Forty Jewish Leaders Leave by Plane for Europe and Palestine on U.J.A. Mission

Forty Jewish leaders from every section of’ the United States departed today for Paris aboard a plane called the “United Jewish Appeal Star of Hope” on the first leg of a four-week flying mission to Europe and Palestine, undertaken in conjunction with the $250,000,000 nationwide campaign of the United Jewish Appeal, to study the rehabilitation needs of the remaining Jews of Europe and to survey the immigration, upbuilding and settlement requirements in Palestine.

The American Jewish leaders, who are making the trip at their own expense in order to report to their communities on the Jewish position abroad, will visit France Germany, Italy and Palestine.

The delegation took with it for presentation to the Jews of Palestine a miniature gold replica of the Statue of Liberty from Mayor William O’Dwyer of New York City and a gold key to the city of St. Louis from Mayor Aloys P. Kaufmann of that city. Part of the delegation will live with the Jews in the D.P. camps of Germany and. Italy during its stay in those countries. The delegation will spend considerable time in the new Jewish settlements now being established in Palestine.

Rabbi Jonah B. Wise, national chairman of the U.J.A., acting in behalf of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., former Secretary of the Treasury and general chairman of the record-breaking drive, offered a special prayer for the success and safety of the mission. “The visit that these representative leaders of the Jewish community of America have undertaken to make to Europe and Palestine reflects the deep concern which the Jews in this country feel over the continued homelessness and suffering of our fellow Jews in Europe, and demonstrates the determination of American Jewry to give the widest support for relief and rehabilitation overseas as well as for mass immigration, upbuilding and security in Palestine,” Rabbi Wise said.

CHAIRMAN OF DELEGATION EXPLAINS AIMS OF MISSION

Irving G. Rhodes of Milwaukee, chairman of the overseas delegation, declared before the group boarded the plane that “we are undertaking this arduous flying trip to study at first hand the relief and rehabilitation needs of the Jews of Europe which must be met in 1948 through the United Jewish Appeal and to see for ourselves the tremendous scope of the job which mast be accomplished in Palestine within the next twelve months in order to insure a lasting solution to the problems besetting large makers of Jews in Europe and the heroic members of the Palestine Jewish community.

“We are fully aware of the fact that this overseas mission comes at a time when the entire course of Jewish history for centuries to come will be determined,” Rhodes declared. “Upon the success of the $250,000,000 campaign of the United Jewish Appeal rests the hopes and lives of the Jews of Europe and Palestine for generations to come. The extent of the assistance we make available in 1948 towards the upbuilding, settlement and defense of the Jewish state in Palestine will have an important bearing on the future of Jewish history.”

The delegation, which will confer in Europe with top-ranking United States Army military officials on the problems of the Jewish DP’s and in Palestine with leading officials of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, includes Julius Fligelman of Los Angeles, Irwin Fly Goldstein of St. Louis, Joseph Holtzman of Detroit, M.F. Berg, Los Angles, Louis Berry, Detroit, Mrs. Matilda Brailove, Elizabeth, N.J., Maxwell J. Bristol, North Hollywood, California, Samuel Brown, South Bend, Indiana, Jack Dembo, San Diego, California, Melvin Dubinsky, St. Louis.

Also Louis Chanen, Independence, Iowa, Harold A. Goldman, Des Moines, Iowa, Jack Fiatt, Worcester, Mass., Marvin H. Itts, Youngstown, Ohio, Harry L. Jacobs, ##sas City, Mo., Philip Klaus, Bichmond, Va., Samuel C. Klein, St. Louis, Maurice ##paniez, Los Angeles, Rabbi Aaron H. Lefkowitz, Long Branch, N.J., Mrs. Babette K. ##psitz, St. Louis, Al Lushing, Los Angeles; Rabbi Max Nussbaum, Los Angeles, Joseph #sell, Los Angeles, Ben Solnit, Los Angeles, David Uchill, Denver, Col., and Alvin ## Wolff, St. Louis.