The arrest of Jewish leaders and the desecration of the Sabbath by British troops adds “yet another chapter of degradation and suffering to our age-long bitter story,” Chief Rabbi Isaas Herzeg of Palestine said here today.
“This act will be interpreted as an attempt to suffocate the movement for Zion’s restoration which aims at putting an end once and for all time to Israel’s seemingly endless tragedy by removing the foot cause-the home success,” Dr. Herzog, who has just returned from a tour of the Jewish DP camps, continued.
“The occurrence appears to foreshadow another retreat, naked and unashamed from the implementation of the unanimous recommendation of the Anglo-American Commission regarding the immediate migration to the Holy Land of 100,000 of the survivors of the Nazi holocaust, who are now wandering amidst the ash heaps of what was a third of Israel.
“I have just returned from a visit to the refugee camps in Germany, and I dread to think of the effects which this terrible event will have on our brethren over there. Having undergone suffering unequalled in the annals of man they are now to see the hope which sustained them in their hour of darkest torment, being dashed to pieces.
“If, God forbid, it proves to be so then a mortal blow will have been struck at the heart of international morality, an era of cynical disregard of international obligations will have been sanctioned, and what a fearful prospect this will hold out for mankind’s future.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
