A program of action for American Jews to follow to assist Israel in the present crisis was outlined here today by Mrs. Rebecca Shulman, president of Hadassah, to the opening session of the four-day 41st annual convention of the women’s Zionist organization of America. The program asked American Jews to:
1. Urge the United States Government to lessen tension in the Middle East and minimize the possibility of an Arab-Israel arms race by entering into a mutual defense treaty with Israel; 2. Redouble economic assistance to Israel to assure the uninterrupted development of the country’s agriculture and industry; 3. Make available professional and skilled labor to accelerate the up building of the country and to fill key civilian posts; and 4, Strengthen Israel’s economy through tourism. Mrs. Shulman asserted that “we cannot send heavy tanks, jets and submarines to offset the danger to world peace created by the Communist-Egyptian pact, but the avenues of economic aid are wide open.”
Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the Jewish Agency, told the convention that “the situation in the Middle East could be transformed overnight from a grave liability into an asset for peace if only our Administration would announce that it is prepared to come before the Senate of the United States and request authorization for a security treaty with Israel and with any other state in the Middle East desirous of entering into such a treaty.”
Congressman Brooks Hays of Arkansas, a member of the United States delegation to the United Nations, tonight told the 3,000 delegates that the recently concluded Soviet arms agreement with Egypt “may well lead our Arab friends to many irrational steps.” For Israel, Mr. Hays suggested: Continued alertness to the danger of Communism in the Near East; increased individual effort and ability to make Israel economically strong; and a continued, serious search for the ways and means by which Israel may contribute towards the bringing about of peace in the area.
In a message to the convention, President Eisenhower hailed Hadassah’s “proud record in advancing the welfare and serving the needs of literally hundreds of thousands of people.”
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.
