Three Jews are expected to be elected to the Greek Senate in the elections which were supposed to have taken place in December but were postponed to March 3rd. The candidates whose election is predicted here are Asher Mallahand and Haimaki Cohen, both members of the Venizelos party. The third candidate, Isaac Sciaky, is an anti-Venizelist.
The forthcoming Senate elections are one of the most agitating issues in Greece today, as they bring into relief the relation of the Greek government to the Jewish population of the country and in particular to the large Jewish community of Salonica, which was incorporated into Greece following the World War.
The main issue being debated among the Jews of Greece is the establishment by the government of a separate Jewish Electoral College. Under this arrangement the Jewish voters have been eliminated from the general voters’ list and are required to cast their votes separately. There is no unanimity on the question as to whether a separate electoral college is advantageous to the Jewish population.
On one hand the establishment of the electoral colleges secures in advance the number of Jewish representatives and senators in the country’s legislative body, while on the other hand it segregates the Jewish community from the general citizenry. Some regard this procedure as an exceptional measure in view of the opinion held in government circles that the Jews of Salonica and of Macedonia in general are not yet sufficiently identified with the Greek State to be admitted to the body politic without reservations. As a result of this trend, a “League for Jewish Assimilation in Greece” was recently founded.
The matter was the subject of an open debate in the Greek parliament on December 12, on which occasion Prime Minister Venizelos openly stated that before this measure for the separate Jewish electoral college could be repealed the government would have to be satisfied that the Jewish population has met the demand of the Greek population in regard to assimilation.
The oppositional paper “La Macedonic” reproduced recently from other Greek papers the following report concerning the debate in the Greek parliament and the statement of Minister Venizelos:
“The Jewish deputy for Salonica, Mentech Bessantchi, demanded the abolition of the separate electoral college for the Jews of Salonica.
“In reply to this, the President of the Council said: The separation is imposed by treaties. I should never theless be happy to applaud the Jews of Salonica the moment they fell themselves Greek Citizens, as do the inhabitants of Co.fu, Crete, etc. They have not as yet reached this point, but I believe that we are approaching it.
“There is in Salonika a movement for assimilation, but the speaker does not belong to this movement, as is well known. For this reason we are obliged to refuse to agree to this electoral fusion, until such a moment as we will be convinced that the Jews of Salonica have become good Greeks. The assertion that we are violating the secrecy of the vote does not deserve serious refutation. The representation of the Jews in the Chamber and the Senate can only be assured by one method, and that is the one we have chosen.
“It is my duty to tell the Jewish Community of Salonica that it is my firm conviction, and that I consider it an essential element in the progress of Northern Greece, that the State, guarding against eventual abuses of the franchise, will be obliged to grant them political rights in separate electoral colleges, until such a time as the Jews feel themselves good Greeks at heart, and until they come to the conviction that their own interests demand that the Greek language should be sufficiently taught in their schools. The Jews must know that we are ready to receive them with open arms. But first they must show us that they have completely assimilated.
“The truth is, that in spite of so many years which have passed, we have still a portion of the Jewish population which has until now not realized that it is in its own interest to live among us. I am sorry to have had to say this, but it was my duty.
“After a speech by Mr. Tsaldaris. Mr. Bessantchi, continuing, said that all Jews were for assimilation, but that it was only natural that certain among them wanted to keep their Jewish sentiments in spite of this.
“Argiropoulos: ‘Then you admit that you are not seriously considering assimilation.’ (Uproar).
“Mr. Venizelos (addressing Mr. Bessantchi): ‘We respect you and esteem you. But allow us time enough to convince ourselves that you wish to assimilate, for it is a fact today that many of you are against assimilation. If, in the course of the working of the electoral system, we will find proofs that we have made a mistake, we shall repair the error.’ “
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.
