Disturbance at Hebrew University when Norman Bentwich Delivers First Lecture As Weizmann Professor O

For about a quarter of an hour, while Mr. Norman Bentwich was delivering his first lecture to-day on his appointment to the Weizmann Chair of International Peace at the Hebrew University, taking as his subject “Jerusalem, the City of Peace”, urging that Jerusalem should be made the centre of the world peace movement, a number of Revisionists present in the hall kept up a constant interruption, booing and throwing stink-bombs, shouting “Preach peace to the Mufti”.

There were about 600 people present at the lecture, among them Dr. Arlossoroff, Dr. Hexter, and Dr. Berkson, members of the Jewish Agency Executive, who tried to induce the demonstrators to give Mr. Bentwich a hearing. Mr. Akhi Mayer, one of the leaders of the Palestine Revisionists, was among the audience, and took part in the disturbance. Finally British police were called in.

Shouts of “Remove the police” were then raised by the Revisionists, and Dr. Magnes, the Chancellor of the University, said that the police would leave if he was given an undertaking that there would be no further disordor. The disturbance, nevertheless, continued, and the police finally arrested twelve of the rowdies, after which there was quiet.

Mr. Bentwich then smilingly resumed his lecture without further interruption, speaking for about an hour, and he was given an ovation at the end.

Dr. Magnes has issued a statement in connection with the affair in which he says:

I regret more than I can tell the incidents that occurred this afternoon in connection with Mr. Bentwich’s inaugural lecture “Jerusalem, the City of Peace” I would like to make it clear that after enquiries in transpires that the disturbers were not students at the University. I regard it of importance that this should be made clear to the public here and a broad.

Dr. Magnes was himself the victim of a similar outbreak nearly a year ago, in March 1931, when Revisionists who had come in force to a meeting which he was addressing at the #ebrew University, threw stink-bombs and created a disturbance. Dr. Magnes was called a traitor by the Revisionists, and a fight broke out between them and a number of General Zionists who came to Dr. Magnes’ rescue. After lasting for about half-an-hour, the riot was subdued by the police, who ejected about 50 of the rioters.

The outbreak followed the adoption of a resolution a few days previously by the Revisionist Organisation of America, demanding that the Council of the Hebrew University should dismiss Dr. Magnes from his position as Chancellor because of his “activities against Zionism since the riots of 1929”.

When the outbreak started, Dr. Magnes interrupted his speech to apologise for being the cause of the unpleasantness. I am accustomed to being called a traitor, he said, alluding to his experience as a pacifist during the war.

At the end of 1929, shortly after the Palestine disturbances, Dr. Magnes delivered a speech in opening Convocation at the Hebrew University, in which he said that if the only way of establishing the Jewish National Home is upon the bayonets of some Empire, the whole enterprise is not worth while, and it is better that the eternal people that has outlived many a mighty Empire, should possess its soul in patience and plan and wait. Several students of the University and some Revisionists present hissed, and Mr. M. M. Ussischkin, the head of the Jewish National Fund, interrupted Dr. Magnes saying: “We have come to hear a learned address and not a political speech”.

At the last Zionist Congress in July, a resolution introduced by the Revisionists was adopted by 87 votes against 74, which said: “Congress disapproves of the renunciation of the national idea which has been expressed by the leaders of the Hebrew University, and instructs the Executive to watch over the national spirit in the leadership of the University”.