Dr. Chaim Weizmann is to be asked if he will allow his name to go forward for nomination as Labour candidate for the Exchange Division of Manchester at the next election, the Labour daily, the “Daily Herald” here says today. The constituency is at present represented by a Conservative, Mr. E.B. Fielden, who at the last election polled 13,691 votes, while the Labour candidate, Mr. Moss, was at the bottom of the poll with 9,800 votes, the Liberal, Mr. Barclay polling 11,112 votes.
Dr. Weizmann is one of the strongest candidates who could be chosen to fight the Exchange Division, where there is a considerable Jewish electorate, the “Daily Herald” says. He won a big reputation as leader of the world Zionist movement, of which he was President, it adds.
He is an authority on chemistry, having been lecturer in chemistry in Geneva and reader in bio-chemistry at Manchester University. In 1916 he became director of laboratories at the Admiralty.
Mr. Harold Laski, it adds, wrote of him in the “Daily Herald”: “Above all he has that mysterious quality of personal magnetism which stamps the born leader. He has faith in the rectitude of Great Britain, her will to carry out her trust.”
Lord Balfour sat in Parliament for many years for Manchester, and it was there that Dr. Weizmann, who lived in Manchester, holding a post at the University, met him, and converted him to Zionism.
Last April, the Jews of Manchester arranged a big reception in honour of Dr. Weizmann, at which the Mayors of Manchester and Salford, and most of the Manchester members of Parliament were present. Dr. Weizmann spent a considerable part of the time in visiting old friends and acquaintances in Manchester.
The Zionist Organisation here takes the view that there is no likelihood of Dr. Weizmann accepting any invitation to stand for Parliament.
Dr. Weizmann, speaking at a London meeting at the time when the Whitechapel by-election was being utilised in protest against the Passfield White Paper, for the purpose of conducting a campaign against the Labour Government through opposition to the Labour Candidate, Mr. James Hall, (who was, however, elected with the support of the Poale Zion, since he personally had given satisfactory assurances on the Jewish rights in Palestine.) pointed out that ” the Executive of the Zionist movement and the President are controlling an international constituency. Our movement is far-flung, and therefore it is incumbent upon us to observe strict neutrality as far as the political issues in each country are concerned, and the Central Executive of the movement has been meticulously careful not to intervene directly or indirectly in the political issues of this or any other country. This was the only way. Once you are dragged into the multifarious political issues, the Zionist movement would be nowhere. We have friends in every party and opponents in every party. The only way is to go on with our work and do what one considers right.”
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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.
