The series of conferences which made New York the focal point of all Jewish eyes concluded last week. Outstanding among the developments were the renewed repudiation by the American Jewish Committee of the world Jewish congress project and the appeal to all Jewry to aid the Jews of Poland issued by a special conference of Polish-American organizations.
The American Jewish Committee, in its twenty-eighth annual meeting, after hearing the report of Dr. Cyrus Adler, president, and an address by Neville Laski, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, unanimously voted opposition to the world congress and to the American Jewish Congress scheme for a national plebiscite of Jews here for an enlarged congress.
Dr. Adler’s report covered the situation in Germany and other countries and Nazi propaganda activities here. The report also revealed hope that Russia will relent in its attitude toward religious Jewish elements there.
The extraordinary relief conference, meeting here almost at the same time that a conclave of leaders of Polish Jewry in Warsaw issued an appeal for immediate succor, charged that the economic policy of the government of Poland was largely responsible for the predicament of its Jewish citizens.
A series of resolutions calling upon the Polish government to remove disabilities against Jews and upon American Jews of Polish origin to rush to the aid of their co-religionists was adopted by the session.
The National Conference of Jewish Welfare, which brought outstanding communal leaders and social workers together here from all parts of the country, ended its four days of meetings with a brilliant discussion on American Jewry’s course of future action, which found Dr. Mordecai M. Kaplan and Professor Morris R. Cohen stressing diametrically opposed lines of thought.
The conference also heard Joseph Schlossberg, general secretary of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, accuse certain classes of Jewish manufacturers of discrimination against Jewish employes and “economic anti-Semitism.”
The American Nazi movement received a sharp setback when Supreme Court Justice McGoldrick refused to grant the application of the League of Friends of New Germany for a New York State charter of incorporation.
THE NAZI SETBACK
A decision by Supreme Court Justice Valente rejected the application of the Schnuch faction of the organization for a temporary injunction against the Haegele putschists who now rule New York Nazidom. In denying the injunction, Justice Valente stipulated that Haegele must agree to an immediate trial on the issues involved. In his decision Justice Valente denounced the “leadership principle” on which the league is based and declared it would not be upheld by the courts.
Congress took an interest in the Nazi situation as a result of a number of bills introduced in the House to meet the situation. One would extend the life of the McCormack committee for another month. Others would prevent alien propaganda here.
William Dudley Pelley, head of the Silver Shirts, went on trial in Asheville, N. C., on charges of violating the state securities laws in the sale of stock of the Gallahad Press, publishers of Liberation magazine.
THE EUROPEAN SITUATION
Europe went about its business last week with its major attention riveted on the tiny Saar Valley where Nazis and anti-Nazis were engaged in a bitter last-minute duel before the plebiscite which is to determine the Saarland’s fate. The international patrols were held in readiness all week as clashes between anti-Nazis and Hitlerites were reported throughout the district.
An interesting revelation, giving some light on Austria’s repeated and pious denials of anti-Semitism there, was made during the week when the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that London bankers had made equality for Jews one of the conditions of an Austrian loan. This was not so much out of principle but out of sound banking practice which dictates that a country with an aggressive anti-Jewish program is not a safe financial investment.
Despite the pledges of Finance Minister Karl Buresch, none of the anti-Jewish measures enacted in Austria, so far as could be learned, has been withdrawn.
Czechoslovakia, which bore a great share of the burden of caring for refugees from Germany, particularly in the early days of the Hitler regime, found its resources so strained by the effort that it was compelled to deprive some 2,000 refugees of work permits in order to leave the jobs available for Czech citizens.
THE POLISH SITUATION
Conditions in Poland remained unchanged during the week, with no improvement or serious change noted. The usual score or more of Nara attacks were reported; one or two arrests were made. The Nara press appeared a little bolder in tone in its comments against the Jews. The government made no move to reply to the plea of the Polish Jewish leaders for economic assistance and removal of disabilities imposed on the Jews.
In Warsaw, a Jewish refugee from Germany hurled a bottle through a window of the German embassy in solitary protest against persecution of Jews by Hitler. Revisionists stoned the British embassy in protest against cancellation of citizenship of Achemeier and Yevin, Palestine Revisionists.
In England, a group led by Sir Robert Waley Cohen, formed a corporation known as Jewish Resettlements Company, to aid refugees rehabilitate themselves. In Paris, a new world organization, EMCOL, Association for Jewish Emigration and Colonization, was established to promote Jewish emigration and colonization.
In Germany, indications arose that the Hitler government would shortly take steps to disenfranchise all Jews and other “non-Aryans.” Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick revealed that it was the intention of the government to enforce the plank of the Nazi platform dealing with those of non-German blood in relation to the State.
At the same time, it became known that Jewish doctors might be re-employed in Berlin clinics. A new decree forbade Jewish scholars from attaining the rank of professor.
PALESTINE
In Palestine, the new land tax system, raising the taxes on land used by citrus plantations and reducing the assessments on grain-producing lands, was to go into effect. The ordinance calls for a levy of $4.10 on each dunam of land cultivated for orange plantations. It is feared that the levy may affect the export of citrus products — the largest proportion of Palestine’s exports — and will amount to about ten per cent of the average plantation income. Representations by the Jewish Agency against the levy were unavailing.
The government went ahead with the long-expected project of improving Tel Aviv’s shipping facilities by initiating work on the dredging and widening of the Yarkon River estuary which will aid considerably in relieving congestion in Jaffa harbor.
The government reported a surplus for November of $808,265. The Vaad Leumi cabled an appeal to the League of Nations to aid the Jews of the Saar after Sunday’s plebiscite by protecting their rights. A report by Haavara, Ltd., disclosed that barter transactions amounting to $4,500,000 were consummated between Germany and Palestine during 1934.
THE REVISIONIST CONFERENCE
The World Revisionist Conference, meeting in Krakow, faced a serious conflict over the question of maximalist demands passed by a strong facton of the conference, including a majority of the Palestine delegation. The question of a complete split from the World Zionist Organization and establishment of a new World Zionist Congress, was brought to the conference floor by Wolfgang von Weisl. Vladimir Jabotinsky, head of the organization, left the meeting in protest.
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.
