Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 32

publicly to declare the action of the " Eth Livnoth " group, against the decision of the Executive, as admissible and to admit this group to the World Union as a legitimate constituent. 6. The whole of this dispute, which had arisen against the wish of the Executive, was submitted to the General Council at the meeting in April, 1935, and formed the subject of a discussion both in the plenary session as well as in the Organisation Commission. The Congress Attorney delivered his expert opinion, in which he said : " According to our present constitution the development which the World Union of General Zionists has undergone is impossible. According to our present constitution our Organisation consists of territorial Federations and Separate Unions. ... As long as this position exists we must see to it that every member has the possibility of belonging to trie- World Zionist Organisation either through the medium of a Federation or of a Separate Union. It therefore follows absolutely that we must see to it that the Federations are preserved intact. If we allow the Territorial Federation an ideological tincture then in 99 per cent, of cases we make it really impossible, and in all circumstances potentially impossible, for a number of Zionists to join the Zionist Organisation at all. ... " The World Union of General Zionists could do two things : it could dispense with any ideological programme and say : 'We are nothing but General Zionists.' If it is that, that is, if it did not add any sort of ideology to that of General Zionism, then it could undertake a union of all Zionist Federations or of those that belong to it and could declare itself as a World Union which is formed by the Federations of the General Zionists. This would have had to be recognised by the Executive., There was a different possibility, namely—' We give ourselves a particular ideology, we demand a certain measure of discipline,' but this would mean the severance of the connection with the Federation and a free Zionist grouping or a Separate Union would be on the way. But the World Union did what is incompatible with théconstitution of our Organisation, namely, it said : ' We pretend to be a Union of Federations,' and gave itself an ideological programme. But that will not do. " The special question is that of Poland. There the World Union did something different. As the Polish Federation did not wish to join it, it induced the group that was ready to join it to secede from the Federation and to constitute itself as a group of the World Union. When the group was called upon by the Zionist Executive not to do this, it did not comply with the request. As the Federations are indispensable as cells of the Zionist Organisation, no World Union or any other body 32