Z. Berinson, chief Israeli delegate to the United Nations International Labor Organization, declared today that his country would fully support the principle of freedom of emigration so that Jews desiring to go to Israel could leave without restrictions.
The delegate, who delivered part of his address in Hebrew, thanked the conference chairman for the warm welcome accorded to the youngest member of the I.L.O. Stressing that Jewish Palestine has always been deeply interested in the work of the I.L.0., he asserted that “Israel has now taken its place among the family of nations and intends to play its part.” He added that the new state’s historic mission is to gather in exiles and reported” that despite the life-and-death struggle in its first year, a total of 220,000 Jews had arrived.
The Israeli representative expressed regret that some “otherwise friendly countries” had withheld exit permits from Jews. He described measures taken in his country to absorb additional immigrants and to increase their skill and productivity. He said that the labor laws inherited from the Mandatory Power, Britain, were being overhauled, including an improvement of the workmen’s compensation law. He remarked that there were new labor laws under preparation covering conciliation and arbitration proceedings and social insurance provisions that the Mandatory had refused to introduce.
In conclusion, Mr. Berinson assured the conference that Israel would pursue a policy of social justice as a foundation of universal peace. He quoted from Isaiah that “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning books”
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.
