Sharett Foresees New Record of Immigration to Israel in Current Year

The current year will mark a new record in immigration if the trend during the past few months continues, Moshe Sharett, chairman of the Jewish Agency executive, declared here today. Addressing the current meeting of the Zionist Actions Committee, the supreme ruling body of the world Zionist movement between Zionist Congresses, Mr. Sharett said that the composition of immigration into Israel is now much more balanced and healthy, comprising more young people.

He cautioned the Actions Committee delegates that, while for the time being the rate of absorption was catching up with the immigration flow, it was feared that the rate of construction of housing units to accommodate the newcomers would not. He paid high tribute to the devotion of the Jewish Agency’s absorption workers. He expressed particular pride in the special Youth Aliyah enterprise which had absorbed 4,000 youths from 40 countries during the past year.

The Jewish Agency chairman reiterated the assurance that every child whose parents desired religious education, received it. “We guard this principle scrupulously, ” he declared. He noted that Israel also sought the absorption of young people from the free countries even though they remained in Israel for only two years in order to study, because, he felt, such youngsters were likely to return permanently. “This is a great educational work,” Mr. Sharett declared.

Reviewing the work of the various departments of the Jewish Agency, Mr. Sharett stressed the assistance rendered by the economic department to immigrants from free countries. Some 5,000 newcomers came from the free countries of the west during the past year, he noted, adding that immigration from the United States was on the increase, although still amounting to only token numbers.

THANKS U.J. A. LEADERS; URGES CENTRALIZATION OF ZIONIST MOVEMENT IN U. S.

Emphasizing the need to expand the network of Jewish Agency emissaries throughout the world, Mr, Sharett disclosed that in all of America there were only four emissaries dealing with immigration. “In many places, ” he declared, “the writing on the wall has already appeared but one is oblivious to these warnings in many places of danger.”

Thanking the leaders of the United Jewish Appeal for their untiring work, Mr. Sharett said, however, that income lagged behind the needs. “We must not at this great moment fail to supply the means required for the gigantic task of absorbing the aliyah which is knocking at our gates, ” he stated.

The Jewish Agency leader stressed the imperativeness of creating immediately in the United States a central Zionist organization “without which one cannot conceive of a strong Zionist movement.” Without such a central Zionist organization, he stressed, there was also the danger of assimilation. “Without one movement there will not be a universal body to serve as a link between the Jewish world in the dispersion and Israel, ” he declared.