ZIONIST CONFERENCE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20316, 15 August 1931, Page 8

ZIONIST CONFERENCE.

BRITISH POLICY ATTACKED. scenes of disorder. (took ona owa cobbzspohdbht.) LONDON, ■ July 10. There seems to liave been considerable excitement at the Zionist Conference at Basle last Friday. A violent attack on Dr. Weizmann was made by M. Farbstein, an exPolish deputy, who described the former leader' 3 report to the Congress as "the legacy of a bankrupt," and said that he should have resigned the presidency of the Jewish Agency a long time ago. Mr Richard Lichtheim, a former member of the Zionist World Executive and one of the vice-presidents of the Revisionist World Union, attacked the policy of the extended Jewish Agency, contending that it had destroyed the entire Zionist organisation, and insisted that the Agency should be reorganised. Ho referred to information he had received to the effect that the financial perspective of the Agency was very poor, and said that, although it was hoped to find new ways of cooperation with non-Zionists, the Agency must bo reorganised. There was uproar the same night when one of tho Labour leaders characterised the Revisionists as reactionaries. Bitter sneers and recriminations were exchanged. Dr. D. JSder, formerly a member of the World Zionist Executive, and at present president of tho English Zionist Federation, while stating that the Prime Minister's letter was not wholly satisfactory, urged that it be accepted as a basis and efforts continued to inform British opinion of the legitimate claims of the Jewish people to Palestine. M. Grunbaum, deputy of the Polish Seym and leader of the Radical group in the Congress, regarded Dr. Weizman's statement as tho political testament of a past period and said that now that he was i Mring a new policy would have to be pursued. He was opposed to the Revisionist idealogy, particularly to that part in which they were insistent on the industrial policy or middle-class settlement of Jews as opposed to the present concentration on Labour colonisation. Jewish Money in Palestine. Dr. Haltern, a former member of the World Zionist Executive, referred to the millions of Jewish money sunk in Palestine and thought it unfair to taunt the Jewish people with not having given adequately. He was opposed to any shrinkage of the Zionist ideal. The same line of thought was followed by M. Farbstein, a leader of the Mizrachi group (Ortbodoz wing), who protested against the curtailment of certain Jewish rights in Palestine. One of the leaders of the Revisionists, M. Lichtheim, in a moderate speech in which there was almost a bid for Labour support, referred to the extended Jewish Agency to which the Revisionists objected, as by including non-Zionists in the policy of Zionism the Zionist Organisation was weakened. He insisted on the purity of Zionism. Ho was followed by Herr Kurt Blumehfold, president of the German Zionist* Organisation, who also insisted on tho purity of Zionism, but came to different conclusions from those of the previous speaker, pointing out that the pure Zionist ideal was to rely on its own forces irrespective of political conditions. American Zionist's Attack. Dr. Stephen Wise, the famous American Zionist preacher, denounced the British Government for its policy. Ho was, there, ho said, to indict the British Government before the whole world for having morally failed to fulfil its obligation to the Jewish people. He condemned the policy • of Lord Passfield and denied that the Prime Minister's letter to Dr. Weizmann had effected any modification in the White Paper. He similarly attacked Dr. Weizmann for having accepted Mr Mac Donald's letter as a basis for further cooperation with the Mandatory Power. He said taat the policy of the present Government was 50 per cent, in favour of the Arabs and 50 per cent, against the Jews. He did not blame in any way the British people, which had produced the noblest champions of the Jewish ' national cause, but he blamed the present Government. The Jews, ho said, had a right to demand, if not safety, then security in the country at least for the women and children and old men. They also had a right to freedom in the purchase of land and also a right to freedom of immigration, certainly under certain regulations, but not in the face of avowed hostility. Dr. Wise made a final dramatic appeal Raising both arms, and in a voice trembling with emotion, he cried, " appeal to the British tradition of utter sympathy with the people of Israel. We have lost faith with tho English of the present Labour Government. I turn to the British people who have never suffered the cruel degradation, the utter humiliation, the bitter disappointment of the people whose national home is not an investment of money, but of faith and hope and trust in the future restoration of their national rights." Dr. Weizmann expressed his indignation at this abusive attack on the British Government. "I protest vehemently," he said, "against this irresponsible attack." Wild Scenes. According to the "Daily Express" correspondent, Dr. Wise's "challenging and scathing denunciation roused the rival factions of the Congress to such a frenzy of rival anger that at one stago the whole Congress was on its feet, the delegates hurling abuse at each other and at the speaker"The whole assembly threatened to dissolve into one mass, of struggling, shouting men and women who nearly came to blows anger. A most dramatic moment came when Dr. Weizmann, the Zionist leader, who had been listening with growing impatience to the scathing embittered words of Dr. Wise, left the Congress as a protest against tho astounding attack on the British Government. "There was no mincing of words by Pr Wise. He accused tho British Government and tho British Palestine administration of being directly responsible for the terrible Arab-Jewish riots Qf August, 1929, which he described as 'Pogroms.' lie referred to tho 'effort of the British officials in Palestine to incite tho Arabs against the Jews.' , "lie spoke of the 'stages of horror' which Jews had suffered under the Government's administration m Palestine for the past two years, culminatins in the White Paper which he described as the 'Passfield Pogrom.' Dr Wise roused a section of the congress to fury when he poured scornful abuse on the Jewish Labour Party in Palestine for supporting the British labour Government. *'