Hadassah Announces Opposition Program It Will Advocate at Z. O. A. Convention

The platform which the leaders of the Hadassah, the women’s Zionist organization of America, will advocate at the forthcoming Zionist convention in June was made public yesterday.

The principles of this platform, which was adopted at the recent meeting of the National Board of Hadassah when the Hadassah leaders went on record as being oposed to the present Zionist administration, were embodied in a resolution adopted then but made public for the first time yesterday. According to this resolution the Hadassah delegates will demand that this year’s convention does not elect a president but instead a board of not more than seven whose members should be “responsible and accountable” for at least one department of the administration’s work. None of the board members should receive a salary from the Zionist Organization.

In demanding what is termed greater efficiency the Hadassah resolution also lays emphasis on stimulating Zionist ideals. The resolution of the National Board stated:

“WHEREAS, Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America has, for some time past, been dissatisfied with the Administration of the Zionist Organization of America, believing that it has been an ineffective instrument for the creation of a strong Zionist Organization in America, due to the faulty and inefficient method pursued, and due even more fundamentally to the fact that there are inherent weaknesses in the present form of Organization; and

“WHEREAS, Hadassah the Women’s Zionist Organization of America sees the close relationship as of cause and effect between American Zionist affairs and certain unsatisfactory conditions in Palestine.

“THEREFORE, be it resolved that the National Board of Hadassah recommends the adoption of the following platform at the 1928 Convention of the Zionist Organization of America.

“I. Administration

1. The Administration of the Zionist Organization of America until the next Convention shall be entrusted to a small body of Zionists, not more than 7, each of whom shall be responsible and accountable for at least one department of work.

“2. No one of these 7 persons shall receive a salary from Zionist sources.

“3. The Administrative Committee shall appoint an Editorial Board which shall outline the principles and policies of all Zionist publications and which shall be responsible to the Administrative Committee for their execution.

“4. The Zionist Organization of America is to reaffirm and adhere to the principle that anyone in order to become a member of the Zionist Organization of America must subscribe to the Basle platform. The act of contributing to a Palestinian fund shall not in itself constitute membership in the Zionist Organization of America.

“5. The stimulation of Zionist ideals shall be a recognized responsibility of the Zionist Organization of America.

“II. Finances

“1. There shall be a clear-cut separation of funds for administrative and for Palestinian purposes.

“2. At the beginning of the fiscal year, a balanced budget shall be drawn up for administration expenses.

“3. The American organization shall emphasize the economic aspects of the Palestinian program and shall establish a body to initiate, advise and encourage the execution of public and private economic undertakings in Palestine.”

Mrs. Irma Lindheim, president of Hadassah, in making public the resolution, stated: “Hadassah, the women’s Zionist organization, has undertaken a specific task in Palestine,–that of safeguarding health. It now maintains and supervises 4 hospitals, 18 infant welfare stations and 18 pre-natal and post-natal clinics. However, as a constituent of the Zionist Organization, Hadassah’s interests extend to the larger problems of building up the Jewish Homeland, and it is most desirous that to the solution of the needs of the Land of Israel, American Zionists be enabled to render service that is not only sincere and well-intentioned, but thoroughly efficient. It is with this end in view that Hadassah is submitting its platform to the June convention.”

ROSENSOHN REPLIES TO MORRISON’S LETTER

In a communication to the “Jewish Daily Bulletin,” Samuel J. Rosensohn made the following reply to the open letter addressed by Isidore D. Morrison, present chairman of the Zionist Finance Committee, to Judge Julian W. Mack.

“1. American Zion Commonwealth. The detailed statement published in the ‘New York Times’ of May 4th fully covers this phase of the resolutions adopted at Washington.

“2. Palestine Securities Co. The C. P. A. statement of assets and liabilities as of January 31, 1927 show a deficit of $35,484.98 over and above any capital investment on the part of Palestine Securities, Inc. The statement further indicates the misapplication of trust moneys amounting to $12,572.90. The Palestine Securities Inc. sold on behalf of the General Mortgage Bank in Palestine bonds to the value of $95,550 fully paid, and $10,037.50 part payments. After deducting all commissions it owed the General Mortgage Bank $92,147.50, remitted $78,000 and thus owed $14,147.50 against which it had only $1,574.60 in hand. There was therefore a misapplication of $12,572.90 of trust funds. The deficit of $35,000 is ‘relatively enormous’. The fact that the Z. O. A. wrote off $10,000 of indebtedness and the American Zion Commonwealth which was itself in difficulties wrote off $23,060. does not alter the conclusion as to the character of the enterprise and its failure.

“3. Remittances to Palestine. Our views were based on the facts in our possession to the date of the conference. The statement of the U.P.A. as of Feb. 28, 1928 showed that the income was to that date $226,506.23 less than last year and the remittances to the Keren Hayesod were $359,167.85 as against $635,566.80 sent in the same period last year. If the U. P. A. is now able to meet all its obligations the present agitation has aided rather than hurt the effort.

“4. Z. O. A. influence in the Congress. Until the 1927 Congress the American delegates had no program to offer the Congress, and made no constructive addition to the program of the cause. What was accomplished in 1927 was in spite of Mr. Lipsky and his personal supporters. No little of the time of the American delegates’ conferences at Basle were devoted to the protests of those who objected to Mr. Lipsky’s abandonment of the American program. The position of the American delegations at the various congresses did not escape the vigilant eyes of the Zionist press of Europe and Palestine.

“5. Utilization of Available Resources for Palestine. The Z. O. A. did not initiate American support for the Rutenberg Concessions and has made no attempt to deal with the Novomeysky concessions. It has not only done nothing to instigate the formation of Palestine investment corporations but it did not properly consider serious propositions that came to it. Two instances will suffice. Mr. Jacob Siegel and the representatives of the Palestine Chamber of Commerce and Industry made approaches for the founding of a banking institution. They can relate their own experiences. Mr. Jacob Goell had propositions. He too can give his own conclusions. The duty of the organization was to more than welcome private initiative, it should have sought to stimulate it. It did neither.

“6. Loss of Membership. The problem is a practical one. The staff was not preoccupied from the June convention until the U. P. A. campaign was under way. The loss of membership was known. There was some objection to the Director of Organization taking over the U. P. A. work for this reason. The life membership campaign lagged from the outset. The endeavor to increase the record of membership, if not the outcome by the joint U. P. A. membership plan made evident that the sitpation was recognized. That Hadassah could increase its membership whilst it increased its income speaks volumes, for Hadassah had to enlist people for Zionism whilst the Z. O. A. has a very large field of lapsed memberships to draw from.

“7. The suggestion that Palestine cannot be built by conferences must be made with a wry mouth by a defender of an administration which has instigated many conferences. Had the New Palestine’ been the organ of the organization as a whole and not conducted as a personal organ, constructive results might have been achieved in a simple way. Palestine will only be built through a change of method. Methods can only be devised by a meeting of the minds following a full and detailed revelation of conditions. The wilful suppression of facts made the Washington conference inevitable and in the long run it will aid in that clarification which alone can evolve sound policies. Zionism is emotion, but Palestine development involves understanding and the Jews are assuredly a people who respond to both.”

ZIONIST REVISIONISTS LAND OPPOSITION CONFERENCE

The group of eleven Zionist Revisionists who attended the Washington conference issued the following statement.

“Although we deplore the limited scope of the deliberations of the Washington conference, and declare that the change in the personnel of the American administration will not allay the present severe crisis in the movement, we nevertheless, support the aim of the conference to effect a change in the administration of the American Zionist Organization and its policies. We believe that together with the arraignment of the present administration of the Zionist Organization of America, the shortcomings and incompetence of the world Zionist Executive, and a definite program of constructive work for the future must be presented in order to achieve our ultimate aim for the National Homeland in Palestine.”