Seventeenth Annual Convention of the Federation of American Zionists
(Reported by Miss Bertha Pool. All remarks condensed.)
FIRST SESSION
(Sunday, June 28, 1914, at 9.30 A. M.)(Held at the Jewish Young Men's Association, 3 Franklin Square, Rochester, N. Y.)
The Seventeenth Annual Convention of the Federation of American Zionists was opened with songs by the children of the Rochester Hebrew School, followed by messages of greeting from Mr. Barnet Cohen of the Rochester Juedischer Arbeiter Verband, Mr. Kasden of the Poale Zion, and Mr. Max Loewenthal, President of the Jewish Community of Rochester.
Mr. Louis Lipsky, Chairman of the Convention, expressed his appreciation of Rochester's cordial welcome, and introduced Dr. Schmarya Levin, who was present as a representative of the Actions Comite in Berlin.
The Chairman read a letter of greeting from Dr. Harry Friedenwald who expressed his inability to attend the convention, owing to his absence from this country for a visit to the Holy Land on the mission of further study of diseases of the eye in that country. The Chairman read a letter from David Wolffsohn as follows:
"I have your kind letter asking me to place before you my understanding as to what might be the immediate duties of the Zionist organization. To my regret I am not able, at this time, adequately to cover this subject: I am convalescing and, although I am much better, my health demands my constant care.
"There is one matter to which I must always recur: the success of our great work depends on an equal growth of all institutions; an equally distributed endeavor in all fields of our activity. The
political, practical and cultural activities must go hand in hand, and complete one another. Nothing would be more dangerous to Zionism than the placing of one phase of it in the foreground at the expense of another. The keeping in tact of the political end of Zionism or Gross- zionismus as Herzl outlined it for us, is our conspicuous duty. It is the bulwark from without and within.
"I have always placed great hope in our American comrades, and at the last Congress I observed, with great satisfaction, that this hope is beginning to be fulfilled. This was shown not only by the goodly number of American delegates present, but by their contribution of earnestness and good sense to our deliberations. The sparing of our banking institutions from disorganization is due in a large measure to American Zionists, and this accomplishment I consider as very fortunate for our organization. In the healthy development of our financial institutions lies our greatest hope for the success of our practical work.
"I surely hope that our American comrades will continue their work on the same principles and with the same energy.
"With these hopes, I greet you most heartily and wish you much success in your deliberations. May this be another step on the way of our great goal.
With esteem and Zion's greetings,
DAVID WOLFFSOHN"
The Chairman then read a letter from the Actions Comite and from Dr. C. H. Weizman. The two letters read as follows:
FROM THE INNER ACTIONS COMITE.
"On the occasion of your convention, we send you our heartiest congratulations and hope that your counsels will have beneficial results for Zionist work in general, and especially for the