Dr. Israel Goldstein, for the past five years president of the Jewish National Fund, today accepted an invitation extended by a group of leading New York Zionists to be a candidate to succeed Rabbi Stephen S. Wise as president of the Zionist Organization of America. Dr. Wise, who has held the office for two years, has indicated his intention of retiring at the end of the present term.
Dr. Goldstein made known his acceptance at a luncheon at the Aldine Club sponsored by a committee headed by Louis P. Rocker, president of Young Judea. In a formal statement urging Dr. Goldstein to stand for the presidency at the July convention in Detroit, Mr. Rocker cited his record as a Zionist leader and administrator as making him “the outstanding candidate” for the post.
In his speech of acceptance, Dr. Goldstein paid tribute to Rabbi Wise, who, he declared, would be the “unanimous choice” to succeed himself if he had chosen to be a candidate. Dr. Goldstein indicated he would concentrate, if elected, on “effective organization, efficient administration, larger membership and the development of a broader base for the Zionist movement in this country.”
Members of the sponsoring committee include Jacob Sincoff, David Podolsky, Rabbi A.M. Heller, Dr. Leo B. Schwartz, Abraham Spicehandler, Dr. Samuel Margoshes, Isaac Imber and others.
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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.