A total of $10, 150,000 was contributed here last night in honor of Edward M. M. Warburg, president of the United Jewish Appeal, at a testimonial dinner hailing his 16-year-old leadership of the UJA. More than 1,000 communal leaders from all parts of the country attended the dinner which gave the UJA one of its greatest advance starts on an annual campaign since its establishment in 1939.
William Rosenwald, general chairman of the UJA, termed the outpouring of gifts “a remarkable tribute to Mr. Warburg’s decade and a half of humanitarian service and a towering endorsement of the United Jewish Appeal’s continuing effort to save lives and strengthen democracy. ” Mr. Rosenwald announced at the same time the opening of a month-long advance gifts drive which would culminate at the for mal launching of the UJA campaign February 25, at a national Inaugural Conference in Miami Beach. Fla.
Paul G. Hoffman, former Administrator of Marshall Plan aid, laude Mr. Warburg for his long-term role in helping overseas victims of war and oppression. “We are here also to pay homage to a democratic ideal which he has held high for so many years of an active, positive life – the ideal of free men and women meeting together in the cause of humanity.
The 1,000 guests in attendance at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel heard also from Senator Herbert H. Lehman, who acted as toastmaster; Louis Broido, vice-chairman of the Board of the UJA of Greater New York; Mrs. David M. Levy, an honorary chairman of the UJA’s national women’s division, and Jack D. Weiler, a national campaign chairman of the UJA and chairman of the dinner committee, who presided.
The testimonial to Mr. Warburg brought statements of praise from the speakers, cabled tributes from the leaders of the Israel Government, and two unusual gifts from the UJA associates. The presentation of the first of these gifts, an English antique silver tray, was made by Senator Lehman, and bore the inscription; “Presented to Edward M. M. Warburg by his many friends and admirers in tribute to his outstanding leadership of the United Jewish Appeal during the past four years and in recognition of his inspired service in the advancement of human betterment and dignity.”
The second presentation by the Senator was made on behalf of Joseph J. Schwartz. executive vice-chairman of the UJA and members of the Appeal’s staff, who gave Mr. Warburg a 4,000 year old bronze drinking cup which had been recovered from ancient ruins in the Middle East.
U. J. A. AID HELPED TO BUILD ISRAEL, HOFFMAN SAYS
In praising Mr. Warburg and his devotion to the United Jewish Appeal, Mr. Hoffman said: “Of all the areas in which the UJA worked, perhaps the most dramatic is the support you have given the State of Israel, You did more than dig deeply into your pockets, You gave to this young nation the moral and spiritual inspiration which it needed so urgently in its formative year,” He added that Israel’s leaders “could not have carried but this audacious experiment, in democracy had it not been for the help extended by the United Jewish Appeal.”
Senator Lehman, in his role as toastmaster, hailed Mr. Warburg’s leadership of the UJA as. “a great example of profound personal dedication to mankind’ daily struggle to be, and remain, free.” The Senator, himself a leader in the United Jewish Appeal, cited Mr. Warburg’s part in establishing the United Jewish Appeal 16 years ago, asserting that “since that time he has carried on the tradition of humanitarian service established by his father, the late Felix M. Warburg.”
Mr. Lehman recalled also the UJA president’s wartime military service, pointing out that he enlisted as a private in the army rather than accept a commission, for which he was qualified, and the after rising through the ranks to become a major he helped thousands of war victims liberated by the Allied armies, This occurred when he was attached to Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Headquarters in charge of a wartime Displaced Persons’ program.
Hundreds of messages of tribute to Mr. Warburg were received from Jewish leaders in this country and abroad, including messages from Israel Premier Moshe Sharett, Israel Finance Minister Levi Eshkol, Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the Jewish Agency executive, and Dr. Giora Josephthal, Agency treasurer.
The $10,150,000 in advance gifts included these sums from donors in various cities, throughout the county: New York, more than $3,000,000; Detroit, $902,000; Miami, $705,000; Cleveland, $600,000; Philadelphia, $500,000; San Francisco, $310,000, Baltimore, $350,000; Washington, D. C., $350,000; Chicago, $300,000, The formal opening of the nationwide UJA drive late in February will bring it into a total of 5,200 American communities with a direct appeal to more than 2,000,000 prospective contributors.
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.
