Norwich bulletin., 1919-01-25
JEWISH HOPE OF 2,ooo YEARS COMING TRUE

The great hope which the Jewish people have carried with them through | the centuries, the hope that one day teir ancient patrimony would be re- stored to them, and they would be giv- en the opportunity to rebuild Pales- tine as a homeland of their own, is on the very Drink of realization. The lay ing of the corner-ston of the new Jewish state has already been begun. It was with Americas entry into tho war, and President Wilson's declara tton that one of the ainls Of the re- public is to "sacure for each of the small nationa,ities the right to live their own lives on their ow'' soil m der their own government, and to live their own lives and develop their own culture' that it became evident to the | Jewish people that the possibility for which they had waited during the cen turies was at hand. On November 2d i of last year the Right Hon. Arthur J. 1 Balfour, British secretary Of foreign
 affairs. who, when he visited Amer l lea several months earliec had dis cussed the subject with President
 Wilson, issued an of6c;Hl statement | that This n1ajesty's government view with favor tfe establishment in Pal
 estiue of Jewish national home, and i pledges itself 10 use it's best endeavors | TO facilitate the achievement of this
 object" One month later, almost to a
 day, a British army. commanded by General Allanby. had captured Jeru-
 salem from the Tuks.
 On February 18th the French gov
 ernraent announced it's formal and sympathetic approval of thc Britiash declarations; Il fortnight later. on Feb ruary 18th, Italy notified it's ambassa- dors that 1t was in hearty accord with the plan to make a Jewish state of Palestine. This was preceded by Q statement on the part of his holiness, the pope to whom the ;Ian had been explained: we will be good neigh
 bors' On February 7th King A1exaa-
 der of Greece gave his approval, which
 was later ratified in tiie chamber of
 deputies. by the Greek 1ainister Of foreign affairs. Bleeding Serbia gave
 it's sympathtic endorsement through it's
 high commissioner to America, who
 set forth the attitude of lis govern
 ment of letter written tC Jewish
 officer in the Serbian army. Tn Apri'
 the government of Holland added its
 approval On August 513t President
 Wilson expressed his satisfa ction with
 the power Of the Zionist movement iI7 America an1 allied countries. Witt this recognition by the great allied
 powers of he Jewish Tiehl nationa existence. there is not tho slightest doubt in Jewish minds that the peace
 conference will ratify, for all time, tht
 right of tEe Jewish people to live its own life on it's own soil, ard to de-
 veiop it's own culture.
 7 The first great Zionist congress as } sembled at !3asle, Switzerland, in 1897 attended by representative Jews iron virtually every country in Europe ant l from the United States. "tdunisLn' be ; gan the program adopted ct the con gress strives to create for the Jew , ish people home in Palestine secured by public law"
 Meanwhile. as far back as the earl, eighties. Jewish agricultural colonie began to be formed in Palestine witt the permission of the Turkish govern , ment. The Tnassacres in Russia hat 7 caused a trend of Jewish immigration 7 from the land of the czar to Palestine Thousands of Jews found their way t ! the old homeland. and became farm l CTS. In Russia they had not been al 3 lowed to live in country districts or il l | the villages. For many generation
 they had been divorced from the soi , 1 The Jews were in ancient times an az 1 1 ricultural people, and with repatria