Attacking the leaders of the American Jewish Congress for advocating a World Jewish Congress this year, Jacob Fishman, managing editor of the “Jewish Morning Journal,” declared that a meeting of the Congress at this time is inadvisable. Fishman was the principal speaker before the Jewish Fellowship last night at the Hotel McAlpin.
The journalist declared himself strongly in favor of a world congress, since “there must be an organization to represent Jews the world over,” but cautioned against holding the congress this year because of the dissension within the ranks of those responsible for calling the congress. “I think a great deal of the hi#drance to calling the congress now comes from the leadership of the American Jewish Congress. It would be an abortive congress, achieving nothing, but satisfying the ego of certain powerful individuals who are temperamentally unsuited to leading an organization of such magnitude.”
Discussing present day problems, Fishman emphasized the need of a permanent central authority to concern itself with Jewish affairs. He stressed that “the only weapon of the proposed World Jewish Congress will not be armories and battleships but only moral opinion.
“I believe that Jews must take their destiny in their own hands, I do not believe it is himanly possible in 1934 to call a world Jewish Congress because the idea has not been popularized among the Jewish masses. Until now the idea has only found some support among the middle class Jews Many orthodox Jews are opposed to a World Congress because of their Messianic interpretation of Jewish events. Jewish laborites are only concerned with mere bread and butter.”
“Until we have proper leader ship, until the leaders of American Jewry stop squabbling, and not until then can we have a successful and worthwhile World Congress.”
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.
