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Indeed from the day onwards on which the L-rd said to
Abraham: "Arise, walk through the Land, in the
length of it and in the breadth, for I will give it
unto thee" (Genesis, 13, 17), this country was
predestined to be the land of domicile for the People
of Israel. However, this predestination, this divine
promise, has its basis but in religion, for only loyalty
to HIS laws and teachings and fundamental application
of that Law in Israel's public and private life will
entitle them to the name "People of Israel"
and only then can the term "Land of Israel"
apply to this land as it is aid: "And ye shall
be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation"
(Exodus 19, 6) and further: "For thou art a holy
people under the L-rd, thy G-d." (Deuteronomy 7,
6). The interrelation between the land of Israel and
the people of Israel rise and falls with the degree
and intensity with which they fulfill the Holy Law.
Past experience proves that Israel fell easy prey to
their enemies whenever they deviated from the path prescribed
in the Holy Bible, a fact to which the chapters of the
Bible bear eloquent evidence.
2
Unbroken settlement by Jews
throughout the ages.
Hence, even after the dispersion, when Israel were scattered
to the four corners of the world to atone for their
sins and prepare themselves for the great task of being
a holy nation and of being fit once again to live in
the land of their promise, Jews loyal to the tradition
of their forefathers have not severed the connection
with the land even for short intervals. Though unable
to fulfill all the commandments while residing abroad,
particularly those relating to the soil of this land,
they have constantly directed and arranged their prayers
with their faces towards the Holy Land in accordance
with I King 8, 48: "And pray unto thee towards
their land."
Some Jews endeavoured to visit the Holy Land at least
once in their lives and at later periods, when transport
and traffic connections became easier, these loyal Jews
began to return to the Holy Land to live permanently
therein in holiness and purity and literally applied
the verse (Psalms 102, 14): "For thy servants take
pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof."
The relation between the people of Israel and the
land of Israel being an ancient and permanent religious
tie, Providence has seen to it that throughout the long
history of this land, Jews were never to abandon it
entirely. . . .
3
Good neighbourly relations with
other sections of the population.
During no period of the immigration of such orthodox
European Jews was any opposition offered by the Arab
population. On the contrary, these Jews were welcomed
on account of economic benefits and general progress
that accrued to the local inhabitants who had no fear
whatsoever of being subjugated. It was common knowledge
that these Jews came but for the purpose of fulfilling
certain religious requirements and they had no difficulty
in establishing a mutual trust, and real friendship
developed with all sections of the community. That was
the time when good neighborly relations existed between
Jews and Arabs and in particular Rabbis and eminent
scholars who then lead the Jewish Community were greatly
esteemed and honoured by all inhabitants.
4
Palestine under the Mandate.
With the occupation of Palestine by His Britannic
Majesty's Forces and after the confirmation of the Mandate
over Palestine by the League of Nations, which incorporated
the Balfour Declaration of 1917 a new era opened in
the history of the Holy Land. We Orthodox Jews whose
forefathers promoted the development of the Jewish Yishuv
throughout the generations, who for many centuries constituted
the most important element of the Yishuv in the Holy
Land, were always on the very best of terms with all
sections of the Community. We had hoped that the real
purpose of the Mandate would be the promotion of a "Home"
to which Jews who lived in the Diaspora might be able
to return as their Home Land in order to live here in
accordance with the Commandments of the Almighty. It
was upon the first appearance of the Zionist organization
as a political entity, created in and by the spirit
of reform, a spirit to which Orthodox Jewry is so utterly
opposed that the idea of the foundation of a Jewish
state in the Holy Land was first advanced.
Much trouble and endless bloodshed might have been
avoided if the Mandate were to have been applied in
the manner hoped for by Orthodox Jewry.
In addition the various Jewish Communities in the
country had been organized along traditional lines of
truly Jewish Law, by actively applying the Laws of Moses
to the public affairs of the Holy Land, we are convinced
that the country would have remained at peace and the
dangers inherent in prevailing conditions might never
have arisen. Moreover, the colossal massacre of millions
of our brethren at the hands of Nazism during the second
World War might have been averted to a very substantial
degree for many of them might have been able to live
peacefully in the Holy Land as there would have been
not the slightest justification for the limitations
of Jewish immigration as have in fact been enforced
during the last decade.
However, it is a regrettable fact that a serious blunder
was committed at the time by recognising first the leaders
of Zionism and then the Jewish Agency as official representation
of the Jewish population and by handing the keys of
immigration to that body which consists of zionists
and non-zionists who are united in the opposition to
the application of religion to public life and they
have succeeded in bringing to this country free-thinking
people like themselves who blocked the way of immigration
to myriads of Orthodox Jews. Only after prolonged and
forceful representations supported by the Government
of Palestine did they agree to issue small numbers of
certificates for immigration also to Orthodox Jews.
They have thus succeeded in strengthening their position
by bringing in elements of the population who were faithful
to their aims and ideals and have founded Jewish Communities
throughout the country whose very spirit is contrary
to the requirements of Jewish Law and have thereby furthered
their hold in the country, by insisting on the creation
of a Jewish state therein. This aroused the fear of
our Arab neighbors in connection with further Jewish
immigration and thus started the determined opposition
on the part of the Arabs against Jewish immigration.
5
Palestine as a State.
From the time of King Solomon to our very days the
Holy Land was either united with Trans-Jordan or attached
to Syria or Turkey. Western Palestine was never a single
and independent entity and certainly a part of that
cannot possibly constitute an independent state, as
envisaged in the various plans that are discussed from
time to time.
However, the basic reason for our opposition to an
Independent Jewish state as that in prevailing circumstances
the officially recognised representation of the Jewish
people does not consider the authority of the Holy Law
as binding in the public affairs of the Jewish people.
. . .
. . . .and it is contrary to the wishes of G-d to create
a Jewish State. . .
6
Summary of Part I
Orthodox Jewry has not the slightest intention of
subjugating any section of the population of the Holy
Land. We merely demand that the gates of Palestine be
opened to all those Jews who have no home and enable
them to live here Jewish lives in accordance with the
commandments of the L-rd. However in order to avoid
the continuation of the untenable position as set out
in the last paragraph of section 4 we suggest that the
keys of Jewish immigration be placed into the hands
of the Government of this country.
We furthermore wish to express our definite opposition
to a Jewish state in any part of Palestine.
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