“Hadassah, as the largest Zionist bloc in the world, is mobilizing its membership so that its Zionist philosophy is reflected in decisions to be made at the 29th World Zionist Congress in February,” Bernice S. Tannenbaum, national president of Hadassah said today.
Speaking at a luncheon ending Hadassah’s four-day 63rd annual national convention at the New York Hilton, Mrs. Tannenbaum told the 3000 delegates that Hadassah will be asked to take a position on the issue of religious pluralism in Israel, whether aliya is a matter of free choice or an imperative and the structure of the World Zionist Organization and Congress. “These questions and many more bear scrutiny,” she said.
“Since the founding of Israel, a surprising new debate emerged on what role organized Zionism would have to play in light of the creation of a sovereign Jewish State,” Mrs. Tannenbaum said. “Hadassah has clearly defined its role: we belong to the World Confederation of United Zionists which is completely divorced from any of the political parties in Israel.”
This does not mean that Hadassah is apolitical or non-political, she observed. “Zionism is, by definition, a political movement and Hadassah is involved daily with the politics of Zionist life. Both our Confederation and Hadassah trace our ideological roots to the philosophy of general Zionism, which opens its doors to diverse ideas, united by acceptance of the Jerusalem Program.”
Mrs. Tannenbaum said that every Zionist organization is presently engaged in an intensive information and recruitment campaign. Representation, she noted is based on membership figures as of Oct. 13. “As we leave this convention, our first priority is to communicate a sense of urgency for full participation by our membership. Because at this Congress far-reaching decisions will be made of a philosophical as well as of a practical nature. Every Hadassah member must recognize her responsibility to vote for delegates to the Congress. Of course, we believe she will vote the Hadassah slate.”
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.
