Leon Dulzin, chairman of the World Zionist Organization and Jewish Agency Executives, made a fervent appeal to world Jewry today to support the special campaign launched by the Jewish Agency here last week to raise additional funds needed by Israel in the wake of the war in Lebanon to increase welfare, education, housing and health services.
In a message beamed to Jewish communities overseas and published in large advertisements in the local press, Dulzin urged aliya and stressed that what Israel’s armed forces achieved in Lebanon strengthened the security not only of Israel but of Jews all over the world. “The terrorist infrastructure which Israel sought to destroy was aimed not only against her. It was aimed at every Jew in the world. Indeed, it was aimed at every free human being in the world,” Dulzin said. The destruction of the terrorists by “Operation Peace for Galilee” has provided the opportunity for “each and every Zionist in the world” to share the burdens and opportunities, he said.
“I call on all the Federations and all the Zionist organizations, as well as on each and every Zionist, to share together with the Jewish communities throughout the world this responsibility and this burden. I call on you to stand up and be counted, to actively work for the campaign, to give and to inspire others to give,” Dulzin said.
He added, “Now, in Israel’s difficult but also her finest hour, I call on you to search your souls, to come and be with us, to make aliya. Galilee needs you. Israel needs you…”
FINANCIAL AID APPROVED
The Jewish Agency convening in special assembly here June 22-24, decided on the special fund-raising for Israel which the Board of Governors kicked off with announcements of major contributions by its members.
A resolution adopted at the special assembly stressed that in the aftermath of the war in Lebanon Israel, in addition to the “heavy human cost” now “must assume new and heavier burdens of taxation in order to pay the financial cost of assuring that their brethren in the Galilee shall be able to live without fear.”
The resolution stated, “It is therefore essential that the Jewish Agency increase substantially its participation in the funding of those welfare, education, and health programs that have been traditional responsibilities of the Jewish Agency. For Israel, it is inconceivable that our brothers and sisters shall have to suffer in addition the deprivation of severe reduction in essential human services.
CONTINUATION OF SERVICES STRESSED
“In order to assure that these services — sharply curtailed in recent years — shall not be further reduced, for a people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the security and continuity of the Jewish homeland, the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency therefore calls upon the Jewish communities of the free world to add a special fund-raising commitment to the regular United Jewish Appeal and Keren Hayesod campaigns, these efforts to begin immediately,” the resolution said.
It stressed that “The additional funds raised shall be applied exclusively to the support of those increased welfare, education and health services for which the Jewish Agency will undertake responsibility.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
