The goods to be paid Israel by West Germany as reparations will enable the Jewish State to lay the foundations of a self-sufficient economy, Dr. Nahum Goldmann, Jewish Agency chairman, declared here at a dinner in Grosvenor House this week-end launching the 1953 drive of the Joint Palestine Appeal of Britain. Contributions at the dinner totalled 500,000 pounds, one-fourth of the 1953 goal of 2,000,000 pounds($5,600,000).
Dr. Goldmann listed the German reparations payments as one of three major factors which he felt would contribute to consolidating Israel’s economy in the next two years. The other two factors are, he said, the Israelis’ learning technical skills and the pause in the mass migration. He suggested that the fact that German reparations were being paid in goods rather than in cash would keep Israeli authorities from the temptation of using the reparations to cover deficits and bridge temporary gaps in the economy rather than to use the payments for fundamental development.
He advised caution in relation to handling the problem of the anti-Jewish campaign in Eastern Europe. He said the Communist drive endangered 2,500,000 Jews in the area, encouraged the Arab states in their anti-Israel attitude and adversely affected Israel’s political maneuverability. He refused to give up hope of getting the Jews in the Communist countries out, but conceded that the task would be difficult and expensive.
Ambassador Eliahu Elath, another featured speaker at the dinner, told the guests that there was never a greater need for their gifts nor a greater urgency for Jewish unity and cooperation. He attacked the Soviet anti-Zionist drive and called for Jewish protests against the Communist campaign. Also present at the dinner were Mrs. Vera Weizmann and World Jewish Congress leaders Dr. Maurice Perlzweig and Dr. Arieh Tartakover, who spoke.
During the meeting there were a number of interruptions from Jewish Communists and blows were exchanged between them and other members of the audience. One man suffered from facial injuries inflicted by blows from an umbrella.
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.
