ABSTRACT
The passage of the 29 November 1947 United Nations partition resolution contributed to the realization of the Jewish yearning for an independent state in Palestine. Despite strong State Department opposition the American Zionist Emergency Council (AZEC), led by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver and aided by Chaim Weizmann and non-Zionist Jews, succeeded in gaining President Truman's crucial support for the resolution. It was perhaps the greatest achievement of Jewish political power in America since President Truman's accession. Still, the Zionists' euphoria was not destined to last long. The anti-partition forces within the Truman administration did not accept the verdict of the U.N. Assembly and were resolved to reverse it. The ensuing struggle over partition revealed the serious limitations of Jewish political power in America and of Silver's militant leadership.
