Premier Golda Meir said last night that Israel had “dared” to assume a certain amount of risk in entering into its disengagement agreement with Egypt “because we believe that this may be, and I repeat, may be, the first cautious step toward a possibility of peace.”
Addressing 500 U.S. and Canadian Israel Bond campaign leaders at the closing session of the Prime Ministers Bonds Conference, Mrs. Meir stressed, “We must not for a moment lull ourselves to believe that our wish for peace means that we have peace already. It would be very sad indeed if we let our armed strength and our spirits weaken because we mistake our genuine hope for peace as being reality. No one can assure that there will be no more wars.”
Sam Rothberg, general chairman of the Israel Bond Organization who presided at the closing dinner, announced that over $102.6 million worth of bonds, “a precedent-shattering beginning” was sold during Jan. in preparation for the official launching of this year’s campaign to raise $1 billion in Israel Bond sales. He said the $1 billion goal, “representing the biggest loan in the history of the Jewish nation” was intended to lay the economic foundations for an Israel at peace.
Rothberg announced the formation of a “Prime Ministers Club” to which persons buying a minimum of $25,000 in Israel Bonds would be admitted. Before the dinner ended, the “Club” had its first subscriber–James Ross of Youngstown, Ohio–who said that he and his wife were buying bonds in the amount of $2.5 million. Jack D. Weiler, New York realtor and philanthropist, was named president of the club for the United States, and George Cohen of Toronto was named club president for Canada.
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