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The Southern Israelite
The Cleveland Pact
Impressions of the Zionist Convention
By JOSEPH BRAININ
Zionist convention at
,/. which worked a sig-
rvent in the annals of
, Jewry, is being de-
by numerous journalists,
jmin’s impressions do not
: to give a chroywlogical
oj the convention, but try
,./ the changing psycho-
,it mo sphere that prevailed
unity in American
on was achieved.—The
s a dramatic production, the
m\cation defied all the rules and
is of the theatre. It was a play
-• ,]mcuc and a third act; the first
I acts were merely intermissions
opening and the climax.
!, /i ns of newspapermen who
ahout the press table at the
lb.tel were a disappointed lot.
: there with sharpened pencils
>s of blank paper, ready to take
i dialogue of the Cleveland pro
files had been promised a clash
u iv\o parties, a series of stormy
a thrcc-day fight punctuated by
hates and, as the climax, a dra-
-t i iie when the voting would de-
"iie. Hut nothing of the kind
The pencil sharpeners were
<!. and the gentlemen of the press
n a cpiandary. The news report
i«- Z.v ni't convention therefore cannot
< happenings of that eventful
It can be resumed in a few
Vveland, 1930, healed the breach
md, 1921. For the first time
ars the Zionist Organization
i real coalition administration
the counsel of Justice Louis 1).
and manned with all the active
: American Zionism. Judge Julian
1 I.nuis Lipsky will grace the
rhead, while Jacob de Haas will,
ly, again carry out the wishes of
leader of Washington. The
man cabinet, made up of a list
presented by the late Brandeis-
>ip and six names submitted by
administration, was elected
the last session of the con-
carry out the will of the
uik and file of America,
inlay morning, June 28th, the
■ tier was already filled with
■ delegates. Little Zionist
ipeded the regular guests of the
r strolls through the lobby.
1 hear a buzzing of questions:
H happen? What does Lipsky
s Brandeis made a new offer?
"ruing r” Few answers could
Nobody knew; yet there was
nion that the Brandeis memo-
tantamount to an ultimatum,
■ he accepted.
ting of the National Execu-
mittee, representative of the
and file throughout the
1 'k place that evening. The
Memorandum was to be dis-
preparation for the convention.
I dc theatre was supplied by Dr.
\ ise, who from New York had
r,, ugh the Associated Press, a
calling the Zionist Organization
Lea a morally, financially and
politically bankrupt body. The memo
randum was forgotten. The Brandeis
issue became of minor importance.
Stephen Wise’s statement took the center
of the stage. It did not occur to any
one that Rabbi Wise had merely repeated
the language which the Brandeis-Mack
group had been using for the last few
years—with the difference that instead
of whispering he had spoken according
to his habit, outright and as loudly as
the American press would permit. The
delegates who had had difficulty in un
derstanding the legal terminology of the
Brandeis memorandum understood the
clear charges of Dr. Wise. Thus an issue
was provided.
Dr. Wise’s statement was universally
condemned. Not one delegate rose to
defend the man who for so many years
has given of his strength to advance the
cause of the Jewish Homeland in Pales
tine. (I am not defending the action of
Rabbi Wise; it was surely badly timed,
and the language used lacked his habitual
felicity of expression.) There was some
thing tragic in this wholesale condemna
tion of a leader who but a few hours be
fore had been looked upon as the pivotal
personality to achieve the miracle of unity
in the Zionist ranks.
The word “traitor” was used freely.
After two hours of passionate speech
making by Rabbi Heller, Abe Goldberg
and others (it is noteworthy that I>miis
Lipsky was the most moderate in quali
fying Dr. Wise’s action) the National
Executive adjourned, deciding to let the
convention deal with Dr. Wise’s statement
and the Brandeis memorandum. The
atmosphere then was anything but peace
ful. It had reached a hysterical level
that foreshadowed a rejection of any
peace offering by an overwhelming ma
jority. Comment flew thick: “Wise has
killed the Brandeis memorandum. If we
are bankrupt we refuse to negotiate.”
Meyer W. Weisgal, former editor of The
New Palestine, commented to me: "The
convention is opening tomorrow—it closed
tonight.”
The prologue had been a passionate
cry by the delegates against the methods
of an opposition, as exemplified by Wise,
which rather than union wanted a declara
tion of bankruptcy by the Lipsky leader
ship. Several of the Lipsky delegates
packed their grips and returned home dis
appointed. They were convinced that their
votes would not he needed. The conven
tion was expected to speak in one voice
against Wise and the opposition.
The convention opened Sunday after
noon, but its proceedings seemed anti-
climatic. Rabbi Brickner made an im
passioned plea for unity which seemed
ludicrous because he prefaced it with
another attack on Dr. Wise for his bank
ruptcy statement. James Waterman Wise,
son of Dr. Wise, tried to stop the on
slaught on his father. He rose and in
terjected: “Just a minute, please—just a
minute, please,” but was drowned out by
the shouts of the convention There was
something pathetic in this cry of the
young Wise. He felt himself caught in
the relentless motion of the political ma
chine that sweeps aside a life-long record
and refuses to listen to reason. The con
vention mechanism, wound up at the pro
logue, was unwinding according to sched
ule. Nothing, not even the personal ap
pearance of Brandeis, could have made
it deviate from its track. When Louis
Lipsky rose to deliver his presidential
address he was received with an unpre
cedented ovation and the singing of the
"Hatikyah.” None could doubt that the
President of the Zionist Organization
was holding the convention in the hollow
of his hand. His lean, tired face epi
tomized, in the eyes of the degelates, the
abused, ealumnied organism of the Zionist
Organization, marching on and on despite
obstacles and insults. Not that this at
mosphere was created by any Mephis-
tophelian political machine which had
hypnotized the convention. It was still
the echo of the spontaneous outburst at
the National Executive Committee meet
ing. It was the bitter reaction of dele
gates who had come to make peace and
who had been aroused to indignation by
the challenging statement of Dr. Wise,
which demanded their capitulation instead
of their co-operation.
The opening session was over in less
than two hours. I.ipsky’s address—
ignoring all controversies, remaining aloof
from the battle brought the last doubters
rallying around him. The convention was
hit.
Monday was a day of rumors. The
morning session, which was to debate the
Brandeis memorandum, was postponed to
the afternoon, I.ipsky’s announcement of
negotiations between the Administrative
Committee and the authorized represen
tatives of Louis I). Brandeis was received
first with amazement and then with ap
plause. The convention shifted to the
lobby and to the private rooms. Sounds
of heated discussion penetrated through
closed doors into the corridors. The
lobby, with small groups listening to self-
appointed speakers, recalled London's
Hyde Park. “De Haas, Robert Szold and
Brodie have arrived with a letter from
Brandeis . . . Lipsky is ready to step out
. . . Mack demands the elimination of
Lipsky ...” A multitude of startling
yet plausible statements.
An hour before the opening of the
afternoon session the hall was packed. A
tense atmosphere. Breathless waiting.
Hundreds of eyes remained fixed on the
empty platform, daring not to look away
lest they lose the beginning of the great
climax. One—two hours pass. Never
before have I seen so patient a crowd.
After two hours of waiting a group
started to sing, and the rest joined in the
tune of Palestine Chalutz songs. After
another hour Max Shulman of Chicago
came on the platform and announced that
the session was postponed for seven
o’clock that evening, as negotiations be
tween the administration and the Brandeis
representatives were still going on.
The evening session was almost a repe
tition of the afternoon meeting. Breath
less waiting. Tense silence, and then
singing. After a three hours’ wait Louis
Lipsky—haggard, worn out, disappointed
—came to the platform and announced
that the negotiations had not been con
cluded because the Brandeis representa
tives were having difficulty in communi
cating with their leaders over the long
distance wires. He told the delegates to
come back in an hour, when there might
be some definite word front theTjlWhdeis
representatives.
When, about eleven o’clock, the session
(Continued on Page 10)
st APPRECIATE the generous suggestion which many of
* I you have made that I should again assume the official
/ responsibility of leadership in the Z.O.A. When eighteen
years ago I first gave serious thought to the problems of Jewry
and began to search for the means of preserving the spiritual
legacies of Israel as an active force in the world, I became a
Zionist and a follower of Herzl. My visit to Palestine in
1919 rendered more powerful the appeal: removed any linger
ing doubts as to the practicability of the undertaking; and
convinced me that in carrying out the principles of the Balfour
Declaration the welfare of both Jews and Arabs would be
advanced. T he events since have deepened these convictions.
Added years make it impossible for me to assume now the
official responsibilities of leadership as I did prior to 1921,
but I am ready now as then to serve the cause. Necessarily
the service to be rendered must be limited in scope to advising
from time to time when requested on questions of major
policy. Such service I am now rendering through Mr. War
burg to the Jewish Agency. Such service I can render also
to the Z.O.A. In my opinion it will be far more effective if
rendered to an administration formed on the general lines of
the memorandum of May 22nd, 19 30.
My warm greetings and best wishes,
Louis D. Brandeis.