A three-day consultative assembly of the World Zionist Organization wound up here last night with a majority of the delegates supporting the establishment of a “magshimim” movement – groups of Zionists who personally pledge to settle in Israel within a given period of time.
The question of aliyah (immigration), especially from affluent Western countries, dominated the conference which was supposed to prepare the ground for the World Zionist Congress here next June. A closely linked problem was the absorption of new settlers. Here too, a majority of the assembled Zionist leaders from Israel and abroad favored retention of that responsibility by the Jewish Agency. A large minority, however, called for the establishment of a joint Jewish-Agency-Israel Government authority to take over the function. Among the latter was Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the World Zionist Organization, who said he favored bringing the Government into absorption matters.
The conference agreed that the furthering of Zionist education, particularly in the diaspora, was vital to aliyah and urged the Congress to take into account the importance of education among college-age youth when discussing organizational matters.
Aryeh L. Pincus, chairman of the Jewish Agency, said in his closing remarks at the conference that Zionists in each country should immediately establish a “magshimim” movement and pledged that the Jewish Agency will render it the fullest support whether or not the movement is part of the World Zionist Organization.
Referring to critics of the Jewish Agency within the Government and in sections of the Israeli press, Mr. Pincus said an effort must be made to change the atmosphere that surrounds Zionist matters in Israel and to emphasize the mutual responsibility of Zionists and the Government for relations between Israel and the diaspora. Dr. Goldmann said that the importance of aliyah notwithstanding, the success of the Zionist movement cannot be measured solely on how many olim (immigrants) it brings in.
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