Israel’s future depends “to a great extent” on the success it encounters in attracting the immigration of “the cream of the Jewish youth from the free countries of the world,” Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared here tonight.
Mr. Ben-Gurion made his statement at a Mapai election rally for scholars and professionals. Describing Israel’s accomplishments to date in various fields, and referring to the nation’s present security requirements, the Premier said that the country’s future achievements “will be possible only if the nation maintains its faith in the high morals and the intellectual standards which have inspired all Israeli efforts until now.”
The election campaign, preparatory to the general, national balloting scheduled for August 15, continued apace throughout the country today, with all major parties engaged in the electioneering. The dominant Mapai Party, it was learned, will probably organize its list of 120 candidates exactly as it did in the last elections in 1959–with one change. Pinhas Lavon, No. 3 man on the 1959 ticket, has been dropped–moving all remaining candidates up one notch, with Mr. Ben-Gurion and Moshe Sharett heading the list and Kaddish Luz, speaker in the last Parliament, taking the No. 3 spot: Mr. Lavon has been dropped from the Mapai list since his recent conflict with Mr. Ben-Gurion which, in turn, resulted in the resignation of the Government and the need for new elections.
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.
