The Maccabaean

Scopus, and the receptions of the Hadassah Medical Unit and the Zionist delegates from Italy, by the Vaad Hair (Town Committee) of Jerusalem. The third part is devoted chiefly to the new life in the various colonies and shows the parade in Jerusalem on the occasion of the liberation of Galilee.

Mr. E. W. Lewin-Epstein, who is the head of the Hadassah Medical Unit, bought these films and sent them to the Zionist Organization of America.

JAFFA

STATUS OF THE JEWISH LEGIONAIRES

In response to numerous queries from Jewish legionaires in Palestine, pertaining to their demobilization and prospects for settling in the country, Lieutenant V. Jabotinsky, father of the Jewish Legion, recently made the following statement:

“The Jewish Legions are a part of the British Army and will stay in Palestine if Britain will maintain an army in that country. At any rate, so long as the peace conference has not yet determined the international status of Palestine, it is impossible to commit oneself on the future of our legions.

“Of course, we all hope that our country will come under the trusteeship of England; then we shall have here a still greater Jewish Legion which will be told by its name (the Jewish Legion is now a part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Forces), insignia and language.

"The Jewish legionaires may be divided into

two categories: (1) those desiring to be mustered out abroad—in England or America, (2) those desiring to be mustered out in Palestine.

ke te er eree, ER ie Ze 2 td A aan 4 Ka ar nr a a a anlanzee a Seee d “The men in the first category are outside the jurisdiction of the Zionist Commission; they will be sent to their respective countries to be disbanded in consonance with the government’s plans. From a Zionist standpoint it is best not to interfere with this nraress.

.- a BISWIR “suyL& BELA AUEND TTALAL LAL30Q Fe “Apropos .of the men in second category, those that desire to be demobilized in Palestine, the considerations are, of course, different. ‘In the first place, for their own interests, it is advisable that they shall stay in the army until the status of our country will be determined, and the Zionist Organization will be able to begin systematic work of colonization. Secondly, it is quite manifest that whoever desires to settle in Palestine it is his moral duty to remain in the army and guard over the peace and order of the country until its fate will be decided, rather than abandon this tnack tn ntharc.

“Every Jewish volunteer must realize that, the Jewish Legion in Palestine has at the present moment even a more important mission than it had before. For their own sake and for the sake of our ideal, these men ought to stay in the army until the general demobilization. The Government is in full agreement with this attitude, so far as we know. What is most urgent in this transition period is: Good military behavior, exemplary discipline. boundless patience and ideal tact.”

The Zionist Commission, too, -emphasized the fact that the settling of the Jewish legionaires in Palestine, after they had been mustered out, could be definitely solved only after the peace conference had decided the future ‘of Palestine and the rights and privileges of the Zionist Organization. In the meantime, the Commission will ascertain the number of legionaires that desire to settle in Palestine, the occupations they 'are best fit for and the work they desire to engage in. So far as work given out directly by the commission is concerned, preference will be given to those men who have sufficient knowledge of the Hebrew language. A knowledge of Hebrew will ha rennmisite for most nasitions.

CO-OPERATIVE BANK HOLDS ORGANI- 7ATION MEETINC

The Co-operative Bank (Kuppath Am) of Jaffa, which was organized in June, 1918, recently held at Spector’s Hotel its organization meeting, at which a very encouraging report was presented of the activities of the institution, and a permanent board of directors was elected. The report stated that the bank had already been chartered by the British Government and that its 244 members (on January 20, 1919), mostly business men, have invested the sum of 182,300 grushes, equivalent to about $9,115. The directors elected are Messrs. Goldfarb, Litvinsky, Shalosh, Lifshitz and Ashkenazi.

DEAR MR. DE HAAS:

There is much that could be written but there is much more to tell and it will be more desirable to tell it. The work here has been dificult. It has been exceedingly hard to get things started on account of lack of facilities. The means of travel and transport, while improved immensely over what they have been in the past, are still behind the needs because of the demands of the army.

The country itself and the climate are all and more that we have heard about it. The immense number of variations of hill and plain and of desert and garden crowded into such a small space make the country as desirable a spot as one could wish for. Just now it is warm in Jaffa, a sort of late spring or early Summer warmth. In Jerusalem it is quite cool. And the difference is forty-six miles, the difference in climate being due to altitude not to latitude. Forty-six miles with us is not a very serious matter, but in this country with the kind of roads we still have here it is a different matter. The army has done an immense amount of road building, in some places particularly good. However, the heavy trafic has frequently broken up the surface and it is still hard travelling. The foundation for a system of good roads is here in spite of it all.

On the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem you do not strike the hills until Babel Loid over halt way to Jerusalem, and in the twenty remaining miles the road ascends from a few hundred feet above the sea level to pretty nearly three thousand feet. About five miles from Jerusalem you have about seven of the most ticklish hairpin turns on the road that you

would ever want to ride over. The scenery all along is wonderful in spite of the fact that the hills are practically bare of trees and vegetation. There are immense natural and artificial terraces of limestone on every hill which show unmistakable traces of previous successful cultivation. At a number of points along the road there are native villages which still carry on successful terrace farming, with no more effort and understanding than the local natives are capable of. The hills show immense possibilities. j

The Jaffa orange groves are now covered with ripe fruit and it is a great sight. This is a good orange year and the trees are heavy with fruit. You remember the shipment of oranges that reached America in the early days of the war. The local oranges are really of a superior quality.

So far my travels in the country have been confined to the region immediately around Jaffa and Jerusalem. The work has kept me close to Jaffa and I have not been as lucky as some of our people to be able to go into Galilee. Last Saturday I walked out to Rehoboth with Sam Lewin-Epstein. This colony is very well located in rather hilly land and makes rather a fine appearance, rather clean and shows immense possibilities for development. The fault with the place is that which is common to the other Judaean colonies—they do not raise their own food. I am told that this is different in Galilee. I have also visited the other colonies in the neighborhood but they do not.make as good an impression as does Rehoboth.

1 have made two trips to parts of the country which under ordinary conditions I would not have been able to do. The first was a trip to Nablus, which has no Jewish

population and consequently no Jewish interest at present. The location of the place is remarkable. It has all the qualities that would go to making a first class mountain resort—a real Alpine affair. It is on high land and surrounded by some fine hills. There is plenty of good spring water right out of the hills, and there are a number of fine gardens and possibilities for more fine gardens all around. Already several rather good villas have been built against the hillsides on a road just outside the city itself. The place is very accessible from the Jaffa side, which is connected with an excellent road, although the strip immediately before Nablus shows signs of having been ripped by German steel tired motor lorries. There is also a road to Jerusalem over which I have not travelled but which I am told is passable although it is full of stiff grades.

The other trip I took a week ago Sunday into a district about eight or ten miles above the Village of Jelil. This is near the sea almost due North of Jaffa. This stunt will interest you. I went with a couple of the local army officers on a wild boar hunt. It was a surprise to me to learn that such animals existed in this country but they are here. We did not get any but saw any amount of tracks and signs of the beasts. One of the officers on a trip a week before got one. To reach the hunting ground meant a trip on donkey of four hours. Great fun. The road was through rolling country that is capable of cultivation. Just above Jelil there are no signs of human habitation except for a couple of Bedouin encampments. The country is level, good soil, with plenty of water. It is as fine grazing land as you could look for and could undoubtediy be turned into grain