The Maccabaean

NEWS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES

The first convention of the Galician Zionists since the outbreak of the war was re cently held in the city of Lemberg. Immediate preparations for the initiation of practical work in Palestine formed the central topic of discussion, and many important measures were adopted. The Conference voted to raise a fund for the establishment of a Colony in Palestine, the first installment of the fund, a million kronen, to be raised within the year, in the form of 2,000 contributions of five hundred kronen each. The colonists are to be drawn from among the Jewish farmers of Galicia. Efforts are also to be made to insure the spread of the Achooza Movement among the wealthier Galician Jews. In addition, an Economic Commission was organized for the purpose of undertaking the reconstruction of Galician Communities that have been destroyed by the war. The following is the program of the Commission which will operate through district groups:

1. To assemble statistical data as a basis for reconstruction.2. To estimate and provide the necessary funds, and to submit proposals for economic relief operations.3. To carry on the economic relief work; that is, to obtain credit, goods, raw materials, etc., for small tradesmen and business.

In the course of an audience recently granted to Dr. Nissim Levy, and other representative Zionists of Janina, Greece, M. Simos, Greek Minister of Defense, stated that H. Venizelos and other members of the Cabinet would do their utmost to further the realization of the Zionist program. Mr. Simos laid special emphasis on the fact that the Greeks and the Jews were to be regarded as brother nations, who have fought from ancient times against ignorance and Paganism, and have written the finest pages of human history.

A new Federation of Zionists has been organized in Greece, with Ascher Mallah as president.

An important Zionist mass meeting was recently held in Salonika, at which 4,000 francs were raised towards the Tschlenow colonies to be established in Palestine and 2,000 Shekolim sold.

Dr. Max Nordau recently addressed a large meeting, in Madrid, Spain, held in memory of the late Dr. Yechiel Tschlenow. The speaker was so eloquent in his description of Tschlenow and his work for the cause of Zionism, that many of the audience who up to that time had absolutely no conception of things Zionistic, were led to join the movement.

In response to an appeal of the National Fund Commission the "Mikkabi" Zionist Society of Zurich, Switzerland, has decided to purchase between 100 and 200 dunam of land in Palestine.

At a meeting of the German National Congress or "Deutscher Volkstag," recently held at Vienna, the presiding officer, Burgomaster Herr Weisskirchner and deputies Herron Wolff and Kunschak made violently antisemitic speeches in which they blamed the Jews for the shortage of food and housing facilities and for the distress existing under war conditions in general. Each attack was greeted with loud applause and shouts of "Pogrom! Pogrom!" arose on all sides. There is great uneasiness among the Jews of Vienna, of whom there are more than 200,000.

His Excellency L. Michailovitch, the Minister from Serbia, has sent the following expression of sympathy to the Zionist Organization of America.

"For a long time I have taken a lively interest in Zionism and of late in particular through my compatriot, Captain David Albala, who is actively participating in the Zionist Movement.

"The Serbian people have the same ideals as the Jewish people since freedom for any nation and equality for all citizens of a country have ever been the principles of the Serbians, manifesting them on every occasion in their national life.

"We regard the Jews in Serbia as our brethren and I wish to emphasize that the realization of the ideals of the Jewish people would be greeted with enthusiasm and great joy on the part of the whole Serbian nation."

The following comments on the British Declaration, coming as they do from Zionist subjects of one of the Central powers possess a special significance. Engineer Robert

Stricker, one of the leaders of Austrian Zionism, says in part:

"There is no Zionist who does not sincerely rejoice that America, England, France and Italy are willing to recognize and support Zionist claims. Nothing can be more vile, unmanly or stupid than for the Zionists of the Central European States to meet this recognition with rejection and contumely because it comes from their opponents.

The Vienna Zionist Organ, the Yiddishe Zeitung, observes:

"The dignified and unreserved declarations of the Entente in favor of Zionism have gained the sympathies of Jewry, whereas the Central Powers in this respect have never displayed anything but reserve and hesitation."

Large sums of money have been collected in Holland and other countries, according to the Israelitisches Wochenblatt für die Schweiz, for carrying on the educational program of the Mizrachi in Palestine.

The various reports that have emanated from Germany recently of the organization of a non-Jewish society called “Pro Palestina,” the membership of which includes Professors Ballod and Delbrueck, have not made the desired impression upon Zionist opinion, or lessened in the slightest degree its estimate of the value and importance of the British Declaration. Interviewed recently by a representative of the Christian Science Monitor, Nahum Sokolow, now in London, said he knew very little about “Pro Palestina,” except what he had read in various newspapers. He added that since the British Government had made its declaration in favor of Zionism, followed by declarations on the part of the French and Italian Governments, there had been on the other side a desire to let it be seen that Germany ‘also is ready to offer the Jews some way of securing the establishment of Palestine. Mr. Sokolow continued:

"We have no communication whatever with the Jewries of the Central Empires. There is nothing in all these attempts which can affect in any way the great importance and political value of the declarations granted in such a generous way by the Allied countries. The Germans have not treated their Jewish subjects in such a way as to give us any faith in their promises of protection."

We have to-day laid the foundation stone of the first Hebrew university which is to be erected on this hill, overlooking the City of Jerusalem. Many of us will have had their thoughts cast back to the great historic scenes associated with Jerusalem, scenes that have become part of the heritage of mankind. It is not too fanciful to picture the soul of those who have made our history here with us to-

day, inspiring us, urging us onward to greater and even greater tasks; many again will have had their attention riveted on the apparent contrast between to-day's ceremony and the scenes of warfare within a few miles of us. For only a brief moment we are allowing ourselves to indulge in a mental armistice and in laying aside all thoughts of strife. We try to pierce the veil

of war and glance into the future. A week ago we were observing the fast of Ab, reminding us that the Temple had been utterly destroyed and Jewish national political existence extinguished apparently forever; but during the long centuries we, the stiffnecked people, have refused to acknowledge defeat and "Judea Capta" is once more on the eve of triumph.