the Administration could be effected, he urged the support of Dr. Weizmann in his efforts to convince the British Government and the world of the justice and importance of “our efforts.”
In the general debate of the functions of the Administrative Committee and the Executive which followed the speeches of Mr. Warburg and Dr. Weizmann, Dr. Chaim Arlarsoroff of Palestine said that although the Zionists had tried to bring improvements to Palestine for many years, they should not regard everything that had been done as sacred and inviolable. Mr. Warburg’s reports, he continued, deserve careful consideration. Speaking of Mr. Warburg’s proposition that the work in Palestine be decentralized and directed by committees and the Executive deprived of real executive power, Dr. Arlarsoroff pointed out that “if the Executive possess only a moral right, this is insufficient because then certain features of the work will be neglected and pushed into the background.”
While esteeming highly the machinery set up for the execution of the work, Dr. Arlarsoroff felt that to leave the present meeting without adopting a new and large colonization program, including land purchase and immigration, would result in disappointment throughout the Jewish community in Palestine.
DISAPPOINTED IN AGENCY
Welcoming the clear and vigorous statement of the political situation, Dr. Max Soloweitchik, of Germany, expressed his pleasure that Dr. Weizmann had spoken with such determination regarding Jewish claims in Palestine, which he felt confident were in accord with the wishes of the majority of the Agency. Regarding the Agency he considered it no use to conceal the fact that disappointment existed, “because since its inception it had not yielded any material results.”
Regarding Mr. Warburg’s proposal on organization, Dr. Soloweitchik thought that due regard should be given to the constitution of the Agency as adopted in Zurich. “According to the constitution, the Executive is entrusted with leadership, and anything undertaken in the way of organization should not be contradictory to the spirit of the principle laid down in the constitution. Some points that Mr. Warburg raised are not in accordance with the constitution.”
SAYS AGENCY’S EXECUTIVE MUST BE SUPREME BODY
Warning the Agency to guard the democratic character of the movement on which it is based, he desired to make it clear that the Executive of the Agency must remain the leading body, although he agreed with the Chairman that the Jewish community in Palestine must gradually assume greater responsibilities.
Kurt Blumenfeld, president of the German Zionist Federation, begged the Agency to support Dr. Weizmann’s policy with energy and determination. He said that the Zionists placed great hope on the Agency, “expecting increased means for colonization.” The Keren Hayesod, he pointed out, must be placed on a new basis and “the present meeting must see to it that better results are achieved in the next six months.” Agreeing that departmental adjustments were necessary, Mr. Blumenfeld declared that the Executive as a whole must assume responsibility for all the work.
In dealing with Palestine, one cannot distinguish between political, economic, religious, or social questions, tion, and by unifying the problem it is possible “even to unify themselves,” declared Dr. Cyrus Adler, president of the American Jewish Committee and of the Jewish Theological Seminary, and who is an American member of the Administrative Committee. Palestine is a mandated territory, he said, but it is different from any other mandated territory created under the treaties following the war, “because it had in view not simply the inhabitants of Palestine, but all the Jews in the world.”
That being the case, Dr. Adler could see no reason for making a sharp distinction between Palestine Jewry and some other Jewry. He believed that economic life depends on good politics and political life on good economics and “we would not advance much if we put ourselves in compartments.”
ARE NOT PLAYING POLITICS
Dr. Weizmann, joining the debate, said: “We are not playing with politics but we have dealt with a perfectly just government that was going to see through the treaty and provisions of the treaty.” Saying that there has been a good deal of discussion about the relationship of the Executive to the work of the Administration, Dr. Weizmann declared, “Administration means to do things that are committed to your hands but it does not mean to legislate or to create policy. It means to do things to the best of your ability and as economically as you can and the only things you can do are the things you understand.
“That is what,” Dr. Weizmann said, “we understand Mr. Warburg to mean when speaking of experts. He does not mean to minimize the importance of the Executive because it remains the business of the Executive to determine what proportion of capital is to go into agriculture, and what proportion into industry, etc.”
Speaking of the status of the Executive in the framework of the Agency, Leonard Stein, an English Zionist member of the Agency, said that he doesn’t altogether agree that the situation of the Executive is not suitable for discussion at the meeting. “Taking the constitution as it was, it seems to leave no doubt as to the status of the Executive at the present time. The
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
