Ben-gurion Resumes His Attack on the World Zionist Movement

Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion this weekend resumed his attacks on the Zionist Organization, Dr. Nahum Goldmann and former Premier Moshe Sharett. In an article published in Davar, the Histadrut daily, under the headline “Be Jews,” Mr. Ben-Gurion said that the Zionist organization should be called the “Jewish Organization,” so as to eliminate the difference between Zionists and non-Zionists in the Diaspora since such difference actually does not exist.

Explaining this, Mr. Ben-Gurion wrote that since the fulfillment of the Zionist goal–settling in Israel–is not binding, there is no need to use the word Zionism, which became devoid of its meaning.

Referring to Dr. Goldmann, Mr. Ben-Gurion declared that the “President” left the conclusive session of the last World Zionist Congress before it ended. Referring to former Premier Sharett, Mr. Ben-Gurion stressed that in the opening session, Mr. Sharett said that Israel should be interested that the Zionist consciousness should deepen among Diaspora Jews, but he, Mr. Sharett, did not attempt to explain what the “Zionist consciousness was, that differed from the Jewish consciousness which also regards Israel as a precious Jewish value.

“It is impossible to give new, unclear phrases as a reply to obscure phrases,” the Premier declared, adding that his reply is: change the Zionist Organization and hoist the Jewish flag, which has a great past and deeper roots than Zionism, the latter having been created only 70 years ago.

A change of name would not only release members of the Zionist Organization from the burden of “living with a lie,” Mr. Ben-Gurion wrote, but would raise the value of the old name which binds all our generations and sections–the word “Jew.”