Finding aid for the American Zionist Federation of Cleveland Records

History of the American Zionist Federation of Cleveland

The American Zionist Federation of Cleveland, Ohio, was established in 1970 under the name Cleveland Zionist Federation (CZF), as a regional office of the American Zionist Federation. The 27th World Zionist Congress, meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1968, mandated the creation of the Federation to carry out the Congress' Zionist program in the United States. The Federation's goal was to consolidate the efforts of existing Zionist organizations in the areas of public relations, programming, education, and aliyah (immigration to Israel). The national Federation, with its headquarters in New York City, was formed by representatives from thirteen constituent Zionist organizations, and youth and student groups.

Organizational efforts for the CZF began in Cleveland in 1969 when Daniel Mann, coordinator of the Advisory Committee of the national Federation, presented the idea to the Cleveland Zionist Council. The CZF was formed by representatives from the local chapters of Hadassah, Pioneer Women, Mizrachi Women, Farband and Poale Zion of the Labor Zionist Alliance, Mizrachi Hapoel Hamizrachi, and the Zionist Organization of America. These constituent organizations ratified a constitution in January 1971.

The objectives of the Federation, both locally and nationally, were to foster Zionist and Jewish ideals among American Jews, motivate Jews to become Zionists, promote research and the study of Zionism, provide educational materials concerning Zionism, cooperate with agencies assisting Jews to immigrate to Israel, support youth programs concerned with Zionism, and assist Jewish fundraising agencies. In April 1971, the CZF decided to focus specifically on encouraging aliyah and providing educational services about Israel to schools, civic organizations, churches and synagogues, and other organizations that expressed interest in Zionism and Israel.

Two factors determined membership in the CZF. Any member of a constituent agency was automatically a member, and any non-affiliated person who accepted the "Jerusalem Program" and wanted to join the CZF could become a member. The Jerusalem Program was adopted by the World Zionist Congress in 1968 and states that Zionism's aims are the unity of the Jewish people and the centrality of Israel in Jewish life; the ingathering of the Jewish people to its historic homeland; the strengthening of the State of Israel; the preservation of the identity of the Jewish people; and the protection of the rights of Jews everywhere. Although Daniel Mann originally suggested that the Federation would speak and act for the entire community, the CZF constitution, which was modeled after the national Federation constitution, noted that membership did not constrain constituent agencies from assuming their own, separate programming responsibilities or carrying out their normal activities.

Constituent agencies paid dues based on their own membership, corporate members (organizations not primarily Zionist) paid $100 per year, and at-large members (individuals not affiliated with a constituent agency) paid twenty dollars annually. Corporate and individual dues were sent directly to the national Federation and a portion was then rebated to the local chapter. Constituent agencies paid dues to the CZF based on membership and to their national offices which, in turn, paid dues to the national Federation office. The national Federation then provided up to one-third of the salary for the executive directors of the local chapters. Initially, each constituent was given the same representation on the CZF board of trustees, unlike the national Federation and other local chapters which provided proportional representation based on a constituent's membership and dues payment. Following complaints by Hadassah, the largest local constituent, the CZF changed its policy in April 1971 to conform with the national body.

The CZF was beset with membership problems from its inception. Because the constituent organizations had dues requirements to their national headquarters as well as local programming responsibilities, some of them found it difficult to pay their local Federation dues. Non-payment locally and on the national level led to consideration of dropping the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) from membership in 1972. ZOA did resign from the CZF in 1973 upon receiving direction from its national office not to pay dues to the Federation. Additionally, Mizrachi Hapoel Hamizrachi, the Labor Zionist Alliance members, Pioneer Women, and the student affiliates often had difficulty making their payments. On the other hand, a report from the national office indicated that Cleveland ran ahead of other cities at mid-decade in enlisting at-large members. In January 1974, the CZF had sixty-five individual members.

The CZF worked with other community organizations in producing programs, supporting speakers, and providing education on Zionist and Israel oriented topics. Among the most successful activities it sponsored were the annual Israel Independence Day celebrations and the Scholar-in-Residence program which brought an Israel scholar to Cleveland for one month each year to lecture to Jewish and non-Jewish groups. Among other programs sponsored by CZF were Aliyah Day, to encourage immigration to Israel; Jerusalem Day, to celebrate the unification of Jerusalem; tours to Israel by students, the media, and community leaders; Israel products fairs; and information seminars. the CZF also mobilized members and non-members to lobby public officials on issues of importance to the Zionist cause and the welfare of the Jewish community.

In 1976, at the request of the national office, the CZF changed its name to the American Zionist Federation of Cleveland to conform with the style used by all other local regional offices. The Cleveland chapter experienced difficulty with attendance at meetings and programs in the late 1970s, even though by 1979 the Federation had increased its membership to include fourteen constituent agencies. At-large membership had fallen to thirty-five in January 1979 and interest in attending the biennial national convention waned to the point that instead of seven delegates and seven alternates from Cleveland which was the normal attendance in the early 1970s, only one representative attended the 1978 convention.

In 1979 the World Zionist Organization decided to reorganize the American Zionist Federation. The national Federation withdrew its funding from all but three regional offices (Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles). In June 1979, because of the expected reorganization of the Federation and the uncertainty of its continued existence, the national offices of several constituents directed their local chapters to withhold their dues to the Cleveland Federation. The loss of funds from Hadassah and Pioneer Women, the largest contributors locally, and the loss of support from the National Federation, crippled the Cleveland office. In August, the local executive director's position was abolished and by 1980 the Cleveland Federation ceased operations.

Scope and Content

The American Zionist Federation of Cleveland Records, 1969-1980 and undated (includes photocopies of newspaper clippings, 1906-1935), consist of minutes, correspondence, Board lists and nominations, annual meeting information and reports, treasurer's reports and budgets, reports and information concerning the biennial national convention, general membership files, memoranda, directives, brochures, circulars, reports, program files, advertisements, flyers, press releases and newspaper clippings.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of the Jewish community in Cleveland, Ohio, in the late 1960s and 1970s, particularly the role of Zionism in the community. The records provide a clear history of the Cleveland Federation's genesis, evolution, and ultimate dissolution. The files address subjects such as Zionism, anti-Semitism, Soviet Jewry, and the United Nations. Much of the material relates to the national office in New York and illustrates the relationship between it and the local chapter. The subject and program files give a complete picture of the Federation's activities and portrays, generally, Zionist activities in Cleveland in the 1970s. The records also show the relationship between the local constituent agencies and the Cleveland Federation.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult PG 272 American Zionist Federation of Cleveland Photographs.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3929 American Zionist Federation of Cleveland Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of Thea Spiegal in 1982.

Processing Information

Processed by Scott Cline in 1983.

Detailed Description of The Collection