Voicing his personal anxiety over the growth of anti-Semitism in Great Britain, Rev. William W. Simpson, who arrived here from London to discuss plans for an international conference of Christians and Jews, today told a press conference that he welcomed the formation of the Anglo-American inquiry committee in Palestine as a possible solution to the problem. He also stated that he is in accord with the recent statement of British Foreign Minister Bevin in Commens since it states that the complete solution of the Jewish problem does not lie in Palestine.
The attitude of the British people as a whole, he said, is “sane,” but evidences of a growing feeling of anti-Semitism is noticeable. Rev. Simpson cited the example of a recent disorder in Hampstead, one of London’s many boroughs, where a move to oust German and Austrian refugees from their homes to make room for returning servicemen and their families took on a decided anti-Semitic tinge. When word of this got about, however, he said the press assailed the movement, apparently squelching it.
There is a danger, Rev. Simpson said, that violence such as cropped up in the Sharon settlements recently, could boomerang and tend to aggravate whatever anti-Semitism there may be in England. He was aware, he said, “of the emotions of the Jews in these troubled days, but there must be clear thinking and understanding on both sides.” It is much easier in America to make suggestions than it is for the British Government, he declared.
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.
