Allied Jewish Campaign Commences With Community's
Traditional Generosity of $14,751,000 in Initial Gifts

Economic Setbacks Defied;
Jewry Affirms Solidarity
With Embattled Kinsmen

ti

Greater Detroit Jewry's role of leadership in social
services and philanthropy is gaining additional status as the
-rent Allied Jewish Campaign-Israel Emergency Fund
an to emerge in an assured position of ranking second in
tne community's history in the amount raised.
Executive Vice President William Avrunin of the Jew-
ish Welfare Federation, in a summation of results of solici-
tations conducted in pre-Campaign efforts, at the dinner
meeting which formally opened the drive Wednesday, at
Adat Shalom, announced a beginning total of $14,328,028.
The score.card appearing on this page lists the.
amounts reported by division leaders. In the intervening
hour during which speakers addressed the gathering, an
additional $370,000 from 23 more contributors accounted
for the larger sum of $14,751,000 with which the drive
commences.
Avrunin pointed out that the reported sum is $700,000
above the total raised in 1973, then the largest sum ever
raised in a local drive. Setbacked by economic conditions, a
drop from last year's income was conceded. The current to-
tal of $14,751,000 was secured from 15,865 initial donors.
Aviunin stated that 7,500 more potential givers, whose gifts
last year exceeded $5 million are yet to be contacted, and
the current drive may reach a total of $20 million by the
time the fund-raising efforts end at the closing Campaign
meeting tD be held April 30 at Temple Beth El. In the in-
terim, two report meetings will be held April 20 and 27.
The new general chairman of the United Jewish Ap-
peal, Frank Lautenberg, was the principal speaker for the
evening, and emphasized the critical needs that were facing
the state of Israel and her people. He announced that the-
Detroit Allied Jewish Campaign opening dinner coincided
with the opening of a critical UJA cash drive to raise $100
million in cash before the end of May.
"We must be strong financially, and keep Israel sta-
ble," Lautenberg told the audience. "Israel can not tax
its people anymore without creating the danger of social
unrest. Taxes have been increased three times within
the last year, social services cut drastically, the cur-
rency devalued and the standard of living lowered.
"The Israel economy has reached the red-line mark
with payments on the national debt reaching 20 percent of
the annual budget, and the balance of payments problem is
critical despite devaluation."
Lautenberg added that the people of Israel have mobil-
ized to meet these issues, but that American Jewry has a
major responsibility to help bridge the gap. The UJA's
budget for the current year was cut from a minimal $701
million to a drastic $540 million because of lagging cash
payments.
Lautenberg said the new drive, which begins next week
with a coast-to-coast tour by Lautenberg and Israeli For-
eign Minister Yigal Allon, is an effort to meet UJA's com-
mittment to restore social services to basic levels in Israel.
(Continued on Page 13)

Campaign Scorecard*

1974
TOTAL

DIVISION & CHAIRMAN

MERCANTILE
Sol Cicurel and Robert E. Schwartz

-

A Weekly Review

VOL. LXVII, No. 5

Events

April 11, 1975

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
JERUSALEM — Literally pressed to the wall by an erosion of American backing, increasingly isolated
from traditional friends, enveloped in doubts over the support so vital for the state's survival, Israelis are
near unanimous in hopes that a renewed arsenal will be provided by Diaspora Jewry, with American Jewry
the army that will conduct the struggle on the shifted battlegrounds-
Relief that came with a rejection to an invitation to suicide in an American-backed plan for withdraw-
als without guarantees, of interruption in saber-rattling and war threats also brought with it a silent plea
which Israelis hope will reverberate into a new stand to protect the ramparts that are considered tragically
subjected to the gravest dangers evidenced since the redemption.
Rejecting panic, convinced that a new war will bring another triumph, the people of Israel nev-
ertheless concede being confronted by conditions of most calamitous proportion should there be a
continuation of erosion in American friendship and concomitant support.
The new outcry for help is not for philanthropy alone, urgent as it is, but primarily for moral support,
the reinstatement of American dedication to the cause of justice for the Jew. "Back to the mid-1940s and to
the era when public sentiments needed to be enlisted in support of Jewish National redemption," is the gist
of the call for help to assuage a rededication and possible end to the increasing dangers.
Losing faith in shtadlanut, in private and limited intercessions with American officials, the Israeli
hopes are that a new arsenal will be gathered-in the form of public sentiment to strive for guarantees of
a continuing and strengthened U.S.—Israel comradeship.This is our last rampart, and it can be defended by
a strong public opinion, primarily in the U.S. to avoid a Hurban, a calamitous disaster," is the form as-
sumed by the new quest for help.
The emphasis here is for a renewal of understanding of Israel's role, of a moral backing that will
reject whatever threats may emerge from enemies who would deny the small Jewish nation the right
to live in peace with neighbors they seek to befriend but who are found wanting in the search for
amity.
- Washington is now viewed as the new battleground and the Israeli craving is for solidarity from Jewish
kinsmen who are expected to renew the efforts of pre-statehood years during which American and other
friendships grew from the moral support given the builders of Zion.
The increased pleadings for greater effort for moral support for Israel has developed in spite of the
growing belief that another war may be inevitable. With an assured extension of the tenure of the United
Nations force in the Sinai the expressed sentiments are that a war may be delayed for possibly another
year. This has given rise to the view that another war of attrition may emerge, and the economic difficulties
(Continued on Page 48)

1975 AMOUNT
REPORTED

1974
PLEDGES

Detroit Jewry Salutes
Israel's 27th Anniversary

1975
PLEDGES

1,790

786

1,488,207

835,000

908

388

Historic links with the Holy Land and the traditional solidarity

with the people of Israel inspire the renewed devotion during the

5,524,330

REAL ESTATE & BUILDING TRADES
Milton Barnett and Myron L. Milgrom

FOOD
Bernard Weisberg

PROFESSIONAL
Bruce E. Thal

3,638,000

725

397

4,479,373

2,650,945

1,101

505

1,899,012

1,178,000

545

1

3,033,675

5,369

3144

JUNIOR
Edward Lumberg

109,469

127,468

1,667

1696

METROPOLITAN
Morris Asher and Morris Friedman

157,150

103,940

2,294

—
$
1925

2,176,577

1,774,000

8,997

6800

23,396

15,8.65

t

$22,406,110

5.14,751,000"

*Discrepancy in listed total is explained in story on this page

current anniversary of the reborn State of Israel.
This community's solidarity with fellow Jews in Israel continues in

the dedication being expressed on this historic occasion.

24

4,762,500

TOTAL

of Jewish

Battleground Shifts to U. 5.;
ressed-to-Wall Israelis
Plead for End to Dangers

987,000

INDUSTRIAL & AUTOMOTIVE
Joel D. Tauber

WOMEN'S
Ruth Broder (Mrs. N. Brewster)

*

17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Southfield, Mich. 48075

$ 1,809,492

ERVICES ARTS & CRAFTS •
Joseph Garson and Irving Laker

11,

Detailed stories of local celebrations on Page 18.

,

ISRAEL
1111Y/'

1

Peace!

