Zionist Actions Committee Moves to Tel Aviv; Separation Issue Grows Sharper

The Zionist Actions Committee, supreme body of the World Zionist Organization between Congresses, today adjourned its session here and moved to Tel Aviv, where it will split into committees which will prepare decisions on the relationship to be established between the Israeli Government and the world Zionist movement. The decisions will later be discussed and voted on at open meetings.

The immediate separation of the Israeli Government from the World Zionist Organization and from the Jewish Agency, which has been advocated by American delegates, is receiving strong support on the part of the United Labor Party — the opposition group within the Histadruth — as well as from the Revisionist Party and from a majority of the General Zionists. Opposing such a separation are the delegates of the Labor Party, which is headed by Premier David Ben Gurion, and a minority of the General Zionists. The Mizrachi delegates have not taken any position as yet on this issue.

At present it is not certain which of the clashing trends is stronger. Dr. Emanuel Neumann, president of the Zionist Organization of America, last night indicated that if the American request is not met, the American members may resign, from the executive of the Jewish Agency. He insisted that some of the departments of the Jewish Agency executive be transferred to New York. He also requested the abolition of the “double vote,” a privilege under which a vote by a Palestinian Jew holding a “shekel” is counted as two as compared with the regular, single vote cast by members of Zionist organizations outside Palestine.

AMERICAN ZIONIST LEADERS VOICE CHARGES AGAINST ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

Dr. Neumann dismissed the arguments advanced by other delegates against the transferring to Few York of the Organization Department of the World Zionist Organization. Taking issue with the argument that this department “needs Palestine inspiration,” the president of the Zionist Organization of America, said: “We have observed the work of this department for 13 years. We saw the ‘inspiration.’ It was a failure.”

Dr. Isaac Gruenbaum, member of the Israeli Cabinet and of the Jewish Agency executive, appealed against a separation of the Israeli Government from the Zionist Organization. “You cannot separate a father from a son,” he said. “Who is it, if not the Zionist Organization, which brought about the establishment of the Jewish state?” He claimed that members of the Israeli Cabinet are entitled to remain in the executive of the World Zionist Organization and of the Jewish Agency.

Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, chairman of the American section of the Jewish Agency executive, and Dr. Neumann accused Mapai — the Labor Party — of displaying a tendency to oust American Zionists from active participation in vital work. They expressed resentment that the Israeli Government did not consult the members of the Agency executive regarding problems connected with the Zionist movement. Pincus Lubianiker, a leader of the Mapai, said that his group will gladly accept the cooperation of American Zionist leaders provided that they settle in Israel.