Hadassah Convention Told Camp David Summit Marked Historic Turning Point

Israeli President Yitzhak Navon declared here that Jewish unity is more important than ever now that the Jewish people have reached an historic turning point as a result of the Camp David agreements. “The Camp David pact is a great step forward to peace,” Navon told the opening session of Hadassah’s 64th annual convention at the Binyanei Ha’ooma. “But stumbling blocks remain in the path. Unity and a strong will are needed to remove such stumbling blocks.”

Navon also urged the 3000 delegates and guests attending the first convention by the 360,000-member organization to be held in Israel, to go on aliya. He also stressed that Hadassah should help promote Jewish education.

The Camp David summit was also hailed by Mrs. Bernice Tannenbaum, Hadassah’s national president. “We are overwhelmed with joy to be holding our convention in Israel at this historic time for Israel and the Jewish people,” she declared. She expressed the hope that Jordan and other Arab countries would join in the agreements signed by Israel and Egypt and that “the leaders of the Western world will join President Carter in his efforts to secure peace by supporting real moderation, flexibility and compromise, and that they will tell the rejectionists their violent acts will not deter progress toward a settlement of the Middle East turmoil.”

At Tuesday night’s opening session, Mrs. Tannenbaum announced that Hadassah has received a $1,350,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development for the purchase of a computer and to update medical equipment for the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center. She noted that Charlotte Jacobson, chairman for foundation grants, prepared and negotiated the proposal, and praised Mrs. Jacobson for being responsible for “a decade of development in which Hadassah has spent over $50 million.”