Zionist Organization of America Postpones Its National Convention

The 59th annual convention of the Zionist Organization of America, originally set for August 23-27, has been postponed and will convene instead beginning October 4th through October 7, 1956, at the Mayflower Hotel, Washington, it was announced today. The postponement was approved by a vote of 187 to 9 in a mail poll of all members of the ZOA Administrative Council, the ruling body of the organization between conventions.

Announcing the new date of the convention, Dr. Harris J. Levine, chairman of the National Administrative Council, declared: “In the weeks that followed the original decision of the Council to hold the ZOA convention in August insuperable difficulties were encountered in connection with this date, which would seriously affect the success of the convention.

“We have been advised by important leaders in public affairs that the proximity of our convention date in August to those of the Democratic and Republican national conventions made it necessary to hold the ZOA convention at a later date. This obviously also involved a postponement until after the High Holy Days. Moreover, it has been pointed out to us that such a change would be in the best interests of the Zionist movement as a whole.

“After engaging in the most determined efforts to overcome the aforementioned obstacles so that the convention could take place on the original date, the president of our organization, Mr. Mortimer May, in consultation with fellow-officers, who concurred with him, came to the conclusion that the problem is indeed insoluble and urged most strongly that action be taken to change the convention date,” Dr. Levine said.