Although there are less than a quarter of a million Jews in all France, the Jewish press here is of considerable importance, in quantity as well as quality. This too in spite of the fact that Jewish communal life in France is not of a very active and vigorous character.
Jewish papers are issued in France in four different languages-Yiddish, French, German and Russian-a fact which testifies to the unique cosmopolitan character of French Jewry. The Yiddish press is the youngest of all; nevertheless it is the most important and influential and includes the only Jewish daily newspaper in France, Der Pariser Haynt, which not long ago celebrated the fifth anniversary of its existence.
The Haynt is an offspring of the Warsaw newspaper of the same name. During the first few years of its existence, it gave its Warsaw proprietors plenty of trouble and worry. Today, however, the Pariser Haynt is firmly established on a paying basis and has a growing circulation. The paper can be bought at all kiosks and at all railway stations, and also circulates in neighboring Belgium.
It is a lively local organ, which mirrors all happenings in the life of Parisian Jewry. It has undoubtedly helped to educate and organize the East European Jews who have emigrated to France since the war.
MANY YIDDISH WEEKLIES
There are other yiddish papers in France, which are not dailies. There are a number of Yiddish weeklies in France. Der Pariser Moment was founded with a view to making it a Paris edition of the Warsaw daily Moment. As a weekly, the Moment is doing fairly well, and its editors intend soon to convert it into a daily. The Jewish Communists in Paris issue a weekly Emes, modeled after the Moscow Emes and with the stereotyped contents of all Communist newspapers.
The Bundists, who are organized in the “Medem Club,” issue the Arbeiter Zeitung, which is devoted mainly to the trade problems of the Jewish workers in France. The Left Poale-Zion had for some time been issuing a monthly, Der Kampf, which recently suspended publication. For more than a year the central organ of the Zionist-Revisionist World Federation, Der Naier Veg, had been issued in Paris; recently it was transferred to London. In Nancy, which is developing into an important Jewish center for all of Eastern France, there has recently appeared a Yiddish weekly, Die Voch. For a time there also appeared in Nancy a Jewish student journal, Der Shritt (The Step).
NEW YIDDISH PAPERS PLANNED
As can be seen, this list in itself constitutes quite a formidable Yiddish press, differentiated according to parties and even according to regions. But other Yiddish papers are now being planned in France, so that one cannot say that the above list constitutes the ultimate number of Yiddish papers in France.
The Jewish press in the French language is much older, but much more restricted in its scope, than the Yiddish press. It possesses no daily organ, but the number of its weeklies is considerable. The most prominent paper in this group is undoubtedly the Universe Israelite, edited by Rabbi Lieber. It is conservative in religious questions, opposes Jewish political nationalism but sympathizes with the upbuilding of Palestine. It is a lovely, well edited organ, and its circulation keeps growing. It older contemporary, Pax et Droit (Peace and Justice), the organ of the Alliance Israelite Universelle, is something of an old-fashioned sheet. It is sent free to all the members of the Alliance Israelite. For the past thirteen years, ever since Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, there has been appearing in Strassburg, the capital, a fortnightly Jewish paper, La Tribune Juive. It appears both in French and in German, in harmony with the bi-lingual system which now rules in Alsace-Lorraine. The paper’s policy is that of the Mizrachi, or Orthodox Zionists. Almost the entire editorial matter of La Tribune Juive is made up of Jewish Telegraphic Agency news dispatches and local information, such as meetings, weddings, sermons, etc.
J. N. F. HAS OWN PAPER
In addition these papers, which have been appearing for a long time, the Jewish community of France has a large number of new publications. The French bureau of the Keren Kayemeth (Jewish National Fund) has for the past few years been issuing a monthly, La Terre Retrouve (The Rediscovered Country). This periodical contains not only lists of fund contributors, but also the most important facts about the upbuilding of Palestine and articles on Palestine problems. It is richly illustrated and its circulation is increasing.
The society France-Palestine has for the past three years been issuing a monthly, Palestine, Nouvelle Revue Juive. Among the contributors to this magazine are some of the most important French and French-Jewish writers and statesmen. It also devotes much space to the cultural problems and phenomena of Jewish life. Though its circulation is not large, its readers are of an influential and important type.
YOUTH HAS ITS OWN ORGANS
The Jewish youth of France has its own organs. The Union Universelle de la Jeunesse Juive (World Federation of Jewish Youth), which is headed by Aime Palliere, issues in Paris its own monthly called Shalom, which discusses problems of Jewish education and of organizing the Jewish youth. It contains much news about the activities of the many Jewish youth organizations, scattered all over the world. A Jewish youth group which is in opposition to the above-mentioned youth organization and which is decidedly anti-Zionist, issues La Jeunesse Juive, which is edited in a lively fashion. A few months ago there appeared a monthly, Le Crane (Daring), with the sub-title, “An organ of action and youth.” It is devoted to the problems and interests of the Maccabee sport organization, of the Brith Trumpeldor and of the water-sport organization, “Rodegal.”
For the past six years there has been published in Paris in the Russian language the oldest of the existing Zionist organs, the Rasviet, which represents the Revisionist standpoint and devotes much space to the present-day life of Russian Jewry. To counter-balance the Zionist influence of the Rasviet, anti-Zionists are planning to revive the old Voskhod, which in former days fought Zionism in Russia.
The French colonies in North Africa also have their Jewish press in the French language. The most important organs are: Le Revie Juive (The Jewish Renaissance) in Tunis, which is inclined toward Revisionist Zionism; and L’Avenir Illustre (Illustrated Future) in Morocco, which is Zionist, but impartial as to the various factions.