Lza Supports WZO Compromise Proposal on Resettling Soviet Jews

The National Executive Committee of the Labor Zionist Alliance (LZA) voted today to support the compromise proposal of the World Zionist Organization Executive that: while every Jew who can be, will be rescued from the Soviet Union, “financial assistance for absorption and resettlement will go to only those Soviet Jews opting to go to Israel or those Soviet Jews with immediate family already in America who opt for resettlement in the U.S.”

In making the announcement, Prof Allen Pollack, LZA president, and a member of the WZO Executive, emphasized that “every Soviet Jew who can be rescued will be; no one will be denied a letter of invitation from the State of Israel.”

Both he and the NEC members noted that “no one will be forced to go anywhere.” Soviet Jews can select freely their new country of residence, but “Jewish communal funds will not be available for use in their absorption outside of Israel, ” unless they have immediate family in America, for example. Members of the LZANEC who voted for the resolution passed at a meeting here are from all parts of the U.S. and Canada.

Repeatedly throughout the discussion, NEC members stressed that the efforts to free Soviet Jews must continue and that those wishing to emigrate must be brought out of the USSR.

Commenting on the decision that Jewish communal funds should not be available for use in absorbing Soviet Jews outside of Israel, unless they are joining immediate family, the Labor Zionists pointed out that the Jewish community in the U.S. should not duplicate the services offered elsewhere in aiding new immigrants.

Pollack stressed that out of the approximate 140000 Soviet Jews who had settled in Israel. only about 2000 had left the Jewish State for other destinations. Despite problems, Soviet Jewry is one of the best absorbed aliya groups in Israel, Pollack said.