Election of Brodetsky As Deputies’ Chief Seen Spur to Congress Cooperation

Formal election of Prof. Selig Brodetsky on Sunday as president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews is expected to result in accentuation of the movement for closer cooperation between the Board and the World Jewish Congress, for which the preliminary basis has already been established by an agreement for cooperation in the technical work of preparing material in connection with the presentation of Jewish views to the ultimate peace conference.

For the present, it is understood that there are not likely to be any efforts to secure the Board’s formal affiliation with the Congress for several reasons, the chief one being the adverse effect that such a move might have on efforts to achieve unity here with regard to major problems arising from the war and the peace conference, and endeavors to assure that British Jewry speaks with one voice on these questions. It is likely, however, that this question will be raised next May when the present treaty with the Anglo-Jewish Association on the Joint Foreign Committee expires and the question of renewal comes up for decision.

Prof. Brodetsky has already conferred with the Rothschild group and other elements in the community on the question of ensuring that the Board’s war-time executive committee will be representative of all elements. The result of these talks is reported to have been successful and it is expected, consequently, that Anthony de Rothschild and Simon Marks will be coopted for the executive committee as one of the five deputies who are to be included in the committee in accordance with the constitutional amendment which is to be voted Sunday.

As further evidence of the desire for unity, the Zionists in the Board are strongly supporting Sir Robert Waley Cohen’s resolution of thanks to Mr. Laski, which will be moved on Sunday with the Rev. Maurice L. Perlzweig seconding.

Meanwhile, the Jewish Chronicle editorially voices misgivings about the election of Prof. Brodetsky. The weekly expresses the fear that his activities as president of the Board and member of the Jewish Agency Executive, coupled with his university duties (he is professor of applied mathematics at the University of Leads) will prove too much for him. It also states that Prof. Brodetsky’s Zionist activities may result in the danger that any representations he may make at White-hall as the spokesman of Anglo-Jewry “will be treated merely as an echo of Great Russell Street” (Zionist headquarters). There may conceivably come a time, the magazine concludes, when he will have to face a conflict of opinion and have to choose between loyalty to the Board and loyalty to the Zionist organization, of whose executive committee he is also a member.