Lehman, Warburg, Locker Appeal for Support of U.J.A. $250,000,000 Campaign

Governor Herbert H. Lehman and Edward M.M. Warding, chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee today joined Eliezer Kaplan, Finance Minister of Israel, and Berl Locker, chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive in Jerusalem, in a plea to the Jews of the United States for the fullest united support the $250,000,000 campaign of the United Jewish Appeal.

The American and Israeli leaders addressed a special conference of 200 community leaders assembled at the Sher-Netherland Hotel at an all-day meeting today to discuss plans for the nationwide live of the United Jewish Appeal.

Locker, who presided at the morning session, announced that the executive of the Jewish Agency had formally invited Henry Morgenthau Jr., to continue as general chairman of the United Jewish Appeal and had agreed to Morgenthau’s inviting Henry ##tor to conduct the 1949 campaign under his leadership. A cable vas received from ##, Chaim Weizmann, first President of Israel, in which he expressed the “fervent ###pe that all forces in American Jewry devoted to the cause of Israel will rally” to the support of Morgenthau “sinking all differences in a supreme united effort.” The ##ext of the Israeli President’s cable to Morgenthau read:

TEXT OF PRESIDENT WEIZMANN’S MESSAGE

“Deeply gratified to learn you have again assumed heavy burden of responsibility for leadership of the United Jewish Appeal. Fervently hope all forces in American Jewry devoted to the cause of Israel will rally to your support sinking all differences in supreme united effort. Israel looks forward to record achievement by United Jewish Appeal in year of record Jewish immigration into our country. We all feel confident American Jewry under your inspired direction will help us transform hundreds of thousands of homeless brothers into productive citizens of their own date.”

Describing the financial and economic needs of the Jewish state, Kaplan emphasized that the people of Israel were fully prepared to shoulder the normal financial burdens of government and of defense. However, he maintained that only through the fullest participation of American Jewry in the United Jewish Appeal could the immigration of 250,000 this year be financed and absorbed.

“The Jews of Israel are prepared to live on an austerity basis in order to receive and give a new life to the tens of thousands now streaming to its shores. All we ask of the Jews of America is the financial resources to do the Job,” the Israeli Finance Minister said. “We are still on a war footing. All our manpower and economic resources are dedicated to preserving our independence. We ask the Jews of the United States to sustain the flow of immigration so that it may never be necessary for Israel to deny entry to any Jew who needs or wishes to find a home in our midst.”

Governor Lehman paid high tribute to the “wise statesmanship” of the people and government of Israel, which, he pointed out, resulted in “achievements that have far surpassed our fondest expectations and our greatest hopes.” In his appeal for unity in the conduct of the 1949 United Jewish Appeal, Governor Lehman said that $250,000,000 was urgently needed this year for the programs of immigration and settlement in Israel; for emigration aid and rehabilitation assistance in Europe and Forth Africa and for the adjustment of refugees in the United States.

The 250,000 prospective immigrants for 1949 are to come from the following places: 60,000 from the D.P. camps; 20,000 refugees from France and other countries; 15,000 from Bulgaria; 5,000 from Yugoslavia; 20,000 from Czechoslovakia; 10,000 from Poland; 20,000 from Rumania; 20,000 from Hungary; 45,000 from the Near East and 25,000 from Shanghai, Aden and other lands.