The Strike

The strike of the Jewish aldermen in Jerusalem, reported in this issue, is a very regrettable illustration of the lack of unity in Jewish ranks.

For years the Jews of Jerusalem have been looking forward to the new municipal elections, when it would again be possible to have Jewish representatives in the municipality. For years the Jewish citizens of Jerusalem have nursed the idea of winning for a Jew the post of a vice-mayor, not that of mayor of the city.

Now that a Jewish vice-mayor has finally been appointed and that the municipal council consists of as many Jews as Arabs, the Jewish aldermen seem to find no mutual language. Of the six Jewish aldermen elected, three are dissatisfied with the fact that Daniel Auster, one of the six, has been appointed vice-mayor.

When Jewish leaders in Palestine discussed, recently, the question of whether it pays to insist that the mayor of Jerusalem should be a Jew, many were of the opinion that it would be much better if the mayor were an Arab. The idea was advanced that since an Arab mayor would not enjoy the full support of all the six Arab councillors, because of the existing split in the Arab ranks, it was better to have an Arab mayor depend upon a Jewish majority than to have a Jewish mayor against whom all the Arab councillors would unite.

But what has now happened?

Even before the new Municipal Council was inaugurated, the split turned out to be not among the Arab aldermen but a#ong the Jewish. Though ###ded into two opposing ###s, the Arabs did not re### the lack of unity which the Jews exhibited.

It is hardly necessary to emphasize how Jewish interests will suffer if the six Jewish aldermen do not find their way to a compromise. Whether Mr. Auster was appointed as vice-mayor with the consent of all Jewish organizations or whether the appointment took place without consulting some of the organizations is really not of such grave importance as the fact that the municipality in Jerusalem may again remain without Jewish representatives.