Acting Premier Levi Eshkol told Israel’s Parliament today, in a report on the “great efforts” of overseas Jewish communities to help Israel meet urgent immigration and integration needs, that the United Jewish Appeal collected more than $60,000,000 in 1960 and more than $51,000,000 in the first ten months of 1961.
Mr. Eshkol, who is also Finance Minister, said that because of the increased immigration, the UJA undertook a special effort to raise $10,000,000 above the regular 1961 goal for immigrant housing and integration. He also reported that in other countries, the Keren Hayesod collects $12,000,000 annually for those needs.
“It may interest the house,” he said, “that since the establishment of Israel, the UJA has transferred directly to Israel $556,000,000 in addition to funds earmarked for the Joint Distribution Committee, part of which is spent on Malben institutions in Israel and other institutions. In the same period,” he added, “the Keren Hayesod collected more than $180,000,000. Thus, a total of nearly $750,000,000 has been transferred to Israel by our brethren abroad.”
He said he wanted to take the opportunity to send on behalf of the Government and the Knesset greetings to the UJA conference which opens in New York this weekend and through it to the thousands of UJA workers.
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