“Your commitment to the work of the UJA is a measure of compassion and commitment, not just to a people but to a principle, the principle of the free society which is under attack in the world today.” Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan (D NY) declared here to an overflow audience of 750 delegates attending the 1977 United Jewish Appeal West Coast Regional Conference.
The former United States Ambassador to the United Nations warned that the decline of democracy throughout the world must be counter-balanced by firm resistance to the further expansion of anti-democratic forces, particularly in the Middle East where Israel is the only true democracy. “Last year before our very eyes we saw Lebanon crushed and trampled.” Moynihan said. “Where were the voices raised in protest throughout the world? Is it unthinkable that the same thing might happen to Israel?”
Frank R. Lautenberg, UJA general chairman, said that “if the needs of the Jewish community did not find us as one, then they have made us as one. Our giving is not charity. It is part of the tradition of Jewish continuity.”
Lautenberg reported that the current UJA campaign is up 14 percent from 1976 levels. He said that “1977 is truly an affirmation and challenge. We must give with our heart and our mind–we are linked in the chain of generations–we have made a possible dream come true.” Leaders in 27 campaigns in 13 Western states, including Alaska and Hawaii, attended the three day conference which ended yesterday.
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