FRISCH, DANIEL

FRISCH, DANIEL (1897–1950), U.S. Zionist leader. Frisch, who was born in Ereẓ Israel, was taken by his family to Romania when he was one year old. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1921, settled in Indianapolis, Indiana, and eventually became an investment broker and the head of a large salvage firm. In 1934 Frisch, a militant General Zionist from his youth, became a member of the Zionist Organization of America's (ZOA) Administrative Council. In the course of the next 25 years he held numerous other Zionist posts before being elected ZOA president in 1949. In that same year, largely through Frisch's efforts, the ZOA, the Jewish Agency, and the World Confederation of Zionists reached agreement for financing various projects in Israel. Frisch's approach to Zionism was reflected in his belief that Israel's growth and welfare were dependent upon the strength of the General Zionist movement and in the need for the development of a strong private sector in the Israeli economy. A collection of his essays, sketches, and letters was published as On the Road to Zion (1950).