National Zionist Groups Issue Call to U.S. Jews to Support Israel Aid Program

Twelve national Zionist organizations yesterday issued an urgent call to their 700,000 members throughout the country “to forge a United front for full-fledged support and implementation” of the recently adopted four-point Jerusalem program.

The move followed special all-day sessions at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel of 100 leaders representing all Zionist forces in the United States, and was announced by Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the American section of the Jewish Agency, and Rudolph G. Sonnsborn, chairman of the board of directors of the United Palestine Appeal, both of whom presided at the conference. Adopted as an “S.O.S. call to all Zionists,” the message stressed concrete action on two fronts:

1. Work for U.S. grants-in-aid to Israel as a means of “strengthening the only forces of freedom in the Middle East.”

2. Intensification of the United Jewish Appeal campaign as the most effective immediate method for overcoming Israel’s dollar deficiency.

Both of these objectives are included in the Jerusalem program. The other two are: support of an Israel bond drive, if and when it is launched; and the encouragement of the flow of investment capital to Israel. The Jerusalem program envisages the raising of $1,500,000–one billion of which is to come from the U.S. to finance the expected 600,000 immigrants who are to enter Israel within the next three years.

Referring to the United Jewish Appeal, the statement said: “American Jewry in their contributions to Israel have already set a pattern not only in humanitarian effort but in bulwarking democratic institutions in a region of the world which for centuries has sadly lacked them. We urge upon American Zionists, in cooperation with the entire Jewish community, to meet the U.J.A.’s growing needs with all the strength at their command.”

The statement underscored the necessity of “unifying all Zionist factions and submerging all party interests as the only means for effectively carrying out the Jerusalem program.” It added: “Only a determined cooperative effort and a Zionist movement with close, well-ordered ranks can succeed in meeting Israel’s financial needs, which must now be reckoned in billions rather than millions.” At the same time, the statement called upon all Zionists to take an active part in the forthcoming national planning conference at Washington, D.C., October 27 through 29, at which will be represented every segment of American Jewry.

The statement was dispatched in the form of telegrams to some 700 local units of the following organizations which were represented at the meeting, convened jointly by the Jewish Agency and the United Palestine Appeal: Namely, the Jewish National Fund; Jewish Foundation Fund; Zionist Organization of America; Hadassah; Labor Zionist Organization; Mizrachi Organization; United Labor Zionists (Achdut Avodah); Hashomer Hatzair, and Hapoel Hamizrachi.