American Jewish Group Establishes 100 Middle East Scholarships

A cultural exchange program to bring to this country prominent Israeli artists and to set up 100 Middle East Scholarships was announced to night by the American Fund for Israel Institutions at its annual dinner concert at the Waldorf Astoria Grand Ballroom. The establishment of a Middle East Economic and Cultural Development Authority “supported by all freedom loving countries of the world through the United Nations, “was proposed by Samuel Rubin, president of the Fund.

Climaxing the Fund’s campaign for $1,450,000 to support a network of leading cultural and educational institutions in Israel, over $150,000 was raised at the $100-a-plate event which attracted a capacity audience of 1,500.

Mr. Rubin announced that the Fund’s name had been changed to the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and disclosed plans to bring to the United States the Inbal Dancers, one of Israel’s outstanding dance troupes, as well as a return tour of the world-renowned Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, during the 1957-58 and succeeding seasons. Frederic R. Mann, the organization’s board chairman, president over the event at which New York City’s Mayor; Robert F. Wagner, was guest of honor.

Referring to the precarious situation in the Middle East, Mr. Rubin held out the prospect of a “lasting and hopeful settlement,” especially as “the alternative is a third world war.” In proposing the Middle East Economic and Cultural Development Authority, Mr. Rubin emphasized that the solution must be found in “a broad plan of economic and cultural development of human and natural resources of the Middle East.”

The America-Israel Cultural Foundation’s Middle East Scholarship Fund will award one hundred $2,000 scholarships to qualifying students from Middle Eastern countries during 1957. Arab, Israeli, Turkish, Greek, Indian and Burmese students would benefit from these scholarships, according to the plan outlined last night by Mr. Rubin. Two scholarships have already been provided for Israeli Arab students to study at Brande is University and two students from Greece will study in Israel.

A number of gifted young people from Israel have already been provided with scholarships to schools in the United States, Mr. Rubin revealed. The accomplishments of the Scholarship Fund were highlighted by the performance last night of Daniel Barenboim, 14 year-old prodigy from Israel, a recipient of one of the Middle East Scholarships.

On behalf of the Fund, Mr. Skouras, president of 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. presented Mayor Wagner with a silver Bible designed at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts–a Fund beneficiary in Jerusalem–“in tribute to his championship of social and political justice for Israel and in profound appreciation of his friendship and his understanding of the international value of Israel’s achievements in music and the fine arts.”