American Community Leaders Lauded for Participation in Jewish Agency

The reorganization of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Inc. constitutes “very gratifying evidence of the readiness of American Jewish community leaders to broaden the base of responsibility for our rehabilitation and resettlement work in Israel,” Mrs. Rose L. Halprin, acting chairman of the New York section of the Jewish Agency declared here today on her departure for Israel.

Mrs. Halprin, who will attend the plenary session of the Jewish Agency executive in Jerusalem, stressed that such broader participation had long been sought by the Jewish Agency. She expressed her appreciation of the “constructive and harmonious spirit in which the directors of the new American corporation have joined forces to serve a great humanitarian program.

“The composition of this new board is one of a number of recent developments in American Jewish life which point towards increased cooperation and unity,” Mrs. Halprin said. She pointed to the Presidents Conference as another evidence of the growing desire to establish suitable frameworks for joint action and recalled that recently a number of public statements had raised the question of creating an over-all representative body for American Jewry.

“There is certainly need for greater unity in American Jewish community life,” Mrs. Halprin declared. “Yet the initiative for such closer cooperation and coordination must come from those groups which are currently active in Jewish public affairs. The development of constructive and responsible lay-leadership from within these groups is one of the basic requirements for solving communal problems and maintaining a healthy and stable community life.”