The thirty-second annual convention of the Zionist Organization of America will be held in Detroit, Mich., beginning June 30, as was scheduled, according to a decision of the national executive committee held all day Sunday at the Hotel Pennsylvanit, New York.
The executive committee, by an overwhelming majority overruled a group of members, led by William B. Leaf of Philadelphia, who asked that the convention be postponed until the fall. Several reasons were put forward for the postponement. Some asked that the convention be postponed because of the absence of Louis Lipsky, president, who is now in Switzerland, following a throat operation in Jerusalem. Others argued that the convention be put off until after the extended Jewish Agency is formed in Zurich in August, following the Zionist Congress, when the situation of the Zionist movement will be more clearly defined and the possibility for formulating a new program for the Zionist Organization, in adjustment to the conditions expected to result from the formation of the Agency, will be at hand. The group insisting on holding the convention as scheduled was led by Morris Rothenberg and Abraham Goldberg.
By a unanimous vote the national executive committee extended an invitation to Nahum Sokolow, chairman of the World Zionist Executive, to remain in this country until the convention is held and to participate in the sessions. The committee likewise decided to despatch a message of felicitation to Mr. Lipsky and to request him to send his annual message to the convention.
Dr. Joseph Silverman, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Emanu-El. New York, urged the Zionists to increase the effectiveess of their organization in view of the approaching consummation of the Jewish Agency plan. The initiative and the motive force for Palestine work must come from the Zionists, he said.
Raising the membership dues will be recommended to the forthcoming convention, according to a decision reached by the executive committee. The amount of the increase was not specified. The deficit of the Zionist Organization of America has been reduced by $18,000 during the past year, Dr. I. M. Rubinow, executive director, reported.
Any party or Zionist group which will not have paid the Shekel dues of its members hip by June 7 will be disqualified from participating in the election of delegates to the Zionist Congress on June 9, the executive committee decided. It was brought out that despite the regulations governing the Congress elections, the other parties on the ticket, excepting the Z. O. A. had not as yet paid in their Shekelim to entitle them to par
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ticipate in the Congress election.
In a report on the present state of Zionist and United Palestine Appeal affairs. Mr. Rothenberg, acting president of the Zionist Organization of America and chairman of the national board of directors of the United Palestine Appeal, urged that the country give its utmost cooperation in raising the $500,000 that has been set as a goal to be raised in cash by the time of the Zionist convention. A special session of the convention will be devoted to the announcement of the amounts that have been raised in the special Redemption Weeks Campaign for cash.
The session concluded with a report on the activities of the Jewish National Fund by Emanuel Neumann, president, who stated that the income of the National Fund had increased during the past year. He stated that the prospects for a large collection on June 9, the annual Flower Day, were very bright. Elihu D. Stone of Boston, chairman of the executive committee, presided.
Jacob Stalz, father of Rabbi Joseph Henry Stalz of Chicago, died at his home in Syra cuse. N. Y., at the age of 95. Mr. Stalz came to New York in 1859. Besides Rabbi Stalz he is survived by two sons, Louis and David, of Syracuse.
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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.