The immigration bill recently introduced into the South African parliament, by the terms of which only 50 immigrants would be admitted annually from the countries that have been contributing the largest immigration to South Africa in recent years, was termed “an iniquitous blot on the national honor and on individual self-respect, as well as a stigma on the Jews” by Morris Alexander, former member of parliament, addressing an enthusiastic meeting here yesterday.
Declaring that the Jews won’t tolerate the stigma implied in the bill, since from 85 to 96 percent of the Jews now in South Africa come from the countries that the new immigration law introduced by the minister of interior, Dr. Daniel Malan, would affect, Mr. Alexander exclaimed that “the Englishman and the Dutchman have pride in their race, but let them understand that the Jew has, too. All the Jews now in South Africa who came from the countries affected by the new bill have made good here.”
Continuing, Mr. Alexander said: “I voice the opinion of united South African Jewry, and what I say is echoed and endorsed throughout the country. We too have our leaders on the road to freedom and justice. This is the first time that anti-Semitism, naked and unashamed, has been publicly proclaimed as a new political virtue. All we ask is a square deal. The fight begun will be well maintained. We are going to put every ounce of strength into the resolution emphatically protesting on the ground that the bill is based on unjust and illiberal principles. The admission of immigrants should be based on individual qualifications of character, conduct and suitability and not on the country of origin.”
Dr. Malan’s bill provides that 50 immigrants per year should be admitted from all countries except certain 12 in Europe (Nordic), the British Commonwealth and the United States.
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.
