Meetings of American members of the Jewish Agency for Palestine and of Hadassah’s executive board today deplored the British Government’s decision not to admit 10,000 refugee children to Palestine, expressing regret that London had placed political considerations over humanitarianism.
The meeting of Agency members, Zionist and non-Zionist, issued a statement expressing themselves as “amazed and deeply grieved” at the action taken on the ground that immigration regulations could not be changed at this time for fear of prejudicing the forthcoming negotiations on Palestine’s future.
“It is the more difficult to understand this refusal because thousands of Jewish families in Palestine have registered their homes as available for the reception of these refugee children,” the statement said. “The decision of the British Government is inconsistent with ts Generous and helpful attitude in recent weeks with respect to receiving German refugees in Great Britain; nor can it be reconciled with its constructive interest in seeking colonization outlets for German refugees and its recognition of the Jewish national home in Palestine. Providing Homes for refugee children is a matter of humanity and should take precedence over political considerations.”
Present at the meeting were Dr. Cyrus Adler, Mrs. Moses P. Epstein, Dr. Solomon Goldman, Chaim Greenberg, Dr. Maurice B. Hexter, Dr. Maurice J. Karpf, Louis Lipsky, Edward A. Norman, Judge Morris Rothenberg, Dr. Stephen S. Wise, Morris D. Waldman, Edward M.M. Warburg, and Dr. Nahum Goldmann.
The Hadassah executive Board, at an emergency meeting this afternoon, adopted a resolution expressing amazement and declaring the action” implies that the question of rescue is political, not humanitarian.” It was stated at the meeting that Youth Aliyah was not affected by the decision. Information from London said that 290 children were en route to the Holy Land under the auspices of the Youth Aliyah organization.
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