Donate to Betar Correspondence from Abroad (An article from Hadar for March 1940. Hadar was the monthly journal of Betar) Jerusalem, February 2, 1940. I fear that by the time my letter arrives you will already have learned through the news reports that the British government has begun to enforce the provisions of the last White Paper and that the anti-Jewish laws have already become a fact. Although we, here in Palestine, have just read reports from London that Weizmann had been able to postpone these restrictions, we are convinced that the cables have nothing in common with the actual situation and they have been fabricated ill order that propaganda in behalf of Weizmann might be created before his arrival in America. Immediately following the outbreak of the war it became clear that the British feel sure of us, of our youth. And they will do everything to secure the friendship of the Arabs. How call this occur? By one method only, by bribing them with promises to halt Jewish immigration to Eretz Israel and by forbidding the sale of land. Now the blind dangerous policies of the Jews as compared with the cleverness of the Arabs have been demonstrated. On the day following the outbreak of the war, Weizmann publicly declared that we, Jews, will side with the English without setting any conditions or demands or requesting any pledges whatever. Without being requested to do so by anyone, the Zionist Executive and the Histadruth in Palestine called upon the Yishuv to register for Legions, which would be established later. As for the Arabs, they acted as if they did not know that anything had happened in the world; they pursued their work, employing force, terror, threats, and demands to obtain further concessions. The result was that the miserable, fawning attitude of the Jewish leaders was not appreciated by anyone, neither by the Government in London not, by the High Commissioner here in Palestine. On the contrary, they were completely ignored and negotiations are being carried on with the Arabs which make our people suspect that we are in for another stab in the back. But the Zionist leaders here are pooh-poohing out- fears and calling us alarmists, as they always do before the event happens. Meanwhile, one of the very bad signs that is plain to see is the fact that Alfred Reek and Fuad Saleh Pasha, members of the Arab Higher Committee, who were exiled for their part in terroristic activities, and a large group of lesser Arab bandit leaders have already returned to the country with the permission of the Government. The Mufti himself is expected to return soon to Eretz Israel upon special invitation from the British. Either another "unofficial" pogrom or official suppression of Jewish rights is evidently being prepared. And what has been the reaction of Jewish youth here to all this? Our organization has intensified training activities and we are getting many recruits from other parties who feel that only by participating in our work they can protect the Yishuv for the blow that is coming. The result has been a series of brutal attacks on our members. In the colony of Rishon-le-Zion a band of Histadruth hooligans suddenly appeared at the Betar House and did a job comparable to a Nazi pogrom. The same thing happened a few days later in the colony, Ness Ziona, when the Histadruth attacked our members and did not even spare the women, beating them too. They outnumbered out- people more than twenty to one, but at least they showed more courage there than they do against the Arabs. As for the masses, they still believe the optimistic statements of Weizmann, Ben Gurion and the rest of that crew. I can give you no better illustration of their attitude than the fact that Arab youths now fill the Jewish night clubs and amusement places in Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and enjoy themselves In the company of Jewish young men and women. The same Arabs who just a few months ago had no other contact with Jews except to ambush them in dark streets and on lonely roads. Some of them tell freely that the money they are spending was given to them for their service in the Arab bands which participated in attacks on Jewish colonies. They make no secret of how much money was obtained by blackmailing wealthy Arabs and how much they got in cold cash from Germany and Italy. The total is $640,000. Besides that they received guns, bombs, ammunition, horses and cars. Now Jewish girls who have already forgotten the hundreds of victims of Arab terrorism dance with the paid assassins and Jewish men laugh and drink with them. They enjoy themselves, the Arabs and these Jews, until the Arabs run out of funds and will again take up their bloody jobs to earn that kind of spending money. Let, it be known abroad that such Jews live in the Holy Land, too. Another fact is no less significant. You know that the concentration camp at Sarafand was established by the British especially and almost exclusively for Betarim--for our members who entered the country illegally, who fought in every way against the anti-Jewish legislation here and in the British Parliament, who revolted against the shameful submission of the Yishuv to Arab terrorism. But now there has been a change in policy. Gradually the Government is releasing the Betarim who have been confined there to make room for the members of the left wing of the Histadruth who are being arrested for communist activity and propaganda. It may be hard to believe that after the Hitler-Stalin pact, the destruction of Poland and the invasion of Finland there are still Jews who support Russian Communism in the Land of Israel, but such is the case. They are members In good standing of the Histadruth: they entered the country legally with the certificates of the Zionist Organization which were withheld from our men; and they are settled on land of the Jewish National Fund. On Friday night and Saturdays and on all Jewish holidays the Betarim at Sarafand would hang up the white-blue banner of our people. They had persuaded the British officer in charge of the camp that our flag must be seen on Jewish holidays and he granted them that favor. When all file members Of Betarim are finally freed, I wonder what sort of flag will be hanging on those walls? Aaron Moshe  Special thanks from Betar to David M. Krakow and Stephen G. 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