(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The controversy between the Hadassah, the American Women’s Zionist Organization conducting medical work in Palestine, and the Zionist Executive in Jerusalem, came to an end yesterday when an agreement between the Hadassah and the Executive was signed.
According to the new agreement, the Hadassah will be more independent of the Zionist Executive. The Hadassah budget is to be approved by the Zionist Congress.
Additional details of the new agreement were announced by the headquarters in New York City.
By its terms the Hadassah Medical Organization in Palestine will hereafter be administered by a committee of seven, consisting of the director of the Hadassah Medical Organization as chairman; two members elected by the American Governing Board; two members elected by the Palestine Zionist Executive and two members at large to be elected by the five members, all of whom, with the exception of the director, shall be laymen, not members of the medical profession and not members of the Hadassah medical organization staff.
Formerly the executive of the committee consisted of one representative each from the Palestine Zionist Executive, Vaad Haleumi, the National Council of Palestine Jews, Kuppath Cholim, Sick Sanitive Association, acting as an advisory to the director.
Dr. E. M. Bluestone, is the present director of the Hadassah Medical Organization. The members of the Hadassah Commission are Henrietta Szold, honorary president of Hadassah, Norvin R. Lindhcim, of the Executive of the United Palestine Appeal, and Mrs. Edward Jacobs, vice-president of the Hadassah.
The difficulties between the Hadassah and the Zionist Executive in Jerusalem, pertaining to the work of the Kuppath Cholim, the labor sick benefit fund, were widely discussed in Palestine recently. The situation had developed into an irritating quarrel between Col Frederick H. Kisch and Dr. E. M. Bluestone, head of the medical work of Hadassah in Palestine, which culminated in the fact that the Zionist Executive was not invited to the laying of the cornerstone for the Straus Health Center. This caused wide comment in the Palestine press and it was due to the intervention of Miss Henrietta Szold and Nathan Straus that the difficulties were smoothed out.
Some time ago a commission of the Hadassah, headed by Miss Szold and Norvin R. Lindheim, left for Palestine to smooth out the difficulties.
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