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THE JEWISH NEWS
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VOLUME 23—No. IS
of Jewish Events
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Division in Ranks of Israel's Friends
Enlargement of Agency, Unifying
Zio ist Ranks Meet Opposition
German Indemnification
Bill to Get Final Approval
In the Bundesrat on July 17
BONN, (JTA)—The bill for the payment of more
than 4,000,000,000 marks ($952,000,000) damages to Jews
and other persons who were persecuted by the Nazis, which
was passed last Thursday in the Bundestag, the lower house
of parliament, will come up for final approval on July 17
before the Bundesrat, the upper house.
(Earlier Story on Page 3)
Some objections to certain features of the bill may yet
be raised at the Bundesrat, but it is nonetheless expected
. that the bill will be enacted in August and will enter into
effect on Oct. 1. It is understood that the Social Democrats,
who are strong supporters of the bill, are already engaged
in preparation for amendments to improve the deficiencies
of the measure. Before proposing these amendments, the
leaders of the Social Democrats will discuss them with a
group of Nazi victims.
Compensations to Nazi victims under the bill, as
adopted by the Bundestag last Thursday, will be paid over
a period of 10 years. Loss of life would be compensated
With pension's for survivors. Damage to health would be
paid for at a minimum rate of 30 percent of the victim's
normal earning capacity. Former concentration camp in-
mates would receive the equivalent of $37.50 a month for
the terms of their confinement.
The Communists voted against the bill in the Bunde-
stag. The Free Democrats were split with a majority voting
in favor of the bill. Most of the deputies of the Bavarian
Party and of the German Party either abstained or voted
against the measure. The bill passed by the solid majority
of the votes of all the Social Democrats and a preponderant
majority of Chancellor Adenauer's Christian Democrats.
Austrian Talks Approach Decisive Stage
VIENNA, (JTA) —With the Austrian Parliament due
to adjourn within the next few days, a decisive stage in the
Austrian-Jewish negotiations on the Jewish claims for re-
parations and restitution is expected to be reached this
Week.
Thesesources point out that Chancellor Julius Raab
wants a free hand in negotiation with the Jewish delega-
tion, and is therefore hastening to cut short the Parliamen-
tary session. Meanwhile, the Austrian team is preparing its
reply to the presentation of the Jewish case.
Ex-Nazis Also Ask Compensation
HANOVER, (JTA)
Some 3,500 former Nazis who
had been interned by the Allies after the occupation of
Germany massed near Hanover to demand the same com-
pensation payments as voted for Jewish and other victims
of the Nazis last week by the German Parliament.
The German Parliament's action was based on a prom-
ise made by the Germans to the Conference on Jewish Ma-
terial Claims Against Germany when the reparations agree-
ment was signed last September. The ex-Nazis, Who met on
the site of an Allied internment camp, heard speakers
praise the "great ideals" of the German people during the
Nazi regime.
Israel to Try Secret Group ;
Vessel R turned to Egypt
Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News
TEL AVIV—Three officers have been appointed as a
military court to try 15 ultra-religious youths arrested on
suspicion of being involved in an underground group, a
military spokesman announced here Tuesday. The local
papers have reported that evidence against the arrested
men may include alleged links with the bombing of the
Soviet and Czech legations here earlier this year.
The Egyptian vessel Samir, captured in Israeli terri-
torial waters some months ago, was turned over to the
Egyptian authorities Monday on thee high seas opposite
Gaza. The return of the ship was witnessed by Israeli and
Egyptian gfficers and United Nations officials.
Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News ,
JERUSALEM—Lengthy and intensive debate on the proposal by Dr. Nahum Gold-
mann for the enlargement of the Jewish Agency to include a number of outstanding
non-Zionist leaders and the plan of Premier David Ben-Gurion to merge all Zionist par-
ties into Territorial Zionist Federations featured Tuesday's meeting of the Jewish
Agency plenary session.
The session is being attended by the presidents of all American Zionist parties, in
addition to the regular members of the Agency Executive, because the various sugges-
tions for changing the structure of the Zion ist Organization will basically affect ''the
American Zionist parties and movement.
Rabbi Irving Miller, president of the Zionist Organization of America, vigorously
opposed both the Goldmann and the Ben- Gurion schemes. He dwelt on the differ-
ences in approach to Israel of the Zionists an d the non Zionists and urged the session not
to "undermine" the foundations of the Zionist organization. In addition, he opposed the
expansion of the Agency.
He was supported by Leon Gellman, World Mizrachi leader, and representatives of
Mapam, who demanded that the Zionist Organization should maintain all the preroga-
tives it has had until now. Rabbi Max Kirsh Blum, president of American Mizrachi, ad-
mitted that the Zionists had not been doing enough to awaken and strengthen the Zion-
ist Organization. However, he added that if the Zionist movement were activized it
would be strong enough to rally all elements among Jewry to support Israel.
While all speakers at Tuesday's session agreed that some change was necessary to
bring the Zionist Organization into line with changed conditions, some of the members of
the Executive rejected the idea of enlarging the Jewish Agency. However, they sug-
gested that two organizations must be set up—one to assist Israel and the other to carry
out "purely Zionist tasks," such as educatio n, pioneering and organization of a Jewish
national life abroad.
Still other speakers maintained that the Zionist Organization could not live "without
vision" and that the organization has a "raison d'etre" only when it is converted into a
people's movement. They insisted that the organization could not be rebuilt only on the
basis of educational and cultural activities.
Sprinzak Outlines Reorganization Plan for Zionist Movement
Joseph Sprinzak, Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, told the meeting that in order to
meet new conditions it is necessary for the Zionist Organization to convert its structure to
include not only the Zionists but all of the hundreds of thousands of Jews who assist Israel.
Such an organization, he added, must fulfill three_functions:
1. It must assist politically and economically in Israel's consolidation and prosperity;
2. It must work for Jewish education throughout the world; 3. It must strive to make Hebrew
the language of world Jewry.
According to the proposal outlined by Mr. Sprinzak, every purchaser of a shekel as well
as contributors to drives for Israel would be eligible to participate in elections for the World
Zionist Congress and the Congress would elect the executive bodies of the Zionist movement.
Levi Eshkol, Israeli Finance Minister and head of the Agency's colonization department,
gave the executive a detailed report of the agricultural picture. He reported that some 4,000,000
dunams (1,000,000 acres) of land could be cultivated in the near future and that after a while
the hilly regions and the Negev would yield an additionar 1,000,000 cultivable dunams.
A total of 3,400,000 dunams are now under cultivation, including 1,700,000 dunams of irri-
gated land. Some 1,500,000 dunams are being farmed by recent immigrants, Mr. Eshkol said.
He reported that the Agency had planned to establish 50 new colonies this year but that the
plan could not be carried out because there were too few candidates for settlement.
At the Agency plenum Dr. Emanuel Neumann was congratulated by all the members on
his 60th birthday.
84 Starts Unified Education Drive
TEL AVIC, (JTA)—Launching what he called a "persuasion campaign" regarding
a unified system of education in Israel, Prime Minister David Ben Gurion told a Mapai
teachers' conference that "state education is the most important step to mold our
presently divided tribes and sections into one Israeli nation."
The Premier emphasized that statehood was "labor's
glorious achievement since the majority of Israelis are la-
borers." He pointed out that there exist wide gaps in educa-
tional approaches in Israel, and noted that a father in a cer-
tain settlement cannot send his son to a school of his own
preference. Internal differences in the labor movement in
Israel, Mr. Ben Gurion said, prevent even a unified form of
labor education.
State education, Mr. Ben Gurion continued, would
"serve to create one united nation, and would also bring
about one united labor nation." He emphasized that state
education did not aim at totalitarian education, since "we
believe in human freedom." The Israel leader said that under
(
Ben Gurion
a system of state education, students would study agricul-
ture and handicrafts and would receive Halutzic training in order to "create citizens who
believe in freedom, equality, justice and love for others."
Education Minister Ben Zion Dinur said that the education bill now before the
Knesset is aimed at creating "an Israel citizen who is beyond any class or party differ-
ences." He said that under the proposed law, "teachers would be obliged to teach accord-
ing to the country's education program" and warned against any attempts to undermine
the law. -
Mr. Dinur promised that the new education plan would train a young generation to
observe Israel's holidays and to have a positive approach to agriculture and manual
labor. "We cannot accept a situation where only 36 percent of the inhabitants are
engaged in physical labor," he stated. "We must bring about a revolution in this field,
and we must make our youth love work." He added that teachers in Israel should be like
the President "above all private opinions or party or class politics."
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