The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors is convening in Jerusalem this week for the first time since the war to reappraise Israel’s growing needs and world Jewry’s ability to meet some of them. As a result of world Jewry’s impressive response to the war crisis, the Governors were able to approve an increase in the Agency’s current budget from $410 to $720 million–all of it spent on housing, health, welfare, education and absorption. In some areas–such as higher education–the Agency has been able to shoulder the State’s entire costs leaving the government freer to meet its crushing defense expenditures.
The Board also approved a $40 million program to aid the absorption of academically trained immigrants, presented to it by Gen. Uzi Narkiss, head of the Jewish Agency’s immigration department. The Board of Governors–meeting in full plenary yesterday and today after committee meetings had prepared the ground-work–approved a target of $1.4 billion for the fund-raising bodies–United Jewish Appeal and Keren Hayesod–over the 18 months from April 1974-Sept. 1975.
The main items in this target are: $235 million for absorption; $308 million for immigrant housing; $92 million for welfare; $41 million for health; $190 million for higher education, and another $75 million for other education projects, grants and stipends; $125 million for agricultural settlement.
Opening the Board meeting, chairman Max Fisher of Detroit said the war had deepened Jewish identity with Israel–not only through financial support but in all ways of aiding Israel. But at the same time the war had vastly increased the Agency’s duties and responsibilities. Fund-raising scope and methods would be closely examined, he said, to see where and how more could be raised.
54,886 OLIM IN 1973, DULZIN REPORTS
The Agency’s acting chairman, Leon Dulzin reviewed the Agency’s work during the war. One-third of its staff was called up, he said, but all the departments continued to function over and above their regular levels. In addition, he reported, olim kept streaming in and were taken care of; the settlement department worked under artillery fire to evacuate Ramat Hagolan and returned there two weeks later to restore and rehabilitate the damaged settlements; and the Agency’s Jerusalem headquarters was the center of Israel-diaspora links and activities with information transmitted from there the world over and messages and pledges and offers of support pouring in from all over.
Dulzin said that 15,344 olim had come in the past three months, and 54,866 throughout 1973. Of these, 33,600 were from the Soviet Union. Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir told the Board that Israelis had been forced to pay through direct and indirect levies and taxes some IL 9 billion more since the war. There would be no escape from a considerable drop in living standards, and the problem was to ensure that the poor and the weak were protected, he said.
The heads of the UJA and Keren Hayesod, Paul Zuckerman and Ezra Shapiro, respectively, reported to the Board on their activities and future plans. Edward Ginsberg, chairman of the Board’s fund-raising committee, said there was scope for enlarging fund-raising activities and drawing in people who had not yet been reached. He noted the participation of younger people in the wartime fund drives.
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