Over 100 work-shops, four major plenaries and six important for ums reflecting every major issue facing Jewish Federations at home and abroad are included in the agenda of the 50th General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations which convenes Nov. 10-15 in St. Louis. Preliminary registration figures indicate an attendance of well over 2,500 representatives from the 200 Jewish Federations in the United States and Canada which comprise the CJF.
The opening GA plenary session on Wednesday evening, Nov. II, will mark the official commencement of CJF’s 50th anniversay year. The major address of the evening will be delivered by CJF president Morton Mandel of Cleveland. The plenary will also include the premiere showing of “50 Years,” an audio-visual review of the past half-century of North American Jewish history as seen through the eyes of CJF past presidents.
On Thursday evening Nov. 12, the Assembly will convene again for a second plenary session on “American Foreign Policy and Jewish Concerns.” The Saturday evening plenary will be devoted to a special cultural offering, and the closing plenary session on Sunday morning, Nov. 15, will include videotaped highlights of the entire 1981 GA.
INTENSIVE DISCUSSIONS PLANNED
Six Forums are planned to provide intensive discussions on topics of primary concern to the Federation community in 1982: “The Jew in the Non-Jewish World”; “Ethiopian Jews — A Community in Peril”; “Jews in the Soviet Union: Managing the Current Crisis”; “Peace in the Middle East — The Role of North American Jewry” and “Jewish Concern for Women’s Rights: Opportunities and Responsibilities for Federations.”
On Friday afternoon, Nov. 13, the final Forum, “Jewish Communities in Distress Around the World”, will be preceded by a march to the old Courthouse in St. Louis to demonstrate solidarity with all oppressed Jews.
Shabbat observance will include a Friday night address, “The Jewish Immigrant Experience in North America, 1881-1981.” The Saturday Oneg Shabbat will be devoted to a public affairs seminar concentrating on the Reagan Administration’s policies on key domestic and international issues.
Also included in the 1981 GA program will be sessions on issues such as Soviet-Jewish integration into North American Communities; The Needs of the Jewish Disabled; The 1982 Campaign; Cable Television; The Jewish Family; The CJF-B’nai B’rith Study on Hillel; Jewish Singles in Community Life; Declining Federal Dollars for Human Services; Taxes and Philanthropy; The New Anti-Semitism; The Changing Arab World; Jewish Community Newspapers, and others.
Women’s Division leaders are planning a variety of specialized sessions, as is the CJF Leadership Development Committee, which will host approximately 200 winners of local Federation Leadership Development Awards. Student leaders from campuses throughout North America will also take part in the GA.
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