(Jewish Daily Bulletin)
In no uncertain terms, the eighteenth annual convention of the United Roumanian jews of America held here all day yesterday, denounced the anti-Jewish excesses in Roumania, entered a solemn protest against the government of that country which, it declared “stands convicted before the world as an habitual wrongdoer” and resolved to appeal “to the enlightened public opinion of the world in behalf of the undefended Jewish residents of Roumania, to the end that the foul deeds committed against them may stop.”
Virtually the entire business of the convention was devoted to discussion of the current state of affairs in Roumania. The report of President Leo Wolfson was given over exclusively to specific charges against the Roumanian government, correspondence between himself and George Cretziano, Roumanian Minister at Washington and prominent American citizens such as United States Senators King, Sheppard, Copeland and Bruce; the Rev. John W. Herring and the Rev. John Haynes Holmes.
Two hundred and forty delegates representing forty-two organizations affiliated with the national body, and forty individual members, were in attendance. The convention was comprised of two sessions and closed with a banquet in the evening.
Mr. Wollson in his’ report also made six recommendations for demonstrating the keen protests of American Roumanians, which were incorporated in a set of resolutions and unanimously adopted by the convention. One resolution declared “that these resolutions and the correspondence passed between this organization and the Roumanian Minister at Washington, be forwarded to the Secretary of State of the United States, for his attention and proper action.”
Another resolution authorized the organization “to print and publish a book known as the ‘Black Book’ which shall contain all facts, news and correspondence in possession of its executive committee and to circulate the same throughout the world in order that the leaders of all states and nations may become acquainted with the deplorable conditions under which one million souls of the Jewish faith are compelled to live within the boundaries of Greater Roumania.”
Another resolution which was ordered cabled to Roumania, entered a “vehement protest” on the part of the convention against the raids made by the military authorities of Roumania upon the offices of the Union of Roumanian Jews in Bucharest, of the Jewish Community of Bucharest and the home of Dr. William Filderman, president of the Union of Roumanian Jews.” In urging the passage of this resolution, Solomon Sufrin of New York, chairman of the resolutions committee, declared that a movement was on foot to have the Jews in Roumania shut down their places of business for a week as a means or demonstrating their importance as a constituent factor of the population.
Two other resolutions, also unanimously adopted, expressed “deepest sympathy to the family of David Falick” and called “upon every patriotic Roumanian who loves his country to intercede with his government to the end that the outrages now being committed daily on the Jews be stopped, in order that Roumania’s repulation may not suffer both at home and abroad.” A memorial service for Falick was held at the morning session of the convention with Cantor Moses Saitz of Temple B’nai Abraham of this city officiating.
The speakers at the morning session were Paul R. Silberman of this city, chairman of the convention committee; City Commissioner John F. Murray, Jr., who welcomed the delegates on behalf of the city; Assistant County Prosecutor Simon L. Fisch of Newark; Abraham Hirsch of Philadelphia and Solomon Sufrin of New York. Herman Speier of New York executive secretary, rendered his report. Mr. Hirsch headed the Nominating Committee and Dr. J. Williams of New York the Credentials Committee.
The principal speakers at the afternoon session were Rabbi Charles I. Hoffman of this city and Dr. Henry Moskowitz of New York. The latter made a special plea on behalf of the Ort, urging that the United Roumanian Jews support it. A resolution adopted later endorsed the purposes of the Ort and pledged the support of the organization. Short addresses were delivered by Bennett D. Siegelstein and Alderman Morris Graubard and Charles Fleck of New York; Martin Weisman of Baltimore; and Joseph I. Solomon of Boston. The latter made a special plea that the next convention be held in Boston. The matter was referred to the board of directors.
Leo Wolfson was re-elected president by acclamation. The following were unanimously elected vice-presidents: Abraham Hirsch of Philadelphia, Paul R. Silberman of Newark, M. Graubard, Samuel Kanter and Leon Fisher of New York. H. Haimovitch of New York was unanimously chosen treasurer. Herman Speier was unanimously reelected secretary, and Mr. Sufrin, chairman of the board of directors.
Two innovations with regard to executive personnel were authorized by the convention. The first was the creation of an Advisory Council and the second, an Administrative Committee.
Dr. Moskowitz and Messrs. Siegel-stein, Fleck and Graubard were appointed to the council and Messrs. Sufrin, Hirsch, Silberman, S. Kramer and David Klein were designated to the Administrative Committee. Fifty-eight persons, representing New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, Baltimore, Canada and Cuba, were designated for membership on the directors’ body.
A resolution unanimously adopted endorsed the United Palestine Appeal and pledged the support of the organization. The resolution also expressed “pleasure and enthusiasm” at the presence in America of Dr. Chaim Weizmann.
The convention, through a resolution, congratulated Louis Marshall on his seventieth birthday. A telegram was ordered despatched to Mr. Marshall at once.
The convention went on record as favoring a more liberal immigration law and urged the passage of the Perlman-Wadsworth Amendment. The delegates also went on record as urging the participation of the organization in the American Jewish Congress deliberations next month.
The text of the resolution on conditions in Roumania read :
“We solemnly protest against the persecution of our brethren in Roumania. Our protest is directed against the Government of Roumania which has done nothing either to punish the perpetrators of the outrages, or to suppress the hideous efforts to provoke aggressions upon the Jews. For the past few years the Jews in Roumania have been subjected to the most oppressive forms of discriminations. Jewish students are being driven out of Universities. Jews have been denied eqaulity before the law. Violence to Jewish life has become a common occurrence in Roumania.
“Roumania stands convicted before the civilized world as an habitual wrong-doer. She is violating the Treaty of 1919 as she had violated the Treaty of 1878. We cannot permit Roumania to continue with impunity to defy the law of nations as weel as the elementary law of civilization. We are appealing to the enlightened public opinion of the world in behalf of undefended Jewish residents of Roumania, to the end that the foul deeds committed against them may stop.”
Supreme Court Justice Mitchell May has been renominated for the third term as President of the Brooklyn Federation of Jewish Charities, it was announced Federal Judge Grover M. Moscowitz was elevated to the position of Third Vice President and Mrs. William Linder was nominated Secretary. She is the first woman to be nominated to an office in the federation.
Other officers nominated were Walter N. Rothschild, First Vice President; Jack Gumpert, Second Vice President; Morris Salzman, Treasurer: Hugo H. Piesen, Assistant Treasurer, and Benjamin C. Ribman and Louis Rayvld, Assistant Secretaries.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
