A powerful appeal to the Zionist Actions Committee not to accept the resignation of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, who resigned the presidency of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency two weeks ago as a protest against the British White Paper, was made by Judge Julian W. Mack, honorary chairman of the Zionist Organization of America, at a specially convened session of the emergency meeting of the Committee just before he sailed for home.
Saying that Judge Louis D. Brandeis and Robert Szold, president of the Zionist Organization of America, joined him in his support of Dr. Weizmann, Judge Mack declared that Dr. Weizmann was not responsible for the present Zionist situation. The blame was on the entire Jewish people, he said, who were unable to build up Palestine at a more rapid pace.
Judge Mack’s address, which followed sharp criticism of the Zionist administration by the opposition group and pleas for the retention of Dr. Weizmann by supporters of the present Zionist Executive, was followed by his reading of resolutions addressed to the Actions Committee by the Zionist Organization of America.
RESIGNATION WOULD LOSE FRIENDS
The American Zionist leader warned that if Dr. Weizmann’s resignation was accepted by the Actions Committee it would result in the loss of Zionist friends in the ranks of the Conservative, Liberal and Labor parties, one influential group having already intimated that this would be the effect of Dr. Weizmann’s resignation.
Appealing to those who are pressing for Dr. Weizmann’s resignation to realize that together with Dr. Weizmann they would lose the best members of the Zionist Executive as well as influential friends outside of the Zionist movement, he asked them to permit Dr. Weizmann to remain in office until the forthcoming Zionist Congress has time to look about for a suitable successor.
sion of the emergency meeting of the Zionist Actions Committee appealed to Dr. Chaim Weizmann, resigned president of the World Zionist Organization and of the Jewish Agency, to remain in office because his resignation was intended chiefly as a gesture for the outside world.
While the opposition was demanding the immediate resignation of the Zionist Executive as well as the resignation of the Zionist members of the Jewish Agency’s Executive and the appointment of a provisional committee for political work, Harry Sacher, a member of the Palestine Zionist Executive, and one of the supporters of the present administration, declared that the tremendous political effect of Dr. Weizmann’s resignation would be nullified if he was forced to resign from within the Zionist movement. Such action, Mr. Sacher said, would be construed as the failure of the Weizmann regime.
The opposition that urged the removal of the present Zionist administration was composed of the delegates from Poland, the Radicals, the Revisionists, Mayor Dizengoff of Tel Aviv and Isaac Naiditch. The spokesmen for the General Federation of Jewish Labor emphasized the importance of concentrating on ways and means of building up Palestine.
SACHER MAKES APPEAL
Discussion about the demand for the resignation of the Zionist Executive and on the resignation of Dr. Weizmann culminated in Harry Sacher’s appeal to Dr. Weizmann to remain in office. Defending the administration, Mr. Sacher pointed out that the opposition had not offered a plan for future work nor had it proposed the membership of any provisional committee. Hence, Mr. Sacher said, the Executive, “conscious of its responsibilities was determined to carry on the fight in view of the fatefulness of the forthcoming few months for the entire Zionist cause.”
Prof. Selig Brodetsky and S. Kaplansky, both supporters of the Zionist Executive, denied the allegation of the opposition spokesmen that the Executive was willing to accept the proposed legislative council in Palestine on condition that the Arabs recognize the Balfour Declaration and that the Jews be given fifty per cent of the seats in the council.
Meer Grossman, vice-president of the Zionist Revisionists, submitted a resolution in which he held the Zionist Executive responsible for the breakdown of its policy. The Zionist reply to the British White Paper must be to decline to recognize the government’s policy as an infringement on the Mandate and hence as an illegal act, Mr. Grossman declared.
The reply must further be a refusal to participate in the legislative council and a protest to the League of Nations, he added. The Revisionist leader warned that if there was no change in the management of Zionist affairs the Revisionists would have to consider their position in face of the administration’s action.
Dr. Nahum Goldman, Radical Zionist from Germany, warned against the danger of the Zionists’ being satisfied with any possible concessions by the British government. Zionist energies must be concentrated on a complete rejection of the White Paper, he said.
Dr. Weizmann appeared at this afternoon’s session, but when a photograph was being taken of the Executive table he expressed a desire to be omitted from the picture. Yesterday he declined to participate in the discussion after he had rendered his political report.
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.
