It was one of the pillars on which the state of Israel was founded, encouraging successive waves of immigration, raising funds and acting as a powerful advocate for international Zionism.
Now, however, the Jewish Agency -- founded in 1929 by the World Zionist Organization -- is facing the greatest crisis of its existence, amid proposals that it should no longer be involved in its traditional business of encouraging immigration, but function only as an educational body.
The agency, which raises most of its donations in dollars, is facing an acute financial crisis. The drop in the value of the US dollar has led it to consider closing down its operation organizing aliyah -- the return of Jews to Israel -- regarded as one of Zionism's overriding historic priorities. At present almost half the agency's US$320 million budget goes on encouraging aliyah. The agency has also been struck by a drop in funds from its pool of donors -- largely from the US -- who are concerned that it is over-politicized.
The background of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, which after World War II became known as the Jewish Agency for Israel, is synonymous with the controversial history of the foundation of Israel itself.
Recognized internationally as the official representative of world Jewry after the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, it helped organize the escape of 50,000 German Jews in the 1930s under the Transfer Agreement negotiated with the Nazis. Later, as the plight of European Jews worsened -- and faced with tightening immigration restrictions to Palestine under British Mandate rule -- the agency continued to rescue European Jews by organizing illegal immigration.
After the war it became a key organization in the fight for a Jewish state, with its leadership arrested for resistance to British Mandate rule. Following independence, the agency's head, David Ben-Gurion, became the country's first prime minister.
Since then the agency has acted as the focus of successive mass immigrations, including the 1951 evacuation of 110,000 Iraqi Jews and the airlift of Ethiopia's Jews in 1991.
The disclosure of problems and divisions within the agency, emerged last week in a leak to Haaretz newspaper, which revealed in a report that the agency was planning to close one of its most historically important branches, the Immigration and Absorption Department, as part of a radical restructuring.
The newspaper said that efforts to find alternative sources of funding have not succeeded.
"The new plan can either give it a new identity or signal the end of the road. In any case, we have no choice," a Jewish Agency official said, commenting on plans for swingeing budget cuts.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS