Zionist Executive Replies to Agudah Charges in Memorandum to League

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

A reply to the charges of the Agudath Israel, Orthodox world organization, was made for the first time in the history of the Zionist movement by the Zionist Executive in its memorandum submitted to the Secretary General of the League of Nations for the information of the Permanent Mandates Commission.

Describing the efforts of the Jewish community in Palestine to reach a form of organization which would bring the recognition of the Palestine government, the memorandum refers to the complaints of the Ashkenazic community of Jerusalem, which were brought to the attention of the Permanent Mandates Commission at its last session.

The memorandum of the Zionist Executive declares:

“As explained by the Accredited British Representative at the Seventh Session of the Permanent Mandates Commission. the Ashkenasic community in question is a body with a membership of about 1,200. It thus forms only a small proportion of the Ashkenasic Jews of Jerusalem and an insignificant proportion of the Jews of Palestine as a whole. Its trifling numbers are in themselves no reason for disregarding its legitimate demands, but they have some bearing on the demands which, in the submission of the Zionist Organization, it is entitled to make. The view of the Zionist Organization is that, for the purposes for which the Communities Ordinance has been framed, the Jewish community must clearly be the community which comprises the overwhelming majority of the Jewish population. Statutory recognition as a second Jewish community on the same footing cannot reasonably be claimed by a group consisting of a few hundred families. What such a group has a right to expect is unrestricted liberty of conscience. It is fully entitled to its own conception of Jewish belief and practice. If it prefers to dissociate itself from the bulk of the Jewish population, it should be free to do so, and to organize itself on a voluntary basis As regards the question of Shechita (ritual killing), the existence in one area of two competing Shechita authorities must inevitably have a variety of undesirable consequences. It is, therefore, important that Shechita should be under the administrative control of a single body representing all the interests concerned, but without prejudice to the right of any particular group of Jews to have their meat killed by slaughterers of their own choosing. If the group here in question have any doubts as to the qualifications of slaughterers certified by the Chief Rabbinate of Palestine, there is no reason why they should not nominate slaughterers of their own. The Zionist Organization, in short, is of opinion that the conscientious convictions of this, as of any other religious group, should be rigorously respected, and no proposal inconsistent with this principle has been or will be made.

“As regards the Agudath Israel, the Zionist Organization has no desire to discuss in detail the character and status of this body or to disparage any constructive achievements which it may have to its credit in Palestine. It need only be observed in passin that those achievements have, up to the present, been inconsiderable. Wha the Zionist Organization feels it necesary to point out is that there is no foundation for the claim which the Agudath would appear to have made to speak in a representative capacity for traditional Judaism and to comforward as the champion of its interests. Adherents of traditional Judaism numbering many hundreds of thousands are members of the Zionis: Organization or actively associated with the Zionist work. Nor does the Zionist Organization, in discharging its functions as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, regard its duty as being owed merely to its own supporters. It deens itself a trustee for the Jewish people as a whole. In the selection of immigrants, as in other matters with which the Jewish Agency is called upon to deal. Jews holding the views advocated by the Agudath are under no disability or disadvantage. The Zionist Organization declines to distinguish between one Jew and another according to his particular shade of religious belief. This it regards as a matter for the individual conscience, and it cannot admit that members of the Agudath Israel are entitled, as such, to privileged treatment. On the other hand, there can equally be no question of discriminating against them, and the alegations which have been made to the contrary are without any foundation in fact. These allegations are believed to relate more parucularly to the allotment of immigration certificates within the quota periodically assigned by the Government of Palestine to the Zionist Organization as the Jewish Agency. The Zionist Organization desires, therefore, to state categorically that, in distributing these certificates, its representatives in the various emigration centres have instructions, which are strictly complied with, to act with complete objectivity and to deal with every case on its individual merits. An immigrant’s shade of religious belief has no bearing on his prospects of making a successful settler, and applicants holding Agudist views, like applicants holding any other views. are dealt with, and will continue to be dealt with, solely by reference to their relevant qualifications.”