Jewish National Fund Conference Reaffirms Faith in Principle of Land Acquisition; to Raise $500,000

port, indicated that from October 1, 1924 to October 1, 1929, the period during which the J.N.F. was a part of the United Palestine Appeal, the total revenue of the National Fund had been $1,562,807 and that of this sum $1,132,103 was derived from the ordinary sources of income of the National Fund such as flag day, flower day, collections and Golden Book.

Greetings were brought to the conference in person by Louis Lipsky on behalf of the Zionist Organization of America, Mrs. Robert Szold for the Hadassah, Rabbi Wolf Gold for the Mizrachi, Dr. I. J. Bluestone for the Order Sons of Zion, Berl Locker for the Poale Zion, Chaim Greenberg for the Zeire Zion, Samuel Dayan for the Palestine Labor Delegation and Judge William Lewis, National Chairman of the U. P. A. on behalf of the Independent Order of Brith Sholom.

Messages of greetings were read from M. Ussishkin and Albert Einstein. Mr. Ussishkin wrote that “the severest attacks on us and our activity is directed against the land question…In the present circumstances we cannot be satisfied with the J. N. F.’s present rate of activity….At the instance of the highest Zionist authority…you have the right and duty of extending J. N. F. activity and I call on you to strain every effort to do so.”

Dr. Einstein wrote “The sublime social idea of the Jewish National Fund lifts the movement for the rebirth of the Jewish people in Palestine to the zenith of a high humanitarian ideal upon which attacks and atrocities are ineffective; but only by Jewish strength and effort can the realization of this beautiful idea be realized. May American Jewry never forget that in this the greatest Jewish task of the generation is at stake.”

During the course of the day the delegates listened to addresses by Dr. Schmarya Levin, Joseph Simon and Elias M. Epstein, secretary of the J. N. F. head office in Jerusalem. Both Mr. Epstein and Mr. Lipsky in their addresses pointed out the falsity of the charge that the Jews by acquiring land in Palestine are doing an injustice to the Arabs. They showed that on the contrary the Arab fellaheen had been liberated by this land purchase and been treated with unprecedented generosity.

Of the 20 resolutions presented by the resolutions committee headed by Prof. Gustave Klausner, the Conference approved 17. The resolutions were: 1, pledging the J.N.F. to an extension of its land-buying activities and to expand and further develop its resources; 2, that special emphasis be placed on dunam land donations; 3, that the conference should encourage the practice of American Jews of making the J.N.F. beneficiary of policies, bequests and endowments; 4, the setting aside by all congregations of one high festival for a J.N.F. appeal and the holding of a special function for the benefit of J.N.F. by all Jewish communities; 5, to hold an annual J.N.F. conference; 6, to spread J.N.F. ideals among the youth and to get them into J.N.F. work; 7, appreciation for work of M. Ussishkin, President Emanuel, Secretary Rubin and the Philadelphia Zionists; 8, Jewish organizations to make annual contributions to J.N.F. and Jewish congregations to buy land as units; 9, the creation of an Ussishkin week and support for a Louis Marshall memorial in Palestine.

Announcement was made of a gift of a $45,000 piece of land on Mt. Scopus by Solomon Lamport to the J.N.F. to build a botanical garden as a memorial to Mr. Lamport’s son, Joseph Montague. Israel Rokeach also contributed $50,000 and an anonymous gift of $7,000 was made.

Near its end the Conference voted for the creation of a national council of 150, 75 members to be elected and 75 to be named by the board of directors but the conference agreed to have the names of those to be elected referred to the board of directors.