The big gifts phase of the 1977 United Jewish Appeal campaign came to a climax here Thursday night as community leaders assembled from every section of the country pledged a total of $15 million in support of Jews in need throughout the world
The fund-raising results of the UJA National Leadership Dinner, according to general chairman Frank R. Lautenberg. showed a 25 percent increase over last year’s giving and raised the campaign total to $90 million, the largest sum realized on this date in any non war campaign year. He noted that the event. Thursday night completed a sustained five week effort to confirm a major portion of the top-level gifts in the country, following “This Year in Jerusalem.” the UJA’s unprecedented 3000-strong national conference in Israel in late October.
Israel Defense Minister Shimon Peres, keynote speaker at the meeting, called the leadership action “a prime example of the spirit of solidarity that prevails between the American Jewish community and the people of Israel. Together, the Jews of the free world will continue to protect and sustain the quality of Jewish life everywhere…and create a Jewish future of unlimited promise and opportunity for all.”
Robert H. Arnow. general chairman of New York’s UJA-Federation Joint Appeal, which co-hosted the meeting, also ascribed its success to “the growing sense of unity following our encounter with Israel’s people in October. The persisting problems of immigrant absorption we saw there are mirrored in the pockets of poverty still plaguing corners of American Jewish life. We are part of a lifeline that reaches Jews in need wherever they may be–across the street and around the world– and that lifeline has been immeasurably strengthened here tonight.”
While the major gifts effort will continue beyond Thursday night’s event, plans are being completed for the public phase of the UJA campaign, it was announced. Regional meetings in the far west, southwest and in the middle Atlantic and east central states are projected for January and February. They will be followed by a number of major national events, including a National UJA Shabbat. Feb. 19 and a National UJA Walkathon, May 15.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
