3,000 Jewish Leaders in So Communities Told of U. J. A. Urgent Needs

An appeal to American Jews to accelerate their tempo of giving to the United Jewish Appeal in order “to meet the great emergency obligations abroad” and “to maintain expansion of American Jewry’s community institutions,” was voiced here today in a person-to-person conference with 3, 000 Jewish organizational leaders in over 50 communities.

The conference, originated at a luncheon meeting of the Conference of Presidents in the UJA national headquarters, was addressed by Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the Jewish Agency; Philip M. Klutznick, chairman of the Conference of Presidents; Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman, executive vice-chairman of the UJA, and Gershon Avner, head of the American desk at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also present at the gathering were the presidents of 18 major national Jewish organizations participating in the program of the Conference of Presidents.

Urging his hearers to enlist their organizations for all-out support of local drives in behalf of the UJA, Mr. Klutznick, who is also president of B’nai B’rith, said: “There is indivisible identity of objectives between the separate programs of the organizations represented in the Conference and the collective commitment these organizations have made to assist the UJA in realizing its goals.”

He gave special emphasis to his statement that “the obligation to help meet the humanitarian needs of Israel’s people is a solemn obligation of the whole of American Jewry.” He called for more intensive participation of individuals and organizations in local UJA campaigns with a view to obtaining increased gifts from accustomed givers and reaching out to create as many new givers as possible.

Dr. Goldmann declared that the needs of Israel’s people must be appraised not alone on the basis of immigrants “yet to arrive in Israel, ” but, even more, on the basis of immigrants already there–“close to a million, from many lands, admitted since 1948.”

The resettlement of nearly a million people, Dr. Goldmann declared is a “stupendous task, one that would tax the energies and resources even of old and established governments.” Since Jews throughout the world have “by no means” contributed the funds necessary for this purpose, the speaker said, it must now make up for its past deficits by extra-generous giving today.

Rabbi Friedman, lauding the efforts of the Conference of Presidents, termed it “both a symbol of Jewish unity in the field of Jewish philanthropy and a welcome instrumentality for mobilizing maximum support for the United Jewish Appeal.” The UJA leader reported on the progress of the 1959 campaign, stating that the response thus far is “eloquent proof that American Jewry is resolved to give to the UJA in a measure commensurate with the needs the UJA is called on to meet in this immigration-emergency year.”

Mr. Avner voiced the determination of Israel’s people to keep the doors of their country open to the newconers and to provide “work, housing, and livelihoods for them.” Pointing out that the lives of the people of Israel have been “hard and laden with sacrifice, ” the Israeli official said, “ours is the great satisfaction, however, of knowing that our sacrifices and your help make it possible for us to receive any and every immigrant who reaches our shores.”