The necessity for closer contact between the Jewish communities of the United States and England was emphasized here today by Dr. Abba Hillel Silver who just returned from an important Zionist mission in London.
In a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Dr. Silver declared that he found the Jews of Great Britain alert, well organized and “fully responsible not only to their obligations as British subjects, but also as loyal members of the Household of Israel.” They are rendering heroic service to their country and their devotion and patriotism are exemplary, he said.
“The Jews of England,” Dr. Silver continued, “are giving serious thought to the problems of post-war reconstruction facing world Jewry. The Board of Deputies of British Jews is in close touch with the government regarding these problems. It would be highly desirable that closer contact and the pooling of thought and deliberation be established between the two great Jewish communities of England and the United States.”
ENGLISH JEWS GREATLY INTERESTED IN PALESTINE
Dr. Silver found wide-spread interest in Palestine among the English Jews. “They realize the importance of Palestine today not merely as a vital sector in the wide front of the United Nations against the Axis, but also as the only place for large-scale Jewish immigration after the war,” he stated, adding that they have been very generous in response to the appeals for the Keren Hayesod and the Jewish National Fund. For the Keren Hayesod the Jews of England are raising over $500,000 this year and a larger sum is being raised for the JNF.
Dr. Silver also observed the work of the Joint Distribution Committee during his stay in Lisbon. He found that the JDC representatives there”are doing a magnificent job in caring for the refugees and in arranging for their transportation to other countries.” In addition to helping hundreds of refugees who hold visas to the United States, Cuba and Mexico, the JDC is still maintaining a program of assistance in unoccupied France where there are 20,000 interned Jews, as well as in Switzerland, Spain, Casablanca, Turkey, Tangier and Algeria where many thousands are in need, Dr. Silver reported.
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.
