Jabotinsky Declares War on Nazis

At yesterday’s afternoon session, delegates heard Vladimir Jabotinsky, Zionist Revisionist leader, declare “a war for Jewish self-defence” against the Third Reich.

He announced the new organization would seek to coordinate Jewish anti-Nazi activity throughout the world and declared the organization would fight to “remove from Palestine the shame of the barter pact with Germany.”

He struck a note of peace when he declared, “Ours is not a competitive organization. I send greetings to all organizations working for Palestine, and I wish them success.”

An ovation was given to Col. John Henry Patterson British officer who during the war organized the Zion Mule Corps, an all-Jewish battalion which took part in the campaign at Galipoli. This unit served as the nucleus of the famous Jewish Legion.

Col. Patterson declared that Jews are entitled to Transjordan because Jewish soldiers conquered it. “Seventeen years ago exactly this day,” he said, they were fighting on three fronts with a large Turkish army. These soldiers weren’t English and they weren’t Scottish; they were Jewish soldiers. Had there been no Jewish Legion, I doubt whether there would have been any Jewish Palestine today.”

Col. Patterson paid tribute to Jabotinsky as the organizer of the Jewish Legion, and emphasized that only Jewish soldiers fought in Transjordan. “You must remind England,” he declared, “that Jewish soldiers conquered Transjordan.”

He concluded his address with the declaration that “the Jewish flag is only flying at half-mast in Palestine today. It is your job to see that that flag is pulled to the mast-head.”

Yesterday morning Jabotinsky and Col. Patterson led all delegates and guests on a pilgrimage to the grave of Dr. Theodor Herzl, founder of the Zionist organization who lies buried at the Jewish cemetery in Vienna.