The heated debate at the Zionist Actions Committee session here on the Jewish Agency’s prerogatives vis-a-vis the Israel Government resumed today following a two-day recess during which members of the Committee joined the rest of the country in its joyous celebration of the second anniversary of Israel Independence Day.
Eliezer Kaplan, Minister of Finance, called for a compromise between the Agency and the government. “If the Jewish people does not provide a greater share of Israel’s financial burdon, the people of Israel will be unable to stand up to the present estimated rate of immigration,” he warned. He revealed that Israel had spent over $100,000,000 for security purposes in the past two years.
In the course of the debate today, Mrs. Rose Halprin, president of Hadassah, reminded the leaders of the Israel Government that they had come to the Jews of America for political and financial aid. The need for such aid, she warned, is not yet over.
S.Z. Shragai, Poale Mizrachi member of the Agency executive, charged that repeated attempts by the Agency to cooperate with the government had been rebuffed, and accused it of “taking honor and prestige from the Agency.” Reminding the government of a loan the Agency had made to it, he said that if the loan had been repaid the Agency would have been able to solve all the problems facing it.
Rabbi Judah L. Maimon, Minister of Religion, demanded not only maintenance of the present functions of the Agency, but also extension of its responsibilities.
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.
