S.Z.Abramov, the new chairman of the Israeli Executive of the World Jewish Congress, mounted a call for an intensified effort to revive the feeling of the centrality of Israel in the life of the Jewish people, a feeling which he claimed has dangerously faded out in some Jewish communities.
Addressing the Congress as he took over the chairmanship from Yitzhak Koren, Abramov said that not only has there been a constant erosion in recent years in the recognition of Israel’s centrality but also what he termed an undermining of the spiritual infrastructure of Zionism and Israel. He said there are well-known Jewish intellectuals who claim that Zionism has not solved the Jewish problem and that the State of Israel has not solved the problem of anti-Semitism. In addition, he noted that there is no rush on the part of Jews to make aliya.
He said it is up to the Israeli Executive of the World Jewish Congress to reverse this attitude by building bridges to diaspora Jewry and improving the image of Israel in the eyes of world Jewry. Efforts would also be made to make Israelis understand the life of diaspora Jewry and their problems, and not to regard them solely as sources of funds, he said.
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