Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 240

also acts as a centre of information and advice to Jews and non- Jews. The Office has won the confidence both of the authorities and of the British Consulates. The Palestine Office Commission, under the chairmanship of Dr. Cohn, has co-opted representatives of the Union of Jewish Communities, the WIZO, the Maccabi, and the Agudath Israel, and has distributed the few certificates allotted to Switzerland. It has not yet been possible to establish a training centre for Chaluzim in Switzerland, but the Central Committee has been able to co-operate in several individual cases. A Chaluz centre has been established in Basle and has now been in existence for a year. Owing to the overcrowding of the labour market difficulties have been caused by the authorities in regard to providing temporary accommodation for Chaluzim. In conjunction with the Swiss Union of Jewish Communities the Zionist Federation took legal proceedings against the circulation of the " Protocols of the Elders of Zion," and secured the confiscation of these Protocols in the Canton of the city of Basle. The Zionist Federation associated itself with the action of the Union of Jewish Communities in order to obtain from the Law Courts in the historic Congress city of Basle a judgment confirming the falsity of the so-called " Protocols," and resulting in the prohibition of their sale in Basle. At the subsequent trial in Berne, which was concluded in May, 1935, Zionist leaders and delegates to the First Zionist Congress, including Dr. Weizmann, Chief Rabbi Dr. Ehrenpreis, Dr. Bodenheimer, Dr. Meyer Ebner, and National Councillor Dr. David Farbstein gave evidence as witnesses. In the judgment pronounced by the Judge at Berne the " Protocols " were stigmatised as " trashy literature." Interest in the reconstruction of Palestine has been strengthened by the Chaluzim who have left Switzerland during the last two years as well as by numerous visitors to Palestine from all sections, of the Jewish Community. TUNIS. Like all other small Zionist Federations, ours has been seriously handicapped for a long time owing to the lack of income. In view of this difficulty we have been obliged for the most part to confine our activity to the sale of Shekolim as much as possible and to dealing with applications from would-be immigrants to Palestine. We have also succeeded in inducing the local Jewish community to engage a Hebrew teacher from Palestine who gives instruction in Hebrew in one of our schools. The office of our Federation also acts as the Palestine Office for Tunis. It has conducted correspondence with Jerusalem, London and Berlin with regard to the immigration into Palestine of Jewish refugees from Germany who have come to Tunis. It has also interested itself on behalf of some Jews from other 240