Government Concession in Prussian Jewish Communities Law with Regard to Vote for Foreign Jews Does N

The statement given to the J.T.A. that the Prussian Government has conceded the demand of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Prussia to give the foreign Jews living in Germany the vote in Jewish Community elections under the new Jewish Communities Law, is not an official statement by the Federation of Jewish Communities, Dr. Max Kollenscher, Vice-President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Prussia, and Chairman of the Zionist (Jewish People’s Party) fraction in the Federation declares to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The official attitude of the Federation is contained, he says, in the decision of the General Committee of the Federation at its meeting on January 10th., completely rejecting the Government Draft Law, and declaring that the Bill will be fought in the Prussian Parliament. This decision is still in effect, and there is no reason for its withdrawal.

The Government draft law, as it has now been submitted by the Government to the State Council, does not differ from the text, which the Federation rejected, he says.

The new decision concerning the vote for foreign Jews concedes only the principle, Dr. Kollenscher points out, but leaves it open to each Jewish Community not to put this provision into operation, and consequently the right of foreign Jews to vote is in fact not conceded.

All the other provisions in the Bill to which the Federation of Jewish Communities objected are retained in the new text. The Government draft law continues to leave the door open to Jews to secede from the Community, as at present. This creates the serious danger of breaking up the organised Jewish community into sectional separatist synagogue congregations. Nor has the Federation of Jewish Communities in Prussia been accorded official recognition by the Government along the lines it urged, and the autonomy of the Jewish Communities is seriously threatened.

The present Government draft law, Dr. Kollenscher declares, should be rejected by the whole of Prussian Jewry. My friends will combat it vigorously, and, we hope, as hitherto, to have the support of the whole of Prussian Jewry. The Prussian Parliament, which has guaranteed the right of communal autonomy in the laws relating to the Protestant and Catholic Communities will, we are sure, not ignore the rights of the Jews, and will refuse to give its approval to a law such as this put forward by the Government for the regulation of the affairs of the Jewish Communities.