World Zionist Congress Opens Tomorrow; Zionists from 60 Lands Gather

Some 500 delegates from Zionist movements in 60 countries gathered here today in preparation for the opening of the 24th World Zionist Congress Tuesday. Present at the opening of the conference, widely regarded as one of the most important in the history of the Zionist movement, will be 3,000 people, including delegates, alternates, members of the diplomatic corps in Israel and guests.

The achievements chalked up since the last World Zionist Congress–which was held here in April 1951–were reflected in a report by the Jewish Agency executive issued here today. The report shows that in the nearly five years the Agency spent 401,800,000 pounds on colonization and various other activities in Israel. It also discloses that in the eight years since the State of Israel was established the Agency spent $708,600,000 on all its programs.

Included in the Agency’s receipts of 411,600,000 pounds for the last five years were loans, which if deducted from the total receipts would mean that the Agency actually spent nearly 76,000,000 pounds over and above its income, bringing its total deficit to date to over 102,500,000 pounds. Its total debt obligation amounts to 111,900,000 pounds, of which 43,800,000 must be repaid within three years; 15,700,000 pounds repayable between three and five years; 146,000,000 pounds repayable in five to seven years, and 73,800,000 pounds which need not be repaid for longer than seven years.

U.J.A. PROVIDED $225,000,000 FOR ISRAEL SINCE LAST CONGRESS

The Agency’s income during this period came chiefly from the Keren Hayesod, the fund-raising arm of the Zionist movement. This source provided 60 percent of the total income, reparations payments from Germany came to 24.1 percent and the remainder came from heirless property receipts, loans, Youth Aliyah appeals, etc. The Keren Hayesod received $266,000,000 between 1950 and 1955, the report states, of which $225,000,000 came from the United Jewish Appeal in the United States. Beside this sum, the Jewish Agency received 2,000,000 pounds in contributions in Israel itself. The role of the United Jewish Appeal in meeting Israel’s needs came in for high praise.

The report emphasized that since the last congress, the Keren Hayesod has been attempting to cut down on the multiplicity of Israeli appeals. It has reached agreements with various Zionist party organizations and funds, with international Jewish bodies and higher educational institutions to cut down on the number of duplicating appeals. Its youth section has conducted campaigns for funds and pioneers in Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico, Morocco, Italy, France and other organizations.

The Jewish Agency’s “ship-to-village” plan for absorption of immigrants in the last two years has meant that since August, 1954, 75 percent of all the newcomers–mostly North African Jews–have been absorbed immediately on the land or on projects in the development regions. As part of its educational activities, the Agency–in cooperation with the Israel Government–provided 7,000 scholarships for immigrant youths to attend secondary schools, agricultural training schools, vocational schools and institutions of higher education.

In an overall review of the housing of the 778,000 immigrants who entered Israel between the proclamation of the state and December 31,1955, the report said that 204,000 of them were in new housing units; 123, 763 were resettled in buildings abandoned by Arabs 134,765 were being cared for by relatives, 71,902 were living in temporary huts or in farm training camps; 144,423 were in rural areas, including Youth Aliyah children; 69,720 were in transit camps, and nearly 6,000 were in Malben welfare institutions.

The phenomenal growth of the settlement movement in Israel was spurred by the Agency’s activities in direct settlement work and in undertaking road building, rural housing and irrigation projects. The completion of the Yarkon project brought 100,000,000 cubic metres of water annually from the source of the Yarkon River, near Tel Aviv, down to settlements in the Western Negev and the Lachish development area.