The uneasy alliance between Zionists and non-Zionist supporters of Israel — the “fund-raisers” from abroad — was the focus of intense debate at the annual session of the Zionist General Council which opened here today.
The Council, the governing body of the World Zionist Movement between Zionist Congress, is awaiting the report and recommendations of its Governance Committee on the issue. The Councils’s resolutions will be brought up before the Jewish Agency Assembly which convenes in Jerusalem next week.
At the heart of the matter is the struggle for political power and managerial authority. It dates back to 1970 when the Jewish Agency was reconstituted to incorporate non-Zionist Jews from overseas, especially the United States, who raise funds for Israel.
A decision to evaluate the merger was taken at a meeting in Caesarea three years ago and became known as the Caesarea process. The Zionists reportedly feel they are losing power to the non-Zionists. Criticism to that effect was expressed yesterday by Alleck Resnick, president of the Zionist Organization of America and former ZOA president Ivan Novick. Novick said he was concerned with the motives of the non-Zionists and questioned whether they were equipped to deal with the basic problems of Zionism.
But Avraham Shenker, chairman of the Governance Committee disagreed. He maintained today that both groups are of a single mind on 90 percent of the issues and was confident that the others would be resolved. According to Shenker Zionists have not lost power. “I think that we have gained a great deal by bringing closer to us a much broader section of the Jewish communities of the world,” he said.
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