Zionist Propaganda Activities Come Under Sharp Criticism

Zionist propaganda activities all over the world came under sharp criticism at the Zionist General Council meeting here yesterday. They were said to be ineffective lacking in funds and suffering from a gap between the desire to cooperate and actual coordination of information activities among the various Zionist bodies.

A case in point referred to was a Syrian propaganda film attributing harrowing atrocities to Israel which is being distributed widely all over the world. The Israeli government was unable to prepare a counter film because of its current financial squeeze and because Jewish producers and directors who were approached for help failed to respond, members of the Council’s committee on information and political activity were told.

Dr. Michael Maldavski, of Chile, urged the Jewish Agency’s foreign relations department to organize a seminar on Zionism for non-Jewish journalists and radio and television personalities in Latin America. Avraham Shenker, head of the World Zionist Organization’s information department, called on every Jewish community abroad to conduct Zionist information programs with the assistance of the Agency.

Moshe Gilboa, a deputy in the WZO information department, said the de facto desire to cooperate between Jewish organizations, the WZO and the Foreign Ministry had to be translated into a de jure situation where the desire is translated into action. He claimed that Zionist Federations abroad do not utilize the facilities provided by the WZO with respect to lectures, information material and the attendance of institutes. He said the various Federations were not always in contact with the WZO and proposed the establishment of committees to coordinate information activities between local Jewish organizations, the Zionist Federations and the Israeli missions in various countries.