THE TWENTIETH BIENNIAL WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS THE MOST IMPORTANT SINCE FOUNDATION OF THE POLITICAL ZIONIST MOVEMENT FORTY YEARS AGO, OPENED AT TONHALLE HERE TONIGHT IN THE PRESENCE OF 483 DELEGATES AND PACKED GALLERIES TO DECIDE WHETHER TO ACCEPT GREAT BRITAIN’S PROPOSAL FOR A THREE-WAY PARTITION OF PALESTINE THAT WOULD INCLUDE CREATION OF THE FIRST INDEPENDENT JEWISH STATE IN NEARLY 2,000 YEARS.
TENSE WITH EXPECTATION OF AN EPIC STRUGGLE ON THE ISSUE, DELEGATES AND SPECTATORS WHO INCLUDED DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVES OF MANY NATIONS HEARD DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN, ENDING HIS SIXTH TERM AT THE HELM OF THE WORLD ZIONIST ORGANIZATION, DRAMATICALLY STRIKE THE KEYNOTE FOR ACCEPTANCE.
“THE JEWS,” HE DECLARED, “MAY NOW EMERGE FROM FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS.”
ADDING THAT “THE JEWS AS A PEOPLE ARE NOW ENTITLED TO SAY ‘SHECHEYANU'”, DR. WEIZMANN SOLEMNLY INTONED THAT HEBREW PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING: “BLESSED ART THOU, O GOD, WHO HAS PRESERVED US AND KEPT US IN LIFE AND BROUGHT US TO THIS DAY.”
DECLARING HE WOULD SPEAK MORE EXTENSIVELY ON THE MERITS AND DEMERITS OF PARTITION AT A SUBSEQUENT SESSION, DR. WEIZMANN ASSERTED THAT ALTHOUGH HE DISAGREED WITH SEVERAL FEATURES OF THE BRITISH ROYAL COMMISSION’S REPORT AND TOTALLY REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE ASSERTIONS THAT THE MANDATE WAS UNWORKABLE, THE REPORT MUST COMMAND JEWRY’S “VERY GREAT RESPECT” DESPITE ITS SHORTCOMINGS.
NEVERTHELESS DR. WEIZMANN STATED “IT WAS A PAINFUL DISAPPOINTMENT TO US” THAT AFTER PROLONGED RIOTING IN THE HOLY LAND “THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MERELY A REPETITION OF THE USUAL PROCEDURE OF INQUIRY, INQUEST AND INVESTIGATION DESIGNED TO DISCOVER WHETHER THE JEWS ARE IN SOME MEASURE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RECURRENT TROUBLES IN PALESTINE.”
SEES BASIC MISCONCEPTION IN REPORT
THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM MANIFESTED UNDERSTANDING OF JEWISH IDEALS, DR. WEIZMANN SAID, BUT HE ADDED:
“UNDERLYING THE REPORT THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL MISCONCEPTION. THE REPORT’S MAIN THESIS IS THAT THE MANDATE IS UNWORKABLE. THAT IS A PROPOSITION WHICH WE DENY AND OUR DENIAL IS SUPPORTED BY THE RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT IN ALMOST EVERY DIRECTION IN PALESTINE SINCE 1922.
“TO THIS THE COMMISSION’S REPORT ITSELF BEARS WITNESS. BUT THE COMMISSION MET IN PALESTINE IN AN ATMOSPHERE VITIATED AND POISONED BY SIX MONTHS OF VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM. IT FAILED TO REALIZE HOW MUCH AN EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT MIGHT HAVE NIPPED THE TROUBLE IN THE BUD AND ITS PERSPECTIVE WAS DISTORTED ACCORDINGLY.
“THE COMMISSION PASSED JUDGMENT UNDER THE SHADOW OF EVENTS WHICH SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO TAKE PLACE AND WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY FIRM ACTION IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE TROUBLES.
“IN FACT, IT IS NOT THE MANDATE WHICH IS UNWORKABLE. THE DIFFICULTY IS THAT IT HAS BEEN ADMINISTERED HALF-HEARTEDLY BY AN ADMINISTRATION WHICH FAILED TO MAKE A REALLY SERIOUS ATTEMPT TO WORK IT.
“A CHARACTERISTIC FEATURE OF THE REPORT IS THE REMARKABLE LACK OF SEQUENCE BETWEEN ITS ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM AND ITS CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.”
HITS AT ASSIMILATIONISTS
DR. WEIZMANN PASSINGLY ATTACKED THOSE “ASSIMILATIONIST” JEWS WHO DISAGREED WITH THE NATIONALISTIC ZIONIST IDEALS AND EMPHASIZED THAT THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN THE MOST TRYING AND DIFFICULT PERIOD IN MODERN JEWISH HISTORY.
HE CRITICIZED THE PALESTINE ADMINISTRATION FOR LACK OF DETERMINATION IN SUPPRESSING THE 1936 ARAB DISORDERS, PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE JEWISH FALLEN. DECLARING “THEIR LIVES WERE NOT GIVEN IN VAIN,” DR. WEIZMANN CALLED ON THE CONGRESS TO HONOR THEIR MEMORY.
CONTINUING, HE SAID:
“THE TWENTIETH ZIONIST CONGRESS MEETS TODAY AT A TIME IN THE HIGHEST DEGREE CRITICAL, BUT WHICH MAY YET PROVE TO BE THE OPENING OF A NEW ERA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL HOME AND IN THE FULFILLMENT OF THE ULTIMATE HOPE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.”
PROTESTS IMMIGRATION CURB
THE ZIONIST LEADER CALLED ON THE CONGRESS TO PROTEST AGAINST THE BRITISH CABINET’S STATEMENT OF POLICY (WHICH ACCEPTED THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON PARTITION) LIMITING JEWISH IMMIGRATION FOR THE ENSUING EIGHT MONTHS TO 8,000, AS AN INTERIM MEASURE PENDING EXECUTION OF PARTITION. THIS, HE CHARGED, WAS A FLAT CONTRADICTION OF THE MANDATE.
THE PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE, GREATER PART OF WHICH WAS DEVOTED TO A REVIEW OF THE JEWISH POSITION THE WORLD OVER, CONCLUDED THAT WHATEVER THE CONGRESS’S RESPONSE TO THE ROYAL COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATIONS, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE STRIKING A NEW NOTE HAVING A RING CARRYING THE JEWS BACK FORTY YEARS TO THE FIRST PRINCIPLES AND HERZL’S (DR. THEODOR HERZL, FATHER OF POLITICAL ZIONISM) GREAT DREAM OF A JEWISH STATE.
DR. WEIZMANN’S STAND ON PARTITION WAS MADE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME YESTERDAY WHEN HE TOLD A FACTIONAL CONFERENCE IT WOULD BE ENTIRELY UNWISE TO REJECT THE PROPOSAL AT A TIME WHEN THE WORLD WAS DISCUSSING FOR THE FIRST TIME THE TERM “JEWISH STATE.”
SEES 2,000,000 JEWS ENTERING IN FEW YEARS
UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, HE DECLARED, THE BRITISH PROPOSAL TO CREATE JEWISH AND ARAB STATES AND A BRITISH-MANDATED TERRITORY WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO BRING TO PALESTINE 2,000,000 JEWS IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
AT THE MEETING, HELD BY THE GROUP A GENERAL ZIONISTS WHO ARE REPRESENTED AT THE CONGRESS BY 120 DELEGATES, DR. WEIZMANN TOLD OF CONVERSATIONS WITH MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION. THEY HAD ADVISED ACCEPTANCE OF PARTITION, HE SAID, EMPHASIZING THAT HE HAD NOT COMMITTED HIMSELF TO THE ROYAL COMMISSION IN ANY WAY.
DR. WEIZMANN, ACCOMPANIED BY COL. LEOPOLD AMERY AND MRS. EMMA DUGDALE, LAST NIGHT ALSO ADDRESSED THE CLOSING SESSION OF THE LABOR ZIONIST CONFERENCE, REPEATING HIS APPEAL THAT PARTITION NOT BE REJECTED.
AT THE SAME TIME, LOUIS LIPSKY, OF NEW YORK, AND RABBI ABBA HILLEL SILVER, OF CLEVELAND, ADDRESSED A CLOSED SESSION OF THE GENERAL ZIONISTS. MR. LIPSKY URGED THAT THE EXECUTIVE BE EMPOWERED TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS ON PARTITION WHILE DR. SILVER URGED THAT PARTITION BE REJECTED.
RABBI BARNETT R. BRICKNER, OF CLEVELAND, AND ELIHU D. STONE, OF BOSTON, REITERATED TO AMERICAN CORRESPONDENTS THEIR DECLARATION THAT THEY WOULD DISREGARD THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA’S RESOLUTION BINDING UNITED STATES DELEGATES TO OPPOSE PARTITION. THEY DECLARED THEY WOULD VOTE FOR APPROVAL OF PARTITION.
THE NUMBER OF Z.O.A. DELEGATES REFUSING TO BE BOUND BY THE RESOLUTION ROSE TODAY FROM 12 TO 14.
THE CONGRESS WAS TO BE OPENED BY MENACHEM MENDEL USSISHKIN, WORLD PRESIDENT OF THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND. FOLLOWING DR. WEIZMANN’S PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE, WHICH WILL BE CONTINUED WEDNESDAY MORNING, DR. ISAAC GRUENBAUM, MEMBER OF THE Zionist Executive, delivered a eulogy of Dr. Nahum Sokolow, former president of the Zionist Organization who died May 17, 1936, in London.
TONHALLE, WHERE THE CONGRESS IS HOLDING ONLY ITS OPENING SESSION, WAS CLOSED FOR THREE HOURS THIS AFTERNOON WHILE A SQUAD OF DETECTIVES CAREFULLY SEARCHED EVERY ROOM FOR POSSIBLE EXPLOSIVES PLANTED BY NAZIS. AFTER THE OPENING SESSION, THE CONGRESS WILL CONVENE IN THE STATE THEATRE HERE FOR A SERIES OF IN CAMERA COMMITTEE MEETINGS TO DEBATE PARTITION.
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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.
