Jewish Agency Starts Plenary Session Today; Actions Committee to Follow

A four-day plenary meeting of the Jewish Agency will open tomorrow in Jerusalem with the participation of the American members of the Agency executive. It will be followed by sessions of the Zionist Actions Committee which is the highest body of the World Zionist Movement between Zionist Congresses.

Dr. Emanuel Neumann, who arrived here today from New York to participate in the deliberations of both bodies, told a press conference here that the World Union of General Zionists favors appointment of a permanent political committee, on the level of the Jewish Agency executive members, to act for the Zionist movement on matters concerning the position of Jews in various countries.

Dr. Neumann, who is president of the World Union, said such a committee actually functioned during every World Zionist Actions Committee session but that the World Union wanted a permanent committee with a secretariat. Such a committee, he said, would act in cooperation and in coordination with the World Jewish Congress, Zionist federations and organizations throughout the world. He said the World Zionist Organization should not leave the initiative in political activities to the WJC or B’nai B’rith or any other organization.

He lauded Aryeh Pincus, the Agency executive chairman “in whom we have found a young energetic leader” for his reorganization of various Agency departments. Dr. Neumann stressed that the World Union would not oppose the appointment of a new Agency executive if this was made necessary by the reorganization.

Moshe Rivlin, director general of the Jewish Agency, told a press conference that the plan for the reorganization of the Agency’s departments was already in full swing with the objective being the reduction of the number of departments to nine. Most of the nine departments already have directors. He said some 900 clerks have been dismissed so far under the plan.