News Brief

Roumanian Jewry followed the principle of unity in Jewish life for continuing and increasing the Palestine upbuilding work, when the Roumanian non-Zionists decided to delegate their representatives to the Council of the extended Jewish Agency.

A decision to this effect was taken yesterday at the emergency conference of Jewish communities in Old Roumania held here, convened at the call of Roumanian Jewish leaders to take special action on the threatening situation which he feared will result from the passage of the bill introduced into parliament by the Minister of Education to change the religious law.

Two representatives to the Agency Council were named. They are former Senator Elly Berkowitz, and Dr. William Filderman, president of the Union of Roumanian Jews, a non-Zionist body. Representatives of thirty-one Jewish communities in Old Roumania participated in the conference over which Mr. Berkowitz presided.

The decision was reached unanimously following an address by Mr. Bernhardt, president of the Zionist Organization of Roumania, who recited the history of the negotiations for the extension of the Jewish Agency and described the tasks of the new body. Following the election, Mr. Berkowitz declared that there was “nothing more sacred to Jews than Zion.” Dr. Filderman expressed his appreciation of the work of American Jewish leaders in the consummation of the Jewish Agency plan. The two non-Zionist delegates were accorded an ovation.

The adherence of the Roumanian non-Zionists to the Jewish Agency is of particular significance since the Zionists and non-Zionists here were sharply divided on local political questions in the recent elections.

Moses Samuels, president of the Chicago Council of the Independent Order B’nai Brith and David Fish Lodge, died in Chicago at the age of 60. He is survived by his widow and three daughters.