Dr. Goldmann Urges Basic Reforms in the World Zionist Movement

The status quo in the Zionist movement will have to be revised radically at the forthcoming 24th World Zionist Congress, otherwise the movement will suffer, Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the Jewish Agency executive, declared at a press conference here today. He indicated that if such reforms did not take place he could not be expected to assume a position of responsibility on the Zionist executive.

Among the changes he advocated was establishment of relations between Zionists and non-Zionists and the participation of non-Zionists in the Jewish Agency executive. He called for abolition of the “shekel fiction” as a means of determining representation at world congresses, and urged a top limit of 40 percent on Israel representation at the congresses.

Dr. Goldmann advocated the establishment of territorial Zionist federations to enable non-party Zionists to joint the movement which, he charged, is currently hobbled by the problem of party politics. Unless the parties which control the Zionist movement give way on these reforms, he warned, there is danger that the entire movement will be weakened.

The Jewish Agency head called for Zionists outside Israel to be given a greater voice in such matters as budget and pleaded for better coordination between the Israel Government and the Agency. The existing coordination committee in which both the government and Agency are represented should be set up as a permanent body and government activities abroad in areas touching on the coordination committee’s jurisdiction should be synchronized to avoid confusion.