one, that the Revisionist Union is the sole bearer of Jewish State Zionism, which engages in independent activity in all fields of State upbuilding, while exercising influence on other pro-Zionist bodies is no more than a means to be employed when and insofar as it appears useful and opportune.
“The sentimental attitude of looking to the ‘conquering of the Congress’ must stop,” Mr. Jabotinsky declared. “It may seem very desirable, and the time may come when all of us, without exception, will join in it, but it is not the ‘sacred duty’, nor any ‘duty’ at all of the Union.
“The real successor to the Zionist Organization created by Herzl is the Union of Zionist Revisionists, and its ‘duty’ is to work for the upbuilding of the Jewish State. However hard the task may be, however young and weak we may still be, I am convinced that in our root, our trunk and our branches we have the potential power to carry through this task.
“People remind us what happened to the Territorialists. That has nothing to do with us. Territorialism repudiated Palestine, and therefore was condemned to fail.
“Our idea is Palestine as a Jewish State, an idea which expresses the quintessence of the Jewish soul. The failure or success of an organization depends primarily on whether it pursues bad or good aims. It is not true that the Revisionist masses will not follow us. It is true that a large section of these masses regard it as a very important task to save and improve the Zionist Organization.
“If we had forbidden them to take the shekel, they would have found it very painful. We did not do that. I shall always be against any such prohibition from our side. But now the Zionist Organization is demanding in return for the shekel that we must give up all independent political action, which has been unanimously approved by our five World Congresses. I am convinced that our masses will reject this demand.
“When the Jewish Agency was formed in Zurich in 1929, many of us were afraid that our non-participation in what was at the time a very popular movement would deprive us of influence. The fact is, however, that since 1929 our movement has grown immensely, while the Agency, without our participation, has declined into a tedious, futile body, which is now regarded without sympathy in every quarter.
“I am in favor, however, of leaving the question of the nature and the mission of the Union to the Party Council. There is only one thing to decide. Can the Union in its independent political activity count on the active cooperation of all its members? Is our central office to be transferred to Geneva—a step which means something only if we are determined to negotiate with the world factors?
“Is the Executive Committee to organize the petition movement? The Berlin Congress Court has tried to prohibit all this to those Revisionists who take the Shekel. I am here in Berlin to demand a clear answer,” Mr. Jabotinsky stated.
Richard Lichtheim, former Vice-President of the Revisionist World Union, spoke in opposition to Mr. Jabotinsky during the discussion in which many other delegates took part.
The Conference then adopted the following resolution: “This Conference of the German Revisionists, consisting of representatives of all shades of Revisionism, renews its declaration that it desires the Revisionist World Union to continue its independent activity in the political field, as well as in all other fields of Jewish State Zionism. It therefore calls for the transference of the Executive Committee of the World Union to Geneva, and for the petition movement to be carried through.”
Dr. Bloch, Richard Lichtheim, Dr. Arnsberg, Dr. Goldwasser and Dr. Schloss were elected to the Party Council.
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.
