The opening of Palestine to large-scale immigration is “indispensable” to the solution of the Jewish DP problem in Europe, Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, former advisor on Jewish affairs to the American command in Europe, said today in a report of his activities in that post. The report was submitted to Secretary of the Army Kenneth C. Royall.
“We will continue to face indefinitely the costs and the dangers of this unsettling situation,” Rabbi Bernstein said, “until they are permitted to enter Palestine,” Although he advocated the enactment of the Stratton Bill to admit 100,000 displaced persons from Europe yearly for four years, Rebbi Bernstein said “it is my estimate that no more than about 60,000 of the Jewish DP’s wish to come to the United States.
“The overwhelming majority of the displaced Jews desire to settle in Palestine,” the report added. “Facing closed doors everywhere else, at least 90. percent at this time would migrate to Palestine if given the opportunity. If the U.S. should liberalize its immigration laws about 25 percent of the Jewish DP’s would choose to come here and about 75 percent would continue to prefer Palestine. Even if Palestine should remain officially closed most of the Jews will still be determined to go there and will brave hardships and dangers to reach their goal.”
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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.
