Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg was presented tonight with the 1961 Histadrut Humanitarian Award, at the 38th annual convention of the National Committee for Labor Israel, at which a $5,000,000 goal for the 1962 Histadrut campaign was adopted. Rabbi Jacob J. Weinstein, of Chicago, was re-named national chairman of the campaign, and Joseph Schlossberg was re-elected president.
President Kennedy, in a message to the convention praising Secretary Goldberg, said: “His entire career has been devoted to the cause of those who are handicapped or underprivileged. It is particularly appropriate that Histadrut, the Israel Labor Federation, present him with the award in view of his long service to the cause of labor and his deep interest in the State of Israel.”
Alexander Kahn, general manager of the Jewish Daily Forward, was honored at the convention for his active leadership in the Histadrut campaign, and was presented with the Founders Award. Dr. Leon H. Keyserling, noted American economist, addressed the gathering on the current problems of Israel and the role of Histadrut’s cooperatives in strengthening the industrial fabric of the young state. Principal speakers tonight were Avraham Harman, Israel Ambassador to Washington; and George Meany, president of the AFL-CIO.
Dr. Sol Stein, national executive director, reported that the campaign for 1961 had netted $3,188,335, including the sum of $866,000 raised by Pioneer Women for the program of Histadrut’s Working Women’s Council in Israel. Other speakers included Louis Segal, member of the Jewish Agency executive and general secretary of the Farband-Labor Zionist Order; Isaiah Avrech, American representative of the Histadrut; Meir Argov, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of Israel’s Parliament; and Moshe Erem, member of the Histadrut executive council.
Yehoshua Levy, treasurer of Histadrut in Israel, reported details of a multi-million dollar development plan that would enable a quarter of a million population to settle in three new areas of Israel–the Bsor and Arad sectors of the Negev, and the Carmiel sector of Upper Galilee. Stressing that Israel’s population was growing steadily through natural increase and immigration, Mr. Levy stated that Histadrut would expand its complex of cooperative industries in order to provide employment for the growing labor force.
The annual increase of job seekers in Israel is five percent and the Histadrut plans will create job opportunities for these, he reported, adding that at present, Israel suffers from a labor shortage.
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