Rabbi Israel Goldstein, the eminent Zionist leader, declared here that “the commitment to aliya (is) an indispensable part of a Zionist’s life plan.” He spoke at a reception marking the 60th anniversary of his public service, given by the American Section of the World Zionist Organization Executive at 515 Park Avenue Tuesday. The reception also marked 60 years of marriage for Rabbi and Mrs. Goldstein.
In a statement which was read by his wife because he was unable to respond due to laryngitis, Goldstein, retired head of Keren Hayesod, said that in addition to the commitment to aliya, the other essential bases of Zionist commitment are “the inclusion of the aliya motif in the education of the Jewish child” and “the cultivation of Hebrew as a spoken language, in the curricula of Jewish schools, as a vital bond with Israel and with Klal Israel.”
“All of us together need to be committed to the right of every Jewish child to a full program of Jewish education, as a community responsibility, regardless of the parents’ ability to pay for it,” he declared.
Mrs. Charlotte Jacobson, chairman of the WZO-American Section, pointed out that Goldstein “has held more presidencies and chairmanships than any other living American Jew.” She said his contributions as a Zionist leader were paralleled by his equally brilliant contributions to the American Jewish scene.
Mrs. Jacobson also paid tribute to the independent role of Mrs. Bertha Goldstein as a noted Zionist leader, having served as national president of Pioneer Women, honorary chairman of Israel Bonds in the Greater New York area and as a delegate to Zionist Congresses since 1937.
Also praising Goldstein’s achievements were Rabbi Saul Teplitz, president of the Rabbinical Assembly of America and of the Synagogue Council of America; Kalman Sultanik, a member of the Presidium of the World Confederation of United Zionists and member of the Executive of the WZO; Herman Weisman, former president of the Jewish National Fund and of the Zionist Organization of America; and Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, immediate past president of the American Jewish Congress and a former member of the WZO Executive.
Goldstein was also honored last Saturday at Manhattan’s Congregation B’nai Jeshurun where he has been rabbi and rabbi emeritus since 1918.
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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.
