1917 War Cabinet Zionist Movement

8/8/2019 1917 War Cabinet Zionist Movement

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Printed for the War Cabinet. October 1917.' rV

S E C R E T . AG . - 1 6 4 . I

W A R C A B I N E T .T H E Z I O N I S T M O V E M E N T .(Note by the Secretary.) , .

IN accordance w i th the ins t ru ct ion s given in W a r Cab inet 245, M inu te 18, thedraf t dec la ra t ion on Z ion i sm was subm i t t ed to n i n e - o r , inc lud ing M r . E . S .Montagu , t enrepresen ta t ive Jewish l eader s .Mr . Montagu ' s memoranda have a l r eady been c i r cu la ted .The following are the repl ies of the rem ain ing nine; (A pp en di x I . ) Of these,s ix may be rega rded as on the whole favourab le to the de clarat ion , or to the decla rat ion wi th s l ight am endm ents , wh i le thre e are opposed to a form of dec larat io nacceptable to the Zionis ts , an d subm it a l tern at ive s . Th e s ix favourab le to a Z ionis tform of declarat ion are:1. The R t . Hon . Herb er t Samu el , M . P .2. The Chief Rabbi .3. Lord Rothsch i ld .4. Si r S tuar t Samuel , Bar t . , Chai rman of the Jewish Board of Deput ies .5. Dr . W e i zmann .6. Mr. Nahum Sokolov.

The th ree unfavourab le a re :7. S i r P h i l i p M agnus , M . P .8. C. G. Montefiore , Esq. , Pres id en t , An glo- Jew ish Associat ion.9. L . L . Cohen, Esq. , Jewish Board of Guardians .

The var ious a l t e rna t ive d raf t s submi t t ed a re co l l a ted in the a t t ached Appendix I I .Appendix I I I contains a select ion of ext racts f rom documents submit ted by theleaders of the Zionis t orga nisat ion . The la t te r have not seen M r. M on tag u ' sMemorandum (Paper No. G.T.2263) , nor have they had an oppor tuni ty of replying thereto. M . P . A . H A N K E Y , Secretary, War Cabinet.

2, Whitehall Garden s, S.W.,October 17, 1917.

A P P E N D I X I .( 1 J "

From the Rt. Hon. Herbert Samuel, M.P.The policy embodied in the draft declaration, which is now under the consideration of the Cabinet, seems to me to be right.If the Turks are left ostensibly in control of Palest ine, the country is l ikely tofall , in course of t ime, un de r Ger m an influence. If Ge rm any , or an y oth er conti

nental Pow er, is dom inant there, E gy pt would be exposed to con stant menace. Th ebest safeguard would be the ' es tabl ishment of a larg e Jew ish pop ulat ion , preferab lyunder Br i t i sh protect ion.I feel no doubt that the policy expressed in the declaration is that which isdesired by the mass of the Jewish people, both in this country and throughout theworld. Those who oppose i t , tho ug h ind ivid ua lly influen tial , are few in num ber,and, I believe, not repr esen tative . Th e officers of the Jew ish B oa rd of R ep res en tatives, which is the nearest approach to a democratically elected body in the Jewish' [1074] B


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community in England, having recent ly issued a pronouncement in a host i le sense,were censored by their const i tuents and obl iged to resign.If the policy were carried into effect through Brit ish influence i t would beca lcula ted to win for the Br i t i sh Empire the gra t i tuderof Jews throughout the wor ld ,and , wherev er "the inte res ts of the cou ntry of wh ich they w ere cit izens w as notinvolved, to create among them a bias favourable to the Empire.I presume that such a declarat ion would not be made publ ic unt i l a favourablem i l i t a ry s i tua t ion had been brou ght about in Pa le s t ine . Otherwise i t mig ht l eadto the persecu t ion of the Je w ish colonists there at the ha nd s of the T ur ks . I tmight also prove an embarrassment at home, as i t might be represented that one ofthe reasons for the cont inuance of the war was the pursui t of subsidiary aims, ofwhich this was one. B ut the ad op t ion of the dec larat io n now, an d i ts confident ialcommunicat ion to those who are interested, would clear the ai r , and would be, Ithink, a wise s tep.

(2.)From the Chief Ra bbi (Dr. J. H. Herz).

I t i s w i th feelings of the profo und est grat i f ica t ion th at I learn of the inten t ionof H is M ajes ty 's G overnm ent to lend i ts pow erful s up po rt to the re-estab l ishmen tin Pa les t ine of a na t ion al home for the Je w ish people. Th e proposed dec larat io nof His Majesty 's Government that i t " wi l l use i ts best endeavours to faci l i ta te theachievement of this object " w i l l mar k an epoch in Jew ish his tory To mil l ions ofmy bre thren throughout the wor ld i t wi l l mean the rea l i sa t ion of I s rae l ' s undyinghope of a resto rat ion a hope, th at ha s been the sp ir i t ua l lodestar of Is rae Ps wa nde rings for the last 1,800 years.The draf t declarat ion is in spir i t and in substance everything that could bedesired . I welcome the reference to th e civil an d religiou s ri g ht s of the e xis t ingnon-Jew ish communi t ies in Pa les t i ne . . I t i s but a t ran s la t io n of the bas ic pr inc ip leof the Mosaic legis lat ion: " And i f a s t ranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shal lnot vex (opp ress) him. Bu t the s t ra ng er th at dwel leth with you shal l be un to youas one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself." (Lev., xix, 33, 34.)

I would suggest one minor al terat ion in the wording of the last three l ines .I am anxious tha t the phrase :" . . . or the rig h ts an d po li t ical sta tu s enjoyed in an y othe r cou ntryby such Jews who are ful ly contented with their exis t ing nat ional i ty andci t izenship "

be shortened to:. . . or the r ig ht s and pol i t ical s ta tus enjoyed by Je w s in anyother count ry ."In conclusion, I must , as Chief Rabbi , thank the Pr ime Minister , the Secretary

of Sta te for Foreig n Affairs, ' an d the members of the W a r C abine t for thei r s t r ik ingsympa thy wi th Jew ish aspi ra t io ns , and assure them tha t the overwhelming major i tyof Anglo-Jewry, as wel l as of the Jewries of His Majesty 's Overseas Dominions, wi l lrejoice with me at this broad humani ty and far-s ighted s tatesmanship of the menwho guide the dest inies of the Empire.

(3.)From Lord Rothschild.

I would welcome a declaration on the l ines of the draft you send me, for Ithink i t will to a great extent meet the objections raised by the anti-Zionists.Person al ly, I thin k th at the proviso is rath er , a s lur on Zionism, as i t presupp osesthe possib il i ty of a da ng er to non -Zio nists, wh ich I deny. How ever, I welcome th isdeclarat ion because i t would show that His Majesty 's Government is benevolent lydisposed towards and would lend i ts potent support to the aspirat ions of the greatmass of the Jewish people, these aspirations being to have a home where they couldspeak their own language, have their own educat ion, and have their own civi l andrel igious inst i tu t ion s un der the protect ion of the All ied Governmen ts . I should l ike


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to point out that the opponents of Zionism have almost ent i re ly f ramed thei r opposi t ion on the false hypothesis that the possession of a national home and status by onebody of Jews would necessar i ly react on those Jews who prefer red to remain ci t izensof the coun tr ies they now live in. I n exp ress ing my op inion th at th is belief iswholly unfounded, I would l ike to indicate that of the 12,000,000 Jews in the world,at least 10,000,000 are ei the r active Zio nist s or else pro -Zio nist . Th e gr ea ter p a rtof these 10,000,000 hold that they, as Jews, have a historical and inviolable r ight toa nat ional home, an d moreover , a home in Pa les t in e, the land of thei r forefa thers .One of the chief a im s of the Zionis t Fe der at ion , whe n the set t lement in Pa les t inetakes place, is to see th a t wh ile obt ain ing as lar ge a m easure, of "autonomy as possible,- no encroachment on the r igh ts of the other inh ab i tan ts of the c oun try should tak eplace. The relat ions between the Pa les t ine Je w s an d the i r neigh bou rs have hi t he r tobeen scanty an d spasmod ic, wh ich is m ain ly due to m ut ua l ig no ranc e an d indiff erence, but I have no fear that this would continue if a set t lement under the asgis ofthe Allied Powers, is ca rr ie d out. I feel sure th a t this hour of cr is is offers a g re atopportunity for a most beneficial development of a country r ich in possibil i ty , anda broad bas is for permanent and cordial re lat ions between Jews, Armenians , Arabs ,and the other inh ab i tan ts of the country . Am ong the 450,000 Je w s of the B r i t i s hEmpire only some 10,000 or 15,000 are opposed to Zionist aspirat ions.I would conclude by once again welcoming the declaration as an expression ofthe benevolence of His Majes ty ' s Government towards the Jewish people.

(4.)From Sir Stuart Samu el, Bart., Chairm an of the Jewish Board of Deputies.

1. I th ink th at Jew s res iden t in G rea t B r i t a i n are by a larg e m ajor i tyfavourable to the es tabl ishment of a nat ional home for Jews in Pales t ine, underproper safeguards .2. Engl ish Jews general ly have held aloof f rom the Zionis t movement becausethey were not convinced that Pales t ine could suppor t a great ly increased populat ion,ana should they app rove a large im m igra t ion into tha t country they m igh t be facedby the problem of a s tarvi ng p op ulat io n re qu ir in g to be removed to ano ther des t ina t ion. Consequently, i t wou ld be necessary to pro vid e a Je w is h sett lem ent inPales t ine wi th the funds required for publ ic works , i r r igat ion, roads , loans toagric ulturis ts , &c. In my opin ion, 20 mill ion s s te r l in g would be req uir ed to givesuch a set t lemen t the s t ar t th at w ould l ikely ens ure success. Th is am ou nt w ould,I think, be provided by the Jews of the world if the sett lement were under the.auspices of the Allied Powers.

3. A second reason for the aloofness previously al luded to is that many EnglishJews resented the suggestion that they could be fai thless to the country in whichthey had been sett led over 200 years , and adopt, or as i t has been put, return toanother nat ional i ty . Re gar ded general ly , the i r a t t i tu de is th at whi ls t they wouldbe favourable to the project that those Jews who wish to go to Palest ine beingenabled to do so, an d will in g to re ga rd i t as a res tor atio n of th ei r la nd to the Je w s,i t would be necessary to ma ke i t clear th a t an y St ate , if found ed, wou ld be a m ode rnState , having no claim upon Jew s outs ide i t to be reg ard ed as i t s nat io nals . Hen ce,in my opinion, the dr af t dec larat ion is suscept ible to ame ndm ent , an d sugg es t th atin l ine 8 the words after " no n-Je w ish co mm unities in Pa les t in e " be deleted, an din their place substi tute d " or the nati on al i ty or r ig ht s , or poli t ic al s ta tu s enjoyedin any other country by Je w s ." You will observe th a t Je w s who are not " fullycontented with their exi st ing ci t iz ens hip " ar e not prote cted by the propo sedformula. In my opinion, not 10 per cent, of Br it ish -bo rn Je w s wou ld go to Pal est ine .

4. I t must be w i thin the knowledge of Hi s M ajes ty ' s G overnm ent th at Ge rma nand Au str ian inf luence in Pa les t in e has grow n largely in recent years . A pp l ica t ion sfor ass is tance former ly wr i t ten in Hebrew and Engl ish are now in Hebrew andGerman. Are the Ge rma n and A us tr i an Je w s to rem ain there , or i f expel led tobe allowed to ret urn as Zionists? The y should be m ade ineligible for 20 years .5. Non-Jewish opinion would, I think, be concil iated if a s tatement were mades imul taneous ly that the Holy Places in Jerusalem and vicini ty would be internat ionalised, or at any rate not be placed under entirely Jewish control .


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ill - 'From Dr. Weizmann, President of the English Zionist Federation.

I t is my deep convict ion th a t the dec larat ion framed by H is M ajes ty 's Government wil l , when announced, be received with joy and grat i tude by the vast majori tyof the Jew ish people al l over the w orld . I t wil l supp ly a powerful im petu s tow ard sthe regenerat ion and rejuvenat ion of an ancient country and an ancient people, andwil l thus form a notable s tep forward on the path of human progress and display anewthe magnanimi ty of the Br i t i sh Empire .I must abstain at this s tage from enter ing upon a discussion of the views onthe Jew ish problem held by Zionists an d Jew ish N atio na l is ts . These views havebeen ful ly expounded in the press and l i terature in this and other countr ies , and Ipersonal ly have had the honour to lay the Zionist view before prominent members ofH is M ajesty 's Go vern m ent . B ut as your le t ter refers to the divergence of viewexisting in Jewry on the subject of Zionism, I beg leave, shortly, to refer to thispoin t .A ltho ug h i t is unf ortu nate ly t ru e th at a cer tain nu m ber of Je w s, chief ly inWestern countr ies , are opposed to the idea of a Jewish nat ional home in Palest ine,i t is no less t rue that these opponents , who are comparat ively few in number, arealmo st exclusively to be found am ong st those Je w s who by edu cat io n an d socialconnect ions have lost touch with the real spir i t an im ati ng the Jew ish people as awho le. Ou r opp one nts , therefore, are ent i t led to spe ak in their own nam e only,but have no r ight ' to speak for the Jewish masses whose hopes, aspirat ions, ideals ,and suffer ings they do not shar e. The real motive un der lyin g their opp osi t ion is ofan eminen t ly indiv idua l n at u re . Ou r opp one nts are overcome by fear lest theexistence of a Jew ish na t ion al hom e compromises, to a cer ta in e xten t the ir ownposition in the eyes of the peoples in whose midst they are l iving and with whom theydesire to be tota lly identified. Th is m otive, which the y do no t con cea l, is in i tself anindicat ion that they are conscious of being an isolated minori ty in Jewry and ofhavin g the bulk of the Jew ish people no t with bu t ag ain st them . Plad i t been real lytheir s incere convict ion that the great majori ty of the Jewish people does not sympathise with the establ ishment of a nat ional home, they would have no reason to beafraid of a scheme which can only be real ised by the whole-hearted and enthusiast iccol laborat ion of al l l iving forces in Je w ry . They wou ld, on the co ntr ary , be conten tto le t the experiment pass unhindered, in order to show by i ts cer tain fai lure howcorrect ly they had interpreted the mind of the Jews in general .

As to the wording of the declarat ion, may I be al lowed respectful ly to suggestone or two al terat ions ?(a.) Instead of " establ ishment ," would i t not be more desirable to use the word" re -e s ta b l i s hm en t"? By th is smal l a l te ra t ion the h is tor ica l connection wi th theancient t radi t ion, would be indicated and the whole matter put in i ts t rue l ight .(b.) The last l ines of the declaration could easily be interpreted by il l-wishers asimplying the idea that , with the re-establ ishment of the Jewish nat ional home, onlythose 'Jews wil l have a r ight to claim ful l c i t izenship in the country of their bir th who

in addi t ion to being loyal and law-abiding ci t izens would also total ly dissociate themselves from th e Jew ish na t ion al home, showing no interest in , or sym path y w ith, i tssuccessful development . Th is u nn at ur al d em and is surely not in the min d of HisMajesty 's Government , and in order to avoid any misunderstanding I respectful lysuggest that the par t of the declarat ion in quest ion be replaced by the fol lowingwords :the r ights and pol i t ical s ta tus enjoyed by Jews in any othercountry of which they are loyal c i t izens."

(c.) M ay I also sugg est " Je w ish p eople " ins tea d of " Jew ish rac e " ?

/ (6 - )From Mr. Sokolov, Chief London Representative of the Zionist Organisation.

I received with profound pleasure and satisfaction your letter of the 6th instant,and I wish to express to His Majesty 's Government the deep grat i tude of the ZionistOrg anisat io n for the spir i t of sym path y and just ice manifested in the proposed


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decla ration . W ith reg ard , however, to the w ord ing of th e draf t , I beg leave, inaccordance with your suggestion, to submit the following observations on behalf o!the Zionis t Org anisa t ion .I unders tand that i t i s the desire of His Majesty ' s Government to express i tssympathy with Jewish nat ional a ims in Pales t ine in a formula which wil l , a t thesame time, meet with the approval of all sections of Brit ish Jewry, including thosewho have not accepted the pr og ra m m e of Zio nism . This desire is , no dou bt, re spon sible for the inclusion of a provis o safe gua rdin g the inter est s of no n-J ew ish communit ies in Pale s t ine and the s ta tus of Je w s who enjoy pol i t ica l r ig hts in o thercountr ies .While the Zionis t Organisa t ion would natura l ly prefer a declara t ion on the l inesof the draft which my friends and myself had the honour to submit some weeks ago,i t i s not desirous of ra is ing new quest ions . H is M ajest y ' s G overnm ent is aw ar e t ha t

it is the Zionist movement which is responsible for such steps as have been takentow rards the rea l isa t ion of Jewish nat ional a ims in Pales t ine , and that the fu tureprosecution of these a ims, with the invaluable a id which Hi s Majesty ' s Go vernm entso generously offers, will be the pa rt ic ul ar ch arg e of the repr ese nta tive s of theZionist movem ent. Th e safeg uard s m ention ed in the draf t are not open to anyobjections, since they are and always have been regarded by Zionists as a matter ofcourse.The following alterations, however, in the wording of the declaration I ventureto suggest as most ' desirable : (1.) Line 2 . " The es tabl ishment in Pa les t i ne of a nat ion al ho m e. " I would

suggest the subs t i tu tion of " re -e s tab l i sh m ent " for "e s t ab l i s hm en t . " Bythis slight change the real character of the movement and its historic basiswould be recognised.(2.) L ine 3. " Th e Jew ish rac e " I wo uld suggest to be alte red to " t he Jewushpe op le ." The definit ion of " rac e " is a m uch -dis put ed question. I twould also be questionable whether the word refers to all persons of Jewishorigin or only to Je w s. " Jew ish peop le " is the best definit ion.(3.) I would also sugge st in sub stitu tion for the conc luding ph ra se , " or t her ights and pol i t ica l s ta tus . . . . na t io nal i t y and c i t ize nsh ip ," thefollowing more comprehensive express ion : " o r the r igh ts an d pol i t ica lsta tu s enjoyed by Je w s in any othe r co unt ry of which they ar e loyalc i t i zens . "These a l tera t ions I recommend to your considera t ion , as I th ink that in th isform a more adequate expression will be given to the principle.The Zionis t Organisa t ion has a lways looked to Great Bri ta in for sympathy andassis tance , and i t wi l l ha i l with gr a t i tud e an d enthu siasm the proposed declara t io nof His M ajesty 's Go vern m ent. The millions of Zion ists an d thei r su pp or ter s all overthe world are keenly aware of the immeasurable services which Great Bri ta in hasrendered and is ren der ing to the l iberation of oppresse d nati ona lit ie s, a nd they confident ly hope that His Majesty ' s Government wil l be ins trumenta l a lso in the" l ibera

tion of the un fort un ate masses of the oldest and mo st ha rd -tr ied of l ivingnat ional i t ies .

( 7 . )From Sir Philip M agnus, M.P.

In replying to your lette r of the 6th October, I d o no t gath er t h at I a m expectedto distinguish my views as a Je w from those I hold as a Br it is h subject. Ind eed , i tis not necessa ry, even if it we re possible. Fo r I agr ee w ith t he late Chief Ra bb i,Dr . Herm ann A dler , t h a t " ever s ince the conquest of Pa les t i ne by the R om an swe have ceased to be a body polit ic " ; that " the great bond that unites Israel is notone of race but the bond of a comm on religion " ; an d th a t we have no na tio na laspiration s ap ar t from those of the cou ntry of our bir th . H old ing these views, Iventure, in compliance with vour request, to offer a few remarks on the wording ofthe proposed decla ration of policv wit h respect to the Zionist movem ent an d itsrelation to the future of Pal esti ne" I can not agree th at the Je w s re ga rd themselvesas a nat ion , and the term " n a t i o n a l " as appl ied to a com munity of Jew s inPalestine or elsewhere seems to me to beg the question between Zionists and their[1074] ' C


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oppo nents , and should, I suggest , be w ith dr aw n from the propo sed form ula . Inde ed,the inclusion in the terms of the declaration of the words " a national"home for theJew ish race " seems to me both undesirable and inferentia l ly ina ccu rat e .On the other hand, a s ta tement to the effect that the Bri t ish Government wouldtake s teps to secure to the Jews now or hereafter res ident in Pales t ine freedom todevelop their religious culture and to observe their religious rites would be welcomedby the Je w s and would be consis tent with the tra di t io na l policy of th e Bri t is hGo vernm ent. I t is essential , however, as s ta te d in the proposed form ula , th at anyprivileges granted to the Jews should be shared by their fellow-citizens of othercreeds .I t should be remem bered tha t under T urkish rule the Je w s have la t t er ly enjoyedman y adv antag es . They have been permit ted to found agr ic u l tu ra l and comm erc ia lcolonies, to establish schools, and to teach in those schools through the medium ofthe anc ien t Heb rew lang uag e . An y pronouncemen t on the pa r t of P l is M ajes ty ' sMinis ters to the effect that they would be prepared to take s teps to es tablish for Jews,a nd fo r J e w s on ly , a "n a t io n a l home in P a l e s t i n e " migh t be in te rp re te d a simplying that the government of that country would, under certa in condit ions , bet rans fe r red to the Jews ; anrTsuch a p ronouncement would ce r ta in ly a rouse cons iderable opposit ion from other Pales t in ian communit ies , and might result in the Jewsnow res ident in Pales t ine being exposed to the same treatment a t the hands of theTurks as has been unhappi ly exper ienced by the Armenian Chr is t ians .The Zionis t agi t a t io n is a movem ent of com parat iv ely recent da te . The Je w sof Spain and Portugal , a t the height of their prosperi ty , made no a t tempt to usetheir influence to secure for themselves a " nat io nal home in P al es t i ne ," nor did theysubsequently, when they f led from Sp ain to H oll an d and to other countrie s . If theJews of Russia had been permitted to observe their religion, and had enjoyed equalcivil rig ht s w ith the ir fellow-citizens, the Z ionist mo vem ent wo uld no t havedeveloped, and i t is more than probable that the agita t ion wil l not long outl ive theavowed objects of the Revolution.I know not wh at may be the real objective of the W ar C ab in ef s m il i tar y operations in Pa les tin e. I t is , however, rum ou red in Zio nist circles th at the conqu est ofPales t ine by Great Bri ta in is des ired in order that Pales t ine may become an independent buffer Sta te betweenJTurkey and Egypt; and that having regard to the declaredpolicy of the Allies to annex no new territories, the country would be restored to theJew s unde r a Br i t ish pro tec tor a te . W he the r th is be so or not , I fee l sure th a t ourGovernment, in accordance with i ts repeate^dejc iara t ions , would deem i t necessaryto consult the exis t ing inhabitants of Pales t ine as to th lTruling power under whichthey would desire to live; and, in all probability, they would elect to be governed byGreat Britain or by one of our Allies, who would hold the balance fairly between theChr is t ian , Jewish , and Mahommedan communi t ies .Th ere is only one othe r re m ar k which I desire to offer. Th e wo rds " who a refully contented with their existing nationality " fail to express the devotion of Jewsto the co un try of their bi rth , wh ere they enjoy equ al righ ts with th eir fellow-citizens.I t is not , as has been unwisely suggested, for any dis t inct ly Je w ish ideals th a t Je w sar e fighting in th e pr ese nt w ar . They need no t th e offer of a na ti on al hom e inPa les tin e to excite th eir ar do ur or to stim ula te the ir cou rag e. The v are fighting forthe at ta in m en t of. the self-same objects which Plis M aje sty's M inis ters hav e sounmistakably defined.The wording of the proposed draft declaration of policy, if modified in accordance with the suggestions I have offered, would read as follows :

" His Majes ty ' s Government views w ith favo ur the estab lishm ent inPa les tin e of a cen tre of Jew ish c ultu re, an d will use its best end eavo urs tofacilitate the achievement of this object; i t being understood that nothing shallbe done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewishcommunit ies in Pales t ine or the r ights and poli t ica l s ta tus now enjoyed by Jewsin any o ther country ."

(8-)From Mr. C. G. Montefiore, President of the Anglo-Jewish Association.

1. In common with a l l o ther members of the Jewish community, I am gratefulto His Majes ty ' s Government for i ts in teres t in the welfare of the jews.


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2. I depre cate the express ion " a na t ion al h om e. " For i t assum es th a t theJewish race cons t i tu t e s a "n a t i o n , " o r mig h t p ro fi tab ly become a na t ion , bo thwhich proposi t ions I deny. The ph ras e " a na t ion al home for the Jew ish race "app ears to assume and imply th at the Je w s genera l ly const i tu te a na t ion al i ty . Suchan implicat ion is extrem ely pre judic ial to Jew ish inte rests , as i t is inten selyobnoxious to an enormous num ber of Je w s. T he re can be no object ion to Je w s whowant to form themselves in to a nat iona l i ty go ing to Pales t ine and forming themselvesinto a nat ional i ty in that country, but i t must be effected without any prejudice tothe character and posi t ion of the Jews as nat ionals of o ther count r ies .3. The idea of a " home " for the Je w s wa s s ta r te d by the la te Dr . H erz l , thefounder of Zionism, because (as he himself told me) he b e l i e v e d

(a.) That an t i -Semi t i sm was e ternal , and that i t was hopeless to expect i t sremoval .(5.) That the Jewish problem in Russia was insoluble in Russia.I told him that (a) was a l ibe l upon (1) the Jews and (2) human nature , andthat even (b) was too pessimist ic.4. I was not wr on g. Fo r if the Revo lu t ion in Ru ssia holds an d react ion doesnot set in, the Jewish problem has been solved in Russia, and already the majori ty ofthe Russian Jews desi re cu l tura l au tonomy in Russia , but not ex i le from R u s s i a .(An indicat ion of this condit ion of thingswhich wil l grow!was shown as early asApri l at the conference of party delegates to organise an al l -Russia,n Jewish conference . The Zionis t s proposed to p lace the Pa les t in e quest ion on the pro gra m m eof the conference, bu t we re una ble to ca rry their reso lut ion . A conc il iat ion commit tee was app oin ted, an d i t w as resolved to recom me nd t o the conference, as anoptional subject of discussion, the quest ion of civil an d nat io na l righ ts in othercountries, without special reference to Palest ine.)5. A national home for the Jews on the score of the oppressed condit ion of theJew s is no longer necessary . ' A va st majo ri ty of the Je w s ar e free ci t izens of thecountries in which they dwell . Th e Po lish Jewush quest ion wil l , w ith th e co-operat ion of the All ies, be doubtless set t led as favourably as the larger Russian Jewishproblem has a l read y been se t t led . The Rum an ian Gov ernm ent wi l l a l so not be ableto resist the pres sure of events . W he n five mil l ion Je w s hav e been fully em an cip ate din Russia , 250,000 Je w s in R um an ia ca nno t n iuch longer remain p ar iah s and a l iens .6. For the t rue well-being of the Jewish race emancipat ion and l iberty in the

count r ies of the world ar e a thousa nd t imes more im po rta nt tha n a " ho m e. " Inany case only a small f ract ion of the Jews could be col lected together in Palest ine.7 . Phra ses such as a " n a t io na l ho m e, " however carefu l ly g ua rde d, are like ly toinjure the newly won l iberty of the Je w s in Rus sia an d to pr eve nt full l iberty inRum ania and Po lan d. I f a " na t iona l home " has been provided a l l react ionar iesWill urge tha t nothin g shou ld, or need, be done in the dir ect ion of em an cip at io n an dof liberty, for the Je w s no w hav e a " na tio na l hom e " of the ir own. I t is verysignif icant th at ant i-S em ites ar e alw ays very sy m pa the t ic to Zion ism. I t is nowonder .8. I and my friends do not desire to impede colonisat ion and immigrat ion intoPales t ine ; on the cont rary , w re desire to ob tain free facilit ies for th em . W"e ar e infavour of local auton om y whe rever the con dit ions allow i t . W hoeve r the suz erainPower of Palest ine may be, we are in favour of the Jews, when their numbers permiti t, ul t imately obtaining the power which an y lar ge majo ri ty m ay just lv c laim.9. The wor ds " who are fully contented with " i l l expresse s the facts. W henthousands of Je w s ar e f ighting with p assion and a rd ou r for their resp ect ive c oun triesthey are not merely " contented w ith the i r na t io na l i ty ." I t is bone of the i r bone andspirit of their spirit .10. For the reasons given, I earnest ly hope that the f i rst part of the declarat ion,up to the word s " this objec t ," ma y be om it ted, an d th a t wo rds t o the fol lowing effectmay be subst i tu ted for them, v i z . ' : " His M ajesty 's Gov ernme nt is anxious tha t free and unim peded Jew ishimm igrat ion into" Pa les t ine should be establ ished. I t views with favourunres tricted Jew ish colonisat ion in th at cou ntr y. It wil l do i ts best to faci l i taiesuch imm igrat ion and colonisat ion. I t wil l also seek to secure such m un icip aland local autonomy for the Jews as mav be possible, and as the circumstancesof the case may d em an d; i t be ing c lear ly un de rs too d," &c.


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11. For the words " who are ful ly contented with " I should wish to see subst i tuted the words " who have no desire to rel inquish their exis t ing nat ional i ty andc i t i zensh ip . "12 . If the present words of the draf t declarat ion are , for some reason or reasonsunknown to me, bel ieved by His Majesty 's Government to be in the interests ofBri t ish pol icy, and i f His Majesty 's Government is anxious to publ ish this formulafor the sake of this country as wel l as for the Jews, I would, of course, subordinatemy Jewish feel ings, wishes, and interests to the interests of England and the Empire.13. The pos i t ion of many Jewish ins t i tu t ions and char i t ies in Pa les t ine whicnmay not desire to be disconnected with their present relat ionship to Jewish (but non-Zionist ic) org anis at ion s in Eu rop ean cou ntr ies m ust be safeg uard ed. l\To Jewresiding in Pa les t ine should be compelled to come into, or join, a new Jew ish" n a t i o n a l i t y . "Up to the opening of the war , the most inf luent ial Zionists were Germans andA us tr ia ns . Th ere is only too mu ch reason to fear th at any " na t io na l home " o!the Je w s in Pa lest ine wil l be a cen tre an d a hotbed for Ge rm an intr igu e.15 . I venture to express the hope tha t His Majes ty ' s Government has earnes t lyweighed, and will earnestly weigh, the possible effect of the proposed declarationupo n the s i tua t ion of the Je w s in Tu rke y. Even if the declara t ion be no t issued t il lthe British army is in occupation of Palestine, there will st i l l be a large number ofJe w s in the rest of the Tu rkish E m pi re . These ma y denounce the declarat ion, andso obtain protec t ion . B ut they ma y become the vict ims of m assac res ha rdl y lessa t roc ious than the massacres of the Armenians .16. I have assumed that this memorandum wil l not be shown to anybody exceptthe mem bers of the W a r Cab inet an d the Se creta ry of Stat e for Fore ign Affairs .

(9.)From Mr. L. L. Cohen, Chairman, Jewish Board of Guardians.

1. The establ ishmen t of a " na t ion al home for the Je w ish race " in Pale st ine,presupposes that the Jews are a nat ion, which I deny, and that they are homeless ,which implies that , in the countr ies where they enjoy rel igious l iber ty and"the ful lr ights of c i t izenship , they are separa te en t i t i es , un ident ihed wi th the in te res t s ofthe nat ions of which they form parts , an implicat ion which I repudiate .2. Th e expression ' ' by such Je w s who are ful ly contented w ith th eir exis t ingna t ion al i ty and ci t izens hip " is open to a s imilar objection. Th e B ri t ish Jew , forinstance, is not merely " contented " to enjoy his r ig ht s as a nat ion al a nd ci t izen,but is prepared (as he has shown) to f ight for them, and to join in any const i tut ionalmovement to secure thier preservat ion.3. I suggest that the promulgat ion of a declarat ion in the terms indicated wil lpreju dicia l ly affect the presen t prospec ts of the Je w s in Ru ssia and Ru m an ia. H isMajesty's Government has always exercised its beneficent influence to improve thelot of the Jews in both these countries, and has endeavoured to secure for themequal i ty of t reatment with other communit ies in these countr ies .4. In Ru ssia , th rou gh the revolut ion, the Je w ha s been released from theshackles which have oppressed him for gen erat ion s, an d he is wo rking, so i t isreported , to s t ren gh ten the foun dat ion s of the new Governm ent . A re his enemiesin Russia , s t i l l numerous, i f quiescent , to be furnished with the argument againstthe Jew's freedom, that he is not a Russian, but a member of a nation, which is tobe established elsewhere?5. In Rumania , the Jew 7 has had to content himself with promises up to thepresent, but these promises are taking a more definite shape, and the fulfilment ofthe hopes of the Rumanian Jew may be accomplished before the end of the war .I conceive a great danger to the Rumanian Jew in the draf t declarat ion, whic- iwill be used as a weapon by the opponents of the concessions promised him.^ 6. I n my view a stim ulu s wou ld be given to ant i-Se m itism everyw here by adr af t declara t ion, an d B ri t ish Jew s, equal ly with others , would suffer f rom thisa t tem pt to se t tle " the Jew ish ques t ion . " W ha t is now 7 proposed is opt ional emigrat ion to the new State; with a revival of persecut ion, a lways possible , the Jews mightbe compulsori ly em igr ate d; the words in the declarat ion, re lat in g to the preservat ion of the pol i t ical s ta tus of the Jews in other countr ies , w 7ould not protect them insuch eventual i ty.


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7. Given the rea l isa t ion of the hopes and asp ira t ion s of the Ru ss ian andRum anian Jews , " the Jew ish ques tion " d i sapp ea rs .8 . The pre -w ar pop ula t io n of Pa l es t i ne was , I be lieve , un der 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 ; t h enumber of Jews in Europe is estimated to be nine and a quarter mill ions; if i t iscontended tha t there is a " Jew ish q ues t ion ," th e c rea t ion of a Jew ish St a te inPalestine will scarcely solve it.9. I t must a lso be acknowledged tha t the new Jew ish po pula t ion to be a t t rac tedto Pale stine will consist largely of Jew s from th e Near E ast , and, consequently , Je w sat present belonging to enemy belligerent nations will be very numerous amongst thepopulation.There will be th us established foci of in tr i gu e on the f lank of Br it is h int eres tsin Egypt.10. A pronouncement on the pa r t of H is M ajes ty 's Gov ernment in the senseindica ted in the dra f t dec la ra t ion of i ts a t t i tude towards the Zionis t movement wil l ,I fear , further accentuate the divergence of opinion, to which reference is made inthe le t te r now und er reply , an d is not dem anded by B r i t ish Jew s, whose in t e res tshave a lways met with cons idera t ion f rom H is M ajes ty 's Government .11. If, however, a formula has to be devised, the following amended declarationis submitted:" His Majes ty 's Government , v iewing with favour the se t t lement of Jews inPa les t ine , wi l l use i ts bes t endeavours to fac i l i t a te the ir im mi gra t i on an dcolonisation, an d to secure for- them th e enjoyment of c ivil and religio us l iberty ,and mu nicip al privilege s in th e tow ns an d colonies inh ab ited by th em ; i t beingc lear ly unders tood tha t nothing sha l l be done which may pre judice the r ightsand pr ivi leges on non -Jew ish comm unit ies in Pa le s t ine , or the r ig hts an dpolit ical s ta tus enjoyed in any other country by such Jews who determine to

re ta in the i r ex i s t ing na t iona l i ty and c i t i z ensh ip . "12. I assume that this le tter is to be treated as confidentia l , and will be submit ted only to the Members of the W a r Cab ine t an d to Hi s Maje s ty 's Secre ta ry ofState for Foreign Affairs .

A P P E N D I X I I .Q

D R A F T D E C L A R A T I O N S .1: Dr af t subm it ted by the Secre ta ry of Sta te for Fo re ign Affa irs , Aug ust1 9 1 7 :

" His Majes ty 's Government accept the pr inc iple tha t Pa les t ine should bereconstituted as the national home of the Jewish people , and will use their bestendeavours to secure the achievement of this object, and will be ready to consider any suggestions on the subject which the Zionist Organisation may desireto lay before them."2. Dra f t submit ted by Lord M ilner to the W ar Cabine t , the 4th October , 1917.

(Draft submitted to various Jewish representatives, the 6th October, 1917):" Hi s Ma jes ty 's G overnment views w ith favour the es tabl ishment inPales tine of a n atio na l home for the Je w ish race, an d will use i ts bestendeavours to facil i ta te the achievement of this object; i t being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religiousr ights of exis t ing no n-Jew ish comm unit ies in Pa les t ine , or the r ig hts andpolit ical s ta tus enjoyed in any other country by such Jews who are fully conten ted wi th the i r ex i s t ing na t iona l i ty . "

3. Amendments to No. 2, proposed by (a ) the Chief Rabbi , (6) Dr . Weizmann,( c ) Mr. Sokolov, and (d) L o r d R o t h s c h i l d : -Pa rag rap h 1. For " J ewish race " subs t i tu te "J ePa ragraph 3 . Subs t i tu te the fo l lowing phra se :polit ical s ta tus enjoyed by Jews in any other country."[1074]

w i s h" o r peop le . "the r igh ts andD


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4 . Al te rna t i ve d ra f t submi t t ed by M r . M ontagu , M .P . :" H is M ajes ty ' s Governm ent accepts the pr inc ip le th a t every opp or tun i tyshould be afforded for the establ ishmen t in Pale st in e of those Je w s who canno t ,and wil l not , remain in the lands in which they l ive at present , wi l l use i ts bestendeavours to faci l i ta te the achievement of this object , and wil l be ready to con

sider any suggest ions on the subject which any Jewish or Zionist organisat ionsmay desi re to lay before i t ."5. D raf t by C . G. Montef iore , E s q . :

" H is M ajes ty ' s Governm ent i s anxiou s th a t f ree and unim pede d Jewishim m igra t ion into Pa lest ine should be establ ished. I t views w ith favour unrest r ic ted Jew ish colonisat ion in th at country. I t wi l l do i ts best to faci l i ta tesuch immigrat ion and colonisat ion, and wil l a lso seek to secure sucn municipaland local autonomy for the Jews as may be found possible , i t being clear ly unders tood," &c. (P ar ag ra p h s 2 and 3 of D ra f t No. 2 .)6. Draft by L. L. Cohen, Esq. :

"His Majes ty ' s Government , v iewing wi th favour the se t t l ement of Jewsin Palest ine, wi l l use i ts best endeavours to faci l i ta te their immigrat ion andcolonisation in that country, and to secure for them the enjoyment of civil andrel igious l iber ty, together wi th municipal pr ivi leges, in the towns and coloniesinh abi te d by the m ; i t being clear ly und erstoo d th at no thin g shal l be done toin ter fere wi th the r ights and pr iv i leges of non-Jewish communi t ies in Pa les t ine ,or the r ights and pol i t ical s tatus enjoyed in any other country by such Jewswho de termine to re ta in the i r ex i s t ing na t ional i ty or c i t i zenship ."7 . Draf t by Si r Phi l ip Magnus , M.P. :

" H is M aje sty 's Governm ent views w ith favour the establ ishm ent inPalest ine of a centre of Jewish cul ture, and wil l use i ts best endeavours tofaci l i ta te the achievement of th is object ; i t being und erstoo d tha t noth ing shal lbe done which may prejudice the r ights of exis t ing non-Jewish communit ies inPalest ine, or the r ights and pol i t ical s tatus now enjoyed by Jews in any othercoun t ry . ' '

A P P E N D I X I I I .V I E W S OF T H E L A T E E A R L C R O M E R .

" Spectator;' August 1 2 , 1916.It is believed that on the eve of the French Revolution there were less thanthre e mil l ion Jew s in Eu rope . Th ere are now some nine mil lion, besides about twomil l ion in North America and smal ler communit ies in other par ts of the world.Erom the earl iest days of the Dispersion the Jews have, for different reasons,been viewed w ith disl ike and suspicion by th e rest of th e world. Ju ve na l, whoregarded the Jews as magic ians , inve ighed agains t them, and a t t r ibuted the i r faul t sto the fact that they set aside every seventh day as a day, not of rest , but of

:' s loth ." Th e f i fth-century poet , R ut i l ius (Itiner.,Y. 3 8 6 ) , regret ted the Dispersionas he feared that the subjugated nat ion would conquer their conquerors . Victoresquesuos noM o victa premit. The prejudices of the pagan world w Tere inherited in anintensified form by C hr ist ian s an d Moslems alike. Those of the Ch ris t ia ns led tothe comprehensible but whol ly i r rat ional conclusion that future generat ions of Jewsfor al l t ime should be persecuted because some of their predecessors had crucifiedCh rist . Those of th e Moslems w 7ere based on the personal history of Mohammed.They st i l l survive. Am ong the most civil ised natio ns of the world, disl ike basedon rel igious prejudices, i f i t has not whol ly disappeared, has been great ly mit igated,but other causes have supervened which have kept ant i -Semit ic sent iments al ive.

In England there has never been any "Jewish ques t ion" proper ly so ca l led .This is due partly to the fact that rel igious toleration, both in the let ter and thespir i t , has establ ished a f i rm hold on Engl ish publ ic opinion, and par t ly to thefurther -fact that the relatively small number of Jew rs i n t he Uni t ed K ingdomthereare at present only some tv/o hundred and for ty-f ive thousandhas prevented them


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from exercising so commanding an influence over national life as Las been the casein some other countries. There is not, as in Aust ria, a Je w moneylender in almostevery village in the country, who often holds the future welfare of the noble in hiscastle and^of the villager in his cottage in the hollow of his hand. An inc identsuch as that which came within my personal knowledge whilst residing in Styria.would be impossible in thi s country, i was asked by an Au st ri an friend to makeenquir ies as "to wmether he could rent a country house in the neighbourhood ofGra tz. After vis iting one house, the proprietor as&ed me -whether my friendwas a Jew. I replied in the negative . He then explained to me that he was anardent anti-Semitic, and that he would not, for any pecuniary consideration whatsoever, let his house to a Jew. In no country has the Je w fewer causes for cornpla int 'than in England. He is under no civil disabilities. Afte r a struggle, whichnever excited more than a somewhat languid interest, he was given full rights ofcitizenship. Jews now sit in both Houses of Pa rl ia ment . They occupy impor tantpublic positions. A distinguished man of Jewish origin ruled for some years thedestinies of England. The fai th of his ancestors and his heredit ary proclivitieshave not prevented him from being regarded to this day by a large section of thecommunity as a typical Bri tish patriot. When, therefore, Dr. Weizmann says tha twhat the Jew wants is "to find a place in the social structure of the world whichshall enable him to live as a human being without demanding that he cease tobe a Je w, " the average Engl ishman will reply with much reason, and perhaps withsome slight indignation and amazement, th at he has given the Jew all th at he asks;that Judaism is a cult like any other, which he is free to exercise in this country;that the British conscience.is clear; and that the Jewish question may be dismissedfrom the minds of Br it ish politicians and the Br it ish public. And yet th is answer,plausible though it may appear, is far from disposing of the whole question.

Whatever sentiments may be ente rtained towards the Jews , and whateveropinions may be held as to the wisdom of affording encouragement to the ir presentaspi ra tions/ it is surely desirable that those asp irat ions should be understood. Itmay well be doubted whether they are generally understood in this country. Thevery useful series of essays now publ ished under the ti tle of " Zionism and theJewish Future " enables us to gain some insight into the views current in Jewishcircles, and the aims which the leading members of the Jewish community seekto attain. The publ ica tion is all the more timely because one of the consequencesof the war will almost certainly be th at the whole Jewish question will in the futurehave to be approached under auspices vdiich differ widely from those which havehitherto obtained.The first point to be grasped in order to arrive at a true comprehension ofthe meaning of the movement known as Zionism is to recognise the fact th at formany years past there have been two main currents of Jewish thought which havebeen moving in divergent directions. I t is na tur al tha t it should be so. To use an

O o . . . .expressive phrase employed by th at talented novelist, George Eliot, Judaea a nd,consequently, the Jewsis "poised between East and We st ." The tendency ofthe Western Jews ha,s been to Westernise Judai sm. Moses Mendelssohn (1729-86),who may be said to be almost the founder of thi s school of thought, held tha t thebest solution of the Jewish question was that "the Jew should become as like aspossible to the Gentile." The predomina ting note of Western Je wr y has, therefore,been a movement from the Jewish to the non-Jewish. This movement received agreat stimulus from the French Revolution, which broke down the walls of theGhettos and thus emancipated the Jews, but which, at the same time, went far todenationalise Judaism. Toleration has produced its na tu ra l and inevitable result.It has tended to break up the solidari ty of the Wes tern Jews, and to fac ili tateassimilation with the non-Jewish communities to which they belong.

The thought of East ern Je wry has developed on precisely opposite lines. Theinefncacy of persecution, unless it be conducted on a scale and after a fashion whichhave now become pract ica lly impossible, has been clearly demonstrated. I t hasserved to fester the movement which it was intended to stifle. The most passionately ardent Jews prefer persecution, which keeps alive the flame of nationalism,to emancipation, which tends to quench it. The following extract from the works ofAsher Ginsberg, who adopted the synonym of " A.chad-ha- 'Am " (One of thePeople), is characteristic of the ir views. Speaking of the Western Jews, he said:

" Do I envy these felloAv-Jew 7s of mine the ir emancipation? I answer in alltru th and sincerity, No! A thousand times No! The privileges are not worththe price! I may not be emancipated; but at least I have not sold my soul for


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em ancipat ion . , I a t l eas t can procla im f rom th e housetops th a t my k i t h an dkin are dear to me wherever they are, without being constrained to f ind forcedand unsa t i s facto ry excuses. I a t leas t can remember Jeru sale m , m ourn for i t sloss in public or m private, without being asked what Zion is to me or I toZion A nd thi s sp ir i tu al freedomscoff who w il l ! I would notexchange or bar ter fo r a l l the emancipat ion in the wor ld ."Zionism, which in i ts present form may be said to have been born in 1896, isthe ou tcome of E as ter n Jew ish tho ug ht and act ion . I t s he ad qu ar ter s un t i l recen tlyhave been in Polan d . W he the r the cen t re of g rav i ty of Je w ish a ct iv i ty wi l l now beshif ted rem ains to be seen. D r. We izm an n says : " I t is too early as yet to est im ateeven approximately the effect of the war on the great Jewish centres in which a partof i t is being waged, but i t is already obvious that i t wil l deal a shat ter ing blow atwhat has been for cen tur ies the great reservoi r o f Jewish s t rength . ' 'W h a t is i t th at the Zionis t s wan t? The idea th at they wish the Je w s of a l lraces to be congregated together in Palest ine may at once be dismissed as absurd.N othin g of the sort is proposed. N eithe r do they wa nt to establ ish a me re colonyin the sense in wh ich th a t term is usua l ly employed. Zionism s tan ds for a n at i on alrevival . I t s aim and goal , the V ery Rev. D r. Ga ster says, " is to crea te for the J ewa new home, not so much for physic al as for sp ir i tu al l i fe. T his mu st be borne inmind and never los t s igh t o fthat the Holy Land i s to become the sp i r i tual cen t reof the Je w s. Th is sta nd s far above any pol i t ica l or economic co ns ide rat ion ." I tshould be add ed th at Dr . Ga ste r ' s ideal i sm soars very .h igh . H e holds th at the re

es tab l i shment of Jewish nat ional l i fe in the ancien t home of Judaism wi l l help tosolve m any of the bu rn ing qu est ions of the day. Such ar e " the problem of tenu re ofpro pe rty, the problem of comm ercial dea l ing, the prote ct ion of the laboure r , thepu ri t y of food, simplified proc edu re in the Co urts of Ju st ic e prote ct ion ag ain stusury , agains t r ings and monopol ies , democrat ic o rganisat ion , and the pr incip les ofequi tab le tax at io n Th e Je w ish reg ath er in g i s to be of g re at momentin the h is tory of the em ancipa t ion and progress of m ank ind . Only f rom th is po in tof v iew has Zionism a me aning and Ju da is m a jus t i f ica t ion ." M r. Na hum Sokolowquotes the pathet ic quest ion propounded to h im by an en thusias t ic youth , who maybe regarded as a typical " New Jew," to the fol lowing effect : " Are we st i l l a peopleto whom youth and heal th may return, or a bleached and scat tered heap of bones?Are these bones never again to l ive and move?"I t would be bo th pre m atu re and presu mp tuous to a t te m pt to forecas t the fu tur eof the Zio nist movement. A ll th a t can at prese nt be done is to sta te the na tu re ofthe problem, and to note that some sl ight pract ical progress has been made towardsthe rea l isat io n of the Je w ish ideals . Fo r some yea rs pa st a stead y strea m of J ew ishim m igra t ion to Pa les t ine ha s set in . Th ere are now forty-f ive Je w ish colonies,having a populat ion of about f i f teen thousand souls and covering an area of aboutone hu nd red an d ten th ous and acres. Good road s have been ma de. Nu me rouselem entary schools in which He brew is ta ug h t have been establ ished. "T ha t H ebre was a l iv ing lang uag e ha s come to st a y, " Dr. Sel ig Bro detsk y says, " th at , in fact ,He brew is well on the ' way to becoming the m other- to ngue of Pa les t ine J ew ry , isobviou s." Fro m a m ate ria l poin t of view, the Je w ish colonies thr iv e. Th e verycommon idea th at the Je w s can never be successful ag ric ul tur ist s has been completely disproved. They exp ort fru i t and win e in larg e qu an ti t ies . In one colonythe value of th e irri ga ble lan d ha s risen from 3Z. 12s. pe r ac re in 1890 to 3QI. an acre.The trade of Jaffa,"which in 1904 was valued at 760,000/., had in 1912 reached thefigure of 2,080,000Z. L ibe ra l enc oura gem ent has been given to a rt s an d in du str ies .

Eno ugh, however, ha s been said to show th at , al though possibly the Je w ishquest ion wil l not mature qui te so quickly as some of the more enthusiast ic Zionistsconsider probable, i t is rap idl v becoming a pra ct ic al issue, an d th a t before longpoli t ic ians wil l be unable to brush i t aside as the fa nta st ic dre am of a few ideal ists .

V I E W E X PR E S SE D BY S I R A L F R E D M O N D , M . P .Extracts from an Article by him in the " Weekly Dispatch" April 8, 1917.

As for the Pales t in ian ideal , which the Br i t i sh advance in South Pales t ine hasquickened in the he ar ts of ma ny of the Jew ish people, the quest ion which theavera ge man wil l ask himself is : A re the Je w s sui tab le for the agri cu l tu ra l l ife


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which mu st be the bas is of the developm ent of th is sun-e nric hed soi l? H e may beanswe red by reference to the Jew ish ag r ic ul t ur a l co lonies es tabl i shed in Pa les t inein recen t years. These colonies have achieved rem ark ab le resul ts an d seem to poi ntto the survival of the old pastoral inst inct of the Jews.Arid and unheal thy land has been made fer t i le and habi tab le by the work ofthe t i l lers of the soi l an d by the ski lful cu l t iva t ion of eu caly ptu s t rees. Sev eralcent res have a lso been s tar ted for the t rea tment of d isease , par t icu lar ly b l indness ,which i s so unfo r tun ate ly pre vale nt among ch i ldren in the . E as t ow ing to crud enotions of hygiene.In s tudying the fu ture of Pales t ine and the pract icabi l i ty of an autonomousJewish S ta te there , i t i s fa i r to remember tha t the Jew on the whole gets on qui tewell wi th the M ahom meda n, wi t h whom he has rac ia l a f fin it iesboth repr esen tbranches of the Semi t ic raceand between whose re l ig ion and Judaism there i smuch in common, as one would expect f rom a l ike derivat ion.B ut man y diff icul ties imm ediate ly sugg est themselves. Th e an cie nt Te mp leof Solomon, for instance, is to-day the second Holy Moslem place af ter Mecca.The Jews would not in terfere , bu t some m igh t remember th a t i t was once theTe mp le of Solomon. *To be qu ite f rank, I have yet to be convinced th at th e found atio n of an inde pendent Jewish S ta te comes wi th in the domain of prac t ica l pol i t ics , but I see noreason why guarantees, i f they were desired, should not be given to the Jews ofthe ful lest l iberty to-manage their own local affairs and for the protect ion of theresul t s of the i r labour , and I do not doubt , wha tever the fu tur e of Pale s t ine , th a tth is condi t ion could be obta ined . W he the r th is would sa t i sfy the aspi ra t i on s ofthe Zionis t s who desi re the foundat ion of an autonomous Jewish S ta te i s another

mat t e r .

V I E W E X P R E S S E D B Y M R . JA C O B S C H I F F .Extract from a Report of a. Speech by him, " American Jewish Chronicle "April 27, 1917.- I may say something which wi l l sur pr i s e ma ny of you e lders . For the f i rs tt ime in the las t three weeks the thought has come to me: " Why hasn ' t the Jew hisown hom eland ?" I am not a bel iever in a Je w ish nat io n bui l t on " i sms " ego t ismfirst , atheism and agnost icism. I am a bel iever in the Je w is h people, in the Je w ishmission. I bel ieve th at somew here the re should be a gr ea t reserv oir f rom wh ichJewish cul ture , unhampered by the mater ia l i sm of the world , should spread i t sbeaut i fu l ideals to a l l pa r t s of the world . Th is homeland, na tur a l ly , i s Pale s t ine .

T H E J E W I S H N A T IO N A L I D E A AN D T H E Z I O N I ST M O V E M E N T A FT ER - T H E R U S SI A NR E V O L U T I O N .

Zionism in the Russian P rovinces occupied by the Enemy.I t should be noted t h a t 42 per ce nt , of the 6,000,000 of Ru ssia n J ew s are n otaffected by the Ru ssian Revo lut ion . The ten govern men ts of Pol an d (Wa rsa w,

Petrokoff, Plozk, Kal i sch , Lomza, Kie lce , Ra do m , Lubl in , S uvalk i , S iedlce) , wi tha population of about 1,800,000 Jews, are occupied by the enemy and have noconnection with the recen t events in Ru ssia . Th e sam e app lies to the Je w s in th egovernments of Li thuania (Brest -Li tovske , Wilna , Grodno, Kovno, and a par t ofMinsk) , wi th a popu la t ion of a t leas t 600,000 Je w s. Th e rem aind er of the J ew swho live in the few places of V olh yn ia oc cupied by th e enem y ar e also unaffected bythe Russian Revolut ion . In a l l the provinces , which are densely pop ula ted by Jew s,and in the two most im po rta nt Jew ish comm uni t ies of Ru ssia (W arsa w a nd W ilna)the nat ional idea and the Zionis t movement have great ly developed during the las tgenera t ion , and during the w ar have received an added imp etus . The terr ib le ha rd ships and sufferings which the Jewish populat ion of these provinces have enduredduring the war have brought home to many of them the consciousness of their uni tyand the necessity of a refuge of their own.

[1074] ^ " ; - E


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Zionist Conference in Warsaw ."The po pul ar i ty of the Zionis t idea am ong the Pol ish Je w s is dem ons tra te d bythe fac t tha t , in sp i te of the appal l ing condi t ions under which they l ive under theoppress ive German occupat ion , they convened in May las t a Zionis t Conference in

Warsaw, which was a t tended by near ly 400 delegates^ represent ing a great numberof communities, synagogues, societies, and groups, consisting of all classes of theJew ish pop ula t ion . In Ju ly las t a p lebisc i te wa s ina ug ur ate d am ong the Je w s ofPo lan d with a v iew to asce r ta in ing their a t t i tu de tow ard s Zion ism. Th e p lebisc i teresulted in the acceptance of a resolution in favour of Zionist aims.AVtitu.de. of Press.,

The lead ing Jewish p ress in Po lan d i s Zion is t . I t is no tew or thy th a t the" H a in t , " w hich has the wides t c i rcu la t ion of a l l the new spapers . Jewish and non-Jew ish , ha s recent ly g iven i ts adhere nce to th e Zionis t p rog ram m e.Sacrifice for Jewish. Colonists in Palestine.

Wilna has for severa l yea rs been the centre of Ru ssian Z ionism . I t was theseat of the Zionis t Ce ntra l Com mit tee . W ilna , with i ts o ld Jew ish t rad i t io ns , as acentre of Jewish learning and as the cradle of the Neo-Hebraic l i te ra ture , has a lwaystaken a lead ing pa r t in the Jew ish na t iona l movement . I t i s r em arkab le th a t inth e dar kes t hour of the ir t r ia l a n d s t rugg le for existence , when they had to col lec tevery penny to satisfy the most vital needs of thousands of their starving brethren,they devoted part of the funds which were sent to them for the relief of the Jewishcolonis ts in Pales t ine and for the cont inuat ion of the educat ional work to preparenew settlers for the Palestinian colonies.Bia lystok has s ince the very outse t of the nat ional movement been a great centrefor the organisa t ion and prepara t ion of groups of colonis ts for Pales t ine , a workwhich wa s in i t ia ted by the la te Ra bbi M ohilewer . D uri ng the las t year new gro upsof pioneers for the colonisation of Palestine after the war have been organised inconnect ion with the neighbouring Jewish Li thuanian communit ies of Zabludowo,Knish in , Wi lkowishk i , and Grayevo ( in the Louza government ) .All the repor ts publ ished in the Jewish press and repor ts which have reachedus in pr ivate le t ters are unanimous in the s ta tement that the number of organisedZion ists (Sheke l-payers) has conside rably increas ed an d th a t the income of theJew ish N at io nal Fu nd has exceeded any am ou nt ever reached before. The pol i t ica l

s tanding and the inf luence of the Nat ional is t Jews in Poland and Li thuania is bes tshown by the fac t tha t on the Town Counci ls of the capi ta l of Poland, Wilna , andBialystok and other p laces numerous Zionis t representa t ives have been e lec ted by theJewish masses .As already stated, these activit ies only concern the two and a half mill ions ofRussian Jews who are l iv ing under the German occupat ion and who have not beeninfluenced by the Russian Revolution.Zionism in post-Revolutionary Russia.

The beginning of a modern const i tu t ional regime hera lded by the Revolut ion forall the inhabitants of Russia, the l iberation of all oppressed nationalit ies, creeds andclasses , have opened out an era which the Ru ssian Je w s have welcomed withen thus iasm.Having now at ta ined the s ta tus of fu l l c i t izenship and equal r ights , i t i s urgedin some qu ar t ers th a t th is chan ge would weak en or even destroy the nat io nalsolid arity. B ut such is not the case, as the histo ry of the first revolu tion ary movem ent in 1905-6 dem ons trate s. The idea of l iberty in R uss ia, far from w eak enin gJewish nat ional ism, d id but in tensify and deepen the nat ional aspira t ions .Im m ediate ly after the first Rev olution a Zio nist Conference w as held intlelsingfors, at which they defined their att i tude of solidarity with the internationalZionis t movement .

Amongst the Jewish masses nat ional ism made great progress a l l over Russia .The nationalist Yiddish press of Warsaw, which has since played such a considerable pa rt in forming Jewis h public opinion, is a pro du ct of th a t epoch. A g rea tnumber of cul tura l na t ional is t Jewish socie t ies (Hazamir and others) were es tabl ishedin that period (1906).In regard to the present Revolution, so far as we can judge from the facts at ourdisposal , the nat ional movement among the Russian Jews has made great headway.
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The Zionist Organisation in Russia uti l ised the f irs t few weeks of Russian l ibertyto combine i t s scat tered forces and to develop propaganda upon a large scale .New Moscow Zionist Comm ittee.In Moscow a Zionis t Dis t r ic t Commit tee was formed, compris ing twenty-fourp r ov i nces : As t r akhan , V l ad i mi r , Vo l ogda , Vor onezh , Kazan , Ka l uga , Kos t r oma ,K ursk , Moscow, Ni jn i -Novgorod , S imbi r sk , Smolensk , Tambov, Tula , Ufa , J a ro s lav, and the Don dis t r ic t .Zionist Demonstrations.

Alm ost in a l l tow ns splendid meet ings have tak en place, m ark ed by ex traord inary spontane i ty and v igour . Pa r t i c u l a r men t ion ma y be m ad e of the Z ion i s tmeet ing at Odessa. E nt i re bat ta l ion s of Zionis t soldiers bore thr ou gh the tow n blueand whi te bann er s wi th the m ot to : " L iber ty in Russ ia , La nd and L iber ty inP a l e s t i n e . "A hundred and fifty thousand men followed these banners, to which the M il i ta ryGov ernor of Odessa insis ted on show ing ho nou r pub licly. W e can l ikewise calla t t en t ion to the Z ion i s t meet ings a t Minsk , S ara to v , Jur ie v , K ha rko v , Theodos ia ,Ni jni -Novgorod , Ek a te r inb urg , P lomel , P ro sku rov , Bak u , Dubrovno , R iaza n ,Ka zan , Ek ater in os lav , Moscow, &c. Th e me et ing organ ised at Kieff has l ikewisebeen very magnif icent . W he n the process ion ap pro ac he d the tow n hal l the Zionis tf lag was hois ted on the balcony to the s t rains of " Hat ikvah " ( the Zionis t anthem)played by the municipal orches t ra .

A t Berdischeff 15,000 Jew s m arc hed thro ug h the pr inc ipal s t reets car r y ingZionis t ban ners . The m unic ipal i ty , the adm inis t ra t ion execut ive of the tow n, andthe chiefs of the Ukr a in e N at ion a l O rgani sa t ions g ree ted the Z ion i s t dem ons t ra to r s .Accord ing to adv ices f rom d i s tan t Turkes tan and Bokhara , the Z ion i s t movement has ma de r em arkab le p rogres s there . The en t i r e Sep hard ic e lement hasadhered to the movem ent . The As hk ena zim and S ep ha rdim , as i s no t of ten the easein Asia t ic Russ ia , peaceful ly w orke d togethe r a t the gr ea t Asia t ic Zionis t Conferencewhich w as held at Sa m arc an d. A meet ing of five tho usa nd Je w s also held th ereadopted a resolut ion in favour of a Jewish Pales t ine.In Moscow a Jewish mass meet ing took place in the great hal l of that town.The meet ing was convened by a com mit tee of the uni ted Jew ish org anis at ion s . D r .Echiel Tchlenow, who was elected president, called to mind, in his speech, the vict imsof the old rule and greeted the l iberty of al l " poli t ical offenders ," the Duma, theRuss ian pro leta r ia t , the arm y. Then the represe ntat ive s of the di fferent Jew ishorga nisa tions delivered speeches. A series of claim s we re ad vo ca te d: in one claimall agreed to claim national rights for Russian Jeivry.Resolution of Moscow Mass Meeting.

The meet ing ado pted the fol lowing res olu t ion :" The Jewish mass meet ing in Moscow salutes wi th great joy the f reedom.We are f irmly convinced that the Consti tuent Assembly, which is to be elected by

universal suff rage, shal l es tabl ish in Russ ia a thoroughly democrat ic adminis t rat ion, and that not only civi l r ights , but a lso nat ional r ights , nat ional autonomy,and a free national evolution shall be secured to the Jewish as well as to al l otherpeoples of Ru ssia . Th e m eetin g resolves to convoke a ge ne ral Je w ish cong ressi n R us s i a . "I t is very cha racte r is t ic of the presen t t ren d of mind of Ru ss ian J ew ry t ha t inMoscow Dr. Jecbiel Tchlenow, the famous Zionist leader. , has been elected head ofthe Moscow Jew ish com mu ni ty , to-day the riches t an d mo st inf luent ia l Jew ishcommuni ty in Ru ss ia . The three wel l -know n Zionis t leaders in P et ro gr ad ,Katzenelson, Rosoff, and Grunbaum, have been appoin ted members o f the Nat iona l

Defence Comm ission crea ted by th e new G ov ern m ent . In Kieff, Bichowsky, thewell-known Zionist , has been elected head of a new central communal, organisationthat comprises all local Jewdsh societies.Attitude of Press.

It is also interesting to learn that, in spi te of the act ivi t ies and t remendouspropagand a of t h e " Bu nd " ( a Jew ish Soc ia li s t o rgan i sa t ion in Ru ss ia ) , it is thenationalist element that is supreme in the Russian Jewish press. T he p r opo r t i on[1071] F


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between nat ional i s t and Zionis t papers as agains t non-nat ional i s t i s about ten toone. Even the non-nat ional i s t papers no longer act ively oppose Jewish Nat ionalism. The y sim ply lay th eir chief stress on class interes t,All-Russian Zionist Conference, Petrograd.

The outstanding feature of recent Zionist developments in Russia has been thehold ing of the Al l -K ussian Zionis t Conference, which opened in Pe t ro gr ad on May24, 1917.Th e Conference received off icial recognit ion. Th e M inis ter for Fo reig nAffairs , M. Terestchenka, wished the Conference success.^Representat ives of Jewish democracy assured the Conference that the masseswould respond in a Zionist spir i t to the quest ion of a Jewish centre in Palest ine.The Conference wa s at te nd ed by 552 delegates from 680 towns. Th e mostremotely si tu ate d dis tr ic ts were repres ented . Th ere were delegates from Tu rke stan, Bo kha ra, an d the Crim ea. The Je w ish soldiers a t the front sent 24 rep resentat ives. tIn addi t ion to the delegates there were 500 visi tors from provincial towns,an d over 1,100 from Pe tro gr ad . Th e proceed ings were at te nd ed by 87 new spa percorrespondents .At the Conference speeches expressing welcome and good wishes were deliveredby M. Warshavsky, Pres iden t o f the Pet rograd Jewish Communi ty , who had h i ther toopposed Zionism, and by M. H . Sl iosberg, the well-known po li t icia n a nd lawyer,who previously ha d also not been favourab le to the movement . The lat te r de claredthat the Zionist idea was dear to him, and he ut tered the wish that the aim of theConference should be at ta in ed in the nea r future. Zionism had kep t the flag ofJudaism aloft , he said , and the whole future of Jewry now depended upon thefuture of Zionism.

The delegate f rom Samarcand (Turkestan) sa id : " In our c i ty there are 12 ,000J ews , an d we are al l Zionists . In the whole of T ur ke sta n there are no Je w s whoar e not Zion ists . W e ar e al l w ith you. W e bri ng you our me ans an d our souls ."Delegation of Soldiers to Conference.There was also a delegat ion of soldiers from the front , which announced thatpractically all the soldiers at the front were Zionists, and that as soon as the warwas over they would be ready to go to Palest ine at the bidding of the Zionist leadersand play their part in bui lding up the new nat ional l i fe.The Resolutions of Conference.

The Conference carr ied the fol lowing resolut ion on Palest ine unanimously:" Considering f i rst that the Jewish people, in view of i ts disposi t ion and

dispersion all over the world, can recreate for i tself conditions for normaldevelopm ent of i ts na tion al, cu ltu ral , an d economic life only thr ou gh th erestorat ion of a nat ional autonomous centre in i ts historic home, Palest ine." Secondly, th at t he Jew ish na t ion ha s never severed i ts t ies with i tsancient home, and has always longed for i t , and that i ts moral and historicr ight to Palest ine is incontestable and i rremovable." Th irdly , th at the as pir at i on s of the Jew ish nat io n so ma nifested ful lycoincide with the great principle of self-definition,; of freedom and independence for the development of all nations proclaimed by the democraciesan d gove rnm ents of all cou ntries. '" The seventh Zionist Conference in Ru ss ia una nim ous ly expres ses i ts firmbelief that when establ ishing the basis of the future nat ional and pol i t icallife the nations will recognise and count with the clearly stated will of theJewish nat ion for the re-set t lement and re-bir th of Palest ine as i ts nat ionalcentre, and wil l iconsoquently cre ate condit ions guar an tee ing the free andsuccessful development of the concentration of Jewish forces and of the restorat ion of Palest ine." To ensure the concrete and full manifestation of the will of the Jewishna tio n the. Conference conside rs i t necessary first to org anis e amon g the J ew s

* F o r a l t i t u d e of t h e R u s s i a n G o v e r n m e n t s e e A p p e n d i x I V .f S e e s p e c i a l M i l i t a r y O r d e r o f G e n e r a l Alexieff, A p p e n d i x V .


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:a referend um on the quest ion, secondly to lay before the A ll- R us sia n "Jew ishCongress the quest ion of Jewish c la ims in Pales t ine , and th i rd ly to c la im theadmission of a representat ive of the Jewish nat ion at the future peace conference to be held upo n the closing of hosti li t ie s for th e exp res sion of th e w ishesof the Jewish nat ion and for the defence of i t s h is tor ic and nat ional r ightsand in t e res t s . "

Practical Zionism.Passing to the pract ical side of the Zionist movement, we desire to mentionthe following fac ts:In Moscow the " H ab on eh ," a com pany w ith a subscribed ca pit al of 5,000,000roubles, has been formed for the purpose of bui lding houses in Palest ine on thecessation of hostili t ies.The considerable monthly re turns of the Jewish Nat ional Fund are due par

t icularly to receipts f rom Ru ssia. Th is wil l ingness to ma ke sacrif ices evinced bythe Russian Jews (280,000 roubles during the f i rst month of their del iverance) opensup very favourable prospects for the development of the Jewish National Fundin the future.

T H E G R O W T H OF " Z I O N I S M I N A M E RI CA D U RI N G T H E W A R.

On the outbreak of the w ar Am erican Zionis t s pr om pt ly se t up in New York aprovisional Executive Committee for Zionist affairs, which became, for certainpurposes, a rea l In t ern at io na l Zionis t Execut ive . The head of th is orga nisa t io nwas Mr. Bran deis , now Mr. Ju st ic e Bra nde is , of the Suprem e Court . I t made i t schief task the maintenance of the Jewish set t lements and educat ional and otherinst i tut ion s in Pale st ine . Fo r this pur pos e i t raise d vast sums of money, and thepers is tence of Jewish work in Pales t ine through three years of war i s due pr imari lyto Am erican Zionists. I n thre e year s over 360,000/ . passed thro ug h i ts han ds, independently of the ordinary Zionist col lect ions such as Shekel and National Funds.The Provisional Executive, at the same t ime, establ ished int imate relat ions with thepoli t ical factors in the United States and laboured to assist in the development ofZionism throughout the American Cont inent , notably in Canada, and the Argent ine .The recent Zionist Convention in C an ad a was the most impressive in the histo ry ofthe movement in the Dominion.The United States.

W h a t may be cal led local Zio nist affairs ar e unde r th e control of the A m er ica nZionist Fed erat io n and affi liated bodies. These have grow n gre at ly in str en gthduring the war. A t the Ba lt im ore Conference on the 24th Ju n e last , i t was r epo rtedtha t there were 170 societies at ta ch ed to the Feder at ion , 41 to the H ad as sa h orWom en's Union, 98 to the Zion ist Un ion of the We ste rn State s, 450 to the Y oun gJu da h Association, 87 to the Orde r Sons of Zion, 190 to the M isra ch e or stric t lyorthodox Associat ion, 95 to the Poa le-Z ion or Zionist La bo ur Pa rt y. To theseshould now be add ed the Or der B ri th Sh alom with 50,000 members. A t the t im e ofthe Balt imore Convention i t was announced that there were 50 new Zionist Societ iesin process of form ation. Th e num ber of shekel pa ye rs ha d rise n in 1917 to 320,000,which is more tha n 120,000 increase over the prece ding year. Ev ery shekel pa ye rformally accepts the Zionist programme and subscribes to the Zionist funds.Some idea of the financial power of Zionism in the United States may be gainedfrom a few i l lustrat ion s. A t mass mee tings held in conjun ct ion w ith the B alt im oreConvention it was anno unced th a t 60,000/. wa s rais ed for Jewus h relief in Pa le sti neand the other w ar zones. Th e N atio na l Fu nd , which exis ts for the purch ase ofland in Palestine to be held by the organised Jewish people, obtained over 12,000/.durin g the year in volun tary gif ts . I n May the vario us A.chuzah an d other A me ric ansocieties for the co-ope rative pu rch as e of lan d an d fou nd atio n of colonies inPalest ine were formed into a union, wh ich ha s an actu al c ap i ta l of 30,000/. , an dwith in five or six yea rs will have an income of 200,000/. I t is w ort h observ ing th a tthis union wil l make special provision for the set t lement in Palest ine of Jewish;ex-soldiers.


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Resolution of Jewish Ministers' Association of New York.The Agudath Horabbonim Ham atiftm, the Jew ish M inis te rs ' Associa t ion of

New York, has adopted the fol lowing resolut ion :"Resolved tha t a l l Jewish rabbis of Amer ica , the t rue representa t ives ofthe Je w ish fa i th, be cal led in conference to pet i t io n the Pr es ide nt of our God-blessed country, the Senate and the House of Representat ives , as wel l as theother Powers, favourablv to consider the restorat ion of Palest ine to the Jewishpeople ."Convention of Jewish National, Socialist, Workmen 's Com mittee.

The first convention of the Jewish National, Socialist, Workmen 's Com mittee,cal led together in the last days of March to discuss the vi tal quest ions which wil lhave to be taken u p by the Am er ican Jew ish Congress, adopted var ious resolu t ions,the final clause of which stated :" The convent ion hereby declares that i t i s the his tor ic and sacred duty ofAmer ican Jewry to demand in concer t wi th a l l o ther par t s of the Jewish peopleful l nat ional l iberat ion and the possibi l i ty of an independent development ofthe Jewish people in an assured home in Pa les t ine ."

Dr. Chaim Zhi t lowsky, one of the leaders of the Jewish Social is ts in theUnited States of America, has adopted Zionism and enrol led himself as a memberof the Po alei Zion of Am erica. Tog ether w i th him, two other noted Je w ish labourleaders , Dr . Elsberg and Mr . Rothenbaum, have jo ined the Poale i Zion.

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1917 War Cabinet Zionist Movement

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Transcript of 1917 War Cabinet Zionist Movement