Dr. Judah J. Shapiro, president of the Labor Zionist Alliance, warned today that while Israel is vibrant and strong on its 25th anniversary, American Jewish life could crumble unless more attention was given to youth, Jewish education and aliya–At the same time, Dr. Shapiro told a meeting of the LZA’s National Council, Labor Zionists must remember their commitment to the centrality of Israel in Jewish life.
Itzhak Korn, member of Israel’s Parliament and secretary general of the World Labor Zionist Movement, said that while the centrality of Israel in Jewish life is accepted, great efforts must also be made to counteract the threat of assimilation in the diaspora, otherwise Israel may find itself alone as the cultural and spiritual center of the Jewish people. He called on the Labor Zionists to expand their educational system in America with emphasis on Jewish education and youth-serving functions. “If we are not careful.” he declared, “we shall lose our national physiognomy.”
Prof. Allen Pollack, member of the World Zionist Executive, American Section, and a Labor Zionist leader, told the delegates that “the Jewish world is changing. Zionism has triumphed, but what happens to the next generation must be the major concern of all Jews.”
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.
