Zionist Actions Committee Urges Continuation of Free Immigration to Israel

A plenary session of the Zionist Actions Committee here today called on the Jewish Agency to continue its policy of supporting free and unlimited immigration to Israel. The resolution also declared that the Actions Committee is satisfied with the present mass migration movement and asked that special attention be given to the migration of Jews from countries where “rescue is a matter of urgency,”

The plenary session also instructed the Agency to approach worldwide Jewish public institutions and the International Refugee Organization to assist in the migration of aged, sick and disabled Jews to Israel, and their maintenance there. Another resolution asked the Agency to increase its activities in the field of housing–to guarantee the erection of 50,000 housing units in the next year; in vocational training, particularly in agriculture; and in cultural activities aimed at Hebraization of the new immigrants.

Earlier this week-end the financial, organizational and immigration committees of the Actions body met to formulate a policy. In the financial group Agency treasurer Dr. Israel Goldstein presented a $180,000,000 budget for the next six months, including $28,000,000 to be lent directly to the Israeli Government.

MERGER OF J.N.F. AND KEREN HAYESOD URGED IN ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE

The organizational committee heard a recommendation for the merger of the Jewish National Fund and the Keren Hayesod into a United Israel Fund. The committee recommended that the forthcoming World Zionist Congress be postponed until May or June of next year, Among decisions reached in this body included one to press for the implementation of a resolution at the last World Congress that all Zionist groups and factions outside of Israel be united in one broad movement. An Agency proposal to establish a radio station in Jerusalem powerful enough to be beamed to all parts of the world was approved, as was a suggestion to appeal to all friendly governments in Europe to assist in the organization of immigration to Israel.

The immigration committee heard a report that the present immigration rate is approximately 300,000 yearly and that nearly 56,000 refugee immigrants are presently living in transit camps. New transit camp equipment, including over 12,000 tents and 600 tons of iron for beds to be manufactured locally, has been ordered from Belgium, France and Algiers, the report declared. Other equipment ordered from abroad for the immigrants during the last two months Includes 105,000 blankets.

While the committees were in session yesterday and today there was a great deal of behind-the-scenes discussion, particularly among the General Zionist delegates, about the seats to be filled on the Agency executive because of the resignations of Drs. Abba Hille.1 Silver and Emanuel Neumann from the American section of the body. (See page 5 for other developments.)

After a telephone call to New York and the receipt this morning of a cable from Drs. Silver and Neumann urging the General Zionists to halt their efforts to get then to return to the executive, it was decided to fill the seats with other members of the party. One proposal was to place either Itzhak Gruenbaum, former Interior Minister or Abraham Granovsky, world head of the J.N.F., on the executive in Jerusalem and transfer Dr. Goldstein to the American section.