Israel Government to Take over Hadassah High School in Jerusalem

In a dramatic opening session of the midwinter national board meeting of Hadassah last night. Frieda Lewis, national president, announced that the Israel Ministries of Education and of Finance, and the Municipality of Jerusalem, have arrived at an understanding with Hadassah which will lead to the eventual takeover by the government of the historic high school established by Hadassah’s founder, Henrietta Szold, in 1942.

Mrs. Lewis said the government will erect a new school building for 750 students prior to the 1986-87 school year; and it will share in a phased transfer of the school to the Municipality that will retain the name of Hadassah to the school forever.

Mrs. Lewis explained that “In the course of 70 years it has been Hadassah policy to evaluate and assess the programs against a backdrop of Israel’s changing needs. Thus in the tradition of our early transfer of hospitals, health stations, and school lunch programs to the Israel authorities, we have recognized the need to switch our emphasis from the high school to higher technical education. This move will eventually provide more space for the Hadassah Community College.”

BLUM: USSR EXPLOITS ARAB OBSESSION WITH ISRAEL

The two opening night speakers, in addition to Mrs. Lewis, were Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Yehuda Blum, and the Israel Consul General in New York, Naphtalie Lavie.

Blum presented a survey of recent events at the United Nations, and said that the “Soviet Union and its supporters are exploiting the Arab obsession with Israel in order to deflect attention from trouble spots such as Poland.” He also expressed appreciation to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Jeane Kirkpatrick, “for the principled stand she has taken during the Security Council debate on the Golan Resolution.”

LAVIE: ISRAEL IS THE ONLY COUNTRY SAVING JEWS

Lavie said that “Israel is the only country in the world expert in saving Jews,” and said that nearly two million have been rescued from displaced person camps, oriental countries, and other areas of danger since World War II.

The fact that the flow of Jewish immigration from the Soviet Union and from Ethiopia is at a low ebb does not mean that the Israelis have not been working on the problem, Lavie said, adding that it was unfair for Israel to be blamed for the reluctance of the Marxist countries to allow the Jews to leave.

Discussing the autonomy talks, Lavie said that, “For the first time the Palestinian Arabs are being offered by Israel more autonomy than they ever had under the Turks, the British Mandate, or Jordan.”