St. Louis Zionists Reject Brandeis Memo in Present Form; Urge Further Parleys

Commending the genuine efforts on the part of the Zionist Organization of America’s administration to effect a return of the Brandeis-Mack group to active participation in the affairs of American Zionism, the St. Louis Zionist organization, after a four-hour debate on the Brandeis memorandum adopted a resolution urging modification of the memorandum and calling for further negotiations. An amendment to the resolution favoring the inclusion of a special reference that every effort be made to influence the Brandeis-Mack group to come into active participation in the Zionist ranks was defeated.

RESOLUTION BY KLAUSNER

The resolution was introduced by Professor Gustave Klausner, president of the Southwestern Zionist Region, who pleaded for peace in Zionism, but declared that the memorandum was a ukase and needed radical modification. He urged upon the Brandeis-Mack group that it come in and work without reservation in a coalition of Zionist forces. Leon Lander, Rabbi Jacob Mazur, Max Baron and David Bernstein opposed the resolutions, while M. J. Slonim, president of the St. Louis Zionists; Harry Drovin, Prof. Klausner and Mendel N. Fisher, supported the adopted resolution.

Prof. Klausner, M. J. Slonim, Mendel Fisher, Samuel Kranzberg, Leon Lander, A. Goodman, Harry Dvorin and Barney Grosberg were elected delegates to the Zionist Convention. They were instructed to work for peace within the ranks and to carry out the spirit of the resolution as adopted.

The resolution read as follows:

COMMENDS ADMINISTRATION

“We strongly commend the genuine efforts on the part of the national Zionist administration to effect the return of the members of the Brandeis-Mack group to active participation in the affairs of American Zionism. The character of the Zionist organization and its democratic form makes it impossible to accept the memorandum in its entirety as presented by Justice Brandeis and his associates.

“The Zionist Organization of St. Louis calls upon the present Zionist administration and the Brandeis-Mack group to meet again prior to the Cleveland convention with a view to modifying the said memorandum so as to create a united American Zionist front. Realizing that Zionism is experiencing grave difficulties at this time because of the recent unwarranted antagonism of the British government we urge the convention to create, if humanly possible, a union of forces in American Zionist affairs conceived in the spirit of mutual concession on the part of all elements concerned, consummated with a regard for genuine peace and democracy and compatible with the great aims and purposes that have always motivated Zionist thought and actions.”