“Sir :-
Alarming is the fact itself of the sudden convocation of a Jewish World Conference by a small circle of Jews on behalf of organizations with very responsible denominations but rather irresponsible composition. The ‘American Jewish Congress’, although founded in Philadelphia and sitting sometimes in Washington, is very, very far from representing American Jewry in the same measure as the American Congress represents the American nation. Liwewise, the Paris ‘Committee of Jewish Delegations’ has execeedingly few delegations-to be more precise, it has none at all!
Still more alarming is the apprehension that, under the name of a pan-Jewish Conference, something quite different is intended. Rightly or wrongly, a considerable portion of Jewish public opinion considers the enterprise of the American Jewish Congress’ and the Committee of Jewish Delegations’ as an attempt to bring over to one Jewish party, the Zionist party, the direction of Jewish politics everywhere, in the Diaspora as well as in Palestine. And this is regarded as extremely dangerous to the Jews of the Diasopora-not only by the adversaries of Zionistsm, but also by many of those Jews who have much sympathy with the work of the Zionists in Palestine.
The organizer of the Jewish World Conference, the President of the American Jewish Congress, and the President of the Committee of Jewish Delegations, have publicly denied that they are pursing by their initiative purely Zionist intentions. It cannot, however, be denied that both these organizations have been created by the Zionists-the American Jewish Congress in 1916, the Committee of Jewish Delegations in 1919-for the precise purpose of enabling the Zionists to appear before the Peace Conference as the representatives of the whole Wold-Jewry. Nor can it be denied that the Convocation of a Jewish World Conference by these two bodies alone, pushing deliberately aside all other Jewish organizations, even the most representative and respected, in no way bears testimony to a desite of frienly co-operation with the whole Jewish commonwealth. The organizers state themselves that the decision to convoke a Jewish World Conference was taken by them as long as a year ago. But up to this very day even the most important Jewish organizations, such as the Alliance Israelite Universelfe, the Joint Foreign Committee of the British Jews, and the American Jewish Committee have not received an inviation to participate either in the preparation of that Jewish World Conference, or in the Conference itself.
I am, Sir, etc.
RUBEN BLANK.
Paris.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
