ASSAILING LOUIS LIPSKY, AMERICAN MEMBER OF THE WORLD ZIONIST EXECUTIVE, FOR “WAVERING” ON THE QUESTION OF PROPOSED PALESTINE PARTITION AT THE ZURICH CONGRESS, ELIHU D. STONE OF BOSTON TODAY CALLED FOR NEW ZIONIST LEADERS IN AMERICA “WHOSE ACTIONS ARE BASED ON CONVICTION AND NOT UPON EXPEDIENCE.” MR. STONE, A VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA AND RECENTLY ELECTED TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE, HAS HITHERTO BEEN REGARDED AS AMONG MR. LIPSKY’S STAUNCHEST SUPPORTERS.
IN A STATEMENT TO THE JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY FOLLOWING HIS ARRIVAL FROM EUROPE AND PALESTINE ON THE QUEEN MARY, MR. STONE ACCUSED MR. LIPSKY OF “WAVERING BETWEEN GOD AND THE DEVIL WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO REACH A DECISION UNTIL THE MAJORITY OF THE AMERICAN DELEGATES MADE UP HIS (LIPSKY’S) MIND.”
MR. STONE WAS ONE OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR SWINGING THE AMERICAN ZIONIST DELEGATION TO SUPPORT OF THE MAJORITY RESOLUTION EMPOWERING THE EXECUTIVE TO NEGOTIATE WITH GREAT BRITAIN ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION.
HIS STATEMENT FOLLOWS IN FULL:
“THERE SEEMS TO BE CONFUSION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACTION TAKEN BY THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS RELATIVE TO THE PROPOSAL FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A SOVEREIGN JEWISH STATE IN PALESTINE. BECAUSE OF THE GRAVITY OF THE QUESTION AND BECAUSE OF ITS BASIC EFFECT ON THE FUTURE COURSE OF JEWISH LIFE AND HISTORY, BOTH IN PALESTINE AND IN THE DIASPORA, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE ISSUE BE CLARIFIED AND THAT THE ZIONISTS OF AMERICA SHOULD PROPERLY APPRAISE THE PROCEEDINGS AND THE ZURICH DECISION.
“THE DIFFERENCE OF OPINION THAT PREVAILED WITH REFERENCE TO THE QUESTION OF A JEWISH STATE INVOLVING PARTITION OF THE NATIONAL HOME, IS UNDERSTANDABLE. IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN OTHERWISE. THE POSITION TAKEN BY DR. STEPHEN S. WISE, PRESIDENT OF THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, WAS CLEAR AND SUBJECT TO NO TWO INTERPRETATIONS. ONE CAN LOGICALLY DISAGREE WITH THAT POINT OF VIEW, BUT ONE IS COMPELLED TO RESPECT IT.
“THE POSITION OF THOSE WHO VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE MAJORITY RESOLUTION MUST BE EQUALLY FRANK AND INTELLECTUALLY HONEST. THE MAJORITY RESOLUTION OF THE CONGRESS DEFINITELY IMPLIES AN ATTITUDE IN FAVOR OF NEGOTIATIONS LEADING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SOVEREIGN JEWISH STATE, EVEN THOUGH IT INVOLVES, AS IT MUST, THE PARTITION OF PALESTINE.
“IT IS THE SACRED DUTY OF THE ZIONISTS OF AMERICA TO MAKE THEIR CONTRIBUTION TOWARD CRYSTALLIZATION OF THIS GRAVE AND PARAMOUNT ISSUE OF JEWISH LIFE BY BEING OUTSPOKEN AND VIGILANT. GREAT BRITAIN IS ACTING WITH SPEED AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS HAS DONE EVERYTHING TO EXPEDITE THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF THE BASIC IDEA CONTAINED IN THE REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION WITH REFERENCE TO PALESTINE.
“IT IS TRAGIC THEREFORE TO NOTE THE ATTEMPT TO PLACE THE ZIONISTS OF AMERICA IN A POSITION OF FLIRTING WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE QUESTION FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF MR. LIPSKY AT ZURICH WHO WAS WAVERING BETWEEN GOD AND THE DEVIL WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO REACH A DECISION UNTIL THE MAJORITY OF THE AMERICAN DELEGATES MADE UP HIS MIND.
“INDEED THE AMERICAN ZIONISTS ARE WORTHY OF A DIFFERENT KIND OF LEADERSHIP AT THIS TIME. LEADERS MUST COME TO THE ZIONIST FRONT WHOSE ACTIONS ARE BASED ON CONVICTION AND NOT UPON EXPEDIENCE. ONE MUST EITHER BE IN FAVOR OF A JEWISH STATE IN PALESTINE INVOLVING PARTITION OR ONE MUST BE AGAINST IT. THE TWO POINTS OF VIEW ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.
“THE ATTEMPT ON THE PART OF THIS ‘VETERAN’ TO PLACE AMERICAN ZIONISTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE WILL DO VIOLENCE TO THE LEADERSHIP OF DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN AND WILL BE A DISSERVICE TO PALESTINE.
“FORTUNATELY ERETZ ISRAEL IS AN ELOQUENT FACT. OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN PALESTINE AND THE COURAGEOUS ATTITUDE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE NATIONAL HOME SERVES TO INSPIRE FAITH IN THE FUTURE. THERE IS AT PRESENT AN ECONOMIC DISLOCATION IN PALESTINE CAUSED BY THE POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY OF THE SITUATION. AMERICAN ZIONISM BECAUSE OF ITS STRATEGIC POSITION MUST MAKE ITS VOICE HEARD IN CLEAR AND UNMISTAKABLE TERMS AND THEREBY UPHOLD DR. WEIZMANN.”
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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.
