American Jewish Congress Convention Opens; Truman to Speak

Problems concerning various aspects of American Jewish life, as well as relationship between American Jewry and Israel, will be discussed by 1,500 Jewish leaders from all parts of the country at the biennial convention of the American Jewish Congress this week-end at which former President Harry Truman will be honored for outstanding services in the cause of civil rights during his terms of office. Mr. Truman will speak on Monday evening.

The convention was preceded today by the national biennial convention of the women’s division of the American Jewish Congress attended by about 1,000 delegates and guests. Today’s session was addressed by Rep. Jacob K. Javits who announced that he plans to introduce a bill at the next session of Congress designed to safeguard the rights and reputations of witnesses, and those named by them, at hearings of Congressional investigative committees.

The session today was also addressed by Abraham Hyman, administrative director of the World Jewish Congress, who emphasized that “nowhere does the Jew feel secure except in those areas where the democratic tradition is strong.” such as the United States, England, France, the Scandinavian countries and other democratic lands. Rabbi Joachim Prinz, another speaker today, reported growing anxiety on the part of Jewish leaders about the problem of assimilation among Jews in countries outside of Israel.