Important changes in the constitution of the Zionist Organization of America, particularly in Article 8, dealing with the methods and procedure of the national administration were enacted by the thirty-first annual convention in Pittsburgh when a two-thirds majority adopted the proposal submitted by Nelson Ruttenberg, Deputy Police Commissioner of New York.
The two outstanding features of the amended constitution are the vestment of administrative duties in the Administration Committee, excluding the president, and the creation within the Administrative Committee of a Governing Council of not less than five and not more than ten to direct the affairs of the organization. Each of the members of the Governing Council is to be charged with the administration of one of the following departments: 1. organization, 2. Palestine funds, 3. political affairs, 4. youth and education, 5. publications and propaganda, 6. Palestine investments, 7. relations with affiliated organizations.
The president of the Zionist Organization is to be the chairman of the Governing Council; the officers of the organization are to be members of the Council, which is not to exceed ten. Special sections of article 8 are devoted to a description of the duties of each of the chairmen of the enumerated departments.
The Administrative Committee is to consist of forty members, including fifteen members of the Finance Committee; the Executive Committee is to consist of 150 members.
Under national administration, article 8 includes the following provisions:
“Section 1. The Administration of the Zionist Organization of America between conventions shall be vested in an Administrative Committee, subject to the control of the National Executive Committee as hereinafter provided for.”
“Section 3. The officers of the Zionist Organization of America shall consist of a president, three vice-presidents, a treasurer, an associate treasurer, a secretary, a chairman of the Finance Committee, a chairman of the National Executive Committee nd the chairman of the Administrative Committee. Said officers, excepting the chairman of the Administrative Committee and the secretary shall be elected by the Convention at its regular annual session and they shall serve until their successors are elected and are qualified. The chairman of the Administrative Committee and the secretary shall be elected by the members of the Administrative Committee; neither of whom shall be the president of the Zionist Organization of America.
“Section 6. Fifteen members of the Administrative Committee shall be designated by the Convention as a finance committee, eight of whom shall reside in the city of New York and seven to represent the various Zionist regions.
“Section 7. The Administrative Committee shall elect from its own body a committee of not less than five and not more than ten who together with the officers of the Organization, shall constitute a Governing Council; the president of the Zionist Organization of America shall be chairman of said Governing Council.
“Section 8. The National Executive Committee shall be elected at the Annual Convention and shall consist of not more than 150 members on the basis of regional representation to be determined by membership enrollment.
“Section 9. The members of the Administrative Committee shall be ex-officio members of the National Executive Committee.”
“Section 17. The Finance Committee with the approval of the Administrative Committee shall have the power, at all times, to order the inspection or auditing of all books and accounts of District organizations, constituent bodies.
“Section 18.–The Finance Committee, subject to the approval of the Administrative Committee, shall have the power to fix the emoluments of all paid officials.”
“Section 23. The function of the Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee shall be to undertake such political action in concert with the world Zionist Organization and with the approval of the Administrative Committee as will promote the best interests of the Zionist Organization throughout the world. It shall also be the function of the Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee to encourage the formation of bodies, both Jewish and non-Jewish, favorable to the establishment of a Jewish National Homeland in Palestine.”
“Section 25.–It shall be the function of the Chairman of the Publications and Propaganda Committee to supervise all Zionist publications and to promote the knowledge of the Zionist movement through all possible channels and through the use of all available media of propaganda.
“It shall also be the function of the Chairman of Publications an Propaganda Committee to supervise the budget of the Zionist publications as determined in the budget of the Finance Committee and to be responsible for the business and financial management of the publications.”
Louis Lipsky sailed on the steamer Columbia Friday midnight to attend the Actions Committee meeting in Berlin on July 19.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
