Louis D. Brandeis’s conviction that the fate of the Jews of Palestine rests in their own hands and the American Federation of Labor’s reaffirmation of support of the Zionist cause were conveyed to the annual “Third Seder” of the National Labor Committee for Palestine on Saturday night. The dinner, attended by more than 4,000 persons, occupied the grand ballrooms of the Hotels Astor and Commodore and raised more than $60,000 for the cause of labor Zionism in Palestine.
The sentiments of ex-Justice Brandeis were conveyed by Max Zaritsky, who saw the retired jurist last Monday. He quoted Mr. Brandeis as saying: “Tell them that my faith in the great future of the Jewish people is greater than ever before. Say to them that not the British Government, not the Arab opposition will determine the fate of the Jews in Palestine. The fate of the Jewish home rests in the hands of the Jewish people themselves.” Regarding various proposals concerning Palestine’s future, Mr. Brandeis was quoted as saying: “We reject these proposals and we double our contributions to build the Jewish homeland.”
William Green, president of the A.F. of L., who said he had come from Washington especially to address the dinner, and who delivered his speech in both hotels, declared that if the Balfour Declaration was needed in 1917, there were “a hundred thousand more reasons for it now.” He said the A.F. of L. demanded that “the British Government keep faith and carry out its promises. Palestine must be made a homeland for the Jewish people.”
A message from Mayor La Guardia praising the Histadruth, Palestine Jewish labor federation, was read. Prof. Albert Einstein was among the others who sent messages.
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.
