Holocaust Survivors: Bavarian Zionist Congress Calls on Survivors to Immigrate to Palestine

After a day of speeches and discussions, the assembled delegates composed a declaration reflecting Zionist thinking among the members of She'arit Hapleta at this formative stage. The First Congress of Zionists in Bavaria demanded that the survivors should draw the only possible conclusion from their tragedy: the ending of the European Diaspora, and the immigration of the survivors to Palestine. The ending of the European Diaspora was not only the first step towards their immigration, but an important deed in its own right. It was to be an act of self-respect, of rebellion against the Diaspora submission and patient acceptance of Jewish fate. They felt that this was the most significant form of Jewish revenge. "For two thousand years we have given unstintingly of our strength to this accursed Europe", and after they had worked, created and even spilt their blood for its sake, the Jews received their reward during the war. This was the origin of the call to "take a momentous decision to devote all our energy and creative talents exclusively to our own people. This must be our answer to Europe, and this will be our revenge on all the peoples who did us such harm".

From: Mankovitz, Ze'ev, Ideology and Politics Among She'arit Hapleta in the American Zone of Occupation in Germany 1945-1946, Ph.D. thesis, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1987, p. 51 (Hebrew).

Source: Yad Vashem