More than 550 congregations in the United States and Canada will take part in celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem at special events dedicated to advancing the economic progress of Israel’s capital city and the rest of the country.
Plans for these celebrations which will begin tomorrow (Independence Day) and continue until the end of June were announced today at a meeting of the National Campaign Cabinet of the Israel Bond Organization at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The largest number of anniversary programs, arranged by the National Rabbinic Cabinet of Israel Bonds, have been scheduled for May 16, the day of liberation according to the Hebrew calendar, Many others will be held on June 7, the date on the Gregorian calendar when Israel’s defense forces penetrated the Old City 10 years ago.
The Israel Bond leaders meeting today also inaugurated an intensive cash program among subscribers in the higher categories, notably individuals enrolled in the Israel Prime Minister’s Club with commitments for purchases of $25,000 and over as well as those who subscribe for $10,000 or more in Israel Bonds to become members of the Israel Ambassador’s Society of Trustees.
The members of the Bond Cabinet rose for a moment of silence in observance of Israel Remembrance Day. They also toasted the 29th anniversary of Israel’s Independence.
Yosef Almogi, chairman of the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization Executives, focused on Israel’s present economic situation in relation to the country’s capacity to receive immigrants and to progress in negotiations for peace.
He stressed the importance of Israel Bonds and the United Jewish Appeal as key elements in enabling Israel to realize its goal of economic independence and the ingathering of Jews from the Soviet Union, Syria and other lands of distress. Referring to the resignation of Premier Yitzhak Rabin, Almogi said it was a “deplorable event” but was also a sign of the “strength of Israel’s deep-rooted democracy.”
Sam Rothberg, general chairman of Israel Bonds, declared that Israel’s current problems and needs must be viewed in terms of its 29-year record of achievement. The people of Israel, he said, have given world Jewry joy and the sense of fulfillment from the first day of Statehood. Rabbi Leon Kronish, national campaign co-chairman and chairman of the National Rabbinic Cabinet, outlined the intensive congregational drive stimulated by the Jerusalem Reunification Anniversary.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
