JEWISH REFUGEES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23203, 29 May 1937, Page 14

JEWISH REFUGEES

COLONIES IN PALESTINE MAKING STEADY PROGRESS NEW ZEALAND DOCTOR'S VIEWS (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 28. Although there is still much trouble with the Arabs, the colonies of Jewish refugees in Palestine are making steady progress, according, to Dr W. F. Bathgate, medical superintendent of the Edinburgh Medical Mission Hospital in Nazareth, Palestine, who arrived at Wellington to-day in the Maunganui from Sydney. Dr Bathgate, who was born in Dunedin, has been in charge of the hospital for the last 17 years. He intends to stay in New Zealand for three months before returning to Palestine.

Only a fortnight before he left, Dr Bathgate said, two shepherds were killed by Arabs within a mile of one of the colonies and 400 sheep were stolen. The colony had been attacked at night on two or three occasions by snipers from the neighbouring hills, but telephonic communication with the police enabled reinforcements to be summoned.

Established four years ago, the nearest Jewish colony to Nazareth was about two miles away. Its name in Arabic was Keffer Khorish, which meant "Hill of the Breeze." In the colony there were about 70 refugees from Poland and Germany, mostly single men and women. All were learning Hebrew as the standard language. The colonies were assisted by various departments of the Zionist Movement and were entirely communal. They received no money and were glad to work for their living. While this system operated satisfactorily now, it was possible that the inhabitants would tire of it as time went on. There were about 380,000 Jews in Palestine and almost the entire plain of Armageddon was taken up with colonies of Jewish refugees. All the colonies had undertaken extensive afforestation work. The inhabitants of Keffer Khorish had planted about six miles of barren land with fir trees and eucalyptus and cypress trees. They also grew vines and fruit trees. The whole of the area had been fenced with barbed wire and that had encouraged the Arabs to follow suit, so that disputes over land would not be so frequent as formerly. \ Nazareth, said Dr Bathgate, had a population of 9000. All were Arabs, two-thirds being Christians and onethird Moslems. It was really a garden city. Most of the senior scholars spoke good English and they were cultured people. Their homes were very like our own. There were two churches in Nazareth, the Church of England and the Baptist Church. Many of the people dressed in European clothes but wore a fez. Lipstick was not unknown among the younger'girls and bobbed hair was very popular. On the whole Palestine was a healthy country, Dr Bathgate concluded, although eight months of the year would pass in Nazareth without rain. The most common illness was eye disease, which was prevalent in the south.