Dr. Stephen S. Wise, Rabbi of the Free Synagogue of New York and oppositional Zionist leader who sailed on the steamer “Berengaria” for the United States declared before his departure that a truce between the warring factions within the Zionist movement must now be established. He was cooperating closely with Dr. Weizmann although he had found it necessary to refuse serving on the Council of the Jewish Agency.
“I could if I chose to bring to mind the warnings which have been uttered during the last three Congresses against the peril growing out of the English policy of non-cooperation in Palestine and its effect on the Arab attitude, but I forbear. This is a time for a truce within the Zionist camp and common action in behalf of our common cause,” Dr. Wise stated.
“Unlike the Arabs who proclaim in advance their lack of faith in the findings of the parliamentary commission of inquiry, we Jews have the fullest faith in the commission and the justice of its future report. While it is good to note that the British Colonial Office declares there will be no deviation from the policy of the Palestine Mandate, one wishes MacDonald might have indulged himself in the luxury of some wholesome human indignation at what the High Commissioner of Palestine called ‘the savagery of the Arab attacks upon the Jews’, ” Dr. Wise continued.
Dr. Wise further urged that Dr. Weizmann proceed immediately to the United States. “He is needed in America today for we have reasons to know that doubts and misgivings obtain in American Jewry concerning the future of the Zionist movement. What attitude American Jewry will take on the touching problem of the Jewish resettlement of Palestine will depend largely on the outcome of an all-American Jewish conference with Dr. Weizmann present. He will hardly be tempted to err on the side of optimism. Dr. Weizmann cannot continue in the leadership of the Zionist movement unless he achieves, as we have a right to expect, the fullest measure of cooperation on the part of the British government in facilitating-to use the terms of he Balfour Declaration-the establish (Continued on Page 8>
ment of the Jewish National Home in Palestine,” Dr. Wise concluded.
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.
