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Jewish Agency Acts on Major Issues; Adopts Draft of Status

March 14, 1952
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Dr. Nahum Goldmann, co-chairman of the Jewish Agency executive, today reported to the Agency plenary session here the progress made in the conference he held yesterday with Israeli Premier David Ben Gurion and Finance Minister Eliezer Kaplan on plans for the coordination of the United Jewish Appeal and Israel bond sales campaigns, a communique issued by the Agency tonight declared.

It added that all efforts will be made to arrange such coordination in the near futures. “The Agency reiterates its opinion that normalization of relations between the United Jewish Appeal and the bond drive requires the establishment of a supreme body in the United States for coordination and decision, “the communique stated.

The session also approved a ruling by the directorate of the Keren Hayesod, fund-raising arm of the Agency, on the conduct of drives and the allocation of funds derived from such campaigns. The four major points of this ruling are:

1. An effort must be made to see to it that drives for Israeli needs are not coupled with campaigns for general Jewish needs. However, this decision will not refer to the United States, Canada or South Africa.

2. Allocations for purposes other than those of the organizations and purposes supported by the Keren Hayesod should be reduced to a minimum.

3. Separate drives should be arranged with the headquarters of Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal. They will be carried out on the basis of agreements on schedule and slogans.

4. All allocations for institutions and parties should be made only with the approval of the headquarters of the Keren Hayesod-U.I.A. in Jerusalem and, in important cases, with the approval of the Jewish Agency branch in Jerusalem. Allocations for U.S. institutions should be made after the approval of the Agency offices in Jerusalem and New York.

The plenary session also decided to undertake, in cooperation with the Israel Government and housing companies, a program to provide housing for experts and professionals from abroad who come to Israel by special invitation.

While the general lines of the Agency’s immigration policy remain intact, several amendments have been introduced. The amendments will increase the number of immigrants in the current year. Itzhak Raphael, head of the Agency’s immigration department, expressed the hope that 100,000 new immigrants will arrive in the Jewish state in 1952.

The session adopted several decisions regarding the transfer of certain tasks and authority to certain Zionist federations in order to strengthen the World Zionist movement.

The communique states that the plenary session adopted a draft of the status which the Jewish Agency seeks from the Israel Government. The draft will be submitted to the Government for its consent. If adopted by the Israel Cabinet, it will then be presented to the Israel Parliament.

Immediately after the closing of today’s meeting, Dr. Goldmann, and Berl Locker, co-chairmen of the Agency executive, visited Premier David Ben Gurion and submitted to him the draft adopted by the Agency session. Dr. Goldmann is leaving Israel by plane tomorrow to meet Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett in Europe. The plenary session of the Agency executive is expected to close on Monday.

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