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Report Discloses American Jews Still Suffer Discrimination in Housing

October 31, 1960
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American Jews still face discrimination in housing in the United States, a study published here today by the Fund for the Republic, declared. The study, entitled "Residence and Race," is "the final and comprehensive report" of the Fund’s Commission on Race and Housing. It was written by the Commission’s director of research, David Mc Entire, professor of social welfare at the University of California.

"Although most residence areas are open to Jews," Dr. Mc Entire declares in his report, "and Jewish segregation as remains is voluntary or economic, nevertheless this group has not yet achieved full equality with the white Christian population in choice of residence. Throughout the country, there are communities and housing developments closed to Jews."

Incomplete surveys, Dr. Mc Entire maintains, have identified "judenrein preservers in New York New England, Chicago, the District of Columbia. Miami, Houston, Denver, Seattle and elsewhere in the United States. The terms "exclusive" and "restricted," as used in real estate advertising, are interpreted by the scholar as meaning, usually, "closed to minorities, including Jews."

The scholar declares that unlike Negroes, who often fight discrimination as violations of Constitutional provisions, Jews, on the whole, "have made little use of litigation because discrimination against them is practiced mainly by private groups, and is not subject to the restraints of the Fifth or Fourteenth Amendments" to the United States Constitution.

Dr. Mc Entire reports that, among "forces for equality" that fight discrimination are a number of Jewish organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, the Jewish Labor Committee, and various trade unions with large Jewish membership or leadership by Jews like the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.

Among experts who served in individual capacities on the commission that compiled the studies leading to today’s report was Philip M. Klutznick, chairman of the International Council of B’nai B’rith.

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