A HOMELAND FOR THE JEWS
THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT
BRITAIN AND THE JEWISH
NATION
ADDRESS BY MR. ISRAEL COHEN Mr. Israel Cohen, 8.A., last night explained tho aims of the Zionist movement to a big audience in the Town Halt. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) presided, and amoiiß those who occupied scuts on tho platform were His Excellency the Administrator of New Zealand (Sir Kobert Stout), tho Prime Minister (lit. Hon. W. ]•'. Massey), Mr, B. A. Wright, M.P., and the Chief Eabbi (the Kov. H. Van Staveren). Major-General Sir Edward Chaytor wrote that owing to indisposition ho was unable to be present. Mr. Luke welcomed Mr. Cohen to Wellington. He spoke of the proclaimed intention of the British Government to give its support to tho movement Mr. Cohen represented, and ho wished tho visitor and the cause every success. Kir Robert Stout said that the Semitic race, of which the Jews formed a part, was one of tho greatest the world had Been. Tho Jews as a nation l>ad teen kept together by their religion and their idealism. Their ideal had been love of tho place from which they had sprung. No ono could object to their desire to return to the country they so loved. They had long been oppressed, but to-day they enjoyed full citizen privileges in the British Empire. (Applause.) Now they ast-ed for the right to live in peace in Palestine, with no privileges beyond those enjoyed by the other peoples in that land. They intended to purchase the land on which they were to sottlt-. Thcv did not ask that their Church should bo the ruling Church of Palestine. He did not think, incidentally, that the Jewish people in New Zealand would feel it necessary to leave this country in order that they might livo in peace elsewhere. He doubted whether they would go from a land possessing so many advantages as New Zealand possessed.
Mr. Massey agreed with Jhe concluding 'JoservatTon of "sir So'berF Stout. Passing on, he said that the Jews wero a marvellous people. Tho way in which, though scattered, they had preserved their nationality through thousands of years was wonderful—he might gi> so far as to say providential. Great Britain had had a Jew (Benjamin Disraeli) for one of its most eminent Prime Ministers, aiid one of the most far-seoing Prime Ministers this country had had— Sir Juliu6 Vogel—was also a Jew. As a British citizen he was glad that for a long time past British Governments had done justico to the Jews. He believed that the British nation had benefited thereby. He finally expressed his conviction that recent events in _ Paleslino were clear fulfilments of Scriptural prophecy. Mr. Cohen said that for two thousand years there had been a great deal pf speculation upon what the ultimato fate of Palestine would be. Crusades had been fought in days gone by, but it had been reserved to the present age to see Palestine- redeemed from tho dominion of tho Turk. It was significant that the winning of Palestine by tho Allies was the turning-point in the fortunes of tho Allies during the late 1 war. The dawn of victory had broken in the East, and had spread over tho West. Great Britain had recognised tho moral and historic right of tho Jews to Palestine, and intended to help the nation to return to that country, there to fulfil the ideals that had inspired it for eo many centuries. Mr. Balfour's declaration of the British policy in regard to Palestine had come as a message of hope to Mio Jews and had sustained them through the trouble that in many lands assailed <ihem. The declaration was, of course, only a "scrap of paper"; but it was British scrap of paper, that now was being' honoured to the full. (Applause.) Why had the mandate over Palestine been entrusted 1 to Britain? There were many reasons, he believed, for which Britain should have been chosen: Britain had been the first Power to show interest in the aspirations of the Jews in regard to Palestine, tho Holy Land was at the time of the Peace Conference being guarded hv British arms, and, moreover, the Jews themselves desired that upon no other Power should the mandate be conferred. The present arrangement was of great importance to Britain. But lalestine was not going to be «t use to Britain if it was allowed to l.cmain in the state in which it had lain for the last four or five centuries. It was in the interests of Britaini that Palestine should be developed to tho full. By whom was this work to bo carried out? Surely not bv the Arabs, who-had dono nothing in the past, and were in any on=e not likelv to be loyal to Great Britain. It was of the greatest import„,"e that Britain should >"" I'ahjsline a people upon .whoso loyalty she could rely; and Britain realised that the Jews could most of all be locked to to restore Palestine to prosperity. With the inauguration of the civil envernment of Palestine under the man--1 date a new era of Eostern civilisation would commence. The mandate provide that Palestine should be reconstructed as a home for the Jewish people but Hint there should bo noh.ng done to deprive non-Jews of any right they now onloved. At present there was a slight tica difficulty in developing Palesine because there were some. 500.000 "mbs there, and only 80,000 Jews. The tabs considered that they had grievances aaginst the Jews, and protested that the Jews should not rue in Palesnobut tho fact was that the British, 'not the Jews, were lobe the ru MS. The «"^ tion when the time would be rip? for government of Palestine by the people of Palestine would probably bo one for settlement by the Council ot hoped within, the next twelve months to place some W settlers on the land in «1* nnd if these succeeded some 60,000 vouio. mobably be sent in the next 18 months. I as nqt, however, from lands of peace and Plenty that tho first were to be recruited. The first to be ch sen would be Jews from lauds where tho Jewish nation was oppressed, »ud wnul also 1)0 such Jews as were conned best qualified to lay the fojinda ions of the new prosperity of Pales&T The execution of the project would, however, be possible only if tie necessary financial resources were available. He had seen what had been accom Wed I>V Jewish settlements m the Holy -Land during unhappy times j and Had thought hV nuidL.more cor,U surely be aecompl shed to-day under the benign administration of Britain. There was a very serious reason or wh'ch the work of settling Palestine should be regarded as urgent Xus was to be found in tho terrible sufferings inflicted upon the Jews m Central and Europe to-dny. Mr P. A. Wright, heartily subscribed to' the idea expressed by Mr Massey that Scriptural prophecies had. obviously been fulfilled by the turn that affairs liad taken in Palestine during recent years, lie had studied the question years ago, and having personally witnessed tho fulfilment of so much of what he had learned from tho. Prophets ho was prepared to sny that m the future the Israelitish people would rule ovor tho whole of the territory that bad once been subject to King Solomon. That was n much greater territory than tho laud of Palestine On Mr. Wright's motion, the audience carried bv hrartv acclamation a vote of thanks'to Mr. Cohen for h :, s address. Mr. Cohen told his audience that within Hie two or thrre dnvs be had spent in Wellinirton, .£!>()!* hiwl raised for tho Palestine Restoration Fund. The. meeting closed, as it had Ijcgiin, with the singing of tho National Anthem.
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 294, 6 September 1920, Page 6
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1,301A HOMELAND FOR THE JEWS Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 294, 6 September 1920, Page 6
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