A group of American corporations has formed an organization to collect funds from U.S. firms for the relief of the civilian population of Lebanon in the aftermath of Israel’s military operation there, it was announced by Ralph Davidson, chairman of the Board of Time Inc., who initiated the project.
Speaking at a press conference here last Thursday, Davidson said the new organization, named American Corporate Aid for Lebanon Inc. (ACAL), already has commitments for nearly $1.5 million from 21 American corporations. He said that ACAL is a non-profit group and solely motivated by humanitarian purposes without regard to “narrow, political considerations.”
Davidson said that ACAL’s first two grants are to the American University of Beirut Hospital, a 420-bed institution in west Beirut, and to Save the Children, a 50-year-old non-profit agency that provides assistance in nutrition, health and housing around the world. Each organization, Davidson said, will receive $250,000.
But Davidson added that ACAL is looking for a recognized relief agency in Lebanon to channel to it the contributions it collected. He said that ACAL was formed on a temporary basis and its activities will be stopped “in about ten days.” He said he hoped that by then ACAL will get contributions up to $3 million.
NOT PLANNING EFFORTS FOR ISRAEL
Asked if the group is planning to provide similar relief efforts to Israeli citizens in northern Israel who suffered as a result of the Lebanese crisis, Davidson said “no,” pointing out that the project is meant to aid only Lebanese civilians. In response to another question he said that Time magazine is not connected with the efforts of the new group.
Davidson, who is serving as president and director of ACAL, said that the companies that have committed their support to ACAL are among the largest in the U.S.
These include AT&T, Borg-Worner Corp., CBS, Chrysler Corp., Deere & Co., Exxon Corp., Ford Motor Co., GTE, Gulf & Western, The Hilton Foundation, H.J. Heinz Co., ITT, Johnson & Johnson, Joseph E. Seagram & Sons Fund, Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble, Time, Warner Communications, Westinghouse Electric, Wheelabrator-Frye, and Xerox Corp.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
