Ort Withdraws from Unesco; Other Jewish Groups Considering Severing Relations with UN Body

The World ORT Union announced today its complete withdrawal from cooperation with UNESCO in which it has consultative status. Daniel Mayer, president of the world-wide vocational training organization, said the move was prompted by the UNESCO resolution excluding Israel from activities of its European regional grouping and other anti-Israel resolutions adopted by the United Nations body at its recent Paris meetings.

Other international Jewish organizations have informed UNESCO, meanwhile, that they are giving strong consideration to severing their relations with it. Lord Nathan of Churt, chairman of the International Council of Jewish Social and Welfare Services, made that clear in a cable he sent today to Annadou Mahtar M’ Bow of Senegal, director general of UNESCO.

The cable expressed “grave concern for the future of UNESCO in the light of its recent political intervention in relation to Israel.” It said “Being an organization with consultative status, with others similarly placed, we are impelled to consider our future relations with your Council. It is with deepest regret that through the action of your Council we are forced to consider whether we can and should carry out our charitable purposes in the political context in which your Council has placed them and accordingly whether we should maintain our association with UNESCO”.

The International Council of Jewish Social and Welfare Services is an umbrella organization, the constituents of which are the European Council of Jewish Community Services, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Central British Fund for Jewish Relief and Rehabilitation Jewish Colonization Association, United Hias Services, and the World ORT Union,