EMBROILED TO THE END IN BITTER CONTROVERSY OVER THE PROPOSED TRIPARTITION OF PALESTINE, THE TWENTIETH WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS CONCLUDED A FOURTEEN DAY SESSION AT FIVE O’CLOCK THIS AFTERNOON AFTER RE-ELECTING DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD ZIONIST ORGANIZATION FOR HIS SEVENTH TWO-YEAR TERM.
DR. WEIZMANN, WHO WILL BE 64 YEARS OLD IN NOVEMBER, HAS BEEN AT THE ZIONIST HELM SINCE 1921, RELINQUISHING IT ONLY FOR A FOUR-YEAR INTERVAL BETWEEN 1931 AND 1935.
AFTER HAVING BEEN DEADLOCKED ON THE ISSUE FOR TWO DAYS, THE CONGRESS ALSO REELECTED THE PRESENT EXECUTIVE, WHICH HAS BEEN EMPOWERED TO NEGOTIATE WITH GREAT BRITAIN ON ITS PROPOSAL TO CREATE A JEWISH STATE IN PALESTINE, ADDING THREE ASSISTANT MEMBERS. THE DEADLOCK, WHICH PROLONGED THE CONGRESS BEYOND ITS SCHEDULED CLOSING YESTERDAY, WAS PRECIPITATED BY THE DEMAND OF THE MIZRACHI (RELIGIOUS ZIONIST) ORGANIZATION FOR ADDED REPRESENTATION ON THE EXECUTIVE.
THE MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE IN ADDITION TO DR. WEIZMANN ARE: DAVID BEN-GURION, PROF. SELIG BRODETSKY, ISAAC GRUENBAUM, RABBI J. L. FISHMAN, ELIEZER KAPLAN, DR. F. ROTTENSTREICH AND MOSHE SHERTOK.
MENACHEM MENDEL USSISHKIN, 74-YEAR-OLD ZIONIST VETERAN WHO LED THE FIGHT AGAINST ACCEPTANCE OF ANYTHING LESS THAN A JEWISH STATE OCCUPYING THE BIBLICAL BOUNDARIES OF PALESTINE, WAS RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE ZIONIST GENERAL COUNCIL, SUPREME ZIONIST BODY IN INTERVALS BETWEEN CONGRESSES.
MR. USSISHKIN WAS GIVEN THE RIGHT TO SIT WITH THE EXECUTIVE. THE ASSISTANT MEMBERS NAMED TO THE EXECUTIVE ARE ABRAHAM DOBKIN OF PALESTINE, THE REV. MAURICE L. PERLZWEIG OF ENGLAND, AND MOSHE SHAPIRO, REPRESENTING THE MIZRACHI LABORITES. THEY ARE PRESUMABLY GIVEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN THE EXECUTIVE ON MATTERS AFFECTING THEIR DEPARTMENTS.
ORDERS NEW POLITICAL BODY SET UP IN LONDON
THE CONGRESS ALSO ELECTED SEVENTY MEMBERS TO THE ZIONIST GENERAL COUNCIL AND INSTRUCTED THE COUNCIL TO ESTABLISH A POLITICAL COMMITTEE IN LONDON. THE COMMITTEE IS TO INCLUDE ALL ZIONIST FACTIONS AND IS TO COOPERATE WITH THE EXECUTIVE IN ALL POLITICAL MATTERS.
THE CONCLUDING SESSION, AT WHICH THE ZIONIST NATIONAL ANTHEM HATIKVAH WAS SUNG BY THE 483 DELEGATES AND HUNDREDS OF GUESTS, WAS ADDRESSED BY DR. WEIZMAN, RABBI STEPHEN S. WISE OF NEW YORK AND MR. USSISHKIN.
BY RE-ELECTING DR. WEIZMANN, THE CONGRESS PLACED A FINAL STAMP OF APPROVAL ON THE POLICY OF NEGOTIATION WITH GREAT BRITAIN FOR CREATION OF AN INDEPENDENT JEWISH STATE, WHICH HE HAD GUIDED THROUGH A STORMY SESSION TO ACCEPTANCE.
DR. WEIZMANN SAID HE WAS GREATLY WORRIED OVER THE QUESTION OF PUBLIC SECURITY IN PALESTINE DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD. HE VOICED CONFIDENCE THAT GREAT BRITAIN WOULD DO ITS DUTY TO PRESERVE ORDER.
THE ZIONIST PRESIDENT APPEALED TO WORLD JEWRY, IN VIEW OF THE DANGER OF ECONOMIC INSTABILITY, TO ASSIST PALESTINE ECONOMICALLY AND TO MOBILIZE ALL ITS POWERS NOT TO PERMIT A PAUSE IN THE UPBUILDING WORK.
RABBI WISE, ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING OPPONENTS OF DR. WEIZMANN’S POLICY, PROMISED THAT THE AMERICAN DELEGATION WOULD SEE TO IT THAT AMERICAN JEWRY GAVE TO PALESTINE MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.
EIGHT DELEGATES REPRESENTING THE JEWISH STATE PARTY, WHICH OPPOSED NEGOTIATIONS WITH GREAT BRITAIN, VOTED AGAINST BOTH DR. WEIZMANN AND THE EXECUTIVE, AND STRODE FROM THE HALL AFTER THE ELECTION RESULTS WERE ANNOUNCED.
$8,000,000 ZIONIST FUNDS TO BE SOUGHT
AMONG THE RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE CONGRESS WAS ONE CALLING FOR THE RAISING OF $8,000,000 TO PROMOTE VARIOUS PHASES OF ZIONIST WORK IN AND OUT OF PALESTINE.
THIS RESOLUTION WAS ACCOMPANIED BY AN APPEAL TO THE JEWS OF THE WORLD TO SUPPORT ZIONIST FUND-RAISING EFFORTS “IN THIS DECISIVE HOUR FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND FOR OUR HISTORIC HOMELAND.”
“THE TWENTIETH ZIONIST CONGRESS EMPHASIZES THE SPECIAL IMPORTANCE OF THE CONTINUANCE OF UPBUILDING WORK IN ERETZ ISRAEL, PARTICULARLY WITH THE AID OF THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND AND THE PALESTINE FOUNDATION FUND,” THE APPEAL SAYS.
THE FOUNDATION FUND WILL HAVE TO COLLECT NO LESS THAN $3,000,000 IN THE COMING YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE RESOLUTION, WHILE THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND IS EXPECTED TO RAISE ABOUT $5,000,000 IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS. THE RESOLUTION SAID THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND IN THE LAST TWO YEARS RAISED FOUR-FIFTHS OF THE $5,000,000 GOAL SET BY THE NINETEENTH CONGRESS.
OTHER RESOLUTIONS WERE.
1. FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A PENSION FUND FOR AGED ZIONIST WORKERS.
2. PROVIDING MEASURES FOR ALLEVIATING ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AMONG THE PALESTINE JEWISH WORKERS.
3. APPROVING THE BUILDING OF THE TEL AVIV HARBOR AND EMPOWERING THE EXECUTIVE TO ENCOURAGE THE RAISING OF FUNDS IN PALESTINE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE PORT.
4. EXPRESSING SATISFACTION AT THE CREATION OF THE JEWISH MARITIME LEAGUE TO ENCOURAGE JEWISH SHIPPING AND FISHING, AND APPEALING FOR WORLD JEWISH SUPPORT.
5. ASKING MEASURES TO CHECK DUMPING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES IN PALESTINE.
6. REQUESTING THE EXECUTIVE TO INCREASE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF HEBREW THEATRES, MUSIC AND EDUCATION.
7. THE LABOR RESOLUTION, INTRODUCED BY THE LABOR COMMISSION, EMPHASIZES THAT WORKERS’ CONDITIONS IN PALESTINE ARE BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT AND CALLS FOR SPECIAL EFFORTS FOR IMMEDIATE ALLEVIATION. IT APPEALS TO PALESTINE JEWRY TO MOBILIZE ALL FORCES FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE ECONOMIC SITUATION AND EMPOWERS THE EXECUTIVE AND THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE TO TAKE NECESSARY MEASURES TO THE SAME END.
THE CONGRESS ALSO VOTED $125,000 TO THE SHARE HOLDING CORPORATION, “BITZUR,” TO UNDERTAKE URGENT PUBLIC WORKS, IN ADDITION TO THE ACTIVITIES TO BE CONDUCTED BY THE LABOR DEPARTMENT OF THE EXECUTIVE.
REGARDING DUMPING, THE CONGRESS RESOLUTION EMPOWERS THE EXECUTIVE TO DEMAND THAT THE PALESTINE GOVERNMENT RECONSIDER EXISTING TRADE AGREEMENTS AND MODIFY THEM IN THE INTERESTS OF PALESTINIAN AGRICULTURE, AND TO TAKE LEGAL MEASURES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY LAND’S AGRICULTURE AGAINST DUMPING. THE EXECUTIVE WAS ALSO INSTRUCTED TO ASK FOR AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE 18 OF THE PALESTINE MANDATE, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BY PALESTINE AGAINST THE GOODS OF ANY STATE WHICH IS A MEMBER OF NATIONS.
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.
