Rabbi Silver Finds Zionist Congress Acquitted Itself Well

In spite of besetting difficulties the just concluded World Zionist Congress acquitted itself remarkably well and has again manifested the practical idealism and good sense which are traditional in this parliament of world Jewry, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, acting chairman of administration of the Zionist Organization of America, declared today in a statement issued at his summer home.

Characterizing the Congress as “the most weighty and difficult one since the famous Uganda Congress in 1903,” Rabbi Silver, who is spiritual leader of the Cleveland Temple, said that while the Congress was a stormy and impetuous one “it left Zionist ranks unbroken, cleared the air, and opened the way for a full program of constructive Zionist effort in the future.”

The retirement of Dr. Chaim Weizmann from the presidency of the World Zionist Organization and of the Jewish Agency “is no reflection on him nor on his great and unforgettable service to the cause of Israel’s national liberation,” Rabbi Silver declared. “He has written his name large on the pages of Jewish history for all times. The White Paper of the British government, issued last October, was responsible for Dr. Weizmann’s original resignation, and the government’s continued attitude of non-cooperation made his return to the leadership of the movement, at least for the time being, practically impossible. A new leadership was required, and a new leadership has been chosen.

“The movement fortunately will not be without Dr. Weizmenn’s counsel, for he has accepted membership on the Actions Committee. The separation of the program for private economic development from political activities and the setting up of an independent agency for the stimulation of economic undertakings in Palestine are steps dictated by sound economic judgment which has long been entertained by many Zionists, both here and abroad. The budget which was adopted is undoubtedly a limited one, but it is compatible with the present resources of the movement and with world-wide economic conditions.”

Rabbi Silver also lauded the Congress for restating the Zionist position, and for its refusal “to sacrifice the best historic purposes of the Jewish people for temporary expediency” as well as for its rejection of “every attempt to minimize the fundamental aim of Zionism.”