The Jewish National Fund’s budget for this year is 26,000,000 Israeli pounds ($104,000,000), it was revealed here today by Dr. Abraham Granovsky, managing director of the J.N.F., at a meeting commemorating the seventh anniversary of the death of M.M. Ussishkin, Zionist leader and one of the founders of the agency. Eighty percent of the budget has been set aside for land redemption and 20 percent will be utilized towards land reclamation, Dr. Granovsky said.
The award of “Ussishkin prizes” to two Israeli authors was announced at the gathering. The prizes went to Isaiah Press for his “Topographical Encyclopedia of Palestine” and to Moshe Shamir for his best-selling novel, “He Walked in Ten Fields,” which has since been produced as a play.
Paying tribute to the memory of Ussishkin, Dr. Granovsky said: “The Jewish National Fund stands before tasks that are greater than any we have ever faced before–we must provide the basis for the absorption of hundreds of thousands of new immigrants, and in the course of time, of millions. They are coming every day and the tempo will not slacken.
“One of our immediate major tasks,” he continued, “is to strengthen our positions throughout the country. We must ensure free access between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Towards this end, we are establishing settlements along the corridor that will keep the way open. We are certain that Jews throughout the world will understand the immensely significant tasks which the J.N.F. is called on to perform.”
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.
