Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 25 January 1946 — Page 8

THE JEWISH POST

Friday, January 25, 1946

9

Rabbi Scores Resistance Movement' Asks For Others To Join Him

By RABBI JACOB B. AGUS T^ERHAP? the most important Jl issue in Jewish life today is the policy of resistance against the mandatory government which appears to have been adopted by the Jewish Agency. In the recently published address by David Ben Gurion, this policy is summarized as follows: Firstly, the Haganah (Jewish Defense Organization) will resist, with arms if necessary, any attempt by the government to stop the flow of illegal Jewish immigration. (Thus, the dynamiting of two coast guard stations in November was the acknowledged work of the Haganah.) Secondly, Jews will attempt to colonize the waste lands of Palestine. If the government dares to resist this attempt, the Haganah will fight with all the arms at its disposal. Thirdly, the Haganah will resist with all its power any attempt to disarm its members. Ben Gurion acknowledges that the course of action advocated by him may well lead to open warfare and that the issue of any such struggle can only be the destruction of the Jewish homeland. Nevertheless, he contends that in view of the British attitude there is no way for the Jews of Palestine to attain the goal of a Jewish state, except by recourse to violence. He hopes that, when they are faced by the united Yishuv, determined to die for its political future, the British will retire from the field or else accede to the Jewish de mands. * « * BEFORE THE FULL implica tions of Ben Gurion’s offici?) statement of policy are realized, it is necessary to recall to the reader a few basic facts. The Jewish Agency is supposed to speak on behalf of the Jews of the world in all matters relating to Palestine. At its inception in 1927, it was to be a non-partisan body, consisting of both Zionists and non-Zionists in equal proportion. The Haganah was formed as a Jewish defense organization under the unofficial sponsorship of the Jewish Agency in order to protect the colonies against Arab terrorists. It consists of 60,000 or more members, and, according to ireautious writers in the Yiddish press, it represents the strongest organized military force

in the Near East, outside of Turkey and Great Britain. In addition to the Haganah, there are two other armed groups —the “Igvan’' and the “Stem” group. The Yishuv, as a whole, disclaims responsibility for the acts of the last two terrorist groups. However, after the recent attacks against the headquarters of British police in Jerusalem, which were carried out by the extremist groups, Moshe Shertok refused to accede to the demand of the government that he call upon the Yishuv to refrain from unlawful acts against the government. He is reported to have said that, so long as the government continues to enforce the “illegal” White Paper, he will not ask the Jews to be law-abiding. The effects of such"a declaration upon the hot heads in the Yishuv may well be imagined. In all probability, we shall be collecting frequent “dividends” from this declaration in terms of screaming headlines telling of Jewish terror in the Holy Land. I write this article in the endeavor to arouse Zionist opinion against the declared policy of the Jewish Agency and against the many incitements to violence that have come from American Zionist leadership. * * * IN MY INITIAL attempts to call the attention of Jewish leaders to this problem, I was confronted with the argument that, “as a rabbi from Dayton, Ohio,” I had no right to tell the Jews of Palestine how to conduct their affairs. (Dr. Mukdony in Jewish Morning Journal, Dec. 12, 1945). My answer is that if the Jewish Agency does indeed speak for the "Jewish people” then it should certainly reflect the opinion of American Jewry, which constitutes more than 60 per cent of world Jewry, exclusive of Soviet Russia. And the Yishuv defers to the authority of the Jewish Agency, both officially and unofficially. Also, the Yishuv maintains that it is not fighting for itself alone but for the rights of the Jews of the world; it is therefore for the Jews of the world to decide whether or not their action is likely to do more harm than good. Once the riots of Palestine are

seen against the background of Jewish life throughout the world, the full extent of their menacing implications become evident. Let us list them briefly in order. * • • FIRSTLY, as to the possible “benefits” of terror. Everyone familiar with British history knows that the British are amenable to endless negotiations and concessions, so long as the appeal is directed to theft conscience, but that they rarely if ever retreat in the face of violence. Clearly, with Britain in determined opposition to us, we cannot possibly win. And, in that part of the world, Britain cannot be wholly disinterested. It follows that we must have active British aid for the realization of our hopes. Now, it is axiomatic that you cannot compel a people by violence to love you or to help you. The ac tive aid of a people can only be obtained by persuasion, never by violence. Secondly, as to the possible baleful effects upon the Yishuv itself. Once an underground movement is set up, it is impossible to keep it entirely in hand. Extremist elements upon the fringes of the organization are always able to provoke incidents which drive the underground organization irresistibly down the precipice toward unrestrained violence and ultimate self-destruc-tion. This course of development is known to all students of the last days of the Second Commonwealth, when one of the greatest catastrophes in Jewish history was brought about by the uncontrolled fanaticism of terrorist elements. Evidences of the impossibility of skirting the precipice indefinitely are multiplying in the reports from Palestine. The recent train robbery, for instance, was disavowed even by the "Irgun.” There is an inherent logic of terror that cannot be evaded. Once unleashed, it is driven by its own momentum to the most violent extremes. • • * THIRDLY, as to the effects of the Jewish terror in Palestine, upon the fortunes of world Jewry. It is not yet realized sufficiently that American Jewry constitutes the vast majority of world Jewry, outside the borders of the Soviet Union. The Jews of

Russia are precluded from taking any ^ position in the affairs of world Jewry. Even if the Jews of Soviet Russia be counted in the total, American Israel would still form the better half of world Jewry. When w'e speak of the effects of the “Jewish terror” upon the fortunes of world Jewry, we refer therefore very largely to the Jews of America and the British Commonwealth. Now, it is obvious that the Jews of Britain are placed in a most anomalous position when they ally themselves in money an$l substance through the Zionist Organization and Agency, with those who shoot British soldiers. Already, we have had ample warning of the growth of anti-Semit-ism in Britain, as a result of the clashes in Palestine. We shall be able to appreciate the position of British Jewry much better if and when American soldiers take their place beside British soldiers to enforce whatever solution the Anglo Amei ican Commission recommends. It is impossible to maintain very long the fiction that the Jews of Palestine fight against the British government, not against the British people. Haven’t we been saying the same thing in reference to our war against Nazi Germany? Such declarations do not and cannot change the logic of events. The determining consideration will be the fact that Jews are shooting British soldiers. In turn, the rise of anti-Semitism in Britain is bound t o affect adversely not alone the Jewish community of Britain, but those o| the American continent as wefl. Also, Palestinian Jewry cannot possibly escape the repercussions of antiSemitic virulence in the Diaspora. • * • FOURTHLY, a Jewish terror can only be utterly condemned from the spiritual viewpoint. This I say not only as a rabbi, but as a veteran Zionist. For Zionism appeared to me always to be a constructive spiritual movement, not just another expression of aggressive nationalism. Recourse to violence may be justified in certain circumstances, but to declare war against people of whom we ourselves constitute an integral part is utterly indefensible. If we operate with the conception of the Jewish people as a unit,

consisting of parts that are members of the different democratic nations, then that unit cannot indulge in any battles against the peoples of whom its members claim to be part and parcel. To turn away from the basic Zionist premise of the unity of Israel and to take up the position that the Yishuv is an independent entity, that is entitled to resist injustice by force, is to forfeit the very basis for our present claim to Palestine. Fifthly, it is already possible to see the deleterious effects upon the Jewish spirit of the policy of reliance upon force. On the one hand, there are the self-deluded little people who are turning to violence as an emotional outlet. The New York Times carried a picture the other day of such a Quixotic group of “fighters in Israel," unlimbering their muscles for “the war against Britain," in a New York gym. Dr. Stephen S. Wise, at the Town Hall Meeting of the Air, held up the American Revolutionary War as a pattern of action for Palestinian Jewry. Kalman Whiteman, a veteran Hebrew educator, suggests in the Hadoar that when the American Revolution is taught in the Jewish parochial schools, the parallel be drawn with the Jewish revolt against British authority in Palestine. David Pinsky calls for a campaign to step on British interests, where it hurts. And all this is only the beginning. On the other hand, there will be many, who recognizing the hopelessness of the struggle, will succumb to the pall of despair. • • * IT IS IMPORTANT to realize that the present policy is derived from a mood of desperation, not from a sober reasoned analysis. In the apologia for the terror, one encounters over and over again such symptomatic phrases as “now or never,” "the Jewish state or the crematoriums,” "what have we got to lose?”. I happen to know that one of the most important leaders of world Jewry phrased his attitude in the famous words of Samson, "Let my soul perish with the Philistines.” One cannot argue with this kind of mood; one can only recommend those plagued by it to take a well-needed rest. We certainly have much to lose both in Pales(Continued on Next Page)

Resistance Movement Upheld; Calls Opponents Jewish Renegades

Editor’s Note: The following was not received as an article, but rather as a letter to tlie editor. We are using it, without knowing the writer’s background, as an answer to Rabbi Agus* article. The writer is obviously in sympathy with the resistance movement. By ELCHONON BEN-AMI WHY THE JEWISH TERROR? In order to answer this question allow me to review briefly the history of Eretz Israel since World War I. During the War, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration that promised a Jewish National Home to our people. England had reasons of her own, and not just for human love for the oppressed as some Zionist leaders would have us believe. We will not enter into any details now. But one thing is certain: That document could not have meant that Eretz Israel should become a second Poland or Romania. That sheet of paper was followed by four pogroms in our homeland. Britain instigated and financed those riots. In 1920-21, the bloodshed was stopped by the remainder of the Jewish legion, who were reorganized by Jabotinsky into a self-defense corps. Jabot insky was sent to prison and

expelled from Eretz Israel for the crime. This was only one reason why Britain refused a Jewish Army in the last war. England wants riots in that country to scare Jews from going there. • * » SOME JEWS ACCUSE everybody else for all our troubles in Eretz Israel. We were told that Germany, Italy and Russia were responsible for the riots of 193639. I do not deny that those go*'ernments did help to incite the Arabs. But they alone could not cause the death of one Jew. In 1920 there was no Italy, Germany or strong Russia to inspire the Arabs. The Fascists came to power in 1924, and Hitler in 1933. In 1929 there was no Nazi Germany either. Still there was bloodshed in our homeland. Then who was responsible for those events? The answer lies in the fact chat Britain was there. During the last war a group of young Jews, led by Aaron Aaronson, served in the British espionage. Without them Eretz Israel would never have been captured from the Turks. One fine day we read that Aaranson was killed in an aeroplane accident. Aaronson was murdered, for it was an accident on purpose. It was strange that the pilot was

not hurt. This proves Aaranson was taken for his last ride by the British gangsters. He knew too much.

THIS CRIME was followed by the Churchill White Paper that cut off the best part of ohr homeland. A puppet Arab state was created. The British hung a young Jew, Shlomo Ben-Yoseph, for a crime he didn’t commit. He only served as an example for those who dared break that shameful Havlagah. Thees are only just a few of the anti Jewish acts by Great Britain. To cite many more would take up too much space. So much for the past. How about the present? The latest White Paper that forbids Jews to buy land and closes the doors of our homeland is being carried out. Many of our comrades are being kept in prison and concentration camps for “crimes” for which Arabs go free. A young Jewish girl, Rachael AhavaUAmi, was convicted and sentenced to die on the accuse* tion of possessing a bomb when arrested. What a ridiculous charge! She had no more sense than to hold that article until the police arrived! Our comrades are not half as stupid as the English

police. True, the sentence was changed to life imprisonment. But what a punishment for a girl of sixteen. What are we doing for her release? Our silence is the greatest crime. Ships of Jews escaping Europe are sunk by the British. BRITISH POLICE murdered in cold blood that Jewish patriot, Abram Stern. It was done in the following manner: The English came to search his home. He was only suspected of being the leader of the “terrorist” (Jewish patriots, to us) group. They had no evidence, so they couldn’t hold him for trial. When they left the house, they said good-bye with five bullets in his body. Still there are Jews, such as David Pinsky and others, who call our fighters gangsters, but are careful how they speak about the British. Those same Jews worship the Russian “terrorists” against the Czar,, who were, by the way, mostly from the Children of Israel. Well, the British in Eretz Israel are much worse than the Russian regime before the revolution. If I am not mistaken, Pinsky was connected with those fighters for freedom. Why should Jews glorify Gershunl and besmirch Abram Stem? It seems that some Jews believe in fighting only for other natives' free-

dom. * * * WE ALL READ that the British are holding the wife of the present leader of the “Stern Group,” Yellin, as hostage. Her only crime is that she is the wife of a Jewish revolutionist. She would be freed if Yellin surrendered. Doesn’t it remind you of Nazi methods? Still there are Jewish renegades as Pinsky and others, who dare slander patriots of Israel. When I speak of Jewish renegades. those so-called “revolutionists" of the New Zionist organization, who dare accuse Stem of being a German agent, are included. Naturally they knew better, but it serves their present opportunistic policies. They should be condemned more than the others. Abram Stem was a good Jew when he fought for the Brith Trumpeldor. Then we were all good Zionists. Our fight is not just against the White Paper alone. This would be a negative struggle. We are fighting for a free Jewish State. The fight will continue till the last British official will either be liquidated or leave our homeland. This is a war of the people and a war for freedom. But tf there can’t be any freedom, then long live revenge.