Sixteen major American Jewish organizations issued a call today for a two-day national Jewish conference to be held in Washington for the purpose of reviewing “issues relating to Israel which are of common interest and concern to the American Jewish community.”
The call, signed by the presidents of the organizations and communicated to branches and affiliates throughout the country, says that “recent developments in the Middle East have made it necessary to convene an extraordinary conference to review the whole complex of American-Israel relations.” Consequently, the presidents of the 16 organizations have decided to call the Washington parley which will open on March 5.
The agenda will include the following items relating to America’s role in the attainment of peace in the Middle East region; 1. Economic and technical assistance; 2. The Jordan Valley water development; 3. Military aid to the Arab states and its effect on Israel’s security and peace in the Middle East, and 4. Effective defense in the region.
“CRUCIAL EFFECT” OF U. S. POLICY IN MIDDLE EAST CITED
“The course of American policy in the Middle East will have a crucial effect on the cause of democracy and freedom in that region,” the statement says. “We owe it to ourselves as Americans and Jews to ascertain the facts and thus be better able to make a constructive contribution to the solution of these problems.
“It is urgent that all participating organizations be fully represented to ensure mature deliberations by all segments of the American Jewish community. Every organization will be entitled to twenty-five delegates.”
The communication was signed by: American Jewish Congress, Dr. Israel Goldstein; American Trade Union Council for Labor Israel, Joseph Breslaw; American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs, Rabbi Philip Bernstein; American Zionist Council, Rabbi Irving Miller; B’nai B’rith, Philip M. Klutznick; Central Committee, Labor Zionist Organization of America, Dr. Herman Seidel; Hadassah, Mrs. Rebecca Shulman.
Jewish Agency for Palestine, Dr. Nahum Goldmann; Jewish Labor Committee, Adolph Held; Jewish War Veterans of the United States, Joseph S. Barr; Mizrachi Organization of America, Rabbi Max Kirshblum; National Community Relations Advisory Council, Bernard H. Trager; Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Dr. Maurice N. Eisendrath; Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, Moses I. Feuerstein; United Synagogue of America, Charles Rosengarten; Zionist Organization of America, Mortimer May.
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