not only as a bearer of news to Jews concerning Jews, but as an informative intermediary between that group and the rest of the public. The importance of its work is recognized by statesmen as well as publishers. ‘Most hearty interest in the Agency and hope for its increasing efficiency and usefulness’ was voiced by President Coolidge in a recent message to the organization, on the occasion of its annual dinner. ‘The Agency is engaged in real public service,’ Secretary Herbert Hoover announced. Secretary of Labor Davis expressed his pleasure that directors of the organization ‘seek to serve the best interests of your immediate patrons and that of the country as well,’ while the former ambassador to Germany, James M. Gerard, referred to ‘the splendid and patriotic work’ performed by the Agency.”