Thousands Attend ‘salute to Israel’ at New York World’s Fair

Thousands of persons attended special ceremonies at the New York World’s Fair today marking “Salute to Israel” at the Fair. Taking part in the event, which was under the chairmanship of Judge Simon Rifkind, were 700 youths from the Greater New York area who presented a cultural salute sponsored by the American Zionist Youth Foundation.

The program featured performances by 10 Israel folk dance groups, composed of Zionist youth organizations and a 420-member inter-school youth choir. A highlight of the program was the blowing of the shofar.

Addressing special ceremonies at the American-Israel Pavilion at the Fair, both Senator Kenneth Keating of New York, and New York City Comptroller Abraham D. Beame, alluded to the anti-Israel mural on display in the Jordanian Pavilion. “The American-Israel Pavilion speaks out loud and clear with the voice of hope and aspiration that is Israel,” Senator Keating said. “There is no bitterness, no hatred, no insidious back biting at other countries, no propaganda effort to distort the facts and condemn other people.”

Mr. Beame said that “the blatant prejudices and calculated smears in the Jordan Pavilion oppose the purposes of the Fair and deny its theme ‘Peace Through Understanding.’ Silver medallions of the American Israel Pavilion were presented to Senator Keating, Mr. Beame and to Nahum Shamir, Israel’s Minister to the United States for Economic Affairs by Harold S. Caplin, chairman of the board of the American Israel World’s Fair Corporation.

The American Jewish Congress is planning to picket the Jordanian Pavilion tomorrow in protest against an anti-Israel mural on display there. The group will demonstrate at the pavilion in spite of the refusal by Robert Moses, president of the World’s Fair Corporation, to grant a permit for the picketing.