Dulzin Urges ‘declarative Zionists’ to Become ‘committed Zionists’

Leon Dulzin, chairman of the World Zionist Organization and Jewish Agency Executives, called here today on “declarative Zionists” to transform themselves into “committed Zionists” who study Hebrew, give their children a Zionist education and send at least one family member on aliya to Israel.

Dulzin addressed some 200 delegates attending the Pan American Convention of the World Union of General Zionists, headed by Jacques Torczyner.

The WZO leader told the convention: “The great task of Zionism today is to assure the continuity of the Jewish people, and the surest way to achieve this goal is to establish and strengthen vital links between Israel and the diaspora. This means that ‘declarative Zionists’ — those who announce themselves to be Zionists — must assume a certain specific set of responsibilities that will make them ‘committed Zionists’.

“Because we are a voluntary movement, this must be a moral commitment, but the result must be the assumption of certain compulsory tasks that each Zionist can carry out in his or her own family. It means learning to speak Hebrew. It means giving our children a solid Jewish and Zionist education, so they too can speak Hebrew. It means sending them to Israel on summer camp programs, such as the Zionist Organization of America sponsored for nearly 1,000 young people last summer. It means sending our college youth to study at least one year at an Israeli university. And finally, it means making sure that at least one family member goes on aliya to Israel.”

Dulzin continued: “Only in this way will we be able to forge the ties between Israel and diaspora that will guarantee Jewish survival. Aliya is imperative to Israel. It is even more vital for the Jewish world outside Israel if we are ever to say with confidence that our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren will remain Jewish.”