Refugees from Germany and Austria have appealed to the Governor of Kenya Colony for the privilege of serving Britain either in military or other capacities, it was disclosed here today. (missing image on page 5)
“You, the pioneers who have established a new homeland for the Jews of the world, entered the field at a time that might be said to be limited to the people in whom you are interested. Persecution at that time was going on, but under the control of amateurs, as we have learned today. These persecutions were the whim of individuals. No student of history at the time believed or contemplated that persecution would at any time become the national policy of any government. But we have seen this transformation in the short period of a few years. We have seen it apply not only to one minority, but to several minorities in Europe.
“Whoever first thought of the expression ‘rights of minorities’ had real vision. The protection of minorities is a problem which confronts every country in the world. We have learned that although at the time a country may be free, the necessity of constant vigilance is emphasized and that all countries should so chart their national policies as to nip in the bud any attempt to stimulate any racial feeling within its borders.”
Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of the Jewish National Fund Council of America, declared the Turkish-British-French pact had assured peace in the Mediterranean for the time being and would permit immigration of refugees into Palestine “during the war, and not afterward, when it will do the least good.”
As proof of Britain’s willingness to cooperate with the Palestine Jews Dr. Goldstein cited the acquisition of 50,000 dunams (12,000 acres) of land within the past 12 months–the largest area purchased in one year since 1922. He reported that Hadassah had raised a total of $145,000, part of the national collections of $1,700,000 for land purchase and afforestation during the past year.
At last night’s opening session at the Manhattan Center a message telegraphed by Senator Robert F. Wagner was read. It declared that everything which had occurred in the past year served to make the realization of the Palestine homeland “more essential, to the limit of Palestine’s economic absorptive capacity.”
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.
