The Denver Jewish news., 1923-07-05
BY GERsHoN AGRoNsKy
Copyright. 1923. Jewish Correspondents,
Rureau.l

Copyright, 1D23. Jewish Correspondents
Bureaul
The Zionist Convention In Baltimore
was not the place to which 10 bring an
uninitiatcd Zionist or n non-Zionist
friend thirsting for knowledge and IN
spiratiOn. For one not familiar with
the vicissitudes OF the American move.
ment and the multitudinous problems Of
the world movement and unacquninted
with what DIR. Wcizmann calls "Zion-
ist plrascology." the convention must
have been very pcrpiexing and nncom-
Portable. It was distinctly n wcrk-a-
day convention. where much was taken
for granted. Except for n few formal.
solemn and briefly expressed sentiments
regarding the Jewish Homeland there
was none of the usual Zionist elo-
quence. that mingling of resignation
and Of hope that characterized Zionist
OrntOry In the past. Here you had
plain statement OF facts, and no mat
ter how romantic the fact. the way 1t
WINS presented was or must have been
to the outsider, the new conner. out
rageously prosaic.
Yet II anything points to the mar
velous progress made by ZiOnism I'm
Amcricn. to the leagues and leagues Of
distance covered by the Zionists in the
last few years, this prOsaic work-n-day
convention does. No one even tried to
be rhetorical or fanciful. Not even Dr.
Weixmunn. Nor for that matter DIR.
Sclimarya Levin who. catching the
spirit Of the convention, and OF the
time It was held gave an Illuminating
expose Of the philosophy OF Orgnniza-
ti0n. In plain "Mamme loshen." Louis
Lipsky, whose pen inevitably gets the
better Of him, spoke In the opening ad-
dress with moving beauty, but once
that was over, he became tho stern pilot
cf vessel which bat for hfs 'de4&sr6us
handling would have been enllcssly
tossed II not wrecked. In the tempest Of
views. In the deluge Of words, in the
sea Of misunderstanding.
1t wAs undisputahiy the peoples con-
vention par excellence. With the ex-
ceptIon of, the distinguished foreigners
there were no awe inspiring figures to
force tho common folk to acqufese to
course which they could only follow
but not understand. The vote on the
question Of the sent of the Jewish
Agency, whether 1t shall he London Or
Jerusalem, illustrated the danger IN
herent In one-mnn or One-woman leader
ship. Because Miss Szold believes it
desirable for the Agency to Ike In Je-
r,isnlem, all Hadassah delegates 30
voted. Loyalty, to Miss Sold who,
after DIR. wcizmann, proved by far the
most popular figure. and not only
nnong the women and blind belief In
the correctness of her position, prompt
cd the women to vote sOlidly on an Is
rue upon which the men exercized in
dividual judgement.
What this convention lacked and
lacked notori0usly was youth. the kind
Of youth that the European Zionists
are proud to bOast, the Studierende
Jugen,A. The American Zionists had
part of this youth with them as recent
ly as 1917. At the Intercollegiate coll
ference held simultaneously with the
Convention at Baltimore then. n few
hundred young student delegates were
In attendance. Several of them today
held out and became too prominent md
precccupied and perhaps self-centered
to have anything tOsdo with popular
movement Others have just naturally
dropped out, leaving no successors.
lack Of this youth was deplored by
some of the young men who attended
this convention 1t was admirably put
by Maurice Samuel who warned
against "Babbit Zionism' and urged
more spiritual content in the propa-
gGnda fer fear of losing the few men
who, like himself. came to Iionism be-
cause they thought it was less crassly
material than the rest.
Yielding to the evil but necessary
habit of giving post impressions of
gatherings, one is amazed at the prac-
tical achievements Of the Baltimore
meeting. The administration had the
unusual foresight to draft certain
"Proposals' in advance of the meeting.
furnishing the delegates with a basis
for discussion. These proposals show
ed the delegates what in its mature
judgement the Administration wished
them 70 do. Delegates had the choice
of following the administration On the