September 1943 Article on Agudas Israel of America Demanding the Annulment of the British White Paper Restricting Jewish Immigration to Palestine

September 17 1943

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From the Detroit Jewish News, September 17, 1943 edition
 
Agudas Israel Demands White Paper Annulment
 
FERNDALE, N. Y. (JTA) — A resolution urging the British government to annul the White Paper and to open the gates of Palestine to Jewish immigrants was adopted here by the fourth annual convention of the Agudus Israel of America.
 
The resolution also asked the mandatory power to guarantee the religious character of Pales-tine. "The Jews- come to Pales-tine not by virtue of any diplomatic documents," the resolution reads, "but by the strength of the Divine declaration embodied in the Bible. It is the Bible which calls Palestine the Land of Israel, and the Jewish people will therefore never recognize any violation of that Divine right so long as they re-main faithful to their religion and to the laws of Israel."
 
A severe attack on Zionist leadership in the U. S. was voiced by Rabbi Eliezer Silver, president of the Agudas Israel. Rabbi Silver also read a message from President Roosevelt which said: "It gives me great pleasure to extend hearty greetings to Agudas Israel of America. I trust that the organization will be ever faithful to the highest ethical and moral principles of the Jewish religion."