0.
Controlled and Published by Vancouver Jewish Administrative Council
Eleventh Ave. and Oak St.
VOL.n; NO.
VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA, FRmAY, AUGUST 23, 1946.
inc Pfir Cnpy: S2..'»0 Per Year.
Palestine Tension Mounting As Britain intensifies Drive Against lllegalMmmigration
JERUSALEM (WNS)—Resentment over the new British policy of deporting all Jews seeking to enter the Holy Land "illegally" is mounting in the Jewish community throughout Palestine as a result of the disclosure that several Jewish refugee ships had been seized at the Haifa waters and that 4,00 "illegals" aboard the ships were facing immediate deportation.
Adding to the uneasiness were reports of British troop movements and rumors that several of the larger Jewish communities in this coxmtry were facing wholesale raids and home-to-home searchers like those recently conducted in Tel Aviv. Officials here claim that the movement of British troops is a precautionary measure against possible attacks and outbreaks, but people here familiar with the situation were quick to point out that not even the boldest of terrorists woiild venture such a course with so many British soldier overrunning the coimtry.
At Haifa, British planes and naval vessels intercepted two refugee ships with aproximately 2,000 Jews. One o fthe vessels, the Ya-gur, with 700 passengers is under the escort of a BrilLsh destroyer. Another of the sighted vessels, named after the latei Henrietta Szold and bearing 500 passengers, had to be towed in because of engine trouble. When brought to port, there was no trace of a crew aboard the Szold, the iimp haymg .been manned by the passengers , themselves. As the two ships ap proached they were greeted with song by 1,400 Jewish refugees who liad been removed, pending deportation, from-the Haganah and the Jewish "Warrioo:.
The Yagur passengers, mostly from Poland and Hungary, said they were to have been taken by the Turfkish crew to Bierut. During its last 100 miles from southern France the vessel was shadowed, by British destroyers and planes.
One of the British warships in the Haifa waters is the cruiser Ajax. The arrival at Haifa harbor of the steamer Empure Rival, a troop transport ship during the war, it is believed here, persages early deportation of all "illegals" taken from the refugee ships. At the same tune the military authorities ordered the removal of all civilians :6rom the area and the sector where the refugees docked has been 6ncu:cled with machine giuis and .barbed wire.
At Jaffa a number of Irgun Zvai Leumi members attempted to free two Irgunists held in a government hospital. After a light exchange of gun-fire the Irgunists
J.I.A*S. Send Parcels to Poland
The local Branch of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society (JIAS) announces that arangements have been made with the Polish Government to send parcels to Poland duty free. The local Committee will be in the Jewish Commimity Centre every Wednesday between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Also parcels to Russia wil be sent through this office.
fled. At Haifa, twenty-four meb-bers of the Stem Gang are scheduled to go on trial on charges of having participated in a raid on the Haifa railway shops on June 17.
American Zionists Denounce British Statement
NEW YORK (WNS)—Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, chsdrman of the executive committee of the American Zionist Emergency Committee, assetred here in a statement denouncing E!ritaui's blockade' of Palestine that Palestinian Jewry would "resist this tyranny to the last man."
Stating ei^t points in the American Zionist's pledge ui a five-I>age djocument intended to refute the British Government's official statement of policy. Dr. Silver declared that Euroi)ean Jews would tmdergo ^y sacrifice to reach their "homeland", while American Jews would "work and fight relentlessly until justice has been done their. brethren. ... In this we are confident that we have the support of the American people as a whole," he added.
He assailed the British fleet mobilization in the Mediterranean and pointed out that the arrival of boatloads of refugees at Palestine was a direct consequence "of the policy of delay" pursued by the British on President Truman's year-old request for the immediate admission of 100,000 refugees into Palestine. He termed the British Govermneinfs statement V«xpep-tional m its hypocrisy" and said that its protestations of "friendship" for the Jews were "morally offensive". Again he charged that Britain had prevented "all but a trickle" of Jews from fleeing German extenmnation camps and ghettos to emigrate to Palestine.
He castigated the British military for its alleged reulctance to permit Jews to play "a full part in the fight against the Nazi enemy."
He attacked the term "illegal" applied to Jewish immigration into Palestine as a misnomer, declared that Britain had not ca*ried out the League of Nations Mandate and said thait it was with "unconscious humdr" itlhat thie British Govermnent had described its policy as one of "patience, forbearance and humanity." He denoun- • ced Britain's defamation against the efforts of helpless Jews and said that Britain's ptirpose was to compel the Jews to submit to a political decision that would abrogate "the internationally guaranteed Jewish rights to Palestine."
ENDORSATIONS GRANTED
Sub-Sesiior - ^ffJe September
Vancouver Peretz School Drive Sept. 1-15
Vancouver Hadassah Org., Drive Sept. 15 - Oct. 15
Lilian Freiman Hadassh Bazaar Nov. 12 and 13
BERGEN-BELSEN, GERMANY: .This memorial was erected on the site of the former Nazi concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen, on the anniversary of its liberation by Jewish displaced persons now living in an U.N.R.R.A. camp here. Rabbi Jacob Eisen of Edmonton, Alta., formerly senior chaplain with the RCAF overseas and now on the staff of the Canadian Jewish Congress doing relief work in Germany, is shown laying a wreath on the memorial. On the opposite side of the stone is a similar inscription in the Hebrew.
Palestine Tense As Three Jews Killed In Haifa Demonstration
JERUSALEM (WNS)—The killing of three Jews by British troops at Haifa during last week's demonstration there against the deportation to Cyprus of "visaless" Jews has stirred deep resentment and angei' in the Jewish community throughout the country.
There have been no signs of overt action by the organized Jewish community, but the Irgun Zvai Leumi, through its secret radio called for a general group into a single army of resistance. The broadcast lurged Jews to stop paying taxes to the Palestine government and send the money instead to 'Hhe Irgun Zvai Leumi war fund. It also called on Paelstine Jevjs to enlist in the proposed army, warning that "we must exert our every strength against two enemies, the British and time "no longer will we w^ge a war of retribution but a constant war."
Adding to the tension was a report of a threat to blow up the general post office. After a tlior-ough search the police fovind no evidence of explosives, but approximately 200,000 British soldiers remained on the alert, many massing barbed wire barricades along government bmldings.
GendraUy, however, there has been no violent reaction by the Jewish community against the deportation.
Mear^vhiie Jewish Coimcil issued a call for non-cooperation be-tw^een Jews and the British Government because of the "arbitrary British deportation of Jewish refugees. Jewish members of government advisory bodies have been asked to resign and Jewish mimicipahties and institutions were asked to sever realtions with the government. At Tel Aviv the mimicipal comi-
Austrian Govt. Makes It Easier To Regain Property
VIENNA (WNS) — A law facilitating the return of confiscated Jewish property was passed by the Austrian government tliis week.
Th new statute voids all legal transactions involving transCtx" of Jewish property after the Anscluss, March 1938. The burden of proof in property disputes will no onger fall upon the Jew seeking restitu \tiqn.-but;upon the present owner who wil have to psrOve that he acquired the property imder fair conditions and without dvuress.
cil issued a proclamation demand--ing that the refugees at Haifa be permitted to land and appealing to the government to make an end to its policy of deporting "visaless" Jews seeking to enter Palestine.
At Haifa, British warships were reported to have intercepted two .voxels with 1,400 Jewish refugees. -'^Qne of the sJiips, the 300-ton-schooner "The Twenty Three" named after the 23 Jewish* commandos who lost their lives while fighting with the British in a raid against Vichy-governed Syria in 1941, carried over 800 passengers, including 47 pregnant women. Conditions aboard both ships were horrible, and the government barred Jewish Agency representatives from boarding her. The refugees are to be deported when the British transports Empire Rival and Empire Heywood return fttom the newly designated internment camps at Qyprus.
When one of the vessels, "Isriel Joffe" reached Haifa an attempt was made by eople to reach the pert area to contact therefugees. Police broke up the demonstration, injuring five persons.
President Hopes For Just Solution of Palestine Problem
WASHINGTON (WNS) — In a
statemle^n i^ajleased here bty th|e White House on the eve of President Truman's vacation trip it was declared that Mr. Truman has exchanged views with Prime Minister Attlee regarding the Palestine issue but that he did not submit any plan of his own.
The statement said the President hopes for a just solution of the problem, though he realizjes that no solution can satisfy aU the jxarties concerned and that if the issue is to be settled in a peaceful manner it will require a spirit of conciliation. At the same time it stated that the ultimate settlement of the Palestine issue would not solve the larger problem of the displaced Jews, Adding that it v/as the hope of the President ithat many of them would be admitted to other coimtries and that a way would be found to modify the immigration laws here so as to make possible the admission of a considerable niunber of the displaced to the United States.
White House Denies Reported Truman Counter - Proposal To Britain On Palestine Question
WASHINGTON (WNS)—Denial of the reported formal transmission by President Truman of a Palestine comiter-proposal to London was made here by White House ptes$ secretary Charles G. Ross, who simultaneously declared ihat the President had merely made suggestions to facihtate negotiations between the United States and Britain.
Assailing what he called "the irresponsible statements, gossip and false rumors" which have been circulating about ftihe President's intentions, Mr. Boss dedined' to comment on London reports that the n-esident had rejected the British federalization plan. When it was called to his attention that the announcement of the Truman plan had been attributed to the British Foreign Office, he stated he was not responsible for statements made by London officials.
In the meantime it has been reported, on the basis of imdisclosed State Department soTu-ces, that the United States has not either rejected nor approved the Palestine partition plan, and that the situation was still in a state of flux.
Jewish Demands To be Considered At Conference
PARIS (WNS) — Denial of a request by Jewish delegations that the procedural committee of the Peace Conference establish a ruling enabling them to officially communicate with the 21 nations represented at the Conference was anounced here by Paul Henri' Spak, chairman c* the procedural committee, who simultaneously declared that tlicii" uciiiaiiuS COuld be presented to such commission or commissions that may be set uji by the. Peace Conference to deal with Jewih problems.
In the meantime representatives of the American Jewish Conference, American Jewish (IJommittee, World Jewish Congress, Board of Deputies of British Jews, Anglo-Jewish Association, Central Representation of the Jews of France, Alliance Israelite and Agudas Israel met to work out the texts of their demands jointly in order to be able to present them to the Conference in a body. Although the joint texts have not as yet been drafted, the delegates are pleased with the progress they heve made.
The Jewish leaders here are however perturbed over the statement made last wedk by General McNamey that the American zone in Germany wij be closed to "organized" movements of refugees. They fear that this order will have disastrous reprecussions in the DP camps.
New Polish Agency Aids Jews Who Wish to Remain
WARSAW (WNS) — A special agency "the Department for Pro-ductivzation of Jews" to assist in the rehabilitation and resettlement of Jews who wish to remain in Poland has been established by the Polish Govenunent.
The agency's functions will be to find jobs for Jews either in plants how operating or hy turning over small shut-down plants for co-operative use.
It will work closejy with the Office of Jewish Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, It is expected here that Jews abroad wil help the project.
Aocdrding to these sources 'flie President is considering a plan Vaai would at least synthacize to some extent the demands of the Jerwistv Agency wiih the existing propaaahu The President was also said to have turned the Birtish-Grady partition plan down and to have insisted on his original request for the unconditional admission of 100,000 displaced European Jews into Palestine, as recommended by the Anglo-American committee. Poet-master General Robert W. Hanne-gan, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Secretaiy of War Patterson, Secretary of tfie Treasury Snyder, Secretary of Commerce Wallace and at least two members of the Cabinet Committee on Palestine were reported to have given fuU support to the President's approach to the problem.
Informed circles here were quick to point out that the President must reckon with the support of the American people in whatever plan he ultimately approves as well as twith the views of American Jewry. Some circles incline to the ■^^ew that Mr, Truman has •liot taken too h^tly the British rebuffff in refusing to implement the recommendations of the Anglo-American committee, particularly since that committee was established folowing specific request by the Chief Executive for the admission of 100,000, Nor, according to these sources, is the President too pleased with the disparity betivesn British promises and performances regarding Jews and Palestine ever since the Balfour Declaration. A person' close to the administration was erported to have asserted that-the President was looking forward" to a sign of good faith from Bri-' tain and that he would consider! the admission of 100,000 such a sign.
It had originally been reported that the President's plan, as re-, pontedly forwarded to London, incorporated many of the featured suggested by the Jewish Agency,; including the resumption of Jewish immigration to Palestine befor^ the ultimate solution of the prob-* lem, and a suggestion for the establishment of a special U.S. immigration quota under wihich 50,-000 displaced Jews would be admitted to the Dnited States within a year.
Weizemann In Conference With f-Agency Leaders , ■
LONDON (WI-JS) — Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the Jew-« ish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, conferred here last-week with five Zionist leaders -who had flown here from Paris where the Agency executive is holding a conference.
The delegation was reported to have given Dr. Weizmann, who was too ill to attend the Paris ses-sion, a full report. The conference was said to have devoted consid-cra'tSe atienlio^*io 'feritciin's pdiscy designed to halt "illegal" Jewish immigration into Palestine, Zionist leaders are said to have reached agreement on a stand regarding British policy. The conferees were said to have discussed Zioni^ tactics. ,■