The Jewish National Fund announced today that a grove of threes in honor of Boris Smolar, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, will be established in Jerusalem in recognition of his service to the cause of Israel. The grove, which will bear his name and that of his wife, Genia Smolar, will be part of the President Kennedy Peace Forest. The dedication will take place shortly in Israel.
Smolar, who retired from active editorship of the JTA a few years ago after close to 50 years of service, and is the author of the highly successful book, “Soviet Jewry Today and Tomorrow,” had played an important role quietly behind the scene of the United Nations in helping to bring about the necessary majority of votes at the UN for the historic Partition Resolution which resulted in the proclamation of Israel as an independent state. For this he was publicly thanked by many of Israel’s leaders.
In recognition of Smolar’s services to the Jewish community in the United States as JTA editor, the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds established a “Smolar Award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism.” The award is presented annually at the CJFWF general assembly for the best contribution of the year to English-Jewish journalism in this country.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
