Dr. Goldmann Criticizes U.S. Zionists; Says Their Influence is Small

American Zionists were criticized here today by Dr. Nahum Goldmann in his address winding up the debate of the Zionist Actions Committee which is now in session here. He said the American Zionist Organization “was not equal to the task” when it came to playing a decisive role in Jewish welfare funds, in the United Jewish Appeal and in the sale of Israel bonds.

Zionists in the United States, declared Dr. Goldmann, were not the deciding factor in Jewish life, even if individuals in major centers like Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York or Washington are prominent. Those who are prominent, he stated, play their outstanding roles as communal leaders in various fields, and not as Zionists.

Dr. Goldmann said Zionism must regain the position of being a prime factor in Jewish life. The Jewish situation, he emphasized, calls for a “great movement” to bind the Jewish people with Israel. He warned that the Zionist movement was destined to play a minor role if the status quo continued, and he urged the facilitation of group memberships in the movement from among the major Jewish organizations. Maintenance of the status quo, he asserted, will mean the decline and failure of the Zionist movement inside and outside Israel.

Arguing that the restoration of the status and prestige of Zionism was “most urgent,” the world Zionist leader declared that the time for action toward the goal was never more propitious. He said Jewry was more receptive to a Zionist program since the advent of the Jewish State. He scoffed at the charge that broadening the base of the Zionist movement by the group affiliations — as proposed by him — would disrupt “Zionist democracy.” He pleaded with the Zionist parties not to prize organizational interests above those of the movement.

Dr. Goldmann also pleaded for more earnest cooperation with the Jewish Agency on the part of the Israel Government. He stated that the Knesset Charter, which recognized the World Zionist Organization as a partner in the fields of immigration, immigrant absorption and settlement, is not being implemented.