Former Premier Golda Meir urged American Jews to immigrate to Israel because “it is your country, it is your people–come and help make it better.” Mrs. Meir spoke to more than 2000 people who crowded into the Bnai Jeshurun synagogue here Thursday night in a meeting sponsored by the Association of Americans and Canadians for Aliya.
Referring to her own aliya 53 years ago, Mrs. Meir said that history would not have changed if she had not gone to Palestine. She said she came just as all immigrants do for selfish reasons. “When I think I would not have been part of it, I shudder,” she said. The former Premier told, American Jews, “I am not going to promise you that you won’t have difficulties” nor another war. She said she was aware of the problems of the Israeli bureaucracy, but she added, Israel was trying to make it more responsible to the needs of the people.
“We are not perfect, we are not angels,” Mrs. Meir declared, but she said that the Israelis were good people, hard-working and courageous. Mrs. Meir was introduced by Mrs. Faye Schenk, president of the American Zionist Federation. Murray Safran, president of the AACA, which is the sister organization of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, said that since January, two presidents, several officers and hundreds of members of the North American organization had, made their own aliya.
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