The question of the inclusion of the Agudath Israel Organisation in the Jewish Agency has been the subject of a meeting held here of the Joint Commission appointed by the Jewish Agency and the Agudath Israel respectively to enquire into the possibility of co-operation between the two bodies. Rabbi Dr. Leo Baeck, the President of the German Federation of Rabbis, who is on the Jewish Agency Council, was in the chair. Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Cohn, Presid ent of the Agudath Israel World Organisation, Dr. Moses Auerbach, of Berlin, and Mr. Julius Hollaender of Frankfurt, represented the Agudath Israel, and Mr. Farbstein, President of the Warsaw Jewish Community and leader of the Polish Mizrachi, Dr. Aron Barth, and Dr. S. Moses represented the Jewish Agency, Mr. Lazarus Barth representing the Executive.
An agreement was reached that the decisions of the Commission are to be regarded only as recommendations, subject to the approval of the respective organs of the Jewish Agency and the Agudath Israel.
The Agudath Israel will be content, it was stated, if the decision of the Twelfth Zionist Congress to respect the Jewish religious law in the public life of Palestine will be adopted into the Constitution of the Jewish Agency, with a guarantee that it will be observed.
As to the demand of the Agudath Israel, that the cultural work in Palestine should be taken out of the scope of the work of the Jewish Agency, it was pointed out that this could be done more easily if effect is given to the plan which has been put forward now for other reasons to transfer the direction of the Palestine schools to the organised Jewish Community of Palestine.
On the question of economic co-operation much less difficulty was encountered.
It was agreed that pending the discussions, the Agudath Israel will not engage in any outside political interventions, the Jewish Agency, for its part, assisting the Agudath Israel in this respect by keeping it informed on political developments, as far as is possible on discretionary grounds.
Questions of detail will be discussed at the next meeting to be held shortly.
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