A new Jewish Agency Executive was announced today after seven months of inter-party wrangling which followed the most recent World Zionist Congress here last December, headed by Leon Dulzin of the Likud-Union of General Zionists as chairman.
Akiva Levinsky of the Labor Zionists, was named treasurer. Raanan Weitz of Labor and Matti Drobless of Likud-Herut, were named joint heads of the Settlement Department. Uri Gordon of Labor heads Youth Aliya. Yitzhak Meir of Mizrachi, heads traditional education, and Avraham Katz of Likud-General Zionists, heads Youth and Hechalutz.
Others named are Eli Tavin of Herut, head of education; Avraham Shenker of Mapam-Labor, heads the Community Services department. Eliazer Sheffer of Mizrachi heads the Young Leadership department. Yitzhak Warshawski of the World Confederation of General Zionists heads the Organization Department. David Avayou of the Sephardim heads the Department of Sephardi Communities; Avraham Avihai of Confederation is Keren Hayesod chairman. Moshe Rivlin of Labor is Jewish National Fund chairman.
GRIEVANCES ASSUAGED
Mordechai Dayan of Herut was named deputy JNF chairman. Bemice Tannenbaum of Hadassah (Confederation) was named head of the American Section of the World Zionist Organization.
The posts of Gordon and Sheffer were a key to the inter-party jousting on appointments. The post for Dayan was established to assuage Likud-Herut grievances.
The focal dispute on the Aliya department has been put on ice until the next meeting of the Jewish Agency board of governors takes place in October. Meanwhile, Raphael Kotlowitz remains as head of the Aliya department and, at the same time, the opposition to him on the part of American members of the board of governors remains implacable.
Dulzin, who was re-elected executive chairman without opposition at the December Congress meeting, formally announced the make-up of the executive. The announcement followed a meeting of the Jewish Agency executive at which the dispute over Kotlowitz was high on the behind-the-scenes agenda.
The refusal of the American members to support Kotlowitz, reportedly because they feel he does not communicate well with diaspora communities, and their refusal to accept Tavin in his stead, sparked bitterness between them and Israeli Likud leaders. Premier Menachem Begin, in a reported manifestation of this bitterness, failed to attend the closing session of the Jewish Agency’s annual assembly, as he had been scheduled to do.
Kotlowitz reportedly will continue to head the Aliya department, despite the Assembly’s refusal to reappoint him to the post he has held for the past five-and-a-half years. Although the Diaspora Jewish leaders at the Assembly found Kotlowitz “unsuitable” for reappointment, the Assembly ended without choosing a successor. Under Agency rules, the incumbent Kotlowitz remains in office until a replacement is found at the October board of governors meeting.
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