Dr. Nahum Goldmann declared last night that the Adolf Eichmann trial findings were not only an indictment of the German people for what they did during the Nazi regime but also an accusation against Western democracy for failing to respond to repeated warnings before and during World War II.
Speaking at the Silver Jubilee dinner of the British section of the World Jewish Congress, Dr. Goldmann told a distinguished audience that many warnings had been given to the Allies, including the letters of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, but all of them had been turned down. Dr. Weizmann’s letter appealing to the Allies to bomb the Auschwitz murder camp and the railways leading to it was disclosed by the prosecution in the Eichmann trial. Dr. Goldmann’s audience included a number of Members of Parliament and other British leaders.
“I am deeply convinced that if these warnings had been responded to, hundreds of thousands of Jews could have been rescued at the beginning of the war but they all perished,” he said.
Discussing the Israel situation, Dr. Goldmann expressed full agreement with and admiration for Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion “for his courage in telling the people of Israel about the constant danger which embraces Israel. “Peace with the Arabs,” he said, “is as remote as it was 13 years ago, and the whole Jewish world must commit itself to a tremendous effort no less than the one needed to establish the State of Israel.” He declared that such an effort was essential to enable Israel to consolidate its defense and economy.
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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.
