The Biltmore Conference

(May 6-11, 1942)

The Biltmore Conference was called by the Extraordinary Zionist Conference, and was held from May 6 to May 11, 1942 in New York. Due to the war, no Zionist Congress could be held that year. The Extraordinary Zionist Conference was thus called to serve a similar purpose of forming Zionist policy.

Participants from a wide variety of Zionist organizations were represented at the Conference. The joint statement issued at the end of the session was known as the Biltmore Program. The Program reiterated Zionist demands for unrestricted Jewish immigration to Palestine and that Palestine should serve as a Jewish Commonwealth. This statement was the first in which non-Zionist organizations joined with their Zionist counterparts to publicly advocate the establishment of such a Jewish Commonwealth.