The 29th World Zionist Congress ended early this morning with the establishment of a 29-member World Zionist Organization Executive representing all Zionist factions and parties. WZO chairman Leon Dulzin thus achieved his goal of a wall-to-wall coalition. But he was forced to defer, for the time being, the allotment of portfolios, including the key office of WZO Treasurer demanded by the Labor Zionist movement.
Portfolios will be assigned on the basis of continuing negotiations between Dulzin and the various factions. Labor’s candidate for the treasury is veteran banker Akiva Levinsky. Likud wants the office to go to Yoram Aridor, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
According to informed sources at the Congress, Dulzin and Finance Minister Simcha Ehrlich, both of Likud’s Liberal Party wing, probably would have acceded to Labor’s demands but for Premier Menachem Begin’s unbending insistence that the WZO purse strings remain in the hands of Likud.
SETTLEMENT POLICY ENDORSED
The Congress concluded its plenary sessions last night by adopting a series of resolutions covering all areas of activity and concern of the Zionist movement. One resolution recommended by the Congress’ political committee, upheld the right of the Jewish people to settle "throughout Eretz Israel" with priority to "areas vital to the security of the State."
The resolution amounted to an endorsement of the government’s controversial settlement policy. It contained an implicit warning to the militant Gush Emunim that only the government was authorized to determine which areas are vital to the security of the State. Motions by left-wing factions to halt settlement activity in the occupied territories were rejected.
BEGIN URGES SADAT TO RESUME TALKS
The concluding plenary session was addressed be Begin who called on President Anwar Sadat of Egypt to resume the work of the joint Israel-Egyptian political and military committees "with no mediation, with an open heart on the basis of a peace plan." Begin defended Israel’s rejection of pressure to soften its positions. "Sometimes one must say ‘no,’" he told the Congress delegates. He said Israel was negotiating to secure the future of "our children from a possible new Holocaust." He urged the strengthening of Zionist education and increased aliya.
Begin did not finish his address until the early hours of the morning and the weary delegates paid little attention to his remarks. Most were preoccupied with the arduous task of forming a new WZO Executive. The deliberations and bargaining went on for hours after Begin left the Hall.
The new Executive consists of the following members:
DIVISION OF THE NEW EXECUTIVE
Likud–6: Leon Dulzin (chairman), Yoram Aridor, Jacques Torczyner, Avraham Katz, Rafael Kotlowitz, Dr. Yaacov Tevin. World Confederation of United Zionists–4: Charlotte Jacobson, Kalman Sultanik, Faye Schenk, Avraham Avihai. Labor–4: Akiva Levinsky, Allen Pollack; Ira Yudovich, and one member yet to be named.
Religious Zionist Movement–3: Moshe Krone, Yosef Shapiro, Rabbi Eliezer Bernstein. Democratic Movement for Change–I: Elli Eyal. Mapam–1: Avraham Schenker. WIZO–1: Raya Yaglom. Sephardi Federation–2: Andre Narvoni, Nissim Gaon. Conservative Movement–2: Arthur Levin, Tuvia Friedman. Reform Movement–2: Rabbi Richard Hirsch, Rabbi Alexander Schindler. World Maccabi–1: Dr. Yisrael Peled. Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America–2: Dr. Moshe Jaffe, Harold Jacobs.
Judge Moshe Etzioni was elected president of the Congress Court. Meir Bension was elected WZO Comptroller and Zvi Klementinov was elected legal counsel of the WZO.
ADOPT RESOLUTION ON PLURALISM
One of the resolutions adopted last night required that WZO "programs of a religious and educational character should reflect the pluralism of Jewish life throughout the world" and called for equal treatment by the Israeli government of all trends in Judaism. The resolution represented the second major victory at the Congress for the Reform and Conservative movements in their struggle against Orthodox domination of religious affairs in the WZO and in Israel.
On Monday, the Congress overwhelmingly approved a resolution requiring the WZO to extend equal rights and status to all religious trends in its educational programs abroad. That resolution touched off a violent demonstration on the Congress floor by the Mizrachi delegates and some of their Herut supporters. The Mizrachi threatened to quit the WZO.
They were mollified, however, when Dulzin promised to refer the resolution to the Congress Court, the arbiter of disputes within the WZO. According to some observers, the court may declare the resolution invalid on grounds that the WZO, shortly after its founding in 1897, pledged never to debate religious issues.
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