The reports that the Soviet government has refused to hand over to the Agro-Yid Organization in Poland the work of settling Polish Jews in Biro-Bidjan should not be interpreted to mean that the Soviet government does not wish to admit Polish Jews for Biro-Bidjan settlement.
Jewish leaders in America who know the sentiments of the Soviet government are quite confident that the doors of Soviet Russia will be easily opened for Polish Jews in the very near future. The Soviet government wishes, however, that the organization which will direct the migration of Polish Jews to Biro-Bidjan should be the one best fitted to do so—which is not the case with the Agro-Yid.
AGRO-YID AND J.D.C.
Faced with the pressing needs of millions of Polish Jews, a small group of Jewish territorialists organized themselves with the idea of negotiating with the Soviet government to have Polish Jews admitted to the Jewish autonomous region in the Far East. This is how the Agro-Yid was formed. The leaders of the new organization entertained the hope that its activities would be financed by the Joint Distribution Committee. This hope was stressed by Dr. Suritz, delegate of the Agro-Yid, when he conducted his recent negotiations with the Soviet government in Moscow.
The Soviet authorities, willing to admit Jews from Poland, are however of the opinion that the work of transporting the Polish Jews to Soviet Russia must be carried out not by an unknown organization, such as the Agro-Yid, but by organizations with funds and experience, such as the Agro-Joint or the Jewish Colonization Association. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, on the other hand, is of the opinion that if it is ever to start any settling of Polish Jews in Biro-Bidjan it could do the work directly, and not necessarily through the Agro-Yid or any other organization.
SOVIET CONDITIONS
It is for this reason that the Soviet government has now made it clear to the Agro-Yid that it would not recognize its activities since it has no serious backing. At the same time, the Soviet government is definitely ready to recognize and to encourage the transportation of Polish Jews only if the work is done by a responsible organization such as the Agro-Joint.
The fact that the Soviet government does not want to hand over to the Agro-Yid the supervision of transporting Polish Jews to Biro-Bidjan only indicates the seriousness with which the Soviet authorities approach the entire matter. This in itself is perhaps the best guarantee that Polish Jews, when proceeding to Biro-Bidjan, will be treated there in the mest responsible manner.
SERIOUS ACTIVITIES EXPECTED
Agro-Yid or no Agro-Yid, but the problem of settling, Polish Jews in Biro-Bidjan is far from being tabled. On the contrary, serious activities toward the solution of this problem may be expected in the very near future. The recommendations of Dr. Joseph Rosen, in whom American Jewry has the greatest confidence, are the best guarantees that the settlement of Polish Jews in Biro-Bidjan can be carried out successfully providing it is handled by an experienced organization.
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.
