Jewish Leaders Stress Yishub’s Unity Before Royal Commission

Isaac Ben Zvi, representing the Jewish community, told the Royal Commission of Inquiry today that the Palestine Jews had on several occasions made peace overtures to the Arabs, but that the efforts were unsuccessful.

Together with Rabbi Frank, testifying about Jewish religious courts, and Rabbi Amalieh, representing the Oriental Jews in Palestine, Mr. Ben Zvi stressed the unity of the Jews in the Holy Land. He said that the Kneseth Israel, embracing a large majority of Palestine’s Jews, fully associates itself with Zionist aims.

Sir Horace Rumbold, a member of the commission, asked:

"You issued proclamations to the Arabs for peace?"

"Yes, several times," replied the Jewish leader.

Sir Horace asked whether they had been unsuccessful, and Mr. Ben Zvi answered, "Unfortunately."

Rabbi Frank declared that there were no religious differences in the Jewish community, adding that the Bible, the land and the Hebrew language united all, Rabbi Amalieh said that the Oriental Jews, who number a quarter of the Jews in Palestine, associate themselves with Zionist aims.

MISS SZOLD PROTESTS LOW HEALTH BUDGET

Henrietta Szold, founder of Hadassah, organization of American women Zionists, complained that the Palestine Government was allotting too little funds for health activities and social work. Miss Szold, who was born in Baltimore, is now directing the settlement of Jewish children in Palestine.

A similar complaint was voiced by Dr. Israel J. Kligler, director of the Hygiene Department of the Hebrew University and of the Nathan and Lena Straus Hadassah Health Center in Jerusalem. The latter was founded in the name of the late New York philanthropist and his wife.

Joseph Lurie and Eliahu Berligne, of the Jewish National Council of Palestine, declared that the Government was not making sufficient allocations for education.

In reply to these complaints, Sir Laurie Hammond, a member of the commission, argued that public security came first. He pointed out that the recent disorders had resulted in a Government budget of £2,250,000 (about $11,250,000) as compared with £1,700,000 (about $2,500,000) in 1929.