UJA Launches $150m 1973 Drive in N.Y. Area

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Yosef Tekoah said here that there is still no sign that the Arab states are ready to make peace and that “the pronouncements of the Arab leaders remind us of their goal (stated in 1948) to eliminate the Jewish people.” Tekoah was addressing some 600 prominent leaders of the Jewish community, all contributors of a minimum of $10,000 to the 1973 United Jewish Appeal campaign, at a pace setters dinner Thursday night at the Hilton Hotel to mark the beginning of the $150 million 1973 drive by the UJA of Greater New York. The dinner also marked the opening of social functions celebrating Israel’s 25th anniversary.

Extending the greetings and appreciation of the Israeli government and people, Tekoah praised the UJA for its contributions to the growth of Israel in the past 25 years. “Israel is yours as much as it is ours.” he said. “You have chosen through the UJA to build human lives…and the path of building a country.”

Tekoah called the recent influx of immigrants from the Soviet Union “the lifeline of Israel’s security the most important and undoubtedly one that is most welcome” and “the greatest miracle in Jewish history since Israel’s independence.” He added, however, that “the need to defend ourselves still overshadows everything else.”

Guests of honor were Meshulam Riklis and Laurence Tisch, chairmen of the 1971 and 1972 New York UJA campaigns. Tekoah presented them with ancient terra cotta jars recently unearthed in Israel. The Jars bore inscriptions, citing their “enlightened leadership” of those UJA drives. The dinner began with the symbolic lighting of 26 candles dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Israel’s independence and decorated with the Hebrew letters that compose Judaism’s traditional prayer of thanksgiving–the sheheheyanu.