Jewish Agency Executive Withdraws Invitation to Dr. Goldmann to Address Zionist Congress Session

A stormy session of the Jewish Agency Executive voted to withdraw an invitation to Dr. Nahum Goldmann to address a session of the World Zionist Congress next month because of a speech on Soviet Jews and Israel he made last Sunday in London. Dr. Goldmann had been invited to address a special session marking the 75th anniversary of the Zionist movement.

In a cable to the 77-year-old world Jewish leader, the Executive declared Friday that “in view of the circumstances following the publication of your London statement and after reading the full text of your address, it was resolved today by majority vote to withdraw the invitation to you to address the festive session.” The cable stressed that the vote was not meant to indicate any opposition “to your legitimate right to participate in and address any session of the plenary or the committees of the Congress.

Dr. Goldmann told the British Board of Deputies that while he “rejoiced” in the migration of Russian Jews to Israel, it was essential to remember that millions of Jews would remain in the Soviet Union and that Jews free to do so should press for those remaining in Russia just “as they do for the rights of all other Jewish communities.”

The phrase “the circumstances that developed” after the London address appeared to be a reference to the fact that Dr. Goldmann had been misquoted by the Times of London which reported erroneously that he had said that “it would be a betrayal to take the view that Jews in the Soviet Union should be released to go to Israel.” He had actually said it would be “a crime and a betrayal” of Jews remaining in Russia if Jews elsewhere did not “press for their rights” as Jews.

The vote for withdrawal was 7-2 with one abstention. The cable to Dr. Goldmann cited a number of reasons for the Executive’s action. One was that while Zionism had always striven to protect the rights of Jews everywhere, “this does not fit the present situation of the Russian Jews” in which it is “clear that first priority must be given to aliyah. The struggle for Russian Jewish emigration, the cable said, “is the center of all our activities” and “any other approach weakens the struggle for aliyah rights.”

The cable also asserted that “Russian Jews themselves decided to make aliyah the center of their struggle and rejected any other solution. They have the right to ask that world Jewry and the Zionist movement support and encourage them in this very difficult struggle.” The cable concluded that “Russian Jewish activity is the peak of 75 years of Zionist activity and therefore the majority of the Executive members thought it would be inappropriate that you should be the sole or main lecturer in evaluating the 75 years of Zionism.” The cable was signed by Louis Pincus, chairman of the Jewish Agency.