The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-30
LAST FEW WEEKS
 SIGNIFICANT OF NEW JEWS ERA
News from Russia and Pal estine Causes Hopes of
 Race to Run High

London, April 3O.-'"rhe news of the past few weeks, both from Rus sia and from Palestine, points to the opening of new era for the Jewish race" declared Sir Alfred Mond in an interview today. Sir Alfred, who holds the post of First Commissioner for Works in the Lloyd George cab inet, is the only Jewish member of the present ministry.
 Tn Russia," he explained, "the revolution brings the promise of com plete emancipation; in Palestine, the British advance indicates in the near future the realization of some modi- fled form of a national ideal which most Jews have held dear for cen .turies..
 "Of the two events, the revolution in Russia is much the more import ant development so far as Jews are concerned, for it applies to 5,o00,000 of my race. Nothing like this num- Der could possibly be affected by the maturing of the Palestinian ideal.
 With the advent of liberal re- gime in Russia, the sentiment of Am erica has changed, and Jewish influ- ence, which was exerted on the side of anti-Russian feeling in America, is now pro-Russian-a very remark able but quite natural transformation.
 Jewish emigration from Russia to the United States will now diminish for the conditions that made for this emigration no longer operate. Under the new era the Russian Jews should shed the characteristics which are largely due to repression, to exclusion hn of hn EYoh C. ed in the nation, they will be mould sian people while retaining their own individuality.
 Russia will find now that her born Jews are a tremendous as- set. Wherever the Jew has received full liberty, as in England and the United States, he has proved himself an eregetic, enterprising and loyal ci- tizen. In many branches of industry, finace, law and medicine, he has ex- celled.
 "When was in New York the tre- mendous zest for educational pro- gross even among the most illiterate of the Jews who had emigrated there, was one of the many things that inn pressed me. I visited an extremely fine technical school, built by the municipality of New York, one of the finest institutions of it's kind I have ever seen, and there I was told that avery large proportion of the pupils were children of the poorest Jewish parents who had come from Russia.
 Jews in Russia have never been hostile to the people of Russia, but only to the despotic form of govern ment there, and this hostility un- doubtedly played great part in feed ing the repugnance which democratic America discovered for the Russian autocracy."
 Turning to the opportunity opened up for the Jewish race in Palestine by the entrance of the British armies. Sir Alfred said: Are the Jews suit able for the agricultural life which ment of this sun-enr1ched soil? Refer ment ofthis sun-enriched soil? Refer ence to the Jewish agricultural col onies established in Palestine in re- cent years gives an affirmative an- swer. These colonies have achieved remarkable results and seem to point to the survival of the old pastoral in- stinct of the Jews.
 T consider that the Jew has pe- culiar aptitude for farming. If Jews are found today mostly in non-agri7 cultural pusuits it is because they have been prevented for centuries from owning land, so of necessity they have congregated in the cities. I should like to see much larger az ricultural element among my people, for the physical results to the race would be very appreciable.
 1T have yet to be convinced that hc of ip6 ish state in Palestine comes within the domain of practical politics, but see no reason why guarantees should not be given to the Jews there of the fullest liberty to manage their own local affairs and for the protec- tion of the results of their labor.''