The passage of the first American oil tanker to Israel through the Gulf of Akaba was hailed here today as a “heartening development of major significance” at a meeting of the executive council of the Zionist Organization of America, composed of several hundred delegates from all parts of the country.
Dr. Emanuel Neumann, ZOA president, addressing the session, urged the U.S. Government to extend technical and financial assistance for the development of the Israeli port of Elath and the overland route to the Mediterranean Sea in order to counter Col. Nasser’s announced intention of continuing the blockade of Israeli shipping through the Suez Canal.
The Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling upon its members through-out the country to intensify their efforts in behalf of the United Jewish Appeal and to increase their contributions to the UJA Rescue Fund over and above their regular contributions to the UJA. The resolution was adopted following an address by Rabbi Herbert H. Friedman, UJA executive vice chairman, who announced that about 22, 000 Jewish refugees will reach Israel within the next two months.
“The people of the free world, particularly the Jewish communities, must face up to the fact that we are in the midst of a gigantic rescue mission, ” Rabbi Friedman said. “Large numbers of the Jewish population are being permitted to leave from the most unexpected places. It presents us with a heaven-sent opportunity, perhaps never to be repeated, to rescue and resettle people now, who are escaping death and oppression. It represents an historic challenge and those of us, fortunate enough to be living in this part of the world, dare not fail.”
The 2-day sessions of the National Executive Council was also addressed by Joseph Serlin, former Israeli Minister of Health and leader of the General Zionist Party of Israel. Mr. Serlin said that “the recent events culminating in Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the Gulf of Akaba, particularly in view of the statement by Israeli Premier David Ben Gurion. that the withdrawal was effected under pressure of the threat of sanctions, made it essential that the economic structure of Israel must be reorganized in order to make the country economically independent and thus assure its political sovereignty.”
Abraham Goodman, chairman of the Council, who presided announced that with the lifting of the U.S. State Department ban on travel to Israel, the ZOA has launched an intensified effort to promote tourist groups to Israel on the occasion of the forthcoming Ninth Israel Independence Day and the Shav uoth holidays. Mr. Goodman also announced a 1957 Diamond Jubilec Tour to Israel and to the shrines of Zionism in Europe on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress in Basle and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Zionist Organization of America.
The passage of the first American oil tanker through the Gulf of Akaba to the Israeli port of Elath evoked favorable comment here yesterday, while an Israeli spokesman made the following statement:
“This voyage marks an important stage in the history of the Gulf of Akaba as an international waterway. It follows as a direct consequence of the memorandum transmitted by Secretary of State Dulles to Ambassador Abba Eban on Feb. 11 in which the United States enunciated its intention to exercise free and innocent passage in the Gulf.
“The general procedures under which American ships would sail to Elath was discussed between Christian Herter, Under Secretary of State and the Israeli Ambassador to Washington March 9. Yesterday the Israeli embassy notified the State Department that the ship was now completing its voyage.”
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.
