The five-day convention of the Poale Zion-Zeire Zion closed here tonight after having eulogized Berl Locker, Labor Zionist leader, and greeted the Palestine workers who “stood in the picket line to preserve and protect the cardinal rights of Jewish work in Jewish industrial enterprises in Palestine.”
Problems of Palestine activity, cultural and trade union workers in America, and Socialism occupied the delegates for the greater part of the day.
The convention sent its blessings to the Palestine workers “who, in a spirit of self-sacrifice exposed themselves to danger by standing on the picket line.”
“In this struggle,” the resolution stated, “our comrades are giving expression to the true conception of Zionism. They are safeguarding the possibility for Jewish labor which is created by the increase in Jewish immigration into Palestine.”
The convention paid tribute to Berl Locker, Zionist Labor leader, on his report which he presented concerning the situation in Zionism and the activities of the Zionist executive during the year.
*Pick up 2nd para natl. edit. p. 8*
Berl Locker, Laborite member of the World Zionist Executive, on Saturday discussed the basic discrepancies between Marxian Socialism and the abstract Socialism described at length by Chaim Greenberg at the Friday evening session.
Prior to Greenberg’s address there had been a talk by Professor Fineman, who had discussed the necessity of the group’s affiliation with the Socialist Party of America.
Professor Fineman advocated the desirability of considering possible amalgamation with the Jewish Socialist Verband, provided freedom of Poale Zion-Zeire Zion and the views of opposition groups could be adequately safeguarded.
Such amalgamation would be for the benefit to the Jewish labor movement and the Socialist movement as a whole, in Professor Fineman’s opinion.
SEGAL OPPOSED VIEW
In contrast were the views, expressed by Louis Segal, general secretary of the Jewish National Workers’ Alliance, who declared there is no possibility of a merger of this sort, even with respect to Socialist activities, because “our Zionist activities also are Socialist activities.”
“It is our aim,” Segal said, “to carry on our work among the Jewish masses in order to agitate them to the recognition of the necessity of Socialistic upbuilding in Palestine.”
Segal sees no possibility of establishing a neutral set-up. He is for Poale Zion-Zeire Zion’s amalgamation with the Socialist Party of America as a separate and distinct Yiddish federation.
Saturday afternoon’s session concerned itself with discussion of the party’s cultural activities. Segal read a report, prepared by Joel Entin, on the progress of the Jewish folk schools in America.
The Poale Zion-Zeire Zion has been interested in these schools for twenty years. Entin’s report included mention of sixty elementary schools, four high schools and the Jewish Teachers’ Seminary for summer camps maintained by the party together with the Jewish National Workers Alliance.
ADVOCATES EXPANSION
Popular education also has been carried on through lectures, seminaries, courses in literature and in the history of the Socialist and Zionist movement, the report stated.
Entin recommended continuation and expar#ion of the work in the interest of educating the Jewish masses.
He also proposed that activities be undertaken immediately to organize Jewish communities to carry out educational, cultural and philantropic activities on a more democratic basis.
The masses contribute to the communal activities but do not participate because of the concentration of control on the part of a few, he declared. These activities, he said, should include the fundamental principle of Jewish nationalism.
Saturday evening’s banquet was attended by nearly 700 persons, who heard readings and talks by Mr. Steinberg, representing the Zionist Organization; Mrs. Harry Berkman of Hadassah; Juda Pilch of the Jewish National Fund; Joseph Sprinzak, Chaim Greenberg, Goldie Myerson, David Rebelski and David Wertheim.
URGES WIDER AJC EFFORT
At the session before the banquet, H. Ehrenreich spoke about the American Jewish Congress.
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