The opening of the fastest-paced campaign in American Jewish fund-raising history will climax Dec. 9, when Israeli Defense Minister Shimon Peres addresses the 1977 United Jewish Appeal Leadership Dinner, general chairman Frank R. Lautenberg announced today.
Lautenberg said the dinner would mark the culmination of a national, advanced-gifts campaign phase that began even before the Entebbe raid last summer and reached a dramatic high point in October during “This Year in Jerusalem,” the 3000-strong UJA national conference held in Israel.
“This Year in Jerusalem’ defined a new dimension in Jewish history: combining dreams with deeds, Ideals with action, promise with reality,” Lautenberg remarked. “In Jerusalem, we affirmed that all Jews are responsible for each other. In 1977, the challenge is ours; to build a vibrant Jewish community at home, to keep the lifeline open to Jews of the USSR and other lands, and to make all Israeli society a crucible for testing ideals and a laboratory for moral excellence.”
(According to a report this week from Jerusalem. Peres will also address other major Jewish fund-raising functions and meet with Defense. Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during his visit to the U.S.)
Two other major leadership events will be held in New York during the week of the leadership dinner. On Dec. 8 the American Joint Distribution Committee will hold its annual meeting and on Dec. 10 the United Israel Appeal will hold its annual meeting.
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