Leon Dulzin, treasurer and acting chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive, denied press reports that the Agency’s aliya budget would be cut this year because funds raised overseas are less than expected. “The aliya budget was always open and always will be. There never was and never will be a Jew who wants to immigrate to Israel and will not be able to do so because of financial difficulties,” Dulzin said yesterday at a press conference here.
He said that in absolute figures, income from the United Jewish Appeal has not dropped. But he conceded that cash income from the United States has declined by $60 million from last year’s income of $262 million. Dulzin said, nevertheless, that he was optimistic about fund-raising next year.
He said his confidence was based on three factors: The leadership of the UJA has already committed itself to larger contributions next year; a fund-raising party was held last month in the Washington, D.C. home of the Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz, at which 40 Jewish community leaders pledged contributions amounting to $6.4 million compared to the $5.2 million they raised this year. Finally, Dulzin said, the 135 UJA leaders who participated in the recent Prime Minister’s Mission to Israel committed themselves to $14.4 Million next year compared to $11.2 this year.
Dulzin said he was also encouraged by a meeting of European contributors and by the recent meeting of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds which announced that American and Canadian Federations and welfare funds will raise $85 million more in 1974 than the record $390 million raised this year.
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