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WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS IN SESSION
With a thrilling and moving appeal to
the civilized world to put an end once
and for all to the shame of anti-Semitic
persecution, Dr. Nahum Sokolow, pres
ident of the World Zionist Organization
opened in Prague the 18th World Zionist
Congress in a dramatic address in which
he called on mankind to help the Jewish
people build their own country in Pales
tine. Before plunging into the realities
of the present crisis in Jewish life, the
venerable leader of the Zionist movement
paid tribute to the Czechoslovakian gov
ernment and its great champion of justice,
President Thomas Masaryk, to Great
Britain “whose greatest men rose in pro
test against the injustice of atrosities and
racial passions,” to the governments of
France, Poland, and Holland for granting
asylums to the German-Jewish refugees,
to Italy, where “there is no Jewish ques
tion because all are equal before the law,’
and to the United States, “whose great
Jewish population, is devoted to the
high mission of their free and generous
country.”
After noting that the Congress is meet
ing in a time of trouble and suffering
for the Jewish people, Dr. Sokolow de
clared that “the whole tragedy of the
exile has now revealed itself. Anti-Semi
tism recently struck a deadly blow to the
Jews in the Diaspora. We are suddenly
faced with the ruins of Jewish emanci
pation in a great European country and
the edifice built up by generations has
been swept away by a tempest.” Pointing
out that Dr. llerzl had prophetically fore
seen the avalanche, Dr. Sokolow turned
to the “falsehoods of assimilation” and
said that “in Germany, of all countries,
where the assimiiationists had deleted
Zion from their prayer books, assimila
tion has become a delusion and remains a
bitter irony of history.”
Dr. Sokolow also took occasion to re
fer to the futility of philanthropy, saying
that the true Zionists were dreamers but
those Jews who were not Zionists are
sleepwalkers. Philanthropy, he asserted,
was laudable, “but philanthropy alone has
never in history saved a people whose
existence was threatened.” Millions have
been squandered to help the victims of
pogroms only to arouse the greed of
pogromists for fresh excesses, l)r. Soko
low asserted.
At this point in his address, which was
delivered in Hebrew, French and Eng
lish, Dr. Sokolow dramatically exclaimed:
"Jewish people, we cannot go on like this,
lime presses. The ground is giving un
der our feet. Whatever isn’t too late to
be saved must be saved now. The pur
pose of the Zionist Congress is to appear
publicly before the world with our
thoughts, grievances and demands. Zion
ism must now become the concern of the
entire Jewish people and of the human
race. A change must be brought in the
relations of the world with us, as what
wis cannot continue.”
Dr. Sokolow then submitted the fol
lowing questions from the Zionist Execu
tive to mankind "with a sense of responsi
bility for the life or death of a nation”:
"Are the Jewish people to be bereft of
their historical land, and furthermore, are
they to be refused admission to one coun
try after another? Isn’t this a mockery on
civilization? Where are Europe, the civil
ized world and the League of Nations?
Where is the Germany of Goethe, Schiller,
Lessing and Emperor Frederick II who
branded anti-Semitism as the disgrace of
By JACOB FISHMAN
Special to The Southern Israelite
President Nahum Sokolow
Rose in Protest
the ccntuiy? Endless international meet
ings are held with the aim of achieving
disarmament and ending wars by under
standings between the nations, but isn’t
the persecution of Jews in Germany also
a war, with all its horrors, and waged
with heroism or glory against a peaceful
and defenseless Jewish population, in
cluding old men, women and children?
We are not hostile to Germany, but are
rather admirers of her culture and we
wish peace, but when our existence and
honor are at stake we must raise our
voices. We cannot overcome this tragedy
by discouragement, self-abasement or
speeches. The Jewish question must be
put to the world and to Israel from this
platform bluntly.”
Dr. Sokolow then addressed a passion
ate appeal to mankind, to the apostles of
liberty and the protectors of the weak, in
the course of which he declared “you said
after the World War that you would not
allow tyrants to persecute innocent vic
tims and you proclaimed the rights of
minorities and weak peoples. Show your
good faith. You must again appeal to
the civilized world to check anti-Semitism.
We are grateful for kind speeches and
hospitality, but these do not offer a solu
tion. We need a sure refuge. If it is
impossible to restore the refugees to the
country of their adoption or to receive
them elsewhere then the country of their
ancestors must be given to them. This
is the problem facing the international
world.”
Turning from the international sphere
to internal Jewish problems, Dr. Sokolow
warned that Zionists must not fritter
away their energies in family quarrels.
“Our aims at this time,” he said, “must
be active unity in Palestine, the creation
of an idealistic and historic united front
in the Diaspora, perseverance by way
of auto-emancipation, active furtherance
of our own labors and the creation of our
own, preferably national, means. These
would unite all Zionists irrespective of
parties. This applies also to our relation
ship to other Jewish bodies despite di
versities of opinion. Jewish org.miza-
tions must maintain common ground in
order to save Jewish lives.”
Picturing the recent prosperity of Pale*,
tine, Dr. Sokolow said "the Land of
Promise now begins to be the Land of
Fulfillment and our forward march it
assured. Erez Israel has ceased to be
merely the concern of Zionism. It ha* be
come a great national cause as well as i
shelter for suffering Jews and perhap*
also for the anti-Zionists and people who
cannot claim Aryan grandmothers.
“There are two solutions to the prob
lem, he continued. “One is easy and the
other is difficult. One is popular and
momentary but in the long run u*elc«
and disappointing. ITte other is tediout
and severe but the only one leading to
the goal. The easier way is protesting,
arguing and raising hope. The difficult
way is to increase the Zionists tenfold
by turning the minds of Jewry toward
Zionism by propaganda and education.
“Here Dr. Sokolow appealed for Hebrew
education as being fundamental to Zion
ism.
In concluding his address the president
of the World Zionist Organization ex
pressed the hope that a kindly Providence
would guide the Congress in the effort*,
that the salvation of the Jewish people
would be furthered, that Palestine would
make a signal advance in the fulfillment
of the prophetic promise that it would
become a peaceful, secure and happy
home for oppressed Jews, and that Zion
ism might inspire the whole Jewish peo
ple and the generous friends of humanity
the world over, uniting them in brother
hood and love and in the cause of justice
and equality between man and man and
between nations.
When Dr. Sokolow appeared on the
platform the Congress hall wa* so
crowded that hundreds of people could
not gain admission. There was silence
in the hall until Vladimir Jabotinsky,
Revisionist leader, entered. He was
greeted with cheers and boos. Before the
speeches began, the audience was en
tertained by choral singing by a choir
led by Vinaver from Berlin. The ab
sence of Dr. Chaim Weizmann was
widely commented upon. The representa
tive of the Czechoslovakian government,
M. Pavel, and the spokesman for the city
of Prague, M. Meltzer, greeted the Con
gress in Czech. Dr. Gravey, representa
tive of the British embassy, declared
Great Britain was anxious to carry out
its obligations under the Mandate in full.
Neville Laski, president of the Board of
Deputies of British Jews, speaking in be
half of the Board and the Joint Foreign
Committee of the Board and the Anglo*
Jewish Association, said that his presence
emphasized the solidarity of the Jewish
race and encouraged the Zionist work of
settling German Jews in Palestine. Th‘*
was the first time that a president of the
Board of Deputies had addressed the
Congress. Berl Katzenelson, editor of
the Palestine Labor Daily, Davaar, gave
a lengthy eulogy of the late Dr. Chaim
Arlosoroff. Appearing in work clothe*,
he was in striking contrast to the formal
attire of the other speakers. No one
spoke in German. On the tribune was
hung a panel with Hebrew letters, read-
ing “Arlosoroff, Zichron El Everocb
The Congress instructed Dr. Sokolow to
send a cabl* of consolation to V *•
Arlosoroff. The singing of Hatik' •'
closed the first session.
(Please turn to page 13)
[8]
■ THE SOUTHERN ISRAELII