Jewish Editors on Israel Study Mission

More than 40 American Jewish newspaper publishers and editors will participate in a one-week “Israel “80” study mission whose primary purpose is to examine “the impact of peace on Israel, ” it was announced by Frank Wundohl, editor of the Jewish Exponent and president of the American Jewish Press Association (A JPA), who will lead the mission. The mission will leave from Kennedy Airport in New York Jan. 14.

“This is the largest and most important contingent of American Jewish journalists ever to participate as an A JPA unit in an Israel study mission.” Wundohl said. “it represents 24 of the 70-member A JPA newspapers and magazines which have a combined circulation of three million. The mission will also be joined by Joseph Polokoff, the Washington bureau chief of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency which serves the American Jewish press.” In Israel the mission will be joined by English, Australian, Canadian and South African Jewish journalists.

During the week-long program at its base, the Jerusalem Plaza Hotel, and in its tours of the country, the study mission members will engage in seminar discussions and hold press conferences devoted to Israel’s defense and economic needs and problems and will also, concern itself with the important issues of aliya, settlement, politics, world Jewry, West Bank autonomy and the Palestinians, Wundohl said. The mission will also discuss and plan the formation of the English language section of the World Federation of Jewish Journalists, Wundohl added.

The mission, which will be addressed by Premier Menachem Begin and other prominent government, Zionist and political personalities, resulted from a direct invitation to Wundohl by Moshe Ron, Secretary General of the World Federation of Jewish Journalists whose headquarters is at Beil Sokolov in Tel Aviv. The federation will be the host to the A JPA mission member.