Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 49

VI. —Dispatch of shekolim to the various countries. In 5694 over half a million shekolim were dispatched by the Executive for distribution, while in 5695 about two million were sent out. This number does not include Germany and Lithuania. The demand for shekolim was especially large in Congress Poland, East and West Galicia, Palestine and Lithuania. VII. —Shekel activities in the-individual countries. As stated above, the results of the current year, 5695, constitute a record in the history of the shekel. Below will be found a brief survey of the progress of the shekel activities for the present Congress period in the various countries. 1. Palestine. According to information already at hand 112,000 shekolim were disposed of in Palestine in 5695, as against 67,500 in 5693 and 58,000 in 5691—almost double the results of four years ago. This increase is undoubtedly largely due to the substantial increase in the number of Jewish settlers in Palestine, owing to increased immigration in the last four years. Also 5694, which was a non-Congress year, showed an improvement on the sales of 5692, the previous non-Congress period. A third of the Jewish population of Palestine have thus acquired the shekel. 2. Austria. In Austria, too, there was. a rise in the total number of shekolim sold, as compared with the results for the previous Congress period—from 16,700 to 19,500, an increase of about 3,000. Although the results for 5694 showed an increase of about 1,000 shekolim when compared with 5692, it is nevertheless to be regretted that the Austrian Zionists do not endeavour to reduce the substantial difference between the results attained in a Congress year and those of a non-Congress year. 3. America. The potentialities of the shekel activities in America are indeed very considerable. There is no doubt that with proper organisation and the will on the part of Zionists of all factions, it would be possible to distribute in America, with its Jewish population of 4^ million, half-a-million shekolim. For various internal reasons, the shekel activities in America in recent years have been confined to very limited circles. Practically nothing was done to distribute the shekel among the masses of people who were not .organised members of the various Zionist parties. For the first time this year an experiment was made to enlist Shekel-payers from outside the organised ranks, and it is to be noted with satisfaction that this has met with a certain amount of success, and the total number of shekolim sold in the U.S.A. for the two years 5694-5, has reached about 170,000, as against 90,000 for the preceding Congress period. There is reason to hope that American Zionists will continue to follow this line and that in the next Congress period they will increase their efforts in order to attain a figure truly representative of the largest Jewish population in the world. 49 4