Jewish Agency Executive Meets with Federation Leaders on U.S. Fund-raising Problems

The executive of the Jewish Agency, meeting in plenary session here today, reviewed with representatives of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds a wide range of problems touching on Israel campaigns in the United States and their relationship to the programs of the local Jewish communities. A memorandum prepared by the Council was discussed in detail.

It was the first time that representatives of the Council, acting as a group, and a plenary of the Jewish Agency executive has had the opportunity for so full and frank an exchange of views. Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the American section of the executive, who presided at the session, declared at its close that “the exchange was extremely helpful in clarifying many problems.”

Representing the Council at the session were Herbert Abeles, of Newark and Julian Freeman of Indianapolis, vice-presidents; Harry L. Lurie, of New York, executive director; Philip Bernetein, assistant director; Arnold Gurin, director of the budget department; Harold Glasser, director of the Institute on Overseas Studies of the Council; Mrs. Abraham Geller of the Women’s Division of the New York United Jewish Appeal; Herman M. Pekarsky of the Welfare Fund of Newark, N.J., and Ephraim Gomberg, executive director of the Philadelphia Allied Jewish Appeal.

HEARS REPORTS ON IMMIGRATION TO ISRAEL AND ON EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Earlier the plenary heard reports from Itzhak Raphael, director of the Immigration Department, and Hayim Greenberg, director of the Culture and Education Department. Mr. Raphael disclosed that Eastern Europe, Iran and Iraq will provide 90 percent of the 90,000 immigrants expected to arrive in Israel during the coming winter months. He declared that only lack of funds for transport, organization and housing kept the figure from being twice as high.

The head of the Immigration Department declared that 172,540 immigrants from 54 countries arrived in Israel during the Jewish year ending September, 1950. The largest single number–63,000–came from Eastern Europe, with Rumania furnishing 38,000 Arab countries and North Africa provided 65,000 immigrants, while only 6,500 came from Western Europe. “Fund shortages have slowed down immigration to an average of 14,000 a month,” Mr. Raphael said, “whereas with sufficient funds, 30,000 could be absorbed monthly. Immigration from North Africa has been limited to 600-700 a month.”

Mr. Greenberg reviewed the seminars, “refresher course” and teacher-exchanges engineered by the Culture and Education Department during the last year. Largest of the seminars was held in Israel last summer, in which 100 Hebrew teachers from 12 countries participated. The Department is fostering a conference of educators in Paris in December looking to the establishment of a permanent seminary of Hebrew studies in the French capital, he reported. Mr. Greenberg also reported that 400 American students participated in a nationwide Department-sponsored essay contest on Jewish history and culture.