The World Zionist Organization Executive adopted a $39,5 million budget for the current fiscal year today and pledged to intensify efforts to combat the Arab boycott, The WZO agreed that the anti-boycott activities on a world-wide basis should be coordinated between the WZO, the World Jewish Congress, other Jewish national and international organizations and the Israeli government.
The WZO named a five-member committee which will meet this week to discuss the issue with WZO Chairman Pinhas Sapir, WJC president Dr, Nahum Goldmann and Avraham Agmon, who was recently named the Israeli government’s special advisor on anti-boycott activities, The members of the committee are; Mrs, Charlotte Jacobson, chairman of the WZO’s American Section; Rabbi Israel Miller, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Leon Dulzin, WZO and Jewish Agency treasurer; Avraham Shenker, head of the WZO’s organization and information department; and Ezra Shapiro, head of Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal.
DISPUTE RESOLVED
The WZO Executive’s decision at today’s meeting, which Goldmann attended, ended a dispute between Goldmann and some WZO members over which group should coordinate the anti-boycott activities. Goldmann had insisted that the WJC should be the coordinating body, But earlier this month, Mrs. Jacobson, who is also chairman of the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations (COJO) had suggested that COJO do it. The WZO Executive said in a statement that everyone at today’s meeting felt the need for the intensification and coordination of efforts and since Goldmann made it clear that the WJC did not intend to act “exclusively or to coordinate alone the work of other bodies” all agreed there would be “no difficulty” in united action. The WJC plans to hold a special conference on the problem in Geneva next month,
The budget adopted will be used for aliya work education and culture in the diaspora; links with small Jewish communities; and Zionist activities. It earmarks $1,5 million for the encouragement of various volunteer programs under which young people from overseas spend time working in Israel. This is believe to be an effective method of encouraging allay, Since many of those in the programs later decide to remain in Israel,
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