Two Israeli political leaders–one representing a party which is a member of the coalition government, the other heading one of the opposition parties–Joined here today in denouncing what they called “irresponsible” accusations that their groups use United Jewish Appeal funds for political purposes.
The Israelis, both members of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, are Joseph Serlin, chairman of the General Zionist Party in Israel, and Moshe Kol, chairman of the Progressive Party in Israel. The latter group is a member of the coalition government.
Objecting to “unjust and unfounded charges” voiced in this country, the Israelis pointed out that their two parties conduct Jointly an organization in Israel called Constructive Enterprises Fund, Ltd., which, for 14 years, has been conducting various projects involving new houses for immigrants, establishment of new settlements, strengthening the kibbutz movement, loan funds and youth villages.
Allocations received from abroad by Constructive Enterprises have never been used for any other purpose and have never been used by either the General Zionists or the Progressives for strictly domestic political aims, the leaders declared.
Pointing out that, at the request of the UJA, Constructive Enterprises has been receiving an annual allocation of $750,000, Mr. Serlin and Mr. Kol stated that that sum was not in itself sufficient to finance the Fund’s activities. Individual supporters in Israel, they said, supplement the Fund’s needs.
At the request of the UJA, the leaders said, they gave up the right to conduct their own individual campaigns in the United States. Now, however, they declared, they are planning to run a Constructive Enterprises drive in the United States beginning in 1961. The two leaders pointed out that the “unfounded” charge that UJA funds are used for political purposes collapses when it is noted that the parties which they head, the Progressives and the General Zionists, actually fight each other vigorously on the political front in Israel.
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