Israel Bonds Launches 1977 Drive

Five hundred Jewish leaders from the United States and Canada launched the 1977 Israel Bond drive Saturday night at the Fontainebleau Hotel here with the enrollment of nearly 100 Prime Minister’s Club members after hearing former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan warn of the danger facing his country and urge continued support from the American Jewish community.

Sam Rothberg, general chairman of the Israel Bond Organization, announced individual purchases ranging from $10,000 to $500,000 at the dinner dedicated to members of the Israel Prime Minister’s Club and the Ambassador’s Society of Trustees. Michael Arnon, president of the Israel Bond Organization, said the enrollment was substantially in excess of what it was last year.

Dayan warned that Israel will have to withstand very heavy pressures to give up territory in any forthcoming negotiations. He said “I think the Arab countries want peace. They have to have peace, but they want to have peace on their own terms. It’s a great Jewish victory that after four wars now the Arabs have learned they must make peace with us.” He said Israel’s leaders must “decide now whether we are going to stay on the Golan Heights, the West Bank, Sharm el-Sheikh.”

Referring to the coming elections in Israel, Dayan said the decision must now he made by the young generation of Israelis if they want to give back any territory. He called for the youth of Israel to take the reigns of leadership. He said he was looking forward to the upcoming elections because it would give the Israeli youth the opportunity to take responsibility.

Urging the continued support of the American Jewish community, Dayan said “the leaders of the Jewish community around the world, like you now here in Miami, can help us to be strong as a rock. We must not compromise on the Jewish dream. We didn’t go to Israel to establish a state for King Hussein or for Yasir Arafat.”