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STATEMENTS RELATING TO THE EFFORTS

OF

HON. SOL BLOOM, CHAIRMAN

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

CONCERNING

THE JEWISH NATIONAL HOME IN PALESTINE

(Excerpts from hearings by Committee on Foreign Affairs on H. J. Res. 418 and H. J. Res. 419)

STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN W. McCORMACK, MAJORITY LEADER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May I at this time to you, Mr. Chairman, and to the committee express my congratulations and my thanks for this fine, historical compilation, and to the chairman, Congressman Bloom, whom we all admire and respect, a man who enjoys the deep respect of every colleague of his, a great American, may I express my appreciation for your courtesy, and may I compliment you for this fine publication of the documents which are of great value and which will remain a source of intelligent information.

STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES A. EATON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, AND RANKING MINORITY MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Mr. EATON. I would like to call the attention of the members of the committee to a very constructive and useful compilation on the history of this proposition which has been prepared by the chairman, and which, as I understand, is, and ought to be before us. Note this little book. It is a very concise and comprehensive statement, and I want to thank the chairman for preparing it for us. I have read it carefully, and it is filled with information which we will need in order to intelligently discuss these resolutions. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. STATEMENTS OF HON. HERMAN P. EBERHARTER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA, AND HON. LUTHER A. JOHNSON, REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND RANKING MAJORITY MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Mr. EBERHARTER. The chairman, of course, I feel is to be commended very highly for his wisdom and foresight in having prepared in advance for study by members of the committee this pamphlet which contains the important and relevant facts relative to this very difficult problem, and yet it is not so difficult but that if it were tackled in the right way I believe it could be solved to the satisfaction of the world and all mankind.

Mr. JOHNSON. Will the gentleman yield for a question?
Chairman BLOOM. Mr. Johnson.

Mr. JOHNSON. I want to concur in what you said with reference to the chairman's compilation of these documents in this pamphlet, and it is not only valuable for the use of this committee, but it has hisotrical data and knowledge in it which will cause many of us to want to preserve it.

STATEMENT OF HON. JOSEPH L. PFEIFER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Mr. PFEIFER. Mr. Chairman, your fairness at all times has again been exemplified in these hearings on Resolutions 418 and 419. From what we have learned from the witnesses confirms my opinion of long ago, that drastic action should be taken immediately to give all aid possible to this group of suffering humanity.

STATEMENT OF DR. ISRAEL GOLDSTEIN, PRESIDENT OF THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, AND OF THE SYNAGOGUE COUNCIL OF AMERICA, COCHAIRMAN OF THE INTERIM COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONFERENCE, AND HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND OF AMERICA

Dr. GOLDSTEIN. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am deeply gratified for the courtesy extended me to appear before this committee. I am especially grateful to my friend, Mr. Bloom, whom perhaps I may in a sense claim as a communicant, because I happen to be administering to the community in which he is a resident.

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE TOM ROLPH, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Mr. ROLPH. Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee, I want to say that it is a decided privilege and a pleasure to be here today and to attend a meeting that is under the chairmanship of a former San Franciscan. There are people who do not know that Sol Bloom lived in San Francisco years ago. The people of San Francisco are very proud of the job he has been doing here in the House of Representatives, and it is an honor and a privilege to serve with him.

STATEMENT OF RABBI JAMES G. HELLER, FORMER PRESIDENT, CENTRAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN RABBIS AND CHAIRMAN OF THE UNITED PALESTINE APPEAL

First of all, may I have the privilege of saying, Mr. Chairman, that although an American citizen for many years, this is the first time in my life I have ever attended a hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and I have been tremendously interested in the conduct of the hearing-I hope this will be included in the record, Mr. Chairman-and greatly impressed with the conduct of the meeting, and with the participation of the members of the committee in attempting to formulate their opinion in regard to what is a very difficult question.

STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES A. PLUMLEY, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF VERMONT

I believe that a careful study of the documents compiled in the pamphlet arranged by Chairman Bloom, which contains the remarks in opposition to the British white paper on Palestine which were made in the British Parliament in 1939, will show that House Resolutions 418 and 419 merit the support of the Congress.

ARTICLE FROM THE VOICE, FEBRUARY 1944, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.

VETERAN CONGRESSMAN SOL BLOOM SPEAKS OUT FOR PALESTINE

Veteran Congressman Sol Bloom, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs takes a stand against the Council for Judaism and the American Jewish Committee in an interview with the reporters of the Jewish Morning Journal, a national Jewish daily newspaper. In his interview Congressman Bloom declared that if it were not for the Council for Judaism the resolution for Palestine would have been recommended to the House without any discussion.

He further stated with pride: "I want you to know that I am not a reform Jew; I am an orthodox Jew; I have never prayed without a hat; I follow Judaism in the footsteps of my father and mother, and they were orthodox Jews. During the interview he took out an Agada and he said: "For the last 40 years I repeated with my parents the age-old saying "L'shono habo b'yerusholayim" i. e., "Next year in Jerusalem," that means that Jerusalem was always our hope and Why not now?"

Mr. Bloom has presented for the enlightenment of the Congress a document concerning the Jewish National Homeland.

EXCERPT FROM LETTER WRITTEN TO HON. SOL BLOOM BY RABBI ABBA HILLEL SILVER, CHAIRMAN OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, AMERICAN ZIONIST EMERGENCY COUNCIL, FEBRUARY 19, 1944

I have just returned home and I regard it as my first pleasant duty to write to you and to tell you how grateful I and my friends are to you for the superb manner in which you conducted the historic hearings on the Palestine resolution. No one who attended those hearings could fail to be impressed by your unfailing fairness, courtesy, and good humor. I know that some of the opinions which were expressed by some of the witnesses were distinctly distasteful to you, nevertheless you gave each one his day in court. Friend and foe alike of the resolution departed with a sense of having been given a square deal at your hands. You brought high honor to your distinguished office and you reflected credit upon your people.

EXCERPTS FROM WASHINGTON NEWS LETTER BY MURRAY Frank, from THE NATIONAL JEWISH LEDGER OF MARCH 10, 1944

For 4 days the House Foreign Affairs Committee conducted public hearings on House Resolutions 418 and 419 relative to the establishment of a Jewish commonwealth in Palestine. The committee is composed of 25 Members of the House of Representatives, 14 of whom are Democrats and 11 Republicans. The chairman of the committee is the Honorable Sol Bloom, of New York, the only Jewish member of the committee, in whose office the hearings took place. Throughout the hearings the small room in the Capitol was crowded beyond capacity. In the center of the room the members of the committee occupy their assigned places around the table. To the right of the chairman, a section is designated for witnesses, while to his left a section is reserved for the press. Every inch of the remaining space had been occupied long before the daily sessions were under way.

Many outstanding personages of American Jewry are present, some are seated among the audience, others among the witnesses. There are prominent rabbis here, well-known Zionist leaders and leaders of many nations, Jewish organizations, and outstanding Jewish journalists and many writers of note, among the latter the biographer Emil Ludwig.

Congressman Bloom was a very pleasant surprise to us of the Jewish press, who had heard many rumors prior to the hearings that he was opposed to the resolution. These rumors we are happy to state were utterly unfounded and entirely untrue. On the contrary Mr. Bloom not only supported the resolution, but on numerous occasions he was able to use his prerogative as chairman in ironing out an embarrassing situation, or in reminding a procommonwealth witness of a particularly helpful document, or in directing the discussion or cross-examination into the proper channels dealing directly with the resolution.

Congressman Bloom also deserves a great deal of credit for his painstaking job of collecting the most important documents concerning the problem under discussion which were published under the title "The Jewish National Home in Palestine" in a booklet of over 100 pages. In it are included among other excerpts from State Department records on the Palestine mandate, the 1924 convention between the United States and Great Britain regarding Palestine, the Palestine mandate, the British White Paper and remarks of British statesmen opposing the White Paper, the memorandum submitted to the Permanent Mandates Commission of the League of Nations by the Jewish Agency for Palestine regarding the legal aspects of the White Paper, etc. Even if Congressman Bloom had done nothing more than just the compilation and publication of these documents, which were constantly used and referred to by committee members, he deserves the praise and gratitude of American Jewry.

EDITORIAL FROM THE JEWISH REVIEW, FEBRUARY 24, 1944

The initial hearings on the Palestine resolution before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives constitute yet another milestone in our struggle for a Jewish Palestine. The hearings have shown unmistakably that the pending resolution commands very strong support both in the committee and the House. This was indicated by the attitude of the chairman, Mr. Sol Bloom, by the emphatic expression of support made in committee by the majority and minority leaders of the House and by the long line of Congressmen who appeared and asked to be heard in favor of the resolution.

EDITORIAL FROM THE NEW YORK DAILY MIRROR, FEBRUARY 1, 1944 Representative Sol Bloom, of New York, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told the House the British Government has agreed to this suspension of the White Paper until 30,000 Jews seeking entry into Palestine are so accommodated-"even if it does not occur until March of 1945."

Mr. Bloom, however, in conjunction with the leaders of both the Democratic and Republican Parties in the House, urges the passage of a resolution petitioning Britain to scrap the White Paper in its entirety.

EXCERPT FROM LETTER TO HON. SOL BLOOM FROM MR. LOUIS LIPSKY, ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, AND THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONFERENCE, DATED FEBRUARY 23, 1944

I need not say how deeply all of us appreciate and especially myself-the admirably fair and genial way you conducted the hearings during the entire proceedings. You have created a tremendous amount of good will toward you which you earned during these trying days.

EXCERPT FROM LETTER TO HON. SOL BLOOM FROM RABBI MORRIS S. LAZARON, 7401 PARK HEIGHTS AVENUE, BALTIMORE 8, MD., DATED FEBRUARY 21, 1944

It was pleasant to see you again and also to witness your fine bearing under a very difficult and trying situation.

EXCERPTS FROM LETTER TO HON. SOL BLOOM FROM MR. LOUIS SEGAL, GENERAL SECRETARY, JEWISH NATIONAL WORKERS' ALLIANCE, 45 EAST SEVENTEENTH STREET, NEW YORK 3, N. Y.

I wish to express to you on my behalf and on behalf of the membership of my organization, our deepest appreciation for the fine humane attitude that you have demonstrated in connection with the hearings held on the Palestine resolution. The Jewish people the world over feel a deep gratitude for your kind cooperation for their liberation as a people through the establishment of Palestine as the Jewish commonwealth.

EXCERPTS FROM LETTER TO HON. SOL BLOOM FROM RABBI LOUIS WOLSEY, THE AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR JUDIAISM, INC., 615 NORTH BROAD STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA., DATED FEBRUARY 10, 1944

I cannot tell you how much I am grateful to you for all of your kindness, fairness, and hospitality yesterday. Your presiding over the sessions of your com. mittee was impeccable in every way, and it was a pleasure to testify before your authoritative committee on a subject of such pressing interest. I can only thank you for your kindness.

I was deeply impressed by your committee. Its questions were distinguished by fine intelligence and discernment, and I was very deeply impressed by the genuine seriousness with which all of the members dealt with the question, whether they were for or against the position Mr. Rosenwald and I represented.

EXCERPT FROM LETTER TO HON. SOL BLOOM FROM MR. HERMAN SHULMAN, 39 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY, DATED FEBRUARY 21, 1944

I want you to know how grateful I am for the opportunity you were kind enough to give me to testify before the Foreign Affairs Committee on the Wright and Compton resolutions and how much I appreciate the courtesies which you and the members of the committee extended to me.

EXCERPTS FROM LETTER TO HON. SOL BLOOM FROM RABBI MAX KIRSHBLUM, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, MIZRACHI ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA, 1133 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY, DATED FEBRUARY 17, 1944

As the American secretary of His Eminence, Dr. Isaac Halevi Herzog, Chief Rabbi of the Holy Land, and as secretary of the Mizrachi Organization of America, I have had numerous opportunities to accompany the distinguished men who had come to see you on matters vital to the American Jewish community. As a result of these conversations, I have learned to admire you for your vision and astuteness. Never before, however, have I seen you in your full glory and statesmanship as during the hearings of last week on the resolutions in behalf of the Jewish Commonwealth in Palestine, at which I was a "neutral observer."

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