Plans for a Pioneer Women world center to be built in Tel Aviv were unveiled yesterday during the second session of the organization’s 22nd biennial convention here attended by some 1,000 delegates. The center, scheduled for completion by 1973, will be built in honor of Beba Idelson, international head of the 600,000 member Jewish Women’s World Organization and former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset. The multi-purpose building will not only serve as a center for Pioneer Women’s meetings and visitors form abroad but also will be a neighborhood community center serving the needs of the locality with facilities for day care, vocational training, educational and cultural events.
Mrs. Esther Zackler of Chicago, Pioneer Women president, also announced a new two year quota of $3 million to be raised by the American organization for its projects in Israel. These projects include day care centers, Arab women’s services, vocational training for young people and adults and neighborhood community centers. Tamar Eschel, president of the Conference of Women’s Organizations of Israel and Pioneer Women leader in Israel, stressed the special need for programs in early education.
She said “we must bring up the educational level of the Israeli population to overcome the backlog of illiteracy of many of the immigrants from some of the backward countries.” She added that “the really critical period is between ages birth and six years of age–we must invest in pre-school projects, and we want 1,000 day nurseries within the next three to four years.” Pioneer Women provides day care for some 18,000 Israeli children, both Jew and Arab with an increase of 2,000 enrolled this month.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.