Jewish Agency Calls Upon British People “to Redeem Failure of Bermuda”

The Jewish Agency for Palestine today made public the text of a statement sent to leading members of the House of Commons challenging the theory that “the Jewish refugee problem can be solved only by the end of the war” and expressing the hope that “the representative assembly of the British people will redeem the failure of Bermuda.”

The statement, which was cabled to London on the eve of yesterday’s debate in the House of Commons on the outcome of the Bermuda parley, reads:

“Three reasons are usually adduced in defense of the stand that it is impossible to save the remnants of European Jewry. They are 1. The impossibility of approaching the German government. 2. The inability to overcome transportation difficulties without interfering with the war effort. 3. The impossibility of admitting more Jews to Palestine than is warranted by the limited number of certificates available under the provisions of the White Paper of 1939.

“The total effect of these arguments, if accepted, is that there is no way of saving the remnants of Jewry from the Nazi hangmen. Closer analysis, however, reveals the fallacy of these arguments. An approach to the German government through appropriate channels, for which there are various precedents, might convince the Nazis that they can get rid of the Jews without murdering them. Similarly, there is no justification for the failure, because of bureaucratic reasons, to attempt to exchange Jews for German citizens detained in Allied countries. Transportation difficulties, also, are not insurmountable obstacles, as cargo vessels on return voyages are frequently capable of carrying refugees. Finally, it is utterly unwarranted to deny the persecuted Jews access to the only permanent, immediately available, refuge, with their own people in Palestine, because of the pre-war White Paper policy which is rooted in the appeasement era and is quite unrelated to the present unprecedented tragedy.

“It is utterly fallacious to believe that the Jewish refugee problem can be solved only by the end of the war. In fact, the victorious progress of the Allied armies may hasten the mass slaughter. It is similarly unjustified to adduce the vastness of the general refugee problem produced by the war as a reason for the failure to save the Jews from annihilation. The Jewish problem in Europe is not merely one of a refugee question but one of survival or death. Numerous steps are still practicable today to save the remnants of Europe’s Jews, but the sands are running out quickly. Information from neutral quarters indicate their readiness to cooperate in the salvation of the Jews provided Anglo-American assistance is forthcoming. A terrible responsibility will be incurred by the United Nations if even this last chance is missed.”