6

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and the Legal Chronicle

UNDER CLOUDS
OF WAR IN ZION

Histadrut Forges Ahead
During First Year
of War

The year 5700 found Palestine
emerging from a three-year siege
of guerilla warfare to plunge into
the arena of the world conflict
which finally exploded in Sep-
tember, 1939. In its miniature
war of self-defense against hos-
tile Arab bands supported by
Nazi and Italian Fascist agents,
the Yishuv toughened itself for
the inevitable world struggle
against the forces of darkness
and destruction. In the center of
Yishuv life, the Histadrut has
been the stabilizing factor and
stimulant for numerous construc-
tive economic and social programs
even in the hours of greatest un-
certainty.
The Histadrut, the General
Federation of Jewish Labor in
Palestine, approaching its 20th
year for existence, has passed the
120,000 membership mark, mak-
ing it the largest unified organi-
zation within the Yishuv, Since
the outbreak of the war, 8,000
new members have been added
to the rolls, of these, 5,000 are
new immigrants and refugees who
entered the country during war
time, and 3,000 are largely youth

who have reached the age of 18
and declassed middle-men who
have been hard hit by war condi-
tions. These latter are finding it
increasingly hard to stand alone
in their independent individualis-
tic enterprises, and are turning
to the Histadrut for aid in form-
ing cooperatives, or obtaining po-
sitions in the collective colonies.
The Histadrut has explored
every avenue for reducing the
number of unemployed, who num-
bered some 35,000 last September.
In two months, this number was
reduced in half, thanks to new
undertakings engineered by the
Histadrut, either alone or in co-
operation with other Jewish
agencies and the government.
Financing of these enterprises,
which included home-building, new
industries, etc., was made pos-
sible by a heavy self-tax of em-
ployed members of the Histadrut
and by funds advanced by the
American Gewerkshaften Cam-
paign. This year, half the funds
of the Gewerkshaften were as-
signed to NIR, the Histadrut's
colonizing department, which ini-
tiated major improvements in
many colonies.
Solel Boneh, the Histadrut's
contracting agency, which had
erected the famous Teggart's
Wall across the northern frontier
during the Arab riots, built bar-
racks, roads and other war neces-
sities for the government, receiv-
ing half a million pounds in
wages for Jewish Labor during
the first six months of the war,
and contracted for £300,000 more

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for the second half of the year.
Solel Boneh is the largest and
best recognized Jewish (as well
as non-Jewish) contracting firm
in the country, financially stable,
utilizing skilled labor, and with
its own quarries and lime kilns.
It is admirably well-equipped to
serve governmental cooperative
and private construction needs.
Solel Boneh employs 2100 Jews
and 150 Arabs, whereas the best
of the private contractors employ
the reverse proportions.
The war has revealed the eco-
nomic virtues of Hamashbir, the
Histadrut's wholesale consumers'
cooperative. The sky-rocketing of
prices and the hoarding of food-
stuffs by private dealers threat-
ened the welfare of the Yishuv.
Hamashbir maintained a policy of
low prices and steady movement
of goods. It has a long-standing
contract with the Wholesale Co-
operative Society of England,
whereby it has access to goods at
favorable costs, and can market
Palestinian products in England
at the best prices. The British
cooperators, for example, took
most of the Tnuva (Histadrut
producers' cooperative) export of
citrus fruits, thus benefiting the
cooperative movement in Pales-
tine, whereas the private growers
suffered a much greater loss due
to the war situation. In general,
Palestine was able to dispose of
only 50 per cent of its orange
crop abroad this year.
The capitulation of France and
the closing of the Syrian frontier
shut off an important source of
foodstuffs. The Histadrut colonies,
however, had been preparing for
such an eventuality by greatly
increasing the acreage devoted to
vegetable growing. With the help
of funds advanced by the Work-
ers' Bank, 15,000 dunam have
been placed under cultivation for
small crops. The orange groves of
hard-hit smallholders were saved
by the continued efforts of Yah-
kin, the agricultural contracting
cooperative.
The year 1940 witnessed the
completion of extensive water-in-
etallation works undertaken by
Nir in Emek Zevulun. The new
irrigation systems were a vital
element in the extended program
of vegetable growing.
To help in the absorption of the
unemployed and to allevate the
housing problem, the Histadrut's
various agencies erected 1,000
small homes in rural areas and
400 in urban centers. Kiryat
Avoda was established as a work-
ers' suburb outside of Haifa.
Rental of these homes to workers
is as low as $2.80 per month.
The Histadrut continued to
shoulder the hulk of the responsi-
bility for training the boys and
girls of the Youth Aliya, who are
given two year courses in the col-
lective colonies. Youth centers
have been built in Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem and one is being con-
templated for Haifa. These cen-
ters include trade courses, gen-
eral educational classes and social
facilities.
In the field of cementing Arab-
Jewish relations, the efforts of
the Histadrut have continued un-
abated. In January, 1940, "Haqi-
qat el Amar," the Histadrut's
Arabic weekly, which is now in
its fourth year, was enlarged.
This newspaper is the only direct
Jewish voice heard by the Arabs
in Palestine and the entire near-
east, and promotes mutual un-
derstanding and goodwill.
Behind the scenes of many of
these Histadrut activities is the
Workers' Bank, one of the most
solvent of the financial institu-
tions in Palestine. In 1939, where-
as most other banks reduced their
activities. the Workers' Bank in-
creased its loans for constructive
enterprises, and is pursuing the
same policy in 1940. It has talon
an active share in the promotion
of more extensive agricultural
programs, housing, etc., and has
financed procurement of seed, fer-
tilizer and other agricultural com-
modities for the colonies.
Refusing to be paralyzed by the
development of the war, the His-
tadrut has been active in forcing
the Palestine government to un-
dertake public works which had
been tabled by the authorities for
the duration of the conflict. It has
also established a "Committee for
New Industries" to explore new
means of protecting the economic
structure of Palestine. Mean-
while it is spending £10,000 to
£15,000 monthly for building
houses, transferring laborers to
new works, extending credits for
new undertakings, medical help,
child care, and low-priced kitch-
ens (three meals for 16c for un-
employed).
The stream of refugees, while
reduced for the lack of trans-
portation facilities, nevertheless
ccntinues. The Histadrut has ab-

October 4, 14

sorbed 85 per cent of the new- tinian battle-front, deeply
comers during the past year. It trenched in its ancestral soil, en.
maintains conact with the Jewish citing every human effort ex,
(
k
youth in Europe through the withstand the tides of war
Hechalutz, which labored tire- the rifle may once again be until
set
lessly in the Baltic countries, aside and the plowman can
re.
Scandinavia. England and the
ppieo anceeefrusllywhtoo his plow,
120;
Balkans. With daily change of 000 pioneers
fortune in Europe, this work be- muscle and sinew and heart of
comes increasingly difficult, but the half-million Jews in the
the Chalutz groups are fighting Yishuv, mark the 20th miniver.
desperately to live on until they sary of their organization in a
n
reach Palestine.
hour of dire peril not only to
The transport cooperatives of themselves but to all Jewry a nd
ino d.
f an
the Histadrut which carry most allmanonke
of the inland freight and pas-
No
c foretell the full
sengers have proven invaluable to measure
suffering that Pal.
the government in developing the estine will have to undergo dui.
defense plans of the country. The ing the coming months. Never.
aviators and seamen being trained theless we are certain that our
by the Histadrut (in conjunction pioneer vanguard in Palestine is
with other agencies) are becom- aware of the privileged task that
ing increrasingly valuable as the history has imposed upon them,
war clouds gather in the Near the task of self-defense against
East.
an enemy who threatens us eve ry.
After one year of warfare in where. In this sruggle they will
Europe, the grim realities of a be encouraged by the realization
bomb-scarred world have reached that they are the front line fight-
the shores of Palestine, and with ers for millions of Jews through.
deadly explosions missiles have out the world whose eventual fate
taken their toll of lives. The re- will depend on the outcome of the
sponse of the Histadrut has been battle of Mount Carmel as well
that each man stand by his post, as on the fighting in England.
that the work go on in Haifa as
well as the less obvious military
objectives. While each one knows
Heinrich Mann, famous broth-
that the titanic battle may end
with the blasting of the British er of Thomas Mann, is still in
Empire and the entire Jewish Europe, but is due here any
scheme of redemption conceived day now . . . When he gets here
and spun in such a world order,
yet the realization that the fight he should receive one of the
has yet to reach its climax, that most rousing receptions ever giv-
the might of the Nazi is not in- en any refugee, because he was
vulnerable, that democracy will unquestionably the first import-
yet triumph, that realization ant Aryan man of letters to
strengthens the determination of stand up against the swastika-
the pioneer army on the Pales- men of Europe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Best Wishes to my Many
Friends and Patrons!

•

JACK HALPERIN

Good Clothes

8945-47 TWELFTH ST.

ROSH HASHONAH GREETINGS!

Dexter -Fullerton Market

JOE MENDLOVITZ — MORRIS SHAPIRO
GROCERIES
ED PEISNER—BUTCHER

Offering a Complete Line of

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Rosh Hashonah
Greetings - -

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY AND

PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

I

CHIC DRESS SHOP

9035 TWELFTH STREET

— and —

JANET'S SHOPPE

9021 TWELFTH STREET
Near Clairmount
TYler 6-7161