The entire city of Lucerne, particularly Government buildings, was decorated in honor of the occasion with the blue-white flag of Zionism. The hall in which the Congress convened was bedecked with blue-white flags and bunting. Dr. Sokolow and the other speakers occupied a flag-draped rostrum, directly behind which was placed a huge portrait of Dr. Theodor Herzl, founder of political Zionism who 38 years ago convoked the first Zionist Congress at Basle.
This is the first Congress to be held in Lucerne and is the first since Hitler came to power in Germany that has been attended by a delegation of German Zionists. The German delegation of 34 has asked the Actions Committee not to include on the agenda discussion of the situation of the Jews in Germany, warning that if the question arose they would be obliged to leave the hall.
Switzerland has been the favorite site of the biennial Congress, nine of them having been held in Basle and one in Zurich. In 1909, the Congress was held in Hamburg, Germany. Several have been held in Czechoslovakia and in Austria.
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.
