The 25th World Zionist Congress ended in the early hours of this morning with a decision to prolong the life of the present executive of the Jewish Agency till May, when the next meeting of the Zionist Actions Committee will take place. The Actions Committee is the highest Zionist body between Congresses.
The decision marked a failure to agree on the composition of a new world executive particularly on the question of the chairmanship of the New York executive. However, three changes in the composition of the executive were approved by the Congress. Former Prime Minister Moshe Sharett joined the executive taking the Mapai seat vacated by Yaacov Tsur who was chosen chairman of the Actions Committee; former Tel Aviv Mayor Haim Levanon replaced Meir Grossman, a General Zionist who retired from the executive; and Yehuda Braginski was replaced by Aharon Cizling, both members of the Mapam.
Dr. Nahum Goldmann was re-elected unanimously as president of the World Zionist Organization. Only the Herut delegates abstained from voting. There was no negative voting, The last action of the Congress was to empower the Actions Committee to elect non-party representatives of Sephardic Jewry to the executive with advisory rights and also that the Jewish communities in Argentina and Brazil should have the right to send representatives to the Actions Committee meetings with advisory rights.
Mr. Sharett, who presided at the last session, called the 25th Congress a “touchstone” for the Zionist movement in his closing speech. He expressed the hope that future Congresses would dispense with earphones since “all delegates will know Hebrew. ” A 21-member Congress court was elected unanimously. Supreme Court Justice, Simon Agranat was named chairman. The panel includes leading attorneys of Israel and overseas coon-tries. Among them is Eleazar Lipsky, president of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Justice Minister Pinhas Rosen was named attorney for the World Zionist Organization.
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