The first international conference in the history of the Israel Bond Organization to be held in Canada opened here tonight with a dinner at which Canadian Jewish leaders honored Michael Arnon, president and chief executive officer of the worldwide Israel Bond campaign. More than 750 communal leaders from the United States and Canada assembled here for the conference which will inaugurate the most intensive drive between now and the end of the year to help Israel solve the critical economic problems caused by the Yom Kippur War.
Arnon hailed Canadian Jewry’s long and intense devotion to Israel. He said that this single-minded dedication to the creation and development of the State of Israel found expression in the whole-hearted participation of every Jewish community in every corner of Canada. He paid tribute to Allan Bronfman, national president of the Israel Bond Organization in Canada and other leaders for the remarkable results achieved last year when more than $46 million in Israel Bonds was sold.
Bronfman expressed a warm welcome to Arnon who assumed the post of president and chief executive officer of the bond organization last May after a distinguished career in Israel’s government service culminating with his last post as secretary of the Israeli Cabinet. Speaking for the Jews of Canada. Bronfman pledged the fullest cooperation in the Israel Bond effort during the next four months.
“Israel has a top priority in our hearts,” he said. “It must have top priority in our responsibility as Jews.” Noting that the people of Israel are making extraordinary sacrifices. Bronfman said: “We must measure our efforts not in terms of our own problems, but in terms of matching to the greatest possible degree what our brothers in Israel are doing in this year of crisis and decision.”
Among other speakers at the dinner were George Cohon, national campaign chairman for Canada, and Sam Rothberg, general chairman of the Israel Bond Organization. Shimon Peres, Israel’s Defense Minister, is making a special trip to Montreal to address the conference dinner on Saturday evening. The four day conference is scheduled to close Sunday afternoon.
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.
