More than 250,000 Jews, joined by thousands of non-Jews, today voiced their protest against the closing of Palestine to Jewish immigration at a huge open-air mass demonstration–the largest Zionist mass-meeting of all time-held at Madison Square Park. The rally also demanded the “reconstitution of Palestine as a Jewish State.”
Jewish shops and factories closed in the early afternoon in order to give their employees an opportunity to participate in the demonstration, which started at 5 p.m, under the auspices of the American Zionist Emergency Council. More than 500 Hebrew schools throughout the city closed early in the day, and students and teachers marched to the scene of the demonstration.
Leading the procession, in which 30,000 Jewish youths participated, were Jewish War Veterans and veterans of the Jewish Legion who fought for Palestine in World War I. Other processions represented religious, civic, women’s and labor groups. The marchers carried placards reading: “Is Attlee another Chamberlain?” “England Stop Welching” “Billions for England? Justice for Jews!” “No American Aid for British Betrayers.”
Principal speakers at the rally included Louis Lipsky, Dr. Israel Goldstein, Pierre van Passen and representatives of labor unions. All emphasized the need for the Jewish Palestine and called for abrogation of the White Paper and unrestricted admission of Jews from Europe to Palestine. Governor Dewey sent a message to the demonstration urging “the restoration of the Jewish nation in its historic homeland – Palestine.” Several speakers condemned the expulsion from Palestine, yesterday, of Overseas News Agency correspondent Constantine Poules.
AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL BACK JEWS IN PALESTINE, SAYS DECLARATION
The demonstration adopted a declaration, which was transmitted to President truman and to Prime Minister Attlee, supporting the Jews in Palestine in their struggle “to rebuild the national life of the Jewish people and to restore dignity and honor to the broken remnants of European Jewry.”
Emphasizing that “freedom-loving America will not be silent while men of little vision seek to scrap the solemn international pledges made to the Jewish people,” the declaration said: “We will not rest until the present shameful British policy on Palestine is destroyed. Your struggle is our struggle, too. Our demands for justice will grow stronger every day. Our voice will reach the council-chambers of the Powers! It will penetrate the barriers of official indifference; it will arouse the conscience of civilized mankind to action!
“Jews of Palestine–the American people are with you in this great cause! We send you this expression of our deep affection and unshekable support in our common fight for the opening of Palestine’s doors to unrestricted Jewish immigration and its reconstitution as a Jewish State, and are transmitting this declaration to the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Great Britain.”
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