The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1954-12-03

membership and to eliminate any dis
criminatory practices against them.
| visited a number of industrial
projects but the visit to the Yuval Cad
pipe factory (said to be the largest
of it's kind in the world) especially
stands out in my mind. Here was a
plant which employees more than 700
workers. All of the workers were new
immigrants representing II different
countries, Yemen, Saudi-Arabia, In
dia, Morocco and Tunisia to mention
but few. The chief engineer of the
plant told me that as of three and
four years ago none of these workers
had ever worked in a factory and all
of them had been trained within the
factory and now have artisan grad
ings. | was quite surprised when the
engineer pointed out their best welder
to me. He pushed back his welding
helmet and revealed a classical Bibli-
cal face adorned with traditional ear
locks-a Yemenite Talmudic scholar
without any previous industrial ex-
perience.
One of the more significant achieve
ments is in the field of agriculture.
The statistics are tremendously i'm
pressive but hardly reveal the pro-
found social revolution with Israel
that this land settlement involved.
Throughout the generations when the
icYoa7acaI1 -,
tries, as a result partly of historical
necessity and partly of discriminatory
laws, Jews have been driven from the
land and had become in the main
town jewellers. The return to agricul-
ture was therefore no easy matter.
Yet within three generations sound
and basic Israeli agriculture has been
established.
Over $50, 1000 Jews out of the popu-
lation of 1,684,000 live on the land.
Of this group about 100000 live on
some $50 settlements, half of them
on the "Kibbutz," the collective set
Element, and the other half on the
"Moshav," the Stockholders co-opera-
tive. l stayed at a "Kibbutz" for a
couple of days and was impressed with
their efficient and well-run operation,
not to mention the dedication and
pioneering spirit of the participants.
NEW HOUSING
In going around the country the
large number of new housing units,
both public and cooperative, that
have been and are in the process of
being constructed really stand out
How great the need for such housing
is can be seen in the population |
growth. From 1913 until the end of
1853 the population had nearly treb-
led rising from 100000 to 1,684,000 |
and the new immigrants are still |
coming into the country.
This brings me to another of the |
difficult problems that Israel faces.
The largest number of new immi-
grants in recent years-and this will
be increasingly true in the future
have come from backward and litter
ate communities in North African
and Middle East countries. In the
transition camps and in the commu
mites where these immigrants are
settling all of the leaders and teachers
must literally help them to bridge the
centuries of tragic poverty, illiteracy
and disease to the modern democracy
of Israel. This indeed is difficult
task and full of back-breaking and
heartbreaking work.
In a world where democracy is
threatened and so often is a rare
it seems but good sense
for us in the American trade union
to support the free trade
1nion movement and the genuinely
democratic little nation of Isarel.