International Students’ Service to Hold Conference of Jews and Non-jews at Locarno in 1931

With a view to promoting an understanding between Jews and non-Jews attending universities, the ninth annual conference of the International Students’ Service held at Oxford last week and which concluded yesterday, decided to hold a conference of Jews and non-Jews at Locarno in January, 1931. Professor Zimmern of Geneva will open the conference and both Jews and anti-Semites will address the conference as well as experts on the Jewish question, both Jews and non-Jews. It was also decided to afford material support to the Jewish students at the conference.

A full day out of the seven days of the conference was devoted to a discussion on the Jewish question at the Oxford conference, James Parker, the secretary of the I.S.S., emphasizing in particular the importance of an understanding between Jews and non-Jews. Jewish delegates who also participated were Alexander Teich, the leader of the delegation representing the World Union of Jewish students; M. I. Han-dleman of Paris, Jules Stone of London, and Dr. Bron Levi.

The next conference of the International Students’ Service will be held in America in September of 1931. Two Jewish representatives from New York will serve on the Committee organizing the conference and the Avukah, the Zionist students’ organization of America, will be represented at the conference. The question of anti-Semitism is to be discussed. A suggestion made at the conference that an Arab delegate should be invited to attend was rejected, the general feeling being that the Palestine question should be held distinct from European problems, in view of the numerous controversies it raises, and therefore it would be difficult to include this matter. At the same time, the Conference found it desirable at a later stage to work for the promotion of an understanding between the Jews and Arabs in Palestine.