Committee Hits Partition, Urges U.S. Action on Rumania, Sees Jews’ Fate Linked with Democracy

The American Jewish Committee, holding its thirty-first annual meeting today at the Hotel Astor, voiced opposition to proposed partition of Palestine, urged the United States to intercede in behalf of Rumanian Jewry and expressed the conviction that the welfare of Jews and other minorities depended upon maintenance of democratic ideals.

The conference, attended by 250 Jewish leaders from all over the country, unanimously adopted a resolution which: 1) expresses opposition to partition as ignoring all of the guarantees embodied in the Balfour Declaration, 2) favors continuance of the present mandate until “another solution that will preserve the guarantees of the Balfour Declaration is offered by the British Government,” 3) expresses confidence in the “sense of justice and fairness of the people of Great Britain,” 4) pledges the Committee’s cooperation with other bodies, “particularly the Jewish Agency, to help bring about a just, equitable, and workable solution of the present Palestine problem.”

Another resolution expresses the Committee’s appreciation of steps already taken by the State Department in behalf of Rumanian Jewry and urges passage of a resolution introduced by senator James J. Davis calling upon the United States to intercede to prevent threatened execution of the Rumanian Government’s anti-Semitic program.

In the executive committee’s annual report, presented by Morris D. Waldman, secretary, the belief was expressed that the welfare of Jews and other minorities depended upon maintenance of democratic ideals. The report summarizes the Committee’s activities during 1937, analyzes outstanding international developments in that period and draws the following two conclusions concerning world affairs:

“First, that the democratic states are becoming increasingly aware of the need to present a united front against the aggressor nations in order to preserve peace and democracy and second, that the welfare of minorities is today more than ever dependent upon the maintenance of democratic ideals in countries where democracy prevails, and upon the establishment of democratic ideals in countries where democracy is not yet assured.”

In the principal address, Dr. Cyrus Adler, president, paid tribute to the late Felix M. Warburg, summarizing his efforts in behalf of the many causes which engaged him during his lifetime.

Dr. Adler severely criticized the Royal Commission for projecting the “thesis that Jews and Arabs cannot live together.” Referring to proposed creation of a Jewish State, he declared “it is, from the point of view of economics or government, as vis-a-vis the Arab State, quite impossible; the plan spells failure in advance.”

“Britain having in Palestine made a failure unequalled since the failure she made in Colonial government when she had to part with the American colonies,” he continued, “is in my opinion now preparing for another failure even greater, and though it is a little spot in the world — a notch I think Lord Balfour once called it — it is a notch on which the eyes of the whole world are centered.”

Touching on the Rumanian situation, Dr. Adler declared it was hardly possible that Rumania would become “an exact replica of Germany, because, surely, even with their very slight sense of humor, the Rumanians could not set up the claim that they are ‘Aryans.'” Other speakers included Sol M. Stroock, George Z. Medalie and Harold K. Guinzburg, who submitted a report on a special committee’s educational work.