The Maccabaean

among those stones will be the foundation stone of the Hebrew University, the first institution to be raised by the Jews returning to their ancient patrimony. If anyone doubted Britain’s sincerity in her dealings with the Jews, those doubts must be dissipated by the knowledge that this commission, whose members have been selected by the Zionist organization—untrammelled by all influence —has been sent out by the British Government to act as interpreters between the Jews of the Holy Land and the military authorities at present in occupation of the country.

“That this mission may successfully carry out its important function as a forerunner of the reorganization to be created, will be the ardent hope of all those who, like myself, take a deep interest in the successful working of the great problems of the future of Zionism.”

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KANN QUESTIONS TURKISH STATEMENT

Mr. Jacobus Kann, head of the Zionist organization of Holland, and director of the Jewish Colonial Trust, has issued a statement on Talaat Pasha’s recent statement regarding the attitude of the Ottoman government toward a Tewish Palestine.

“The publication of the Grand Vizier’s declaration regarding Turkey’s attitude toward Zionism is said to have been made in order to reassure public opinion,” said Mr. Kann to a representative of the Jewish Correspondence Bureau of the Hague. “If that is so, I regret to say that it will not attain this end.”

“T have, it is true, read with feelings of the greatest satisfaction that the Grand Vizier expressly acknowledged the loyalty of the Zionist movement during the world war, and that he is able to appreciate what the Jews have done in Palestine, but at the same time I feel bound to repudiate the remark made by the Grand Vizier in reference to the English declaration. The latter can hardly be described as a ‘blague,’ in view of the fact that just at the time when the Turkish Government showed itself particularly hostile to the Zionist aspirations, England was ready to place Uganda and El-Arish at the disposal of the Zionist organization for the purposes of national Jewish colonization.

“It goes without saying that all citizens of Palestine must be equal in the eyes of the law. But it is our wish that Palestine may again become the ‘Jewish Country.’ The Grand Vizier himself points out that in view of the present absorption capacity of the country any considerable immigration into Palestine is for the present out of the question. The fact is, Palestine has for centuries been neglected and abandoned, deforested, partly infected by disease, the terrace grounds destroyed and its agriculture on the most primitive basis. Our first object, then, must be to considerably increase Palestine’s capacity to absorb new settlers. To create this preliminary condition for a huge colonization of Palestine extraordinary investments are necessary: irrigations, drainage, afforestation, construction of roads, utilization of minerals, etc. This requires millions upon millions. We are naturally only prepared to bring people and capital to Palestine when satisfactory safeguards for them exist. Therefore, a public legal agreement with such guarantees as will render possible the carrying out of an ex-

clusively Jewish colonization without fear of its being impaired by difficulties either from without or within is of paramount importance to us.

ty Ue “We must develop Palestine, much more rapidly than will be the case, as far as can be ‘seen, with other parts of Anterior Asia, Palestine thereby assumes a special position in Anterior Asia. The Jews will form the element which will introduce modern methods and modern technic into a thoroughly backward country. No other part of Anterior Asia has this element at its disposal. From this arises the necessity of an administrative centralization of Palestine, so that the administration of the country and the regulation of all its conditions may be brought into harmony with the development of the country under consideration, independently of those parts of Anterior Asia where the same development cannot take place for some consid- arahla Ams

“Moreover, the Jews have the right finally to settle down in peace. We are tired of the eternal wandering. We possess an incontestable historical right to our old home, Palestine. And until this right, with all which it entails, has found recognition on all sides, we cannot settle down in peace. We do not wish that after the enormous exertions and immense expenditure of capital that await us in Palestine we shall—as has hitherto so often been the case when we have done pioneer work in the economic development of backward countries—be exposed to the risk of being driven out again as soon as we have fulfilled these functions.”

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From Copenhagen comes the report that all shades of Jewish opinion in Germany have united and formed a League of Organizations of Germany for the Defence of the Rights of the Jews of the East. Included among these organizations are the Grand Lodge of the B’nai Berith, the Hilfsverein der Deutschen Juden, The Committee for the East, The Union of German Jews, the League of German Liberal Jewry, the German Zionist Federation, and the Central League of German Citizens of the Jewish. Faith.

The inclusion of the Hilfsverein and the Zionist Federation indicates that some understanding has been arrived at with reference to the Zionist program, but from the item as it appears in the program of the League, it seems that the Zionist program has_ been reduced to the minimum.

The chief function of the League is to act for German Jews in placing before the proper authorities the viewpoint of German Jewry concerning Jewish problems in the East and in the Orient. Similar organizations are to be found in Austria, Turkey and Bulgaria.

The formula adopted includes the following: (1) Legal and actual equality of rights and duties with all other citizens; (2) Religious liberty; (3) The right to an independent Jewish culture; (4) The right of free immigration and economic development in all parts of the Ottoman empire; (5) The right to immigration and cultural autonomy in Palestine.

The officers of the League are James Simon, president; Oscar Cassell and Franz Oppenheimer, vice-presidents; Dr. Bernard Kahan

and Richard Lichtheim, honorary secretaries; Dr. Arthur Hantke and Dr. Paul Nathan, honorary directors. The distribution of official positions is significant.

111101 PUSILIONS 15 1111110411 The Judische Rundschau, the organ of the German Zionist Federation, throws some light on this union of Jewish forces in Germany. The initiative for the formation of the League came from the anti-Zionist Jewish organizations, who seem to be in the confidence of the German government. The original idea of the promoters of the League was to exclude all Zionist organizations, but this plan had tH ba ahannaned

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HARDEN ADVISES BERLIN

Maxamilian Harden writes in a recent number of Die Zukunft of the taking of Jerusalem and of the British Declaration. He lays stress upon the importance of the Declaration and of the sympathies of President Wilson. “By the selection of Mr. Justice Brandeis as the man of leading rank singled out for the peace negotiations President Wilson has shown his intention to use the influence of his government in favor of Jewish rights.” The speech of Pope Benedict in connection with the taking of Jerusalem has made it clear that Zionism need fear no hostility from that quarter either. The Declaration of the Allies in favor of Zionism, “the desire not to allow Britain to shine too long in the 2016 of the guardian angel of the Jews” has also at length made the Berlin government decide to take Zionism into its good graces. It is true, the declaration of the Berlin government is inadequate. Germany must express her sympathy for Zionism in a more emphatic and unqualified manner.

ep 1-6 האמ אכ ree ב ביר הבוב ae a are le Sg Sn ee ae ב בי The Copenhagen Zionist office reports great distress among the Jews in Galilee and Samaria, particularly in Safed and Tiberias, where thousands of the fugitives from Jaffa are congregated. This is still Turkish territory. A relief committee has been formed consisting of Messrs. Dizengoff, Jellin, Becker, Kalvaricki, Simon Levy and Rabbi Horowitz, with its location in Damascus.

Dr. Thon, head of the Palestine Bureau, is located in Jerusalem, as are Mr. S. Hoofien, director of the Anglo-Palestine Bank and Mr. Bezalel Jaffe.

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AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE FAVORS BRITISH DECLARATION AND PROMISES CO-OPERATION.

The American Jewish Committee, at a special meeting held at the Hotel Astor on Sunday, April 28th, called at the instance of its executive committee, adopted a statement in which the Committee expressed its whole-hearted sympathy with the sentiment favorable to the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine for the Jewish people, and expressed its profound appreciation of the British Declaration, welcoming the opportunity afforded by the Declaration to aid in the realization of the Zionist aim as there expressed.

The following is the statement adopted:

The American Jewish Committee was organized primarily to obtain for the Jews in every part of the world civil and religious rights, to protect them against unfavorable discrimination, and to secure for them equality of economic, social and educational opportunity. These will continue to be its objects.