Leon Dulzin, acting chairman of the World Zionist Executive, claimed today that the Yom Kippur War resulted in “the Zionization” of diaspora Jewry. The former term. “partnership.” is no longer the appropriate definition. The State of Israel is now an integral and indivisible part of the wider Jewish identity. Consciousness that Israel and world Jewry are parts of the same nation now pervades the widest circles of diaspora Jewry. Dulzin contended.
He spoke at the opening of a three-day seminar on diaspora identity with Israel during the war. The seminar is being held at the residence of President Ephraim Katzir with the participation of Jewish intellectuals from Israel and abroad. The meeting was closed to the press.
According to Dulzin, the Oct. war engendered three reactions from diaspora Jewry: a depth of identification with Israel borne out by record fund-raising and solidarity activities, often opposed to local government policy; a broader scope of identification covering circles hitherto remote from Zionism; and a return of Jewish youths and students to Zionist activism after years of leaning toward the New Left.
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