World Council on Jewish Education to Hold Inaugural Meeting in Geneva

A 50-member World Council on Jewish Education will hold its inaugural meeting next August in Geneva to discuss promotion and conduct of research in all phases of Jewish education, it was decided here today at a meeting of the presidium of the Council.

The presidium was comprised of Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the World Jewish Congress; Moshe Sharett, chairman of the executive of the Jewish Agency; Label A. Katz, president of B’nai B’rith, and Sir Barnett Janner, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jewish.

Formalization of the Council will complete the second step in a long-range program to advance Jewish educational opportunities on a global basis. The program began 20 months ago in Jerusalem when delegates from 34 countries assembled for a world conference on Jewish education.

The conference was sponsored by the Conference of Jewish Organizations. It laid the groundwork for creation of the world council and subsequently for a World Bureau of Jewish Education. The new bureau, under supervision of the Council, will maintain educational research and information centers in various parts of the world.

The presidium also coopted Dr. Simon Greenberg, vice-chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, to serve as a member, and elected Philip W. Lown, president of the American Association for Jewish Education, as treasurer. It named Dr. Joseph H. Lookstein, acting president of Bar-Ilan University, as its coordinator.

Membership of the Council will be divided equally between community leaders and professional educators. The United States will have 15 members, and Israel eight. Proportionate representation will be given to Jewish communities of Britain, Canada, Australia, South Africa and European and Latin American countries.