Argentine Jewry to Start United Fund-raising Drive; Intend to Top Last Year’s Record

Argentine Jewry’s United Campaign for Israeli, overseas and local needs has once again been established, with all groups in the Jewish community participating. The 1949 drive, which will begin shortly, will have no fixed goal except that of topping last year’s record-smashing 43,000,000 pesos (approximately $10,750,000).

At a recent Congress of Workers and Contributors of the United Campaign at which the drive was mapped, it vas agreed that the major emphasis of the drive will remain Israeli needs and that the Ayuda, which covers local and overseas relief programs, shall receive the same percentages and maximum .as last year. The Ayuda, which is the fund-raising arm of the Joint Distribution Committee, World Jewish Congress, HIAS, ORT and CSE, will receive 15 percent of the first’ 10,000,000 pesos collected, 10 percent of the second 10,000,000 pesos and five percent of the third 10,000,000, with a ceiling of 3,000,000 pesos.

The Congress of Workers and Contributors specifically recommended to the Jewish Agency that it allocate three and one-half percent of whatever funds it receives from the campaign to the Jewish educational and pioneering organizations in Argentina, with special attention to the local youth agricultural training program. An-other recommendation was that the Agency allocate a specific amount of money to the Jewish Hospital here, which is in financial straits. This recommendation was made after a number of contributors threatened to set up a separate campaign in behalf of the hospital if the United Campaign did not provide for it in this fashion.

Simon Mirelman was elected president of the United Campaign, while Samuel Rabinovich and Maximo Levin were named co-presidents. The new campaign committee includes Zionists and non-Zionists. At a public meeting during the Congress session, Mirelman said that moral sanctions had proved unnecessary last year because all Jews had responded to the appeal.