Financial Account of United Palestine Appeal Shows Increase in Funds

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

A detailed financial account of the operations of the United Palestine Appeal and of the increased support for Palestine during the year, was presented to the ational Conference on Palestine by Herman Conheim, national treasurer.

During the period from October 1,1925 to September 30, 1926, $5,000,000 was raised by and through the United Palestine Appeal, of which the cash received by the Headquarters, amounted to $3,231,496.11, including the receipts of the constituent organizations, which were sent directly to them, the report stated.

“The income of all the constitutent organizations the preceding year before the United Palestine Appeal was organized amounted to a total of $2,358,543.72. Thus, the first year’s operation of the United Palestine Appeal shows an increase of $872,953.39 in the cash receipts as compared with the total received the preceding year. In addition to these sums, there remains a balance of pledges yet to be collected of over $900,000, the income from which it is expected will accrue during the current year.

“With regard to expenses, the National Office has continued the policy of strict economy which was initiated by the Keren Hayesod, and the Finance Committee, whose able chairman is Mr. S. J. Rosensohn, will report separately on the control of the expenditure. The National Office expenses of the Keren Hayesod for the year, before the United Palestine Appeal was established, amounted to $99,595, which was 5 1/2% of the cash income. During this the first year of the U. P. A. the ational Office expenses were $102,934.74. This expenditure represents 3% of the cash income. It is thus clear that the establishment of the U.P. A. has enabled us to effect considerable economies in working. For this thanks are due to Mr. Rosensohn, the chairman, and his colleagues on the finance committee. They have scrutinized every item of expenses and brought mature judgment and business experience to bear on the various questions which came up from time to time.

“During the year the United Palestine Appeal remitted from time to time to the constituent organizations large sums of money to enable them to meet their obligations for the Palestine budget. In accordance with the budgets adopted at the beginning of the year. each of the constituent funds of the United Palestine Appeal, the Keren Hayesod, the National Fund, Hadassah and the Mizrachi, obtained their minimum allotments and in some cases even exceeded them. The total remittances this year to Palestine by these agencies were about $1,000,000 more than the previous year.

“Besides these sums, there was received, through the United Palestine Appeal. a magnificent gift of $500,000 from Mrs. Sol Rosenbloom, of Pittsburgh for the Hebrew University, as a memorial to her late husband, who was a distinguished Zionist and a lover of Palestine. Mr. Nathan Straus, the veteran philanthropist also gave $50,000 through the United Palestine Appeal for the Hadassah Health Center. A splendid example was set by Mr. I. D. Morrison, one of the early American Zionists, and a prominent member of the Finance Committee, who set aside a trust fund of $100,000 for the United Palestine Appeal.

“Besides the sums turned over to the constituent organizations, the United Palestine Appeal made special appropriations to other Palestinian activities amounting to about $36,000, the principal contributions being $11.000 to the United Hebrew Trades for their Palestine Campaign and $5,500 to the Palestine Labor Committee.

“Reviewing the work as a whole. it may be said with safety that apart from sums which have been sunk in Palestine in the form of commercial investments, the first year of the United Palestine Appeal has seen an increase in the gifts of American Israel for the rebuilding of Palestine,” Mr. Conheim declared.

Emanuel Neumann, chairman of the Executive Committee of the United Palestine Appeal, in an address delivered at the conference declared that during the last five and a half years “no less than $18,000,000 was contributed by American Jews for the rebuilding of Palestine through the various agencies now represented in the United Palestine Appeal. This does not include considerable investments in industrial and commercial enterprises in Palestine by individuals and groups. nor does it include millions of dollars contributed by the Joint Distribution Committee during the post-war period and relief purposes in the Holy Land.

“The buk of this large total raised for Palestine came through the Keren Hayesod, and during the closing year, through the United Palestine Appeal. These two agencies alone have raised in the past five years the sum of $10,535,611. The Jewish National Fund raised $1.551.664. the Hadassah and Junior Hadassah raised during.. the past three and one-half years, $1,045,406. For the Hebrew University a total of $1,375,000 was donated including the generous gifts of Mrs. Sol Rosenbloom. Felix M. Warburg. Philip Wattenberg of New York and others. The American Zion Commonwealth has invested $1,500,000 in the purchase and development of land in Palestine. Other substantial sums were raised through the efforts of the Mizrachi Organization, the Judaea Industrial Corporation, initiated by the Order Sons of Zion, and the Special funds sponsored by the Poale Zion in cooperation with Jewish trade union organizations.

“I am convinced that with the continued expansion of our Organization and the deepening of Zionist consciousness, with or without external support, there will be an ever-increasing flow of gold from here into Palestine.

” ‘With or without external support’ –yet who shall say that we do not require or that we do not welcome every assistance, every cooperation from whatever quarter and in whatever form it may be tendered. Our task is large and requires the cooperation of all Israel.

“It is largely for this purpose that Dr. Weizmann is with us today. His mission is peace; his purpose, the unification into one powerful agency of all forces available for our common task. There may have been differences of opinion-such differences of opinion may continue to exist in any democratic movement such as ours; but among the implications of democracy is also the assumption that unity of action shall prevail despite the most untrammeled freedom of thought and widest diversity of opinion. The policy which Dr. Weizmann is pursuing is one which has been adopted by the overwhelming majority of representatives of world Zionism in regular Congress assembled. The application and execution of that policy was left to the Executive; and that Executive; and that Executive–Weizmann, Sokolow. Lipsky, and their associates is now carrying out the duty which devolves upon them and in so doing are exercising the prerogatives of their high position. If we are true to the democratic principles which we profess, we shall abide loyally by the decisions which they reach and the policies which they lay down,” Mr. Neumann said.

“But while we look forward to the arrival of the reinforcements whose vanguard we begin to see dimly upon the horizon, we must guard against premature and excessive optimism. It will take at least considerable time for the full strength of these reinforcements to be brought into action. We have not yet reached the stage where we may rely upon the rather ambiguous Midrashic text: –‘zochu melachtam naaseth al yedei achirim’, and you will forgive me if I venture to doubt whether we are the Zaddikim referred to in that prophecy. No thoughtful Zionist will gainsay that the burden will long continue to press most heavily upon our shoulders. There must be no relaxation of effort in reliance upon others. Whatever happens we must do our share, our full share, without stint or limit.

“We must develop our own strength to its maximum capacity, and to do that we must continue the process of unification and consolidation within our own ranks. Last year the launching of the United Palestine Appeal was hastily accomplished under conditions of stress and there were adjustments to be made. Here and there a discordant note was struck. I am happy to say that today the adjustment is complete and all the organizations and fund gathering agencies represented in this coalition are working in unity and in harmony.

“Among those whom we have particularly endeavored to draw into the responsibility of the United Palestine Appeal were those whose views and convictions upon Zionist matters had prevented them from cooperating with us fully during the past five years. Last year we welcomed into the leadership one of the most illustrious of that group, Dr. Wise. With him came others. This year and at this Conference we greet as a friend and welcome as a leader another distinguished Zionist who for many months past has been serving in the ranks of the United Palestine Appeal, without ostentation and with utter devotion. I refer of course, to Judge Julian W. Mack.

“Democracy involves the free interplay of ideas, of groups, of personalities and individualities. It is this free interplay of forces that gives life and zest to democratic movements, provided always that the general interest be at all times kept steadily in view and that individuality give way to solidarity when danger threatens, or the time for action has arrived. With our internal front thus rectified and consolidated, we may step out of our own circle to meet the newer friends of Zion and conclude with them an honorable peace-a peace born not of our weakness but of our strength,” Mr. Neumann declared.