Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the Jewish Agency, revealed today that he had sent a cable to the Swiss Foreign Ministry protesting against a ban by the Swiss authorities on the holding of a conference of representatives of west European Jewish communities in Geneva this coming week-end. “This is the first time in the history of the Zionist movement that such a political incident took place between the Zionist organization and Switzerland,” he pointed out.
Dr. Goldmann refused to make public the reply which he received from the Swiss Foreign Minister. He said that he could not do it without the Minister’s permission. As a result of the new situation, the conference will take place in England, he stated.
The Jewish Agency leader announced that the forthcoming World Zionist Congress, which will take place in Jerusalem in April, will last ten days, of which three will be devoted to political problems and the remainder to internal organizational questions. He attacked the American Council for Judaism for its “violent anti-Zionist activities” and expressed the hope that fund-raising in the United States will increase to meet Israel’s “burning needs.”
Dr. Goldmann said that there was good reason for Israel to be anxious in the present situation, but warned extremists against the concept of a “preventive war.”
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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.