Exclusive in Michigan — Dr. Weizmann's Autobiography
Pre-Campaign Work Underway
Trying Days in the Life of World Zionism's
For Women's Division Workers
Leader ; Striving for Justice and Science
Women workers in pre-campaign received their slips at
a meeting at the home of Mrs. Abraham Cooper, one of the
vice chairmen of pre-campaign, last week. Launching indi-
vidual solicitation of prospects, the women participated in
the advance giftsdinner held at the Book Cadillac March 29.
The first shadows of the eclipse of Jewish life in Europe were
becoming visible. In Palestine, Arab opposition was rising. There
was dissension and disagreement within the Zionist movement.
Chaim Weizmann tells of these events, and of leaving the presi-
cLncy of the Zionist Organization, a position to which he did not
return for four years.
continent in small groups, but
united in Zionist spirit. South
African Jewry was singularly
free from the so-called assimila-
tionist taint. There were prac-
tically no German Jews in the
country. The Jews of South Af-
By CHAIM WEIZM.ANN
rica were preponderantly — in
President of Israel
fact almost exclusively — from
VI
Kovno, or Vilna, or Minsk and
the little places in between these
Attack and Repulse
Jewish centers.
On Aug. 25, 1929, while in Switzerland, I received a tele-
I met many types of modest,
gram which began with the words, "The Under Secretary of quiet workers to whom Zionism
State regrets to announce," and brought me the first news of was the whole of their existence.
the Palestine pogroms of the year. Nearly a hundred and From the technical point of view
fifty Jews were killed, hundreds were wounded, and great the trip was well organized but
extremely trying. as one had to
property damage was done.
This, then, was the answer of the Arab leadership. They visit small communAies scattered
had realized that Zionist fortunes had taken an upward turn, over a vast subcontinent. Still, we
that the speed of our development in Palestine would soon went religiously through our du-
and at the end were satisfied
follow the same curve. The way to prevent that, they thought, ties,
with the results, which were fi-
was a bloodbath.
nancially quite considerable.
The Colonial Secretary, Lord Congress. In spite of this, the
We had few pauses or relaxa-
Pre-campaign leaders gathered together for a last minute con-
Passfield (the former Sydney Congress . insisted on going tions in those five months, but
Webb), had shown little sympathy through the motion of passing a there was one which calls for sultation before distribution of slips were: (right to left) MRS.
for our cause. I remember a con- resolution of non-confidence in special mention. That was a visit EUGENE J. ARNFELD, vice chairman; MRS. ABRAHAM SRERE, pre-
versation, at his house, with Lady my policy by a roll-call vote.
to the famous game reserve. campaign chairman; MRS. ABRAHAM COOPER, and MRS. ALFRED
Passfield (the former Beatrice
The resulting break in my life Within that area the shooting of
Webb). What I heard from Lady was not without its blessings. I
MEYERS, vice chairmen of pre-campaign.
animals, or their molestation in
Passfield was: "I can't understand announced my intention of open-
any way, was forbidden, and they
why the Jews make such a fuss ing a laboratory in London and
lived a free and unmolested life.
Ben Gurion Points Out
over a few dozen of their people going back to my chemistry,
And the animals knew their priv-
killed in Palestine. As many are which I had neglected for so
Need for Investments -.
ileges! They walked about in the
killed every week in London in many years.
presence of human beings freely
traffic accidents, and no one pays
Plans for Research
TEL AVIV—(Palcor) — Prime
and unconcernedly.
any attention."
It happened that at about that
It must bp of particular interest
Minister
David Ben Gurion told
Machinery was set in motion time Professor Richard Willstat-
—and a source of enormous satis-
Israeli industrial workers that
for the political attack on our ter, one of the greatest Modern faction—to a naturalist to spend
"great amounts of Jewish capital
position in Palestine. First came chemists, came to London to re- some time in the- reserve. As for
must be invested in the country
the Shaw Commission. This group ceive the Gold Medal of the Royal myself, I could not help reflect-
because the American loan as
conceded that the Arabs had Society. I had met him only ing about something else. Here
well as other sources provide for
been the attackers but said once before, and fleetingly. I dis- were these wonderful animals,
only a small part of its needs."
nothing about the strange be- covered in him now a delightful with a beautiful home reserved
havior of the Palestine adminis- companion and a true friend. He for them, with trees, water, grass,
The Prime Minister declared
tration, which during the attacks agreed that we should collabor- food, going about unmolested, as
that the main task of the gov-
had issued communiques repres- ate on a piece of work in a field free citizens, establishing their
ernment is to develop the coun-
enting the riots as "clashes" be- which was very familiar to him own laws, habits and customs,
try and increase its population
tween Jews and Arabs.
within the framework of the four
and on which he had done ex- knowing their ways about, prob-
The Simpson Report
year plan and to accomplish this
tensive work. I took over only ably having their own language,
Then cane the Simpson Report. a small corner of this vast field
"private initiative and capital
and wise to the natural dangers
Sir John Hope Simpson and his and was able after a few years to
Two outstanding workers who must be encouraged.". He added
of
their
environment.
Commission were sent out to make something practical of it, a
Here they were, I thought, in were on hand to collect their kits that "we shall also have to in-
Palestine in 1930 to look into vegetable foodstuff whiCh is now
crease the industrial production
their
home, which in area is only
the problems of immigration, land being produced on a considerable
were: left to right, MRS. SAMUEL of the country."
settlement and development. But scale in America and may shortly slightly smaller than Palestine; S. AARON and MRS. ALEXAN-
Speaking to representatives of
they are protected. Nature offers
before the report was issued, be produced in other countries.
industrial workers committees
them generously of her gifts, and DER W. SANDERS.
together with what is now called
There were two factors which they have no Arab problem.
who he received at Hakirya, the
the Passfield White Paper, the urged me on in this change. First,
Government seat, Ben Gurion de-
It must be a wonderful thing,
government declared publicly my intrinsic relation to science,
clared that the high cost of liv-
I
reflected.
to
be
an
animal
of
the
that it intended to suspend im- which had been part of my life South African game reserve;
ing must be fought "with every
migration, introduce restrictive since my boyhood; second, my
means at our command" but
- - much better than being a Jew in
land legislation and curtail the feeling that in one way or another
"without lowering the standard
authority of the Jewish Agency. it had something to do with the Warsaw—or even in London.
of living." "There are some
There was nothing left for me up-building of Palestine. I was
among our economists," he add-
In next week's excerpts from
but to resign my position as already thinking' then, of a re-
ed, "who suggest fighting the
president of the Jewish Agency. search institute which would his autobiography Dr. Weiz-
high cost of living by reducing
Stanley Baldwin, Sir Austin work in combination with the mann tells of the rescue of Jews
the workers' wages, but this isn't
Chamberlain, General Smuts, Sir Agriculture Experiment Station from Hitler Germany, and of the
the way. We shall introduce aus-
Simon,
and
a
host
of
others,
`John
at Rehovoth, and of something outbreak of Arab rebellion in
terity and equality in our State
all from various points of view, larger, of wider scope, too. And it Palestine.
in food, dress and housing."
attacked the Passfield White was during the period when I was
This is a serialization of parts of
The conservative daily Ha-
and Error," by Chaim Weiz-
Paper as inconsistent with the out of office that the Daniel Sieff `Trial
mann, published in book form by
boker asked whether "the mid-
mandate which Great Britain had Research Institute was founded, Harper & Brothers. Copyright, 1949,
dle class must once more carry
been given in Palestine. What ef- to be followed many years later by the Weizmann Foundation.
the main burden of taxation and
fect our arguments had on the by the Weizmann Institute of
Dr. Moshe Ishay Named
austerity" as noted in Ben
government, and how much the Science.
Minister to Yugoslavia
Gurion's speech to the workers.
change was due to the pressure
African Interlude
TEL AVIV (Pa..cor)—Dr. Moshe
The paper holds the Government
of an adverse public opinion in
South Africa was a new experi- Ishay has been appointed Israeli
MRS. MILES FINSTERWALD, responsible for failing to lower
England and elsewhere I cannot ence for my wife and myself. We
right, took time out for an earnest prices because "most members of
say, But on February 13, 1931, were attracted by the idea of a Minister to Yugoslavia.
discussion with MRS. WILLIAM the present Government were
there was an official reversal of visit to the country. I found my-
HABER, out of town guest at the members of the Provisional Gov-
policy. It restored our political self in an unusual Jewish com- 28 THE JEWISH NEWS
ernment."
position and initiated a period of munity scattered over a wide sub-
meeting.
Friday, April 1, 1949
peace, prosperity and great im-
p.0(1.04 by NORMAN and SOL NODEL
migration into Palestine.
texE by
MARC RUTNE R.
LIVES OF OUR TIMES
DR.
FRANZ
BOAS
Nevertheless, as the Congress
v bl ip V
of 1931 approached, I became the
THREE YEARS LATER HE WAS INVESTIGATING
AN EMINENT JEWISH ANTHROPOLOGIST AND
butt of • ever-mounting attacks,
THE
NORTHWESTERN
TRIBES
OF
CANADA.
AUTHOR WHO CAMPAIGNED VIGOROUSLY__
HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FIRST
and the occasion for a pernicious
IN SPEECH AND IN PRINT—AGAINST THE
SPECIFIC PROOF OF THE CULTURAL RELATION-
extremist propaganda. I held my
MYTH OF "ARYANISM
SHIP BETWEEN SIBERIANS,ESKIMOS AND
ground and continued to point out
THE AMERICAN INDIANS.
that in a movement like ours the
center of gravity is not an exag-
gerated political program, but
work, colonization; education, im-
\
migration and the maintenance of
PRIOR TO HIS APPOINTMENT IN 1899 AS
GERMAN-SORN,HE STUDIED AT SEVERAL
PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT
decent relation with the manda-
GERMAN UNIVERSITIES. AT ZS, NE JOINED
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY,HE CONDUCTED
tory power.
A METEOROLOGICAL EXPEDITION TO BAFFIN
SEVERAL AMERICAN EXPEDITIONS INTO
LAND. HE BECAME INTERESTED IN THE
My admonitions were in vain.
MEXICO AND PUERTO RICO.
CULTURE OF THE ESKIMOS.
The politicians at the Congress
were determined to initiate a de-
bate on "the ultimate aims of the
WHEN HE. DIED IN 1942., AT THE AGE Of 84, HE HAD LONG BEEN
RETIRING IN 1937; HE DEVOTED ALL HIS EI'FORTS TO
Zionist movement." . It is difficult
RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER AMONG AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGISTS.,..
COMBATTING NAZI RACIAL THEORIES AND FURTHER-
to say if this debate was meant
ING DEMOCRACY.HE WAS ONE OF THE INITIATORS OF
sincerely, or whether it was
THE MANIFESTO OF THE FREEDOM OF SCIENCE.
simply a means to provoke my
N
opposition and thus facilitate my
resignation from office. If the
latter, it was the more unjust—I
permit myself to say even in-
decent—in that I announced, in
my opening address, my intention
Of resigning because of the pre-
carious state of my health, which
HE WAS REPEATEDLY HONORED BY WORLD DIGNITARIES
was patent to everybody. My
AND SCIENTIFIC GROUPS. HISNIND Of PRIMITIVE MAN'1S
had
in
fact,
remonstrat-
STILL CONSIDERED THE DEFINITIVE WORK ON THE SUBJECT.
doctors
ed with me severely on the
•
—
pg. F gANZ
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dc't
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dangers of even
attending the