3 0 6 D O C . 179 M E S S A G E TO J E W I S H S T U D E N T S [1] [2] [3] [4] Prof. Einstein Describes Perplexing Problems of Jewish Students ( B y O u r P a ris C o rresp o n d en t) Paris, April 16.— The difficulties and problems encountered by Jewish students in European universities and the un- certainty of their future following grad-' uation were vividly presented to the Jewish Students Congress held here. Professor A lbert Einstein, president of the W orld Federation of Jew ish S tu- dents, summed up the situation in his message to the congress. “The Jewish people in its two thou- sand years of exile and its w ander- ings from country to country has learned to bear the fate of being an em igrant and an alien and to avoid the defeats which threatened it both individually and as a collective organ- ization, ’ Prof. Einstein declared. “W e are convinced that the Jew ish students of all countries will find the strength which they need to fight against all their difficulties. W e know th at the community of faith which unites all sections of the Jewish people and binds together the present w ith the past will be the source of our resistance and will give us courage for the future. This, however, does not release us from the duty of our w ork to-day. However difficult the position of the Jewish student m ay be as individual or as group, we have to fight for un- restricted adm ittance to the education- al institutions, and to see that our suf- fering colleagues should be assisted to complete their studies. “It would not m atter, however, if it were only a question of difficulties," he stated. “W hat depresses us most is the hopelessness of the fight. W e see before our eyes the grow ing number of unemployed intellectuals. It is not a purely Jewish question but a general question. It assumes a more acute form , however, am ong us Jews. W hat are we fighting for day by day? W hy do we take up the fight of emigrants in all university towns in Europe when at the end of our way we can only expect insecurity and unem ploym ent? Some will answ er that we have no choice and that we fight with the courage of despair. Such opinions make the position only more difficult than it actually is. And yet we believe that the need of the present will not last for ever. The relations between peoples are improving. W e expect a better and a more peaceful economic future, which will give us a new epoch. Europe is returning to economic sta- bility, which is the chief factor In this period of development. The economic upbuilding will create new forces and new possibilities of intellectual work W arsaw , April 26.— Elections to the boards of 64 Jewish com m unities in the border districts of Vilna and Bialy- stock have been ordered by the Gov- ernm ent Elections for the purpose of organ- izing on dem ocratic lines the Jewsih communities in the frontier provinces of form er Russian Poland were ord ered by decree as long ago as November, 1925, being the last act of the Grabski Government before leaving office. The decree carried into effect the first two of the twelve points constituting the Polish-Jew ish A greem ent—to provide for the unified organization of the Jewish religious communities of the whole of Poland and to extend to the outlying districts the provisions of the Government order of 1919 dealing with the change in the organization of the Jewish communities of form er Congress Poland. Num erous Jewish organizations in the frontier districts, however, peti- tioned the M inistry of Public W orship to postpone the elections to the Jewish Communal organizati ons in their dis- tricts because of the economic distreat existing there. They objected that the new Jewish Communal organizations would have the power to levy new taxes on the Jewish population, who, in their present economic position, would be unable to pay them which cannot yet be. foreseen. Every nation will, according to the capacity of its student youth, be able to serve the development of mankind. “The Jewish people has a surplus o f intellectual forces. If we take into consideration, however, our prim ary tasks, the building up of our N ational Home, and fighting against all the in - justices which are committed against us, we see that our intellectual and technical forces are in comparison with other peoples not so great as they appear. There is a great deal of work to do. The Jew everyw here has to rouse respect and obtain recognition for his people. The work of individu- als serves as a symbol for the en tire people. “T he best m ethod for the work be- fore us appears to be a strong organ- ized federation of all Jewish students throughout the world,” he recom - mended. France knows no religious distinctions. M. H erriot, the M inister of Education and form er Prem ier, told a delegation from the Jewish Students’ Congress whom he received. M Herriot prom- ised the delegation that the M inistry of Education and he himself would always try to assist the Jewish students in any m atter in which they would ap - proach them. [5]