Palestine Closes Year Marked by Unprecedented Prosperity

Chief Rabbi Dr. Isaac Herzog and the Jewish National Council of Palestine today issued Rosh Hashanah greetings to the Jews of the world expressing their conviction in the victory of the United Nations and in the realization of the visions of the Jewish prophets.

Unprecedented economic progress in Palestine marked the year ending today despite the fact that the country was in constant fear of military developments in the Middle East, it was emphasized today in a review of Jewish achievements here during the past year.

Only one percent of the 508,000 Jews now residing in the country was unemployed during the year. Approximately $64,000,000 dollars have been invested in new industrial plants producing war materials with an annual value of $80,000,000. Jewish deposits in Palestine banks today total more than $96,000,000.

More than $2,500,000 were spent by the Yishuv for health service alone, the review reveals. Approximately the same sum was spent for Jewish social welfare. A total of $2,100,000 was expended for Jewish education, excluding yeshiveth and religious schools. The Jewish educational system in Palestine now maintains 437 institutions attended by 62,800 pupils. During the three years of war about 25,000 new immigrants entered the country, including 1,500 in this past year.

In the political field, the year was marked in Palestine by a number of outstanding events, including the establishment of contact with the Jews in Russia which culminated in the first visit of Soviet diplomats to Palestine, the general strike carried out in protest against the Struma tragedy, the rapprochement between the Jewish Agency and the New Zionist Organization and the establishment of the new Ichud party by Dr. J. L. Magnes, which though indicating a rift in Jewish political life in the country is generally inclined to postpone all political disputes until the war is over.