The United Israel Appeal (UIA), during its annual meeting here last week, reported allocations of $292.5 million to the Jewish Agency in fiscal 1980 and allocations of $250 million for the current year to support Jewish Agency programs. The 130 trustees present a elected Jerold Hoffberger of Baltimore as UIA chairman.
According to a newly adopted by-laws amendment, the following Jewish leaders are now members of the UIA Board of Directors by virtue of the office each holds: national campaign chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, president of the Council of Jewish Federations and treasurer of the Jewish Agency. As a result, Herschel Blumberg, national campaign chairman of UJA, became a new member of the Board. In addition, Stephen Shalom and James Weinberg, both of New York, became Board members.
Hoffberger, in presenting the UIA annual report to the trustees, stated: “The UIA Board and the community leaders who represented UIA at the Assembly of the Jewish Agency have worked diligently to review Jewish Agency programs and to make those recommendations which will ensure the accomplishment of the desired goals. Excellence, efficiency and adherence to established standards are priorities of UIA.”
SOVIET JEWRY FREEDOM IS HIGH AGENDA ITEM
He noted that “The question of Freedom for Soviet Jews has remained high on UIA’s agenda. UIA leadership, along with the leadership of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, United Jewish Appeal, Council of Jewish Federations, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and New York Association for New Americans, is constantly reviewing, updating and implementing plans to ensure a continuing exodus of our Soviet brothers and sisters to freedom.”
Irving Kessler, UIA executive vice chairman, called attention to the plateau in UIA receipts for Jewish Agency programs. In spite of increases in overall national campaign receipts each year following the Yam Kippur War, UIA income from the regular UJA campaign has varied only slightly, remaining at approximately $225 million per year.
“Inflation has increased local demands; our programs in Israel to aid immigrants and those in need there have suffered. We are unable to meet the erosion caused by Israel’s triple digit inflation and the weakness of the dollar,” Kessler said.
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