More than $1,000,000 was contributed to the United Jewish Appeal by 350 guests attending a dinner tendered tonight to Dr. Israel Goldstein, noted Zionist leader and president of the American Jewish Congress. The dinner was given in honor of Dr. Goldstein’s 60th birthday which is on June 18.
Dr. Goldstein, addressing the gathering, urged the United States Government “to face up to its moral responsibility” to Israel on the supplying of arms to the Jewish State to counter-balance the arms already provided Egypt by the Soviet bloc and of a great power guarantee to punish the aggressor if the peace is broken.
“It is not enough,” he said, “to indicate to other nations that they should feel free to sell arms to Israel. While the United States itself withholds arms from Israel, such a policy is lacking in moral integrity and consistency. In view of our own government’s position as leader of the democracies, it should not hesitate to do itself what it considers right and just for others to do.”
Dr. Goldstein welcomed the cease-fire agreement arrived at between Israel and Egypt as a result of United Nations Secretary General Hammarskjold’s recent mission to the Middle East. However, he pointed out that it represents only “a gain toward a limited temporary objective, the preservation of the armistice.” He declared that “the long-range aim, peace in the Middle East, remains as far away as ever” and cited “the latest statements of the Arab spokesmen in the United Nations that they will be satisfied with nothing less than the liquidation of Israel” as evidence that Egypt and its allies “would like to launch war if they could possibly get away with it.”
The danger will continue, Dr. Goldstein said, “as long as Israel has no arms with which to cope with a surprise attack by its enemies and as long as none of the great powers has assumed a clear obligation that it will not tolerate an act of aggression and that it will punish the aggressor. Both steps are necessary. They supplement each other.” The speakers at the dinner who paid tribute to Dr. Goldstein included William Rosenwald, general chairman of the UJA; Jack D. Weiler, UJA chairman for Greater New York; Mrs. Samuel Halprin, acting chairman of the Jewish Agency; Justine Wise Polier, chairman of the national executive committee of the American Jewish Congress, and others.
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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.
