Palestine, Britain’s arsenal in the Near East and the largest industrial center there, will have “many millions of surplus” this year as a result of the various industrial and agricultural enterprises which the Jews have developed and which are now working on military orders, it was reported here today at a conference called by the Keren Hayesod to review the achievements of the Yishub for the Jewish year just past as well as the problems of the New Year.
Attended by members of the Zionist Executive, the Vaad Leumi, and representatives of all leading Jewish institutions in Palestine and by prominent individuals, the conference assumed the nature of a Zionist Congress in miniature. It concentrated its discussions not only on immediate tasks of adjusting the Yishub to the present war conditions but also to the economic situation which Palestine will have to face after the war is over. The organization of “an economic springboard” for the development of the Jewish National Home in the future was recognized by all speakers as one of the principal tasks to be undertaken by the Jews in Palestine as well as by the Zionist movement outside of Palestine.
The military aspect of the situation was similarly stressed at the conference. Ben-Zion Mossensohn, opening the gathering, pointed out that “the Yishub stands firm and in readiness for utmost sacrifices to defend its Homeland and to help the Allies to a speedy victory.” A touching scene occurred when Ben-Zion Israeli, a 56-year old Jewish soldier now serving “somewhere in the Middle East” appeared in the hall heading a delegation of Jewish soldiers and officers serving in the British Army. In a straining speech the aged warrior demanded that 30,000 more Jewish volunteers should enlist in the armed forces in Palestine. The audience received this demand with loud applause.
PALESTINE UNEMPLOYMENT SHOWS MARKED DECREASE
The center of interest at the conference was a report by Eliezer Kaplan, member of Zionist Executive, on the economic situation of the Jews in Palestine during the two years of war and on the post-war economic outlook of the Yishub-Kaplan stated that while part of the Yishub is still suffering from the increased cost of living, and from the hardships in the citrus industry, a large part of the Jewish population in Palestine enjoys prosperity. Only 4,000 Jews are now unemployed as compared with 13,000 last year. Jewish national capital today amounts to over £3,250,000 he said assuring that “there will be many millions of surplus” due to government and military orders placed with various Palestine industrial and agricultural enterprises. The Jewish Agency has spent in the course of the two years of war more than £1500,000, Kaplan reported. About one-third of this sum went for agricultural settlement, while eighteen percent was spent for national organization and defense. Sixty new settlements were established.
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.
