Zionism in Action Opting for Early Zionist Congress

Yosef Almogi. chairman of the World Zionist Organization Executive, believes that every effort should be made to hold the 29th World Zionist Congress at the earliest possible date. “We have not yet decided on the actual date of the Congress,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an interview this week, “but if there is good will on the part of all parties, the Congress can be convened next June.” The Zionist Executive Plenary will meet at the end of this month in London to discuss a new date for the Congress.

Almogi said that the recent ruling by the Congress Court that elections must be held in all countries for Congress delegates, should be implemented “in word and in spirit.” ‘By “word” he meant early elections and by “spirit” he indicated that there must be no prolonged postponement of the Congress which was originally to have opened here January 17.

Almogi said the WZO Executive would recommend a new date at its plenary meeting in London at the end of this month. He made it clear that he had not been happy with the decision by the Zionist General Council last July–which the Congress Court reversed-to waive elections in countries where all Zionist constituencies agreed on a single slate of delegates. On the other hand, he did not regard that decision as a “disaster” considering that it applied only to the next Congress and would not have set a precedent.

As far as Almogi is concerned, the main reason for an early Congress is the need to prepare and approve a working program for the next four years. “Personally, any deferment of the Congress may work in my favor,” he said, “because it gives me more time to come (before the Congress) with achievements. But one cannot work all the time under the shadow of preparations for the Congress and therefore I want to have it early so I can get it over.”

Almogi said that if the Congress had been able to convene in January as originally scheduled, he would have used the forum to call on the Zionist movement to open itself to new, young forces and to introduce a new system of organization. Such a system is now being drafted in the form of a written program by a team of experts headed by Prof Raanan Weitz, director of the WZO’s settlement department. Almogi expressed hope that it would be accepted by all parties concerned though he conceded there would be opposition.

REJECTS CLAIMS OF GAP

The WZO chairman rejected claims that there was too wide a gap between WZO plans and programs and its actual achievements. He said that the problem of aliya, for example, was so complex that even the most efficient organization would find it difficult to cope with.

“It is the first time that immigration to Israel is almost entirely voluntary,” he said. “Voluntary immigration has always been but a small group in the larger group of immigrants who had to come to Israel because they had no-where else to go. But now we have an annual immigration of 20,000 who did have a choice. Although it is too bad there are not more immigrants, one should not underestimate this phenomenon,” he said.

Almogi is aware of new world conditions that inevitably affect the nature and scope of aliya.

This is a free world which allows Jews to move from one place to another without having to seek refuge in Israel, he pointed out. This new world demands a new approach to aliya “and this cannot be done overnight.”

He said he recognized that more than just the reorganization of the immigration process was needed. “That there is room for considerable improvement in the quality of life in Israel is not disputed. But this cannot serve as a pretext for not coming to Israel to live a full Jewish life. My answer to those who say they don’t come because of the poor quality of living is come help us improve it.” Almogi said.

DANGER OF SOVIET DROPOUTS

He declined to go into the details of the problem of dropouts–Soviet Jews who emigrate with Israeli visas but opt to go to other countries after reaching Vienna. Last month the dropout rate was 59 percent. Almogi noted that the matter was now being discussed in New York by the Committee of Eight “and an effort should be made to reach a unified stand by all parties concerned.” He added, “I see great danger in the growing number of dropouts. There is no controversy that the present state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue.”

Almogi looked back over the 10 months in which he has served as chairman of the WZO and the Jewish Agency Executives. He said that period divided into three stages–the learning stage, the planning stage and the working stage. “My plans were to open a new stage with the Congress in January. This cannot be. But I shall do my utmost so that it (the postponement) will not jeopardize my plans,” Almogi said.