Leon Dulzin announced officially today that he was a candidate for the chairmanship of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization Executives. A new chairman will be elected by secret ballot by the 296 members of the Jewish Agency General Assembly which convenes in Jerusalem in June. Dulzin, who has been serving as acting chairman since the death of Louis Pincus last year, is considered almost certain to win the election.
His only potentially serious rival is Hebrew University President Avraham Harman who is said to have the backing of the Labor Party leadership, including Premier Golda Meir. But his name has not been officially entered as yet, and some sources believe that Labor may not press his candidacy since it controls only 17 percent of the votes in the General Assembly.
Dulzin is acknowledged by most Jewish Agency members to be the most qualified person for the dual post. His only drawback, from the viewpoint of the Labor Party, is that he is a leader in the opposition Likud faction. Dulzin declared today. “Whoever thinks that in this case political coercion is possible, is mistaken.”
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