Representatives of more than 600 Jewish communities throughout the United States and Canada, attending the 11th General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, today unanimously approved a resolution calling for the formation of a “National Community Relations Advisory Council” to formulate policy in the area of civic protection.
The action was immediately endorsed from the floor by Judge Joseph M. Proskauer, president of the American Jewish Committee, Morris Margulies, administrative secretary of the American Jewish Congress; Henry Monsky, president of the B’nai B’rith, and Isaiah Minkoff, vice chairman of the Jewish Labor Committee.
The purpose of the plan is to effect the formulation of policy in the civic protection field by the joint deliberations of the national and local groups. Under it, the National Community Relations Advisory Council will consist of representatives of the leading national civic protective agencies and of the 14 communities which have organized civic protective agencies and are members of the Community Relations Conference. Provision is made under the plan for extending representation to include other communities and agencies interested in this problem.
NEW COUNCIL WILL HOLD FIRST MEETING IN MARCH
To put the plan into operation as promptly as possible a committee was set up consisting of Philmore J. Haber of Cleveland, Bernard P. Kopkind of New Haven, Morris B. Fagen of Philadelphia, Edgar J. Kaufmann of Pittsburgh, Sidney Hollander of Baltimore and David M. Watchmaker of Boston. The committee met immediately, following which it was announced by the co-chairmen, Mesers. Haber and Kaufmann, that a call for a meeting early in March is being sent out at once. Letters will be sent promptly to the agencies named in the resolution calling for the appointment of representatives to attend the meeting.
Coming after three years, spent in discussions and conferences, all seeking to achieve a unified policy in civic protective work, the plan adopted at the General Assembly today was hailed as a most important step. Since the opening of sessions on Friday morning, one section of the Assembly has devoted all its time to a consideration of the problems in this field. These sessions resulted in the plan for formation of the National Community Relations Advisory Council. The plan was submitted to the board of directors of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, which endorsed the plan and submitted it to the General Assembly with its recommendations.
When the resolution came before the assembly there was agreement on all sides that it offered genuine possibilities in the direction of unifications of policies in the civic protective field. Representatives of the organized Jewish community expressed themselves as satisfied that such a plan would give the much desired opportunity for joint formulation of civic protective policies by the organized communities and the national agencies. It was at this point that Judge Proskauer, Mr. Monsky, Mr. Margulies and Mr. Minkoff voiced their support. The resolution was then put to a vote and carried unanimously.
RESOLUTION SETTING UP NATIONAL COMMUNITY RELATIONS ADVISORY COUNCIL
The full text of the resolution setting up the new National Community Relations Advisory Council read:
“It is recommended that one lay and the professional head of each of the civic protective agencies represented in the Community Relations Conference, with two officers and three representatives of each of the four national civic protective agencies, serve in a National Community Relations Advisory Council that shall have the function of formulating policy in civic protective work.
“The National Community Relations Advisory Council shall have the power to co-opt additional members from communities other than the following included in the Community Relations Conference: Brooklyn, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Detroit, St. Louis, Minnesota, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Milwaukee.
“It shall be understood that the National Community Relations Advisory Council shall have no authority over fund raising or the organizational structure of the national agencies.”
ASSEMBLY ELECTS OFFICERS FOR 1944
Following adoption of the resolution, the Assembly elected the following officers for 1944, most of whom served during this past year, President, Sidney Hollander, Baltimore; Vice Presidents, William Rosenwald, Greenwich; Edwin J. Schanfarber, Cincinnati; and David M. Watchmaker, Boston, Secretary, Elias Mayer, Chicago; and Treasurer, Ira M. Younker, New York. The majority of the directors were re-elected and several new members were added to the board.
Addressing the general session of the Assembly last night, Francis B. Sayre, diplomatic adviser to the Director General of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation. Administration, stressed the fact that UNRRA has safeguarded against any discrimination in the distribution of relief. He pledged that UNRRA will do everything possible to “help to their feet” the Jewish victims of Nazi terror.
“There is always the danger that the distribution of relief goods be made the instrument for gaining political or other ulterior ends,” Mr. Sayre said. “Against any such practices UNRRA has declared unceasing war. ‘At no time shall relief and rehabilitation supplies be used as a political weapon,’ voted the Council, ‘and no discrimination shall be made in the distribution of relief supplies because of race, creed or political belief.’ Under this vote whenever UNRRA undertakes to distribute or to arrange for the distribution of relief goods, it pledges all of its influence and power to ensure a distribution to individuals or to groups based solely on the criterion of human need.
“This cardinal principle of non-discrimination is of paramount importance, perhaps to the Jewish race most of all. Among the millions of victims of Nazi persecution and unbelievable cruelty none have suffered more deeply than the Jews. But out of suffering may come immeasurable power and spiritual strength. The great periods in the history of a race are those not of material prosperity, but of want and adversity, My great hope is that out of the fire of suffering the Jewish race may gain new vision and power to help us forward in building for a new and better world. For UNRRA I cover the opportunity of ministering to the need and helping to their feet those Jews who have heroically survived and surmounted the Nazi terror.”
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.
