Max Fisher, chairman of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, hailed the Cabinet decision yesterday approving an agreement to establish a joint government Jewish Agency committee to work out means for implementing Project Renewal as “an important and historic step forward in our joint partnership.” (See Jan. 29 Daily News Bulletin for full story.)
In a statement issued today, Fisher said:
“The Jewish Agency Governing Board, including representatives of the United Jewish Appeal and Keren Hayesod, has been working diligently with Israeli government leaders during the last several weeks to arrive at a partnership administration of Project Renewal. Both the Agency and the government believe that Project Renewal must be a joint operation requiring the input and work of both the Agency and the government.
“The Cabinet decision reached last weekend to ratify the agreement worked out by Jerold Hoffberger, chairman of the Jewish Agency’s International Project Renewal Committee, and Yigael Yadin, Deputy Prime Minister, is the fitting culmination of these efforts. It is an important and historic step forward in our joint partnership.
PLANNING IS GOING ON
“It is important to understand that the Jewish Agency, governed by representatives of contributors from the diaspora and the World Zionist Organization, is the sole agent responsible for expending the funds raised by world Jewry. In this capacity the Agency will work in close cooperation with the appropriate government ministers for joint implementation of Project Renewal.
“Meanwhile, planning is going on in many distressed neighborhoods and progress is being made. At this moment Eliezer Raphaeli, the Jewish Agency’s Director-General of Project Renewal, is building his operating team. They are researching complete information on each distressed neighborhood. Robert Russell, Chairman of the UJA’s Project Renewal Committee and Co-Chairman of the Jewish Agency Project Renewal Committee, is also working with the Jewish Agency staff in Israel.
“I will report more fully on these developments in the near future, but for now I wish to make it very clear that Project Renewal is a comprehensive, jointly-administered effort designed to bring 300,000 Israeli men, women and children into the mainstream of the nation’s society.”
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