Rabbi Berlin, Arriving from Palestine, Says Jews Must Sit at Peace Conference

The fact that Iraq, by its belated joining of the United Nations, may get a place at the peace table while “it is not yet known whether representatives of the Jews will be included at the Peace Conference,” was emphasized here today by Rabbi Mayer Berlin, outstanding leader of Palestine Jewry, president of the World Mizrachi Organization, and member of the presidium of the Jewish National Fund, who arrived by plane yesterday from Palestine, which he left eight days ago.

Addressing a press conference Rabbi Berlin voiced bitter criticism of the anti-Jewish policy of the Iraq Government. He pointed to Iraq’s recent refusal to permit the transit to Palestine of Jewish refugee children. The post-war Jewish future, he declared, lies “in Palestine and in Palestine alone, and nowhere else.”

“It is certain that the part of the world that we call the Near East will be one of the topics that will be dealt with at the Round Table or a Peace Conference,” the Palestine Jewish leader predicted. He expressed the hope that the victorious nations will solve Near East questions “with fairness and not with fear.”

Summarizing the sentiments of the Jews in Palestine, Rabbi Berlin said that the Yishuv wishes the United Nations to declare that the Jews are a nation and when the time comes will sit, together with representatives of other nations, to protect their interests and to voice their opinions at the peace conference; that Palestine and stateless Jews in the meantime be given the opportunity “to join the forces which are fighting for themselves,” and that the gates of democratic countries be opened to Jews to give them refuge “before Palestine will be the Jewish Commonwealth.” He stated it is the “greatest injustice” that the gates of Palestine are closed to thousands of Jews.