Delegates to the 27th General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, at its closing session today, called on the communities to raise maximum funds in 1959 to meet Israel, other overseas and domestic needs. The resolution noted the “massive character of the needs still unmet in Israel” and the growing requirements for support of such local services as care of the aged, family services, child care, hospitals, Jewish education and community centers.
Another resolution stressed the “imperative need” for national cooperation by agencies engaged in community relations activities. “The developments of the past 12 months have served to underscore the imperative need for such national cooperation now too long absent,” this resolution stated. “This conviction is strongly reinforced by the action taken by a number of our largest central community organizations directly urging the American Jewish Committee and the B’nai B’rith to rejoin the National Community Relations Advisory Council.
“We now note with favor that representatives of the American Jewish Committee, B’nai B’rith and NCRAC have agreed to meet to discuss future relations between their organizations. We call upon the officers of this council to give their full assistance to expediting the discussions, and to do everything in their power to help achieve the most effective community relations service. We urge that this be done at the earliest possible date.”
The Assembly noted that “a succession of unhappy events has demonstrated that official disregard for law and the mandates of the courts create an atmosphere that incites and sanctions irresponsible criminal acts such as bombing and dynamiting of synagogues, churches, schools and private residences. “In a free society, based on law,” its resolution stated, “defiance of law is subversive of the very foundation of that society.”
EISENHOWER COMMENDED FOR ASSIGNING F. B. I. TO BOMB CASES
The resolution commended President Eisenhower on his “prompt and firm action” in directing FBI participation in the apprehension of those responsible for recent outrages. It noted, however, that there was need now “for concerting of the resources of all organizations and agencies, both public and private, in behalf of orderly compliance with the law.”
It added that “this General Assembly therefore respectfully urges the President to convene a national conference of religious, educational, labor, business and civic leadership to consider best means to further such compliance.”
The resolution also called on the communities to develop representative organizations to deal with these questions and urged “further strengthening of cooperation between communities and the national agencies.”
On Israel and the Middle East, the Assembly voted its “strong support” of the United States Government’s economic aid to the Middle East, describing it as “so fundamental to the welfare and progress of the peoples of these countries and to strengthening democratic institutions in that strategic and vital area.” It declared that “we commend the President and the Congress for these enlightened programs and we urge the continuation and extension of such aid.”
Another resolution, reaffirming the view that private investment “must be the basic underpinning of Israel’s progress toward self-support,” urged that “organization and program be developed for greatly increasing private investment fully commensurate with its crucial importance.”
On the domestic scene, the Assembly took note of emergency immigration measures enacted by the Congress but pointed out that “the McCarran-Walter Law continues the racist national origins quota system for admitting immigrants, contains unnecessarily harsh deportation provisions, unfair distinctions between native-born and naturalized citizens, and inadequate review procedures. It continues to do irreparable harm to the foreign policy and to domestic welfare of our nation.”
Herbert R. Abeles, of Newark, was re-elected President of the Council. Other officers elected were: Vice Presidents: Mrs. Jesse Asinof, New York; Arthur E. Gelber, Toronto; I.S. Loewenberg, Chicago; Barney Medintz, Atlanta; William Rosenwald, New York; Judge Saul Seidman, Hartford; Robert E. Sinton, San Francisco; and Michael A. Stavitsky, Newark. Edwin Rosenberg, New York, was named treasurer and Sol Satinsky, Philadelphia, secretary.
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.
