Throw Stones at Emile Vandervelde, Arriving to Address Polish Zionists

Emile Vandervelde, internationally known Socialist leader and Belgian statesman, was welcomed with stones thrown at him by unknown persons, when, accompanied by Mrs. Vandervelde, he arrived Saturday night at the theatre where he was to address a conference arranged by Zionist labor groups.

It was impossible to ascertain by whom the stones were thrown. Mr. and Mrs. Vandervelde escaped injury. Two versions were offered in explanation of the incident. According to one, the stones were thrown by followers of labor opposition groups which oppose the Zionist trend. The other version had it that the stones were thrown by Polish national democratic students. The theatre where the conference was being held is opposite the University garden. Mr. Vandervelde arrived in Warsaw several days ago, coming at the invitation of the Polish Socialist Party. He had consented to address the Zionist labor conference when the Zionist laborite (Continued on Page 4)

leaders invited him. It was at the time reported in the Jewish press that representatives of the Jewish Socialist labor party, Bund, attempted to persuade Mr. Vandervelde against accepting the Zionists’ invitation. The struggle between the Zionists and the Socialists in the Jewish labor ranks in Poland is so fierce that when Mr. Vandervelde did not accede to the suggestion of the Bund leaders, the Bund decided to boycott all social functions in his honor.

There were 799 delegates, representing 285 towns, at the conference. Representatives of the labor organizations, Right Poale Zion, Hitachduth, Hashomer Hazair and He’Chalutz, participated. The Orthodox labor organization, Dath V’Avodah, declined to participate because the conference was opened on the Sabbath. The Left Poale Zion party issued a proclamation in which the Right was criticized.

Mr. and Mrs. Vandervelde were the principal speakers of the evening. Mrs. Vandervelde reported on her impressions of Palestine during a recent visit and expressed her admiration for the Jewish women of Palestine.

Mr. Vandervelde in a lengthy address described the achievements of the Jewish workers in Palestine and the results achieved in the country in the combination of Socialism and Zionism. He has great belief in the future of the Palestine work and in the Socialist achievements of the Jewish workers in the country. A notable feature of his address was his determined stand in favor of the extension of the Jewish Agency. The speaker warmly polemized with the opponents of the extension policy and stated he is convinced that the consummation of the Agency plan will be of great significance for the development of the country.

The conference, held under the slogan, “For Working Palestine was opened by the Palestine laborite” leader, Ben Zvi, who spoke in Yiddish and Hebrew. M. Sprinzak, another Palestine labor leader, addressed the delegates, dwelling in particular on the right against Zionism being carried on by the Jewish labor party, Bund.

Messages of greeting were received from Paul Loebe, Socialist leader and Speaker of the German Reichstag; Leon Blum, French Socialist leader, and others. The absence of representatives of the Polish Socialist Party was noted. It was stated that this was due to the influence of the Bund.

Representatives of the Jewish Community at Hoboken, N. J., at an informal meeting at the Jewish Community Center, called to consider the advisability of pooling community resources for planning and financing philanthropic projects, passed a resolution endorsing the idea of a Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and formulated a program of action looking toward the establishment of such an agency.

Harry Goldowsky, president of the Jewish Center, was elected temporary chairman of the tentative organization created to study the possibilities of the proposed Jewish community chest.