Secretary of State Dulles’ “swift and firm action in warning the Soviet Union against an attack on Turkey was unanimously endorsed here today at a meeting of the newly-elected national executive council of the Zionist Organization of America.” However, the executive voiced regret that a similar warning had not been issued when Israel “another loyal friend and devoted ally of democracy” was threatened by “Moscow and its Arab satellites.” Several hundred Zionist leaders from all parts of the United States attended.
Addressing the meeting, ZOA president Dr. Emanuel Neumann warned that “nothing less than the peace of the world” is dependent on the “resumption of energetic American leadership” in the field of foreign affairs. The Zionist leader charged that “while our government was meeting Soviet-inspired crises with pronouncements on the virtues of peace and punishing our friends to the delight of our enemies, the Communists moved steadily ahead with their program of penetration and subversion in the Middle East-first via Egypt and then through Syria.”
Another “striking demonstration of the collapse of our Middle East policy,” Dr Neumann said “was provided when Saudi Arabia, presumably America’s anchor and ally, undermined U.S. efforts to mobilize opposition within the Arab world against the subversion of Syria. These developments have exposed the basic weaknesses and inadequacy of the Eisenhower Doctrine, based as it was on the shifting sands of Arab politics. King Saud has done his best to turn the Doctrine into a fiasco.”
Finally, the ZOA president voiced the profound hope that “our government’s clear-out and decisive reaction with respect to Turkey represents a radical shift in its entire approach, which will be applied to Israel as well.”
Dr. Neumann called for the intensive mobilization of all Zionist forces in this country to help safeguard Israel and to rally all constructive forces in the Jewish community of strengthen its own cultural structure. He announced the appointment of a special committee of noted Hebrew educators and laymen to encourage the establishment of Hebrew day schools in the U.S. Dr. Neumann paid tribute to the 17 Jewish national organization represented in the Presidents’ Conference “for maintaining a united front and responding to every call for action.”
Dr. Harris J. Levine, president of the Jewish National Fund and national ZOA chairman for projects and activities in Israel, hailed the ZOA decision to redeem in cooperation with the JNF, 4,000 acres of land for the establishment of three settlements bearing the name of the ZOA, in Adullam the newest region in Israel to be opened to settlemen.
Dr. Morton J. Robbins, national co-chairman of the American Zionist Fund, the financial arm of the ZOA, stressed the vital need of increased contributions to the fund to finance the expanded program of activities both in Israel and in this country under-taken by the Organization. He pointed to the adoption of a $2,000,000 budget by the last ZOA convention and emphasized that this budget is a “must” if the ZOA is to fulfill the vital tasks entrusted to it.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
