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DAVID BRONSEN
to Israel and does the same thing there. The emergence of Israel has
proved to be the greatest threat to the continued survival of the Jew
of the Diaspora. I do not think the Jew in America can exist much
longer with a distinct identity, although he continues to make an at–
tempt at it. I myself do not want the Diaspora. I am sick of it. Isn't
it time we became a people again? Haven't we suffered enough?
Abruptly the emotional pitch subsided, and an infinite weariness
took its place, as Mr. Roth concluded,
"This has taken a lot out of me.
I don't think I will be giving any more interviews."
The impassioned note on which the long session had ended con–
trasted with the relaxed, good-natured mood which prevailed at the
dinner table. Mrs. Roth had waited patiently until late evening and the
conclusion of the interview, at which time this equable woman of
Anglo-Saxon stock served us a superb meal consisting of well-known
staples and delicacies of the Jewish cuisine. That in turn brought on
reminiscences from Henry Roth about his childhood on the Lower East
Side. At one point Mrs. Roth spoke of the travels abroad she and her
husband have undertaken in the last few years and remarked with a
touch of humor,
"Henry is a poor traveler. As soon as he gets some–
where he wants to settle down for good."
OLD PHOTOGRAPH
Eight years dead, and dying
Many months before that, you leave me
No trace of yourself except
These yellowing prints and some letters.
What do we know of the dead?
The needle of memory scratches
In the
dfort
to remember.
