Israel’s Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion left the United States for London today to start pre-summit talks there with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan along the same lines as the talks he conducted with President Eisenhower in Washington. He will begin his three-day visit in London with a luncheon tomorrow with Mr. Macmillan.
Prior to his departure from New York International Airport on an El Al plane, the Israel Prime Minister issued a statement emphasizing that his visit to the United States has convinced him that American-Israeli friendship “has deepened” since his previous visit to this country in 1951. The statement reads:
“I leave America with the feeling that the friendship between our two governments and peoples rests on the solid foundation of principles and ideas shared in common; on the aspiration for freedom, peace, human dignity and the elevation of man.
“When I came to the United States a week ago, I recalled that on my previous visit in 1951 I had been deeply moved by the friendship for my country which I found here. During the past week, I have had numerous opportunities to learn that this has deepened.
“It was a great pleasure for me to talk with President Eisenhower. Every man who has the privilege to meet President Eisenhower comes immediately under the impact of his high moral purpose and his devotion to world peace.
“I am very grateful for the courtesies extended to me by the Vice President, the Secretary of State and his associates, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other leading Americans whom I had the pleasure to meet.
“In all my conversations during my short stay in this country, I spoke about the need for peace in our area and the desire of our people to establish peace between ourselves and our neighbors and thus assist in the general effort to secure peace for the whole world. I know that peace is the objective of the American people. I leave in the confidence that all men of good will work tirelessly for peace among all the nations, in the Middle East and in all other parts of the world. Shalom.”
BELIEVES ARAB-ISRAEL PEACE IS ‘NOT FAR OFF’; ADDRESSES STUDENTS
Earlier in the day, Mr. Ben-Gurion visited the Jewish Theological Seminary, which is Conservative; Yeshiva University. Orthodox; and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Reform. He drew loud cheers from 2,000 Yeshiva University students when he told them: “I believe full-heartedly that the day will come–and it is not far off–that peace will be established with our neighbors. And I believe that you youngsters, before you reach my graying age will see complete peace throughout the world.”
In all of his addresses, Mr. Ben-Gurion stressed two principal points: 1. That American Jewish students, especially those studying for the rabbinate, must round out their education by spending at least one year in Israel; 2. That in general, Israel needs and wants the American youth to come to the Jewish State. “I want you to come to Israel,” he told the Seminary students, “to work, to build, to create even to suffer with us–and, if God forbid the necessity should arise, to fight with us.”
At the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion he told the audience: “I don’t expect most of you to come to Israel to live. I know you are happy here and I wish you all continued success. But I would like you, the youth to come to Israel to see our youth. Our youth knows no dangers. Our youth knows how to work, how to live in the desert, how to fight–and when they fight they win. But we want to win not war. We want to win back for all people the humanity and the dignity and the spiritual heritage of the prophets combined with scientific progress.
At the Jewish Theological Seminary and at Yeshiva University, Mr. Ben-Gurion spoke in Hebrew. “I have derived great joy from these youngsters who obviously understood my Hebrew so very well. This has added years to my life, “he later commented.
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.
