The Zionist opposition conference, converied for Sunday, April 29, at the Hamilton Hotel, Washington, D.C., has for its purpose the reorganization of the Zionist Organization of American, according to further information contained in statements made public yesterday by Jacob de Haas.
About one hundred Zionists from thirty-four cities, mainly in the eastern states, have singed the call to the conference. Among the conveners are Judge Julian W. Mack, Prof. Felix Frankfurter and Dr. Harry Friedenwald of Baltimore, who took a leading part in the administration of the Zionist Organization of America prior to the Cleveland conference in 1921; Samuel J. Rosensohn, former chairman of the Finance Committee, and Lawrence Berenson, former member of the administrative committee who resigned from their offices upon the arrival of Dr. Weizmann in this country.
The list also includes the names of M. A. Zeldin, former director of the New York United Palestine Appeal; Israel Goldberg, formerly in charge of the publicity department of the Zionist Organization of America, who attacked the Lipsky administration at the Atlantic City convention in 1927; A. H. Fromenson, Abraham Tulin, who was a member of the political commission at the Basle Congress and, with Dr. Wise, differed with Dr. Weizmann on the appointment of a permanent political committee to aid the Zionist leader in his negotiations with the mandatory power; Johann Smertenko of the League of Zionist Revisionists; Robert Szold, Julius I. Peyser of Washington. Jacob de Haas, Julius Meyer of Boston, Michael Salit and Rabbi Norman Salit.
The name of Dr. Stephen S. Wise does not appear among the conveners.
No officer of the Hadassah, Women’s Zionist Organization, whose national board passed a resolution of “no confidence” in the present administration at a meeting held last Sunday has signed the call and as far as could be ascertained, no officer of the Hadassah will participate in he proceedings of the conference.
That the Washington conference will not aim at secession from the Zionist organization of America and that it is no attempt “to re-open old controversies” is the assurance given in a statement issued by Mr. de Haas in behalf of the conference committee. The statement read:
“Certain statements which have appoared in the public prints have apparently beclouded the purpose and objective of the Conference to be held in Washington on April 29th. It should therefore be made dear that:
“1. This is not a ‘secession’ movement. Those participating are Zionists, devoted to the movement and interested in the organization, who far from seceding, seek a charnge in Z.O.A, administration and policies, and are determined to make their views known.
“2. This call signed by individuals representing many viewpoints and widely ## is evidence that this conference is not ## by personal motives but ## to a ## recognized in many parts of the country.
“3. This is a conference of American Zi## who wish to deal with the administrative ## and the policies posonal by and through the Z. O. A. in Palestine and in the United States.
“4. This is ## an ## to reopen have old ## Men and women who have deference in the pust and who feel that the ## American Zionist ## has filied of ## purpose have ## in this ## effort in the hope that they can help in establishing an administration that will ##
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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.
