An agency of the Long Beach Jewish community assailed today a proposed anti-Communist amendment, which will be on the California ballot in November, as providing “a whole array of denouncers with privileged irresponsibility.” At the same time, an interfaith committee, the “Northern California Citizens Against Proposition 24” (the amendment’s ballot number), was formed to fight the draft. Membership of the group comprises citizens of various faiths, including several of the Jewish religion.
The Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Community Federation of Long Beach attacked the proposed amendment in a report which was published in the Jewish Federation News here. The report urged Long Beach Jews to “investigate before you vote” and offered speakers on the issue to Jewish organizations.
The report noted that the proposed amendment was meant to prevent Communists and other subversives from taking advantage of the privileges and protections guaranteed by the Constitution. However, the committee added, “proposition 24 proposes to do this by violating the basic controlling concept of American justice–trial by jury and innocence until proven guilty.”
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.
