Jews in Paris, Americans are justified in ascertaining just what is the position of the American Jewry with respect to enforcing such a program here. Our Constitution knows no such thing as foreign national rights enjoyed by persons who at the same time enjoy the privileges of American citizens. A subject of a foreign nationality when he becomes an American citizen renounces his former allegiance, and it is upon this condition only that he becomes a member of our body politic.
Nevertheless in the United States itself, where the Jews enjoy an absolute equality of rights with all other citizens, they have recently endeavored to build up an institution which is entirely opposed to the spirit of the American Constitution, namely, a special Jewish court which tries cases pertaining only to the Jews. This institution is known as “The Jewish Court of Arbitration” and holds its sessions in one of the Municipal Court rooms in New York City. This fact was briefly recorded by the New York Times in its issue of February 19, 1920, in an article under the title, “Jews Here Start Modern Sanhedrin.” While this significant fact may have passed almost unnoticed by the American public, nevertheless it has already attracted attention in France.
It is unthinkable to any American brought up under a system of government which has provided a check against the oppression of minorities by the majority, that special rights should be granted to any of the ethnic elements of our population, such as the Jews, the Chinese, the Negroes, or any other racial group, or that any of these groups should by virtue of such special rights diminish our sovereignty by a treaty provision similar to Article XII of the special treaty with Poland. By this article Poland