Sidney Lawrence Shipton, a lawyer, Zionist leader and member of the board of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, has been named as general secretary of the British Zionist Federation, effective April 1. Shipton, who will take over the highest civil service post in British Jewry, is currently chairman of the Federation; he will give up that post–at year before the expiration of his term–at the Federation’s 71st annual conference March 11-12.
Shipton told the JTA that the British Zionist movement’s “most important tasks” were in the areas of Hebrew education and aliya. “In the sphere of Hebrew education,” he said, “we have our network of 14 Jewish day schools, sponsored by the Zionist Federation and supported by its educational trust. In the sphere of aliya we do not merely encourage aliya in a general way. We have our system of support for British olim and we maintain an office in Israel to help them settle there.”
Shipton has been active in British Zionism since his student days. He will retain his offices as a member of the Zionist Actions Committee, vice chairman of the British section of the World Jewish Congress, vice president of the World Confederation of General Zionists, a member of the Joint Palestine Appeal’s administrative committee, and his JTA post. As general secretary of the Zionist Federation he replaces Lavy Bakstansky, who died a year ago; the office has remained vacant since then.
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