Rabbi Wise Appeals for Zionist Unity on Eve of ZOA Convention

An appeal for strength and unity in the ranks of the Zionist Organization of America was issued here today by Dr. Stephen S. Wise in connection with the 44th annual convention of the ZOA, opening on September 6th in Cincinnati.

“The Cincinnati Convention,” Rabbi Wise said, “has definite and inevasable duties to face. It must inwardly strengthen itself everywhere in the land. And this must be done without rancor or partisanship, in utter oblivion to the matter of ‘ins’ and ‘outs.’ The elected officials must have the full and loyal support of the entire organization, and these in turn must be above favoritism or discrimination. American Jews must and can be won to the support of Zionism.”

Declaring that “it would be unbelievably indecent for American Jews to be indifferent to the possibility of strengthening the stakes and deepening the foundations of Palestine,” Rabbi Wise continued:

“We dare not wait until the Peace Conference has been summoned though we have faith in the two leaders of Democracies. Jews have been more hurt and more widely and variously uprooted than any other people, even the conquered peoples who are not homeless though crushed for a time. We ask for nothing new and untested. We demand the continuance of the Balfour policy, triumphantly vindicated by Jewish achievement, under the new guarantees of the Democratic world-order that is to be set up. Balfour and Lloyd George and Woodror Wilson put their trust in the Jew. He has shown that he can build and endure and defend. There must be no Colonial Office manipulation, whether in England or in the United States, that shall place the Jew in fief or subordinated to the Arabs.

“As neighbors and partners, Jews and Arabs can work together. We can no more be asked to accept vassalage to the Arabs than Arabs can be expected to accept dominance by Jews. We have a Home to strengthen and enrich with the help of tens of thousands of Jews hungering for admission to their ancient Homeland. The despised appeasers of England must not be permitted to transfer their appeasement passion to the Arabs. Nor must they find countenance and support from unburied Ku-Kluxers in and out of Congress, or from self-loathing Jews. Let strength and unity reveal themselves at the historic Zionist Session of Cincinnati and we shall have added strength at the Peace table.”