The Denver Jewish news., 1919-05-14
PALESTINE sELF.GOyERNMENT
BEGINS.
Constituent Assembly Meets On Lag
Bonner. With 400 Representatives.
Democratieally Elected.


Four hundred delegates. democratic
ally chosen at elections participated
in by every Jewish resident of Pal
cstine. over 20 years of age. and re-
Sardless of sex, will convene at Je
rusalem on May 18th. Lag B"Omer. as
the first Constituent Assembly of the
land. and altho the results If the
elections are not yet known here. it is
believed that a number of women viii
lave seats In this historic body.
The Constituent Assembly was call.
cd into being by the Zionist Admin
istrative Commission and its purposes
were defined at Conference or Pal
Tel Aviv from the 18th to tne 10Th
Shevat (Dec. is to 22). The confer
cn.e was participated In by rcpresen
/tatives of all parties in Jewish Pales-
tine. and limited the scOpn IF the
Constituent Assembly to internal ques-
tions. such as IA the strengthening
Of Hebrew Culture and the re .osnition
Of Hebrew as the official Jewish Ian
Sunge of Palestine; (2) determining
the status and the functions of the
Court of Arbitration (NIishat Has
holom) and (3) the political orsani-
zatiOn of palestinian Jewry. 1t was
determined that the Constituent Az
sembly should consist of Legislative
and nm executive body.
The campaign for the ele, ion OF
delegates to this historic body fol-
l.wed closely all OF tie finer features
ot American political campaigns. The
various viewpoints, found their eN-
preston in party-slogans, an6 Ill elc-
,nents. from the EXTREMIST conserva.
tive to the most radical, agitatcd Wig
orously, vet without rancor, ter the
selection of candidates whose views
we're In keeping with their own. One
small faction, cOmpOsed OF extreme
orthodox elements ,leclined 10 rarticii-
rate In the elections because ef the
fuli-suffraxe proyision. on the ,;touns
that IL wcuSd n& he in keeping will
their religious views to sit in .'or,n
ell with women. But the nur!cr who
held this reactionary attitude was
very negligible. Notwithstanding that
i, was led by Reb Laibcle, the Daynn
of Jerusacm. who Is the spokesman
Of the old. extremist settlement which
|, opposed to every innovation, in
Guiding Zionism. II is hintcl in Jc-
rusalem that one tf tile compelling
motives of Reb I.ait2le and his nd
hcrents was not SO much fundamen
tai objection to sitting In council with
the opposite sex, but the fact that
the Mizrachi in Palestine agreed TO
full suffrage. The question i,d been
submitted to the Nabbis Off Palestine.
and only eight sustained Reb laibeie's
views, the rest declining to SSines,
uny opinion.
The vast majority OF the Orthodox
participated in the elections. ant. many
of their candidates were voted for by
the women.
This fact is a source of deep disap-
,.ointment to the Poale I;"n who
fought vigorously at the Provisional
conference for the enfranchiscment of
women. and during the campaign Or
ganixed u special committee "Agudath
Hanaschim" to carry on cJ:npaign
for their candidates to capture the
female vote. In most of tn, results
already known 1t is apparent that the
women cast their votes tor the con-
aervative candidates. IN m;iny in
stances voting against candidates Of
their own sex. This has bern especi-
ally gratifying to the Orthodox ele-
nlcnts. who Notwithstanding that they
accepted the full suffrage plan. never
theless suffered many misgivinrs over
the possibility Of femini-od As.
sembly.
Besides the Constituent. Assembly
for all palestine. special provincial
committees were elected. The follow
ing electoral districts had their owrs
special committees: Ierusaleih. He
Iron, .Jaffa. the Jewish colonies, EmeE
Israel, Haifa. the lower Gal,ilcan col
onies. Tiberius. the Upper Gaililean
colonies. Saffed.
-c- ~saCry aNt, pAl.nNnESs