Premier Yitzhak Rabin addressed meetings in 48 communities in the United States and Canada yesterday by means of a coast-to-coast telephone hookup arranged by the Israel Bond Organization which observed the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War as National Rededication Day for Israel.
Speaking from Jerusalem, the Premier’s message calling for greater support of the Israel Bond program in order to back up Israel’s peace efforts with a strong economy was heard by thousands of volunteers around the country, many of whom gathered in synagogue succahs at breakfast meetings which preceded a day of intensive solicitation on a person-to-person, house-to-house basis.
In discussing the prospect for increased immigration from the Soviet Union, Rabin said: “The Jews in the Soviet Union are providing an inspiring example to the Jews the world over. We in Israel must be prepared to receive a large number of Jews from Russia. We consider the possibility of increasing immigration from the Soviet Union as a historic human opportunity for the welfare of the entire Jewish people.”
The Premier said it was reassuring that the Jewish communities in North America were utilizing the anniversary of the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War as “a day of action” to advance our possibilities for economic development and growth. Referring to the status of the peace negotiations with the Arabs, Rabin declared: “We hope that steps towards peace will take on concrete form through negotiations. We certainly shall encourage every opportunity that might arise.”
But he explained that “it would be folly for us not to be prepared to meet renewed aggression.” He added that Israel “cannot rest or relax in the strengthening of our defensive capacity until we are much further advanced along the road towards peace.” Asserting that economic development represents another side of defense, Rabin declared that Israel must continue to develop economically, “for our internal economic strength is the key to our ability to absorb the immigrants.”
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.
