Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 251

movement of most of its active members, the Hitachduth untiringly propagates information about Palestine and the Hebrew language. The Youth organisations are very active, although their members joined the movement since the advent of Bolshevism. This important phenomenon among the Jews in Soviet Russia—the existence of a Zionist youth movement willing to make sacrifices for Palestine in a period of intensive assimilation and national degeneration—deserves to be studied and appreciated. The eagerness manifested among all sections of the movement to go to Palestine, has found expression in the manifesto issued by the " Illegal Hechalutz " to its members at the end of 1933, which, inter alia, stated : The need of emigrating to Palestine from Soviet Russia is very great indeed, but the Government prohibits it in practice, making it possible only for people possessing considerable means in foreign exchange. This is a deplorable position, and the laws relating thereto should be withdrawn. In recent years emigration to Palestine has almost entirely stopped, and the time has come to resume it. Many are the obstacles and difficulties in the way, but in spite of them, hope must not be given up. The members destined for emigration must be aware of the difficulties which they will have to face,, and be prepared to wait a year or even two until they will be able to go to Palestine. We hope that they will stand the test. The principles of pioneering, fundamental and reliable information about the upbuilding of Palestine, and particularly about the work in Palestine and about the position of the Jews throughout the world and in Soviet Russia, must be propagated among all the members. The activities of the Hechalutz and the youth prove conclusively that the Zionist labour movement in Soviet Russia draws its strength from deep Zionist faith. Were it not for the measures taken by the Government to suppress the movement, we would have witnessed a great Zionist awakening among Russian Jewry. The persecution in Russia of Zionism has now lasted about fifteen years. It is thirteen years since the trial of those arrested at the third conference of the Zeire Zion in Kiev—the first and last trial when the accused could speak openly of Palestine and Zionism. Since then, however, the authorities found that it was more convenient for them to deal with the Zionist " criminals " in an administrative manner rather than in open trial. The persecutions of Zionists during the last four or five years are noted for their excessive cruelty. Zionists are being exiled to the most forsaken parts of Siberia and the Ural district, the exiles including boys of seventeen to eighteen years of age of the Hashomer Hazair, who are isolated in political concentration camps. Moreover, many of the exiles are being imprisoned, and Zionists who have already served seven to nine years of exile in prison and concentration camps, have recently been re-arrested and condemned to a further three years of exile. Arrests have been numerous, especially in November, 1933. In September and October, 1934, forty-two members were arrested in various places, and were all' placed in a concentration camp of the Moscow OGPU, although many of them tried to obtain permits for Palestine. One of the* prisoners, a girl, has been driven mad. Some of those arrested: 251