New Law Empowers Palestine Government to Take Control over Important Enterprises

With Nazi armies reported advancing deeper into Egyptian territory, the Palestine Government today published a decree empowering the Palestine administration to take over control of any enterprise in the country when needed in the interests of public safety, or for the efficient prosecution of the war, or for the maintenance of supplies and services, or for the life of the community.

A joint conference of representatives of the Histadruth, Palestine Labor Federation, the presidency of the Industrial Association, chief rabbis Herzog and Uziel, and members of the rabbinical court, meeting in Tel Aviv today, announced that Palestine Jews may work on Saturdays since the Allied war effort is at stake. The conference stated that “no sacrifice is too great to speed up the war effort for victory, and even the strictest torah regulations regarding the Sabbath may be waived.” The conference followed an appeal by the Palestine Government requesting the Rabbinate not to instruct Jews to refrain from working on the Sabbath in order to permit a seven-day working week. Industries engaged in producing war supplies were ordered to operate every day in the week with each employee working at least 64 hours weekly.

At a press conference held in Tel Aviv today, Isaac Ben-Zvi, president of the Jewish National Council of Palestine, denied the rumors that a considerable number of Jews in the British ferces were captured by the Axis armies in Tobruk.

In a statement issued in Jerusalem, Chief Rabbi Herzog declared that there was no danger of the Germans occupying Palestine because “there is no hint anywhere in the Bible concerning a third destruction of the Holy Land.” A number of the most prominent Kabballats in Jerusalem today proclaimed a week of unbroken day-and-night fast with prayers “to save the Holy Land and secure the speediest victory of right and justice ever the dark forces of Nazism.”