Looking through material I am using for my dissertation, I found a statement made by Chaim Weizmann on the 21. Zionist Congress in Geneva (August 16-25, 1939). A month to go until war broke out; little more until the Holocaust became official German politics. I am giving you the German version and a translation into English, hoping to do Weizmann justice:
"Finsternis umgibt uns. Wenn wir, wie ich hoffe, überleben und unsere Arbeit fortsetzen können, wer weiß, vielleicht wird ein neues Licht aus der Finsternis kommen. Es gibt einige Dinge, die gewiss eintreten werden, Dinge, ohne die man sich die Welt nicht vorstellen kann. Die übrigen werden weiterarbeiten, weiter kämpfen, weiterleben bis zur Morgenröte einer besseren Zeit. Diese Morgenröte vor Augen, entbiete ich Ihnen meinen Gruß. Mögen wir in Frieden wieder zusammenkommen."
"Darkness has closed about us. If we, as I hope, will survive and be able to continue our work, who knows, maybe a new light will come out of that darkness. There are some things which will certainly happen, things without which the world wouldn't be imaginable. The others will continue working, fighting and living until the dawn of a better time. This dawn in mind, I greet you. May we reunite in peace."
The protocol states that after this statement, the congress was deeply touched. Dr. Weizmann hugged his colleagues on the panel. Many had tears in their eyes, hundreds of hands reached for Weizmann as he left the room.
(cited from Rolf Steininger (ed.), Der Kampf um Palästina 1924-1939. Berichte der deutschen Generalkonsuln in Jerusalem. München 2007, S. 24)
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