World Zionist Organization-American Section - excerpt from Lee O'Brien, American Jewish Organizations and Israel, 1986

This page is an extract, reproduced with permission, from Lee O'Brien, American Jewish Organizations and Israel, Washington DC: Institute for Palestine Studies, 1986.

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• Year established: 1971
• President: Bernice S. Tannenbaum
• Vice~President: Jacques Torczyner
• Executive Vice Chairman: Isadore Hamlin
• Address: 515 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022

General Background

In accord with the 1971 Reconstitution Agreement, the WZO American Section operates in the United States as the agent for the WZO Executive in Jerusalem; it is composed of those members of the Executive who reside in the United States. The WZO is registered with the U.S. Department of Justice under Section 2 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, and it files its six-month registration, as required by law. But it also files Form 990 (Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax) as a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code, and it is exempted from filing annual reports with the New York Office of Charities Registration on the grounds that it is a ‘religious organization.’ WZO's territorial branch in the United States, the American Zionist Federation (AZF), is an umbrella organization that includes all U.S. Zionist organizations. In reaction to the affiliation of most American Zionist groups to political parties in Israel, another umbrella organization, the World Confederation of United Zionists (WCUZ), was created to provide coordination among the non-party American Zionists.

Structure and Function

The general objectives of WZO, as stated in the WZO-American Section's registration statements on file with the U.S. Department of Justice, are:

• 1. To foster the ideals of Zionism and Judaism, and the' unity of the Jewish people.
• 2. To encourage the immigration of Jews to Israel and their resettlement and rehabilitation therein in industry, agriculture, commerce and the trades.
• 3. To assist and further their cultural, educational, religious, social, artistic and scientific endeavors.
• 4. To encourage, foster and promote the knowledge and study of the Hebrew language and literature, Jewish culture, history, philosophy and traditions, and the achievements of the Zionist ideal; and in connection therewith, to disseminate, publish and otherwise make available cultural, literary, religious, social, artistic, scientific and other publications and works relating to Judaism, Zionism, Israel and kindred subjects."

The purpose of the WZO-American Section "is to gain the increasing and continued support of the American Jewish community for the above-mentioned objectives." Its jurisdiction includes Canada and Mexico.

To a large extent, the range of activities of the WZO-American Section mirrors the activities of the WZO in Jerusalem, with special attention given to the Jewish/Zionist situation in the United States. It operates through a number of fixed departments:

• Education and Culture - Programs include the Bible context, the Hebrew Language Division, Yediat [knowledge of] Israel, Early Childhood Division, Israel Program Section (conducts recruitment, screening, and registration of students who wish to enroll in the programs in Israel), publications, and educational centers.

• Torah (Religious) Education and Culture - Responsible for the preparation of educational materials for religious schools and tutoring workshops intended to introduce modern pedagogical techniques (between April and June 1983, forty such workshops were held in ten cities). Educational materials prepared in 1983 covered topics such as ‘the unity of Israel,’ ‘Turn from evil and do good,’ and ‘Love your neighbor.’ Workshops for school principals and senior teachers included Hebrew studies on curriculum, geography of Israel, and Jewish history.

• Theodor Henl Institute - Conducts lectures and evening programs. In addition to Jewish and Zionist history, topics discussed in 1983 included ‘Ultimate Israeli concerns,’ ‘In search of Jewish role models,’‘Behind the headlines,’ ‘Zionism and the Holocaust,’ ‘Moslem fundamentalism and Arab nationalism,’ and ‘Controversial issues in current Zionism.’ Among the special events held at the Institute were a commemoration of the Holocaust, an Israel Independence Day celebration, and a seminar on ‘Why the world is anti-Israel.’

• Herzl Press - Publishes books and monographs on Judaism, Zionism, and Israel. Theodor Henl Foundation-Publishes Midstream, ‘a monthly literary magazine devoted to Jewish and Zionist problems of general and current interest’. Interreligious and Community Relations Department-Maintains liaison with various Christian organizations. In 1983, this department sent a delegation of twelve presidents of Christian universities to Israel.

• Public Information and Press Department-Issues press releases and assists in publishing Israel Scene and the annual Guide to Israel Programs.

• Youth Department, Youth Aliyah Department, and Dor Hemshech/Young. Leadership Department - All three departments organize workshops on Zionism and Israel, Israel-based study programs, and frequent delegations to Israel; they also maintain contacts with other Zionist and Jewish youth organizations in the United States. Zionist Archives and Library - Maintained at the office in New York City.

Funding

As the agent of the WZO in Jerusalem, the WZO-American Section received annual funding from its parent organization. According to its registration statement, the total receipts of the WZO-American Section for the year from 1 October 1982 through 30 September 1983 were slightly over $10 million. The largest expenditure (about $4.5 million) covered the compensation and maintenance of about 150 WZO ‘envoys’ (shlichim) engaged in WZO-related activities. About $3.3 million was spent on administrative and functional costs, about $1.3 million on grants, subfractions, and service fees, and about $819,000 on WZO employees in Latin America and Canada.

According to the 1982-1983 statement, grants were disbursed in varying amounts, ranging from less than $1,000 to over $100,000. The recipients were a variety of Zionist and Jewish organizations and centers in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Recipients in the United States included the Presidents Conference (membership fee), B'nai B'rith, Hadassah, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (for providing daily news to WZO offices throughout the world), Israel Students Organizations, National Council of Young Israel, Mizrachi-Religious Zionists of America, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard, Center for Jewish Studies at Temple University, Zionist Organization of America, Americans for a Safe Israel, World Confederation of United Zionists and the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. Most of the grants seem to have been earmarked for youth-related activities, visits to Israel, encouragement of settlement, and youth-directed pro-Israel information. Hebrew education and Jewish studies also received support.