Cleveland Zionists Hit N. Y. Body

“We particularly resent the long distance white-wash which was administered by the New York office to the local officers without first thoroughly investigating the reasons which have prompted hundreds of men and women in the city, many of them old-time Zionists and active workers in the cause, to join a new Zionist unit—many of them resigning from the old district and joining the new organization.

“The movement to create a new Zionist organization in this city was not initiated by Rabbi Silver. The opposition has sought to make this entirely a personal issue between Rabbi Silver and themselves. This is ridiculously unreal. For years now there has been widespread dissatisfaction with the inefficiency of the old district which at this date numbers a negligible number of members. A few people have consistently presumed to speak and act for it. Two years ago, an attempt was made to organize a new district but the attempt was scuttled by the same clique which is now trying so hard to interfere with the new organization. The infamous attack upon Rabbi Silver by the officers of the local Zionist district in sending a defamatory pasquille to Zionist headquarters, asking for the recall of an invitation which had previously been extended to Rabbi Silver to address the Palestine rally in Washington—a message never authorized by their own executive board but sent surreptitiously by five men—was merely the signal for the rallying of the forces which have been waiting for an opportunity to destroy that kind of Zionist control in the city.

HIT PRAISE OF OLD OFFICERS

“We furthermore resent the pompous laudation of the so-called achievements and contributions of the officers of the old district while ignoring the quarter of a century of outstanding service which Rabbi Silver has rendered to the cause of Zionism, nationally and internationally, and the pioneering work which he did for the cause in the city of Cleveland. Had the national officers looked into their own files, they would have come upon the record of his great services which they themselves in the past had frequently praised—and concerning which they are now so strangely silent.

“The executive committee takes this opportunity to voice its complete confidence in the leadership of Rabbi Silver and pledges its whole-hearted loyalty to him. It calls upon all those who desire to do earnest and sincere Zionist work and who believe in the leadership of Rabbi Silver to join the new organization.

“The establishment of a new Zionist unit in Cleveland need in no way interfere with the work of any existing organization. We shall be very happy to cooperate in all common endeavors in behalf of the common cause. We are not interested in prolonging this unfortunate controversy.”

Ney Elias was appointed British consul-general at Meshed, Persia, in 1891, twenty years after he had crossed Asia by way of the Gobi Desert and Siberia.