A renewed effort will be made to persuade former Prime Minister Moshe Sharett to accept the post of chairman of the Jewish Agency executive in Jerusalem and co-president with Dr. Nahum Goldmann of the World Zionist Organization, authoritative sources reported here today.
The new effort will be made when Mr. Sharett returns to Israel from his current tour of the United States. The co-presidency proposal was made several weeks ago by Mapai leaders who also suggested Mr. Sharett for the Agency executive chairmanship, with a proviso which would give him equal status with Dr. Goldmann.
Dr. Goldmann was understood to be favorable to the idea but Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion was reported to doubt its practicability. Mr. Sharett rejected the proposal but he will be approached again. If he accepted, he would be in charge of all Zionist activities in Israel and those directly connected with Israel. Dr. Goldmann would devote most of his attention to the World Zionist movement and to organization of world Jewry in a continuation of the changes in the 25th World Zionist Congress which for the first time will include representation from non-Zionist organizations.
The proposals to Mr. Sharett are part of the preparations for the World Zionist Congress next month in which a new Jewish Agency executive will be elected. Dr. Goldmann has been trying to persuade the Zionist parties to send their top representatives for the new executive. He also seeks action to make the chairmen of the Jewish National Fund and Keren Hayesod automatically members of the executive. Another proposal calls for naming Agency executive members with offices in Europe and South America.
“SCROLL OF DUTIES” FOR EVERY ENROLLED ZIONIST IS PLANNED
The Zionist Congress will be asked to amend the Jerusalem program by adding to it a “scroll of duties” for every enrolled Zionist, Jewish Agency sources said today. Among the duties which each Zionist will be asked to fulfill is providing a Hebrew education to his children and active fostering of personal settlement in Israel.
The opening session of the Congress will be addressed by President Ben Zvi and Dr. Goldmann. The President is scheduled to discuss 100 years of Herzl, the Congresses becoming central Jewish forums and the tasks of the Zionist movement in countries outside of Israel. Dr. Goldmann will speak on the current status of jews throughout the world, with much of his speech devoted to the situation of Soviet Jewry.
On the second night, Prime Minister Ben-Gurion is expected to launch what is scheduled to be a strong debate on relation between Israel and the Zionist movement. He will speak on “The State of Israel and the Jewish People.” One day of the Congress has been reserved for the non-Zionist delegations. Representatives of each Jewish community will present their specific problems on that day.
The World Jewish Congress has decided to send a six-man fraternal delegation to the World Zionist Congress, the Jewish Agency announced today. The delegates will be Samuel Bronfman of Canada; Israel Sieff, chairman of the Congress directorate in Europe; Moises Goldman, South American chairman; A. L. Easterman, political director in London; Maurice Perlzweig, director of the International Department in New York, and Dr. E. Riegner, coordinator in Geneva.
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.
