More than 1,000 Jewish community leaders from the United States and Canada have arrived here to participate in the 27th General Assembly of the Council of Federations and Welfare Funds. The four-day meeting opens tomorrow.
The Council is the national association of 213 local central Jewish community organizations, representing more than 800 Jewish communities in the United States and Canada. Through their united community campaigns, its members annually raise the bulk of Jewish philanthropic funds allocated to agencies providing health and welfare services in America, Europe, North Africa and Israel.
Delegates will deal jointly with major problems confronting American Jews in 1959. These include greatly increased aid to Israel, broadening programs of mental health and care of the chronically ill, community relations, and other health and welfare services. The Council’s first official delegation to Israel will report tomorrow. The group recently returned after three weeks of intensive discussions with Israel Government and welfare leaders, and U.S. officials in the American government Point Four program.
The report will deal with the obstacles still facing Israel in its drive toward self-sufficiency, and the role American Jewish philanthropy must play in the achievement of that objective. They are expected to deal with the problems faced by Israel in receiving new immigrants, the “tremendous backlog” of assistance needed by people already in that country to move out of temporary camps and establish themselves in permanent housing.
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