Z. O. A. Enrolls 70,000 Members; Will Hold Convention in Washington

The 58th annual convention of the Zionist Organization of America will take place in Washington during June 16-20, it was announced here today following a meeting of the ZOA National Administrative Council at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was reported at the meeting that the ZOA enrolled over 70,000 members in the last six months.

Jacques Torczyner, a national vice-president of the ZOA, reported that “all Zionist groups in this country have united in offering their full cooperation and support to the new Bond Drive set up.” He expressed the hope that “a working formula will be found which will make it possible for the Zionist Organization of America to function as effectively as possible in the sale of bonds.”

Haim Lubinsky, vice chairman of the National Council of the General Zionist party of Israel, now visiting this country, addressed the meeting on the issues involved in the forthcoming general elections to the Israel Parliament which is scheduled to be held throughout Israel on July 26.

“The two main contending parties in the forthcoming election fight to the Israel Knesset on July 26,” he said, “will be the Mapai and the General Zionists of Israel. The main issues will be the economic domestic policies of the government which have a direct bearing on our security and external political situation. The issue will be a liberal free enterprise Israel based on competitive economy or a continuation of the Mapai policy of socialism in our lifetime,” the speaker said.

Mortimer May, president of the Zionist Organization of America, in a message to the meeting from his hometown in Nashville, Tenn., warned that American Zionists must be prepared for a long and hard struggle “in the face of the greatly intensified propaganda activities of the anti-Israel forces in this country and their ever-growing resources.”