Dr. Nahum Goldmann announced here today that Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of West Germany will convene in Bonn on June 18 a conference of the premiers and finance ministers of all states in the West German Republic to discuss with Dr. Goldmann and reparations experts means of speeding up individual compensation payments.
Dr. Goldmann, speaking at a press conference, said that Dr. Adenauer’s decision to run for the presidency of West Germany would not affect reparations payments to Israel. He pointed out that not reparations, but individual compensation payments, was the main problem and that the latter issue had no connection with the question of Chancellor Adenauer’s political decision.
Dr. Goldmann disclosed that the pace of compensation payments was such that it might take another ten years to complete them while the payments law stipulated that all payments were due within the coming four years. He said he hoped the June 18 conference would remedy the lag.
The world Zionist leader also disclosed that a meeting was scheduled in Jerusalem with Philip M. Klutznick, president of B’nai B’rith, and other Jewish leaders for discussion of a proposal to call a world conference on Jewish education in the Diaspora.
LARGEST U. S. JEWISH GROUP TO JOIN ZIONIST MOVEMENT, GOLDMANN REPORTS
There is a possibility, he stated, that within a few months one of the largest American Jewish organizations will join the organized Zionist movement. He said negotiations were continuing, not on principle but on organizational arrangements because the organization wished to avoid the need of electioneering into the World Zionist Congress and also wants a permanently fired number of seats in the World Zionist Congress and the Zionist Organization constitution committee. Dr. Goldmann added he was hopeful such a change could be approved.
He said if the organization, the name of which he withheld, did join, it would represent the most important development on the American Jewish scene. Such a joining, he added, might open the door to negotiations with other Jewish mass organizations, which are now pro-Israel but not affiliated with the Zionist movement, also to join.
Reviewing the program of the World Jewish Congress convention, opening August 2 in Stockholm with an expected attendance of 300 delegates from 40 countries, he said delegates were expected from Hungary and Poland, and — he hoped– from Rumania, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. He reported that delegates had been invited from ten Soviet Jewish communities.
He said four world-famous Jewish scientists had been invited to lecture at the symposium on atoms for peace or destruction at the Stockholm convention. He reported that Dr. Isidor Rabi of the United States and Dr. Amos de Shalit of Israel had accepted. He said participation of Dr. Niels Bohr, whom he called the greatest living atomic scientist, depended on his health and the participation of a “great Soviet Jewish scientist,” whom he did not name, depended on Soviet Union permission.
Dr. Goldmann stated that it was understood that Soviet leaders still were discussing whether to permit Soviet Jewish delegate participation and that Soviet diplomats in Western capitals were believed urging Moscow to give such permission.
PLANS TO MOVE W. J. C. HEADQUARTERS FROM NEW YORK TO GENEVA
A second subject of the Stockholm gathering will be cultural pluralism, he said, adding that invitations for this cession had been sent mainly to non-Jewish lecturers, including a “great liberal leader from America,” a French leader, a Polish expert who was expected to discuss ethnic minorities in Socialist countries, a North African Moslem scholar to discuss the status of minorities under Islam. The world Zionist leader said Dr. Martin Buber would participate if his health permitted.
Moshe Shared, former Prime Minister, and Dr. Sale W. Baron of Columbia University of New York will speak on the subject of the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. He added that reorganization of the World Jewish Congress would also be an important convention topic. This will include a discussion of plans to transfer a major part of the World Jewish Congress headquarters from New York City to Geneva.
Discussing the problems of the Jewish Agency Dr. Goldmamreported that the “Presidents’ Club,” which was recently constituted as a permanent “Presidents’ Committee” under Mr. chairmanship, had been invited to become the official advisory committee of the Jewish Agency. Dr. Goldmann called this the first step to widen the Jewish Agency to include non-Zionist organizations.
Commenting on Soviet Premier Nikita Khrusl chev’s reply to World War II veterans on the possibilities of Jewish migration from the Soviet Union, Dr. Goldmann said that the content of the Soviet Premier’s remarks was welcome but not new. He added he hoped that when the Soviet leader said “future” in reference to such possibilities, the Soviet leader meant the near future.
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.
