The entire course of Israel’s development may be affected by the results of efforts now under way to obtain the participation of American technical and professional personnel, the Jewish Agency warned in a statement issued here today. Israel’s urgent need for skilled personnel parallels its need for financial assistance and foreign investments, the statement pointed out.
“Israel’s greatest need now is for teachers and medical personnel,” the statement said. “This has been dramatically brought home by the fact that there are only 458 teachers and 181 doctors among the 174,706 immigrants who entered Israel in the calendar year 1951. Israel also needs engineers, architects and social workers. Indeed, there is hardly a profession for which Israel does not offer vocational opportunities,” the statement concluded.
An inter-departmental commission of members of the Agency executive has been appointed to deal with this problem. The commission consists of Mrs. Rose Halprin, acting chairman of the Jewish Agency executive; David Beit-Arie; Zvi Lurie and Baruch Zuckerman. Its objectives are (a) to keep Americans informed of Israel’s special needs for qualified personnel and of vocational opportunities in Israel and (b) to coordinate efforts in this direction undertaken by various groups in this country. Duplication of efforts in this direction are an impediment rather than an aid in implementing these objectives, the Agency pointed out.
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