The Washington times., 1922-05-07
JEWS RUSHING
To PALESTINE
FACE FAMINE

Israelites Working With Egyp-
tians in Road Building Gangs
Branded by British.
BY ARTHUR HOLITSCHER,
Author Of "a Journey Through Jewish
Palestine"
JERUSALEM, May 6.-Unsum-
moned and unannounced, flood
of immigration has started to-
ward Palestine from all ports of
italy, the Levant, and the Black
Sea.
Most of these wanderers tramp
their way to their first objective,
q seaport, where they board a
vessel and eventually reach Jaffa,
destitute. In exceptional cases
well-to-do relatives have paid
their passage. Their landing-tax
at Jaffa, amounting to a few
dollars, must be paid to the Zion
list Committee, for the immigrant
arrives with empty pockets. The
British government levies a head
tax Of an Egyptian pound on
their arrival. This tax, which
was imposed after the pogrom of
last May, is levied ostensibly to
quiet the native Arabian popula-
don. The Jews themselves are
to pay all the expenses incurred
by the government in their be-
half. The Arabian taxpayer must
not be burdened with the cost OF
this invasion.
Dire Need Of Money.
Meanwhile. the Zionist Commit
tee has its own cares. II lives from
hand to mouth. II watches anu'
ously for every mail from America
Il must have money to pay Tor tho
cost Of disembarIxing. for the land
img-tax. for the tent that shelters
tho Immigrant, for every mouthful
he eats, for every shoe or article
of clothing he wears, and for every
implement he uses In his labor. IL
must nay for every square foot OF
land he ti.is. All this must come
from countries that have sound
money. That means principally
from America Eastern Europe
supplies only human beings.
The Zionist Commission would
prefer, as 1t admits frankly. just
what the English government aNd
the widest Arab Nationalist pre-
fer, to have the immigration stop
ped-to have IT announced In every
harbor OF Europe: Don't como TO
Palestine; we have no money ior
Won. and consequently no work 1Or
Won Wait, else there will be .
catastrophe. We are on the ground.
We know what conditions arc"
And raising their voices still
higher: do you wish us to invite
industrial capital to provide work
for you? DO you. who have been
proletarians In your exile, wish to
be exploited again In tho Holy
Land9"
but the immigration will not
stop. II filters through thou
sand channels. past every obstacle
quarantine. sickness, hunger. dan
ger, and suffering. An enthusias-
tic. half-crazed host of young Jew
i.h men and women is constantly
pressing on toward the Land OF
Israel.
Influx From Poland.
Authoritative statistics indicate
that thirty thousand are leaving
Poland monthly: and the Jews of
A Illosl VI Whoih
inally from Eastern Europe, keep
protesting: What about those
thirty thousand7 Why can't your
Zionist organization provide for
fifty thousand or a hundred thou
sand in Palestine?" Palestine IT.
self answers: Because we have no
money" In Europe and in America
men think otherwise. They attri-
butte failure to the Zionist organi-
cation, blaming 1t for spending too
much money on expensive offices
and staffs In the great cities of
Europe and America, too much
money in salaries for is higher
officials, too much money for propa-
ganda tours and the like. This, It
of gold to Palestine wastes away to
u claimed. explains why the stream
tiny trickle.
At Haifa 1 saw at the immigration
station a newly arrived party Of
youthful Rumanian and Ukranian
laborers. The concrete building was
crowded. 1t accommodates only
three hundred. Below in tho gar
den, shaded with palms and aloee,
and looking out across the open
roadside to AGO and blue Lebanon In
the distance, tents were set up f,r
q hundred or moro who could not
find shelter In the building. Violent
torrents OF rain had quilted tho soil
beneath these tents and saturated
the bedding, the mattresses, and the
personal property Of the occupants.
Tho young men were at dinner IN
the rofectory. n former chapel. Tho
first course consisted Of Quinine.
Fine-lookins young lads they were
sturdy, vigorous, good-humored,
all aglow with excitement of their
new adventure-the land Of Israel.
tho fulfillment Of their childhood
dreams. their future labor that
sounded like a trumpet call. both to
their bodies and their souls! But
this fewer OF enthusiasm was not ali.
saw also in their eyes the GLOW OF
another fever-of the fever with
which tho deadly climate threatens
every European.
Tho Black Laborers."
This heavy collaborating stone.
erecting walls in the heat OF the
half-tropical sun. digging bitches up
to their knees In mire-is not what
these young workers would like. nor
Is II what they are qualified to do.