The Maccabaean

We welcome the open letter addressed to the Provisional Executive Committee for General Zionist Affairs by the Rev. Joseph Friedlander; for despite its peculiar form and its more obvious intent, it affords us what we have longed for, namely, an opportunity to present a clear and detailed explanation of our operations, and the policy underlying the same, to which the press could not be expected to give publicity owing to its necessary length, except under the provocation of an open letter.

te Fe er re By dealing with the problems involved in their chronological order, we can most easily clear up the questions of policy, on the correctness or error of which the claims of the open letter must stand or fall. In June, 1914, the Federation of American Zionists, at its Convention in Rochester, assumed a budget of $14,000 for the ensuing year. There were then 105 societies in the organization; and this budget was regarded as a considerable advance over the undertakings of the previous year, because, from the year 1905, the Organization had been forced into the East Side and, whether by accident or design, had been depressed from its position as a national body to that of an obscure appenage to various other movements then in the public eye. However, the active spirits in the movement had done some good work, but the published records show a weakening instead of strengthening of the Organization up to 1912, when the reaction set in. On August 3Ist, 1914, the emergency conference was called at the Hotel Marseilles, and the Zionists there assembled organized the Provisional Zionist Committee, and took, with great courage but in complete ignorance, to replace the Zionist Organization of the world, both as to financial operations and in the man-power of the Movement. On the three following days, therefore, a complete inventory was taken of the resources of the Movement, and it was realized, that while the needs of Palestine ought to be met, and that these needs would prove to be larger than had been contemplated in the public discussion—there were no records available and the European headquarters had been entirely cut off for over a month from all communication on this side of the water —the task of raising the necessary means could only be successfully accomplished by a rapid but careful development of the orranizations.

There arose then immediately a very distinct and clear subsidiary issue: either the existing organizations must continue the work they had hitherto done, and finance themselves over and above their income from dues, etc., by the usual public appeals, and so confuse and bewilder the public with various demands or, placing their entire service at the disposal of the newly created Provisional Committee, they must be supported out of the Provisional Committee funds. The latter policy was decided upon, neither secretly nor mysteriously, but after the fullest and most careful discussion as to the merits and demerits of the proposition; and not a little of the support in favor of this policy resulted from the fact that under the new pressure men came forward who were willing to contribute largely, and very specificially, for organization work.

Subsequently, when communication was established with the European headquarters, this policy was entirely approved, because in part the subsidies supplied from the Provisional Committee covered obligations that the Actions Committee had either entered into, or was proposing to enter into in order to create an American movement that was worth while. It is in line, therefore, with these policies that the larger portion of these subsidies have been paid over. As to whether or not Dos Yiddishe Folk is a “parasitic” organ, is a matter upon which the Rev. Joseph Friedlander can form no judgment, nor need we. Suffice it that at every Convention the maintenance and support of Dos Yiddishe Folk has been discussed; and in every case the desire to maintain it has been carried by oaverwhelmino mailorities.

At the time of the holding of the emergency conference in 1914, the Mizrachi had practically not been heard of in this country, the Poale Zion was little known, and the New England Bureau did not come into existence until January Ist, 1915 (and parenthetically we may observe that if it had accomplished nothing more than the Boston Convention, it would have justified its existence). The Ohio State Organization dates from June, 1916. We have since added the San Francisco Bureau, which is now open and in all probability, in due course of events, Pensylvania, Michigan, L.ouisi- ana, Texas and Virginia will all have their subordinate establishments. The

justification of each policy lies in achievement. The real question that should have been put to us is not, “Why do you spend so much money,” suggesting that the money is being improperly spent, but “What have you produced for the money?” This product can be seen in the directions: The number of Zionist organizations in June, I9QI4, were 105; the number in 1915 were 129; the number in 1916, 172; in addition there has been the growth of Zionist sympathy in the fraternal orders. This growth, together with the development of the Mizrachi, now a force in the country, and the Poale Zion, a very vigorous organization, as many know, would justify our having expended our money; for all this means that we have, not wholly, but in some part, replaced the necessary broken man-power in Europe by a new and vigorous Zionistic man-power in the United States. The figures do not include Young Judaea nor the Order Bnai Zion, nor the Order Knights of Zion, all of which have progressed proportionately nnıt nf the same oeneral sıınnort.

A ee ee ee et Aa But let us go further. On August 3ıst, 1914, with great trepidation, the Zionists of the United States undertook to raise the sum of $50,000.00 for one year, and began with guarantees of $11,000. Compare this undertaking with the fact that during the three months June, July and August, 1916—summer months, when organizations generally go backward— there was paid into the treasury of the Provisional Committee the sum of $47,- 526.08, that is, within $3,000.00 of the total we undertook to raise in the first year (the total was not equal to our needs).

As against the $50,000 we undertook to-raise in the first year for all purposes, on the ıst of July of this year we undertook to add to our budget a single item of $60,000 in order to support the operations of the Anglo-Palestine Company— the Zionist bank in Palestine—and we have already paid three installments of that account, amounting to $15,000, without issuing any appeal for that purpose. The bureaus have thoroughly justified themselves. The New England Bureau, supervising the work for New England, apart from the remarkable increase of socicties effected, has controlled the raising of an income in two years equal to five times or more the total income of +he Zionist Oreanization five vears ao.