200 Communal Leaders to Attend CJF Board, Committee Meetings

In the light of events and trends following on the Yom Kippur War, more than 200 Jewish leaders and Federation executives will assess the major areas of Jewish communal responsibility–at home, overseas and in Israel–at the quarterly national board and committee meetings of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds (CJF), at the New York Hilton Hotel, March 14-17, it was announced today by Raymond Epstein, CJF president. During the four-day conclave, delegates from more than 70 communities throughout the United States and Canada will participate in a series of committee meetings focusing on priorities in American Jewish communal responsibility.

Among the highlights of the upcoming meetings. Epstein said, will be the present status of accelerated community federated campaigns which as of the end of Feb. have raised a total of more than $580 million for local, national and worldwide Jewish needs, an increase of 106% by the same contributors in the previous year. A special meeting of the Campaign Services Executive Committee will focus on extending maximum gift and cash collection momentum and progress during the current Phase Two of the 1974 campaigns.

Epstein stated that under the auspices of the National Endowment Fund Committee a definitive plan for establishing a National Pooled Income for long-range financing is scheduled to be presented to community leaders for discussion. As projected, this plan would be administered by the CJF on behalf of those Federations wishing to participate. The Overseas Services Committee will address itself to community relations issues and programs relating to the Middle East, the CJF leader said. It will also analyze the current status and expectations for Soviet Jewish immigration to the U.S. with regard to community planning and financing. That meeting will also preview the issues to be dealt with by the forthcoming Assembly of the Jewish Agency for Israel in housing, education, absorption and other needs.

SMOLAR AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED

Guidelines for a continued campaign moratorium by Israel institutions of higher learning and suspension of other Israeli campaigns as resolved by the Jewish Agency at its deliberations last month will be discussed and studied by the meeting of the Task Force on Multiple Appeals. Concurrent with the board and committee meetings, the CJF will conduct its third annual Public Relations Institute whose workshops on March 14-15 will range media developments and experiences in press and community publications, television film and video-tape, campaiging and community relations.

The National Advisory Committee on Public Relations–Large Cities, will give emphasis to: an assessment of recent emergency public relations programming, shaping a new Federation manual on “Year-Round Interpretation,” and implementation of a series of national media projects geared to enhance local Federation efforts.

A further highlight, Epstein said, will be the Smolar Award presentations for excellence in North American Jewish journalism in 1973 to be made at the Saturday evening, March 16, board meeting. Those to be honored are: Dr. Arnold Ages of the Toronto Chronicle Review, Murray Zuckoff of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and free-lancer, Raphael Rothstein.