In a City Hall ceremony yesterday Mayor Abraham Beame issued a proclamation officially launching preparations for the biggest one-week drive the New York Jewish community has ever undertaken to provide humanitarian aid to endangered, oppressed and needy fellow Jews in Israel, other countries overseas and in New York.
The Mayor designated the seven days beginning June 6 as “Mobilization ’76 Week” in New York City, a period of intensive city-wide activity in support of the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies Joint Campaign. He termed the effort “an historic manifestation of citizen involvement.”
Mobilization ’76 Chairman Howard Samuels participated in the City Hall ceremony, accompanied by other leaders of the massive “neighbor-to-neighbor” project that will extend throughout the five boroughs, Westchester and Long Island suburbs.
Samuels outlined plans for 10,000 volunteers to reach out to 200,000 persons in their homes and businesses during Mobilization ’76 week to raise $15 million, something never before accomplished in the absence of all-out war involving the people of Israel.
ALL-OUT MOBILIZATION DESCRIBED
In addition to the mobilization by adults, 80,000 pupils attending Hebre schools and day schools affiliated with Federation’s Board of Jewish Education are engaged in a children’s mobilization of their own. They were represented at the City Hall ceremony by a chorus from the Solomon Schechter Day School of Long lsland.
According to the plans described by Samuels, whose co-chairman is Mrs. Elaine Winik, Mobilization ’76 will get underway the morning of June 6, when thousands of volunteer “bell ringers” will leave approximately 100 mobilization centers–strategically located in the 53 “regions” into which the eight counties covered by the effect are divided–to call at the homes of prospective contributors.
The climax of Mobilization Sunday will be a four-hour television special, with Alan King and Bess Myerson as hosts and dozens of stars of stage, screen and sports among the participants. It will go on the air at 8:30 p.m. on WPIX-TV (Channel 11), as fund-raising parties are held simultaneously in as many as 2000 homes throughout the Metropolitan area.
A volunteer-staffed. 200-instrument telephone bank will be in operation to receive pledges in response to solicitations during the broadcast, as well as reports from the home parties. It is expected the TV special will raise more than $3 million.
Monday morning, June 7, will bring un extension of the mobilization to trades and industries through solicitations conducted in office and commercial buildings with coverage ranging from individual firms to whole industries. More than 80 participating volunteer groups are already being organized, Samuels reported.
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