Israeli Premier Appeals to American Jews for “manpower, Means, Skill and Devotion”

A call to American Jews “as the biggest community all over the world” to rake its contribution in “manpower, means, skill and devotion,” to the Jewish state was issued today by David Ben Gurion, Israeli Premier, in a message cabled to the opening session of the national board of Hadassah, which is now holding Its mid-winter conference at the Park-Sheraton Hotel here.

Today’s session was addressed by Eliezer Kaplan, Israeli Finance Minister, who appealed for the mobilization of funds to absorb immigrants in Israel. The session was also addressed by Berl Locker, chairman of the Jewish Agency executive in Jerusalem; Dr. Israel Goldstein, treasurer of the Jewish Agency; Israeli Consul General Arthur Laurie and Mrs. Samuel W, Holprin, national president of Hadassah.

“Our task after the establishment of our state is only beginning,” Premier Ben Gurion said in his message. “To bring over and absorb economically and socially hundreds of thousands of immigrants, to rebuild and develop the Negev and Galilee and Jerusalem and to shape a progressive, free and democratic commonwealth true to the great vision of our prophets on Justice, peace and human brotherhood, will require all the creative energies of our generation.

“American Jewry, as the biggest Jewish community all over the world, will have to make its contribution in manpower, means, skill and devotion, and I trust that Hadassah will not only carry on its specific tasks in medical help and Youth Elijah, but will also provide general Zionism in America with the moral, unselfish end progressive leadership which it needs now so much, and that you will strengthen the ties between American Jewry and Israel,” the message said.

ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER DISCUSSES ECONOMY OF JEWISH STATE

In discussing Israel’s future economy, Kaplan asserted that $35,000,000 of the $100,000,000 loan granted by the U.S. Export-Import Bank has already been allocated for agricultural development. Plans for the use of the balance of the loan will be presented for approval in Washington shortly, he said.

“Israel, however, will need many more millions if it is to use the American loan properly,” Kaplan declared. “We do not underestimate the task before us, neither its difficulties nor its dangers. We have set ourselves on unprecedented goal — the absorption of a vast immigration. Jewry throughout the world, and Zionist forces everywhere, face a greater challenge then before the creation of the Jewish state. The government of Israel has opened the gates, but only Jewry and men of good will can help us keep then open. The American Icon is purely developmental, extended specifically to make it possible for us to produce capital goods. That is why we are deeply interested in investment capital and-determined to create an economic atmosphere which will attract such capital.”

Four medical projects designed to aid newly-arriving immigrants in Israel during 1949 were approved at today’s session. They are a tuberculosis hospital to be opened this month in Gederah, a new general hospital in Jerusalem, the Hadassah-Yassky Herorial Hospital in Beersheba and the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School.