A Week’s Events in Review

On the eve of the elections to the World Zionist Congress this week, the announcement was made by the High Commissioner of Palestine that he will establish the projected Legislative Council under all circumstances.

This is the first official statement made public by the Palestine government to this effect. It shows clearly that Sir Arthur Wauchope, the High Commissioner, means what he says, and that the danger of a legislative assembly in Palestine is imminent.

With only six Jews among thirteen Moslems, five Christians and ten government officials, of which the Legislative Council will be constituted, it is not difficult to understand why Jews of all groups and shades of opinion oppose the establishment of the Legislative Council. This institution, if established, will not only put the Jews on a minority status in Palestine, but will prevent the majority of Jewish immigrants from becoming Palestine citizens, and will definitely hamper Jewish development in Palestine by legislative means.

SEE MALCOLM MACDONALD AS ONLY HOPE

The only hope the Jews can now have is that Malcolm MacDonald, the new Colonial Secretary, who is known for his friendliness to the Zionist cause, may at the last moment step in and discourage the High Commissioner from putting into effect what seems to be his pet plan—to have a legislative assembly in Palestine. It is in connection with this hope that Mr. Ben-Gurion and other leaders of the Zionist Executive are now in London trying to mobilize all their forces before the oncoming storm.

With the high esteem which the High Commissioner of Palestine enjoys in England, it would be too optimistic to expect that he will be defeated if it came to a clash between him and young MacDonald. The outlook is therefore gloomy. And this is the reason all efforts will be made by the Laborites at the next World Zionist Congress to form a coalitionary World Zionist Executive.

Whether a real coalitionary executive will be formed at the Congress is questionable now, after the split which developed in the ranks of the General Zionists at their World Conference in Cracow last week. The split has shown that while the Zionists of England and of part of Poland are inclined to support the present Zionist Executive which is controlled by the Laborites, this is not the case with the Zionists of Palestine, of Galicia and of numerous other countries.

SEE OTHER GROUPS READY TO SECEDE

With the Zionist Federation in Germany sending a large delegation to the Congress this year, it is easy to predict that the present Executive will have a strong majority at the Congress. This, however, does not mean as yet that the Zionist movement as such will emerge stronger from the forthcoming Congress than it is now. On the contrary, indications show that in addition to the Revisionists who are now lost to the Zionist Organization, there are other groups in the Zionist movement which are ready to disassociate themselves from it if the present Congress does not bring peace and unity into Zionist ranks.

The elections to the World Zionist Congress are taking place in America today. Five separate lists of candidates are figuring in the United States. The larger number of candidates will probably be elected on the combined list of the Hadassah and Zionist Organization, but the list of the Laborites will no doubt also draw a large number of votes.

PRIVATE OWNERSHIP IN BIRO-BIDJAN

Perhaps the most outstanding news this week was the decision of the Soviet government to permit Jews in Biro-Bidjan to acquire land as private property.

This decision opens new prospects for Jews in the Bureya. Having a deed from the government that the land is private and that all the farm inventory is private, many Jews will be encouraged to proceed to Biro-Bidjan, knowing that they will be the owners of their farms, the products of which they will be free to sell for their personal benefit.

It would be a mistake to think that the owning of private property in Soviet Russia is permitted in Biro-Bidjan only. Although ninety-five per cent of the farm land in Russia is collectivized, there are still about five per cent of peasants in Russia who stubbornly refuse to join collectives and maintain their land as individual peasants.

SUCCESS DEPENDS ON MEASURE OF AID

While it is difficult for individual colonists to operate in other parts of Soviet Russia, because the rest of the country is collectivized, this difficulty will not be faced to such an extent in Biro-Bidjan, especially since the government itself seems interested in stimulating private agriculture there. The success of the change naturally depends on what facilities the individual Jewish colonist will be given in Biro-Bidjan in comparison with the collectives, which enjoy government credits, preference in transportation and organized marketing of their products.

The experiment of permitting Jews in Biro-Bidjan to own land privately is of great interest also because it indicates that if Biro-Bidjan were really developed i### a Jewish autonomous republ### the Jews there would have lit### to complain of as far as tre###ment from the Soviet central a###thorities is concerned. This aga### brings up the question as ### whether central Jewish organizations abroad should not take ### more active interest in settli### Jews from Poland and other countries in Biro-Bidjan.

BLOW AT ARTISANS; BOYCOTT GROUPS {SPAN}LIQUIDATE###{/SPAN}

The army of impoverished {SPAN}Je###{/SPAN} in Poland was increased {SPAN}th###{/SPAN} week by 50,000 through an {SPAN}or###nance{/SPAN} issued by the Polish {SPAN}go#ernment{/SPAN} affecting the poore class of Jewish artisans. {SPAN}Th###{/SPAN} ordinance was expected and {SPAN}w###{/SPAN} combatted by the Jewish {SPAN}leade###{/SPAN} for many months. It seems, {SPAN}ho###{/SPAN} ever, that the forces interested the economic annihilation of {SPAN}P###lish{/SPAN}Jewry were much {SPAN}strong###{/SPAN} in their efforts than the {SPAN}logic###{/SPAN} arguments of the Jewish {SPAN}repr###{/SPAN} sentatives.

Simultaneously with the iss###ance of this ordinance, the P###lish government also liquidated the anti-Nazi boycott committed which the Jews in Poland ha### established and in which all Jewish groups in Poland were unite### The liquidation of this committee did not come as a surpris### since the Polish government ha### in recent months openly starte on a policy of exhibiting i### friendship for Nazi Germany The surprise was only as to the vulgar manner in which the P###lish authorities invaded the offices of this committee, which was practically established b### the Polish government itself when Poland was not on sue### friendly terms with the Nazis a she is now.

The dissolution of the Jewish community in Wilno, one of the oldest Jewish communities in P### land, was another link in the chain of anti-Jewish acts committed by the Polish authorities last week. The Jewish community of Wilno is highly esteeme### by the Jews all over the world No better evidence of disregard for Jewish feeling could have been given by the Polish government than dissolving this particular community.

NAZIS BAR RALLY OF JEWS; WARN AGAINST RETURNING

There were no anti-Jewish riots in Germany this week but the authorities definitely demon strated their wish to get rid of the Jews by prohibiting a Jewish meeting which was called for the purpose of advising German Jewry to remain in the country despite all difficulties.

That the Nazi government is anxious to see more Jews out of Germany was also made plain this week by the cynical announcement issued by the German Consulate in. Palestine. The announcement warns Jews who are holders of German passports not to return to Germany if they do not wish to be arrested and put in a concentration camp.

In order to encourage a greater Jewish emigration from Germany, Nazi authorities permitted the training of Jewish youth for artisanship in Germany, with the distinct understanding that they are to emigrate as soon as they learn their trade.

BAN ON CAPITAL FLIGHT CHECKS EMIGRATION

With all the anxiety to get rid of as many Jews as possible, the Nazi government will not succeed in reaching its goal for a long time yet since it does not permit