The words of the hymn are so much resembling a lament that they strangely contrast with the spirit which the hymn itself seems to arouse; its mournful melody inspires a very different spirit among the Jewish hearers than the same sort of melody would inspire among other people. Those who have heard its public rendition can better understand how a hymn of such utterly quiet and resigned tone could be the wild rage of the anarchists of the East Side coffee houses. The motive, of course, for the singing of the hymn is the reference to non-Jewish people. “With fire and flame _THEY_ have burnt us everywhere _THEY_ have shamed and derided us?” Who are “they”? Who but the goyim, the Christians who all unsuspectingly sit near by and who are so affected by the Jewish applause that they applaud too! Truly, in one way of looking at it, Jews have a right to despise the “gentiles.” “_THEY_ have burnt us; _THEY_ have shamed us,” but we, the poor Jews, have been harmless all the while, none among us daring to depart from the Law! That is the meaning of “Eli, Eli.” That is why, in spite of its words of religious resignation, it becomes a rallying cry. “They” are all wrong; “we” are all right. It is possible, of course, that right-minded Jews do not approve all this. They may disapprove of “Kol Nidre” and they may resent the use which the Jewish leaders are making of “Eli, Eli.” Let us at least credit some Jews with both these attitudes. But they do nothing about it. These same Jews, however, will go to the public library of their town and put the fear of political or business reprisal in the hearts of the Library Board if they do not instantly remove THE DEARBORN INDEPENDENT from the library; these same Jews will form committees to coerce mayors of cities into issuing illegal orders which cannot be enforced; these same Jews will give commands to the newspapers under their patronage or control—they are indeed mighty and active in the affairs of the non-Jews. But when it is a matter of keeping “Eli, Eli” out of the theater, or the “Kol Nidre” out of the mouths of those who thus plan a whole year of deception “aforehand,” these same Jews are very inactive and apparently very powerless. The Anti-Defamation Committee would better shut up shop until it can show either the will or the ability to bring pressure to bear on its own people. Coercion of the rest of the people is rapidly growing less and less possible.