Advice to “accept the situation as it is” and to “build economically” in Palestine was offered to Jewish leadership today by Rabbi Morris S. Lazaron of Baltimore, in a lengthy letter to the New York Times.
Declaring he spoke for no one but himself, although he believed his views represented those of many American Jews, Rabbi Lazaron reiterated his conviction “against the futility of pinning Jewish hopes to political action,” and advocated pursuance of a “positive policy to work with the Arabs and the British for a long-term development of the land.”
“The task of responsible Jewish leadership today,” he said, “should be to restrain the extremists inside Palestine and out. The last word has not been spoken. Who knows what the situation may be five years from now? Accept the situation as it is. Build economically. And–just as important–build friendship with the Arabs. A positive policy to work with the Arabs and the British for a long-term development of the land — only here lies any hope. All Jews are bitterly disappointed at this shutting of the door to the stricken thousands, victims of the dictators’ hate. But we may not give way either to anger or despair. Anger and despair will destroy us. We must not spend time and substance in fighting a situation which is now irretrievable.”
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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.
