Between the Lines

There is no desire whatsoever on the part of the Joint Distribution Committee to break up the existing agreement with the Zionist Organization for a united drive for funds. A modus must, however, be found for a more logical distribution of these funds.

The leaders of the Joint Distribution Committee are of the opinion that the Zionist Organization is not entitled to fifty per cent of the money collected, for the following reasons:

THE ISSUES

Firstly—the need of European Jewry is today much greater than the need of the Jews in Palestine.

Secondly—independent of the sums which the Zionist Organization receives from the JDC as its share in the United Jewish Appeal, the JDC grants a good proportion of its funds for Palestine work. Approximately $300,000 of the JDC funds assigned this year for helping German Jews has gone for supporting the Palestine Office in Berlin, the Hechalutz in Germany, the farms on which the Hachschara—the training of Jews for Palestine agricultural work—is conducted, and for paying the fare of German Jews to Palestine.

UNEQUAL PARTNERSHIP

Thirdly—the partnership between the JDC and the ZOA is not exactly an equal one, because the Hadassah, the Mizrachi, the Palestine Labor Campaign and the Jewish National Fund are conducting separate drives of their own. These organizations have raised about a million dollars this year in the United States, independent of the United Jewish Appeal, from which the ZOA receives fifty per cent.

Fourthly—because of these separate Zionist drives many in America are contributing to them directly rather than to the United Jewish Appeal, to which the ZOA is a partner. The situation is therefore such that while the non-Zionists do not share in the contributions made to Hadassah, Mizrachi and the others, the Zionists share in the contributions which the United Jewish Appeal gets largely from non-Zionists.

OLD ARRANGEMENT WANTED

Fifthly—the Joint Distribution Committee has now in Palestine not less than $1,800,000 invested in the Palestine Economic Corporation, which is very active in assisting the Jews in Palestine in every possible way. This sum in itself is a sufficient contribution for Palestine.

Sixthly—in the allied campaign which the Joint Distribution Committee conducted with the Zionist Organization in 1930, the Zionists agreed to receive less than fifty per cent of the funds raised, and even prohibited the Mizrachi and Hadassah from conducting separate drives. Why should the ZOA not agree to less than fifty per cent now?

All these arguments of the JDC are very reasonable. The strongest argument is, of course, that millions of Jews are now starving in Eastern Europe and are in urgent need of relief, while in Palestine the Jews are all working and are not in need of any relief.

The starving Jews in Poland, in Austria and in Germany must not be treated as step-children. This is why the Zionist Organization will have to compromise with the JDC. This is why the JDC is justified in its demand.