J. D. B. News Letter

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, at its meeting here this morning, accepted nem con, in accordance with the recommendation of its Law and Parliamentary Committee, the invitation of the Zionist Executive to take the initiative in convening a representative Anglo-Jewish Conference to demonstrate the desire of the Anglo-Jewish Community to play its part in giving effect to the British Mandate to Palestine, and to associate itself with other important Jewish communities in entering the Jewish Agency, and to make arrangements for the appointment of the Anglo-Jewish Community on the Governing body of the Agency. The President, Vice-Presidents and Treasurer were empowered to make all arrangements for the Conference.

In the course of the discussion, Mr. Herwald asked whether the Conference would elect the delegates to the Agency or whether the Boaard would elect the delegates.

O. E. d’Avigdor Goldsmid, the President of the Boaard, replied: “As I see it, the object is twofold: 1. To show the world at large that the whole of the Anglo-Jewish Community is united in its desire to take part in the Agency, and 2. to settle which body or bodies are to appoint the English, that is the Anglo-Jewish representatives, on the Agency. The Conference would, I believe, be representative of every shade of opinion in the country, and one of its functions would be to fix on whom the responsibility should lie for electing the members of the Agency. That is the position as I see it.”

Morris Meyer pointed out that it was not for the Board to decide whether the Agency should be formed or not formed. If the Agency is formed, he said, the point is whether the Anglo-Jewish Community is to be represented or not. On that there could not be two opinions. It was the duty of Anglo-Jewry to be represented.

Percy Cohen said that some time ago, the Board was promised full information as to what the Jewish Agency was. What was its function? He wanted to ask for information as to what the Agency was going to do and how it was to be composed.

H. A. Goodman, Secretary of the Political Executive of the Agudath Israel World Organization, said that as the resolution now stood, it was perfectly harmless. There could be no objection to convening a Conference. But information as to the constitution of the Jewish Agency was necessary before they could decide whether they were justified in convening a representative Conference at the invitation of the Zionist Organization.

S. Landman put an amendment to add the words “after the Zionist Con- (Continued on Page 4)

s shall have ratified the constitution of the enlarged Jewish Agency.” He drew the attention of the Board to a letter from the Zionist Executive he had received as Honorary Secretary of Et Livnot, stating that all the arrangements were subject to ratification by Congress. It was therefore wrong to assume that the enlarged Jewish Agency was a fait accompli. It was the Zionist Congress alone which could accept or reject. He therefore thought it wiser for the proposed Conference to take place after the result of the Congress was known.

The amendment was seconded by B. Libbish, but it was not put to the vote, the chairman declaring that it had not been submitted formally as an amendment.

P. Horowitz said that the Zionist Organization had done the right and proper thing in asking the Board to convene the Conference. Mr. Landman did not speak for the general body of Zionists in England, whereas the English Zionist Executive, which represented the opinion of the Zionists of the country, were in favor of the request. It was folly to say they should wait for the Congress to ratify the final scheme. Two Congresses had ratified the principle of the Agency.

Rabbi Daiches said that he thought that Mr. Louis Marshall and his friends had done a great service to the upbuilding of Palestine by joining the Jewish Agency. Why should they leave everything to America? Why should not the Jews of the Mandatory Power do their share? How could Congress ratify the extended Jewish Agency from which the Anglo-Jewish people would be absent?

Leonard Stein, the Political Secretary to the Zionist Executive, who had on behalf of the Zionist Executive signed the letter to the Board containing the invitation, said: I want to make it quite clear that the step which the Board is being asked to take is not in any sense at all a new departure. As far back as six years ago, the matter was first raised in a communication from the Zionist Organization to the Board of Deputies. Article 4 of the Mandate imposes a duty on the Zionist Organization to co-operate with those who are willing to join with them. There is nothing unreasonable in the demand for information as to what is the Agency.

The function of the Agency is set out in Article 4 of the Mandate. The Zionist Organization is the Agency at the present time, but the work is to be shared with representatives of the principal Jewish communities in various parts of the world, as between the Zionist Organization and the Jewish communities. How will the seats be distributed? This is a matter for discussion and not one on which the Zionist Organization proposes to dictate. It is proposed to set up a Council of the Jewish Agency which will be composed half of representatives of the Zionist Organization and the other half of the representatives of the principal Jewish communities throughout the world.

As to whether any action of the Board should wait until the final ratification of the Jewish Agency scheme by Congress, Mr. Stein said that the Zionist Organization does not desire to present to the different Jewish communities a cut and dried scheme, and say take it or leave it. As regards the details of the scheme and the exact constitutional machinery of the enlarged Jewish Agency and the distribution of seats, it is only reasonable and natural that the Zionist authorities should desire to consult the Jewish Communities concerned before it goes to the final vote at the Zionist Congress. That is why we propose to consult the Anglo-Jewish community and to ask it to demonstrate its belief in the desirability of the Jewish Agency in a formal and public manner.

The Chairman, Mr. d’Avigdor Goldsmid, then said that the Executive had selected twelve persons to represent the Board on the Conference, if the Conference were to be held before the next meeting of the Board. If the Conference was due to take place after the March meeting, the Board would have the opportunity of discussing the suitability of the persons for the posts of representatives.

Mr. Ostrovsky pointed out that there were several Zionists among the twelve persons who had been selected to represent the Board at the Conference. There is no point, he said, in including Zionists, because the Zionists were already included.