The committee who was authorized to provide the Jewish public, which assembled on the grounds of the Hebrew Institute yesterday, with spiritual entertainment owes an explanation to the Zionists and to the Chicago Jewish public.

Yesterday's holiday was a Jewish holiday "pure and simple" as the Americans would call it. It was not a general public celebration and the committee fully understood that the large attendance would come for two reasons: 1, The desire of assembling in a Jewish atmosphere; 2, To pay tribute to the great event - the opening of the Eleventh Zionist Congress.

The first duty of the committee was, therefore, to see that those who were to greet and entertain the throng should be Jews, and staunch supporters of Zionism if possible. Yesterday's assembly should have displayed a real Jewish character.

The Congress, which will be called to order tomorrow in Vienna, embraces representatives from various elements of world Jewry, Mizrachi, Poale Zion, those favoring the Hebrew tongue and those favoring the Yiddish tongue, politicians, and professionals - all are represented there according to their status-quo. It would be a crime if the Actions-Committee of the Congress would humble itself by excluding any fraction from participation in the Congress, and it would be high-treason if a non-Jew would be permitted to deliver the key-note address at the Congress.

At yesterday's meeting we witnessed something that shocked every Jew. Instead of a strictly Jewish entertainment, a few, for reasons of personal publicity, confiscated all honor. Furthermore, the greatest honor was bestowed upon a non-Jew, who was the principle speaker.

And we hereby wish to say that we know that Judge Charles S. Cutting is one of the greatest jurists and one of the best judges in Cook County, and if yesterday's meeting had been called for the purpose of discussing law and jurispudence, the committee could have selected no better man than this honest and stalwart judge. However, yesterday's meeting was a Jewish national one, a national meeting in the narrowest sense of the word, and how does Judge Cutting fit in as principle speaker at such a meeting? Would it ever happen that if the Irish were to celebrate a home rule holiday, and English minister would be invited as principle speaker? Will the Poles bestow upon the Russian Council the highest honor at their national holiday?

Have we not enough Jewish and Zionist speakers in Chicago to address the Jews at a national meeting? And if one should insist that we have no such "orators", nevertheless, everyone must admit that our speakers understand the listeness better than a Judge Cutting. Is it because one of the committee is, or wants to be, a friend to a non-Jewish judge that we have permitted ourselves to slap our best Jewish speakers in the face?

Whenever the Zionists are in need of money they approach the synagogues, and they always get it. However, when a Zionist celebration was sponsored, they even lacked the courtesy of extending an invitation to the rabbis to occupy a place on the platform. A committee of Zionists will soon approach the synagogues for the purpose of posting stamps on the holiday tickets; they will demand of the Epsteins, Silbers, Budzinskys, Cardons, Levensons and others to undertake the work and to appeal and to influence the synagogues to sell tickets with Zionist stamps, and if the Zionists think that these men can influence the public to raise money, why should they not be fit to address a holiday meeting?

What was the purpose of the principle speaker yesterday?

If it was for honor, we think that the honor should have been bestowed upon those who work daily for Zionism; if, on the other hand, the main speech was merely a means to attract the public, we can only resent the aesthetics of the committee and look upon their ignorance with contempt, who think the Jewish public is so low that they would not attend the opening of the Congress unless a judge of the Probate Court appeared to utter the stereotypic phrases about the wonders of the Jews.

This slap in the face is to be more resented if the particulars of arranging the entire program are revealed. The men who undertook to furnish the spiritual entertainment 4of yesterday's meeting, were, practically for a long time, excluded from Zionist activities. That meant that they were not on good terms with Zionism because the genuine Zionists, knowing that Zionism to these men is only a means for furthering their personal ambitions, have simply prevented these men from participating in public affairs. To do work for Zionism in a quiet manner is not their line, because they cannot benefit by it.

Their sudden activity is evidence that they have side-tracked the sincere workers for Zionism, and this is more deplorable because woe unto the Chicago Zionist movement if it shall be exploited for personal purposes.

We are certain that the Chicago Jewish masses, and especially the rabbis, will readily understand that this disrespect comes from such men, from whom due respect can never be expected, and this occurrence will not dissuade them to diminish their energy for Zionism. Next month, which is Jewish month (on account of the Holidays), will be taken advantage of, by them, to propogate and assist the Zionist movement. And when the movement will really become Zionistic, and only Zionistic, such Cutting-Zionists will not be the leaders of Zionist.

People lacking sincerity should have no place in the Zionist movement.