HAVING ADOPTED A RESOLUTION URGING AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE UNDER A MANDATE AND HAVING ELECTED MRS. MOSES EPSTEIN THEIR PRESIDENT, MORE THAN 2,500 DELEGATES FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY RETURNED TO THEIR HOMES TODAY AFTER THE LARGEST CONVENTION IN HADASSAH’S 25-YEAR HISTORY.
THE RESOLUTION, ADOPTED AFTER A HEATED DEBATE LASTING FIVE HOURS YESTERDAY, CALLS UPON THE WORLD ZIONIST EXECUTIVE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH GREAT BRITAIN “TO BRING ABOUT A CONSTRUCTIVE POLICY FOR COMPLETE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MANDATE OVER AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE.”
THE RESOLUTION REJECTS ALL PALLIATIVE SHORT OF THE MANDATE. ALTHOUGH OPINIONS FROM THE FLOOR INDICATED A STRONG ANTI-PARTITION SENTIMENT, THE RESOLUTION AS ADOPTED WAS CONSIDERED A COMPROMISE BECAUSE OF THE FINAL CLAUSE, WHICH TAKES NOTE OF THE FACT THAT A SPECIAL ZIONIST CONGRESS WILL BE CALLED, “DECISIONS OF WHICH WILL BE BINDING ON THE ENTIRE ZIONIST WORLD.”
THE RESOLUTION DECLARES:
“THE CONVENTION URGES THE EXECUTIVE IN NEGOTIATIONS TO BRING ABOUT A CONSTRUCTIVE POLICY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MANDATE OVER AN UNDIVIDED PALESTINE; FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A CONSTRUCTIVE LAND POLICY AND IMMIGRATION BASED ON THE FULL ECONOMIC ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY OF THE COUNTRY, RESISTING INFRINGEMENTS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE INTERNATIONALLY GUARANTEED BY THE BALFOUR DECLARATION AND THE MANDATE.”
IT ALSO REJECTS THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S ASSERTION THAT THE MANDATE IS UNWORKABLE, REJECTS ITS CONCLUSION THAT ARAB-JEWISH ASPIRATIONS ARE IRRECONCILABLE AND DECLARES THE READINESS OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE TO REACH A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT WITH THE ARABS.
THE RESOLUTION DREW THE PRAISE OF HENRIETTA SZOLD, FOUNDER OF HADASSAH, HERE ON A VISIT FROM PALESTINE IN THE INTERESTS OF THE YOUTH ALIYAH MOVEMENT.
“THROUGH THIS RESOLUTION,” SHE SAID, “YOU ARE HELPING ZIONIST LEADERS BY THINKING WITH THEM IN THEIR DILEMMA AND SAYING TO THEM, ‘THIS IS THE CONSIDERED OPINION OF A LARGE BODY OF ZIONISTS,’ WHILE WARNING THEM NOT TO DISREGARD YOUR OPINIONS.”
THE DELEGATES PLEDGED THEIR CHAPTERS TO RAISE $100,000 NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE MEDICAL CENTER AT JERUSALEM AND ADOPTED A BUDGET OF $80,000 FOR THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND, AN INCREASE OF $20,000 OVER LAST YEAR. TEN THOUSAND TREES WERE PLEDGED BY THE CONVENTION FOR A ROSE G. JABCOBS FOREST IN PALESTINE, IN HONOR OF HADASSAH’S RETIRING PRESIDENT.
OFFICERS ELECTED BESIDE MRS. EPSTEIN ARE: MISS SZOLD, HONORARY PRESIDENT; MRS. JACOBS, HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENT; MRS. DAVID DE SOLA POOL OF NEW YORK, MRS. JOSEPH EHRLICH OF DETROIT, MISS JULIET BENJAMIN OF NEW YORK AND MRS. RANDOLPH SIEROTZ OF LOS ANGELES, VICE-PRESIDENTS; MRS. HERMAN SHULMAN OF NEW YORK, SECRETARY; MRS. ALEXANDER LAMPORT OF NEW YORK, TREASURER.
MRS. JACOBS, IT WAS ANNOUNCED, WILL LEAVE SOON FOR PALESTINE TO ASSUME HER DUTIES ON THE EXECUTIVE OF THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE, TO WHICH SHE WAS ELECTED BY NON-ZIONISTS AT THE LAST ZURICH MEETING OF THE COUNCIL.
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.
