A contribution of $30,000 from Mrs. Jacob H. Schiff, widow of the noted philanthropist and banker, to the $6,000,000 fund of the United Jewish Campaign in New York, was announced by Mrs. Abram I. Elkus, chairman of the Women’s Division of the drive, which begins April 25th.
Mrs. Schiff is honorary chairman of the Women’s Division of the New York drive organization.
Louis I. Harris, Health Commissioner of New York was appointed chairman of the Physicians’ and Surgeons’ Division of the drive, according to an announcement made by William Fox, chairman of the New York drive. At the same time Mr. Fox made public a letter from the Health Commissioner in which Dr. Harris says:
“I cannot help feeling that I am tied by close bonds of spiritual kinship to those who have not been as fortunate as I in escaping the privations, the destitution and the hardships that beset our co-religionists in foreign countries. I am exceedingly anxious to contribute in any manner that is in my power to this humanitarian effort which you are leading in this city. I am glad to enlist under your standard to help in whatever way you may indicate.”
Dr. Abraham L. Wolbarst has been appointed associate chairman with Dr. Harris. They plan to immediately or ganize a committee to raise a minimum of $150,000 from the Jewish members of the medical profession in this city.
Forty-eight trade and professional committees have already been organized for the Trade Division of the New York campaign, it was announced by David M. Bressler, vice-chairman of the drive.
The personnel of the trade division covers every field of professional and industrial activity in which Jews of New York are engaged, and each committee will make an intensive canvass among employers, executives, and salesmen in business houses, factories, and offices in its particular trade. Workers in the various industries will make their contributions through the unions and other labor affiliations, which have already pledged their cooperation and group contributions to the campaign, in addition to individual contributions.
Ossip Dymow, Russian playwright, who sued Guy Bolton, American. playwright, for damages in August, 1924, for alleged infringement of copyright, alleging that Mr. Bolton’s play, “Polly Preferred,” was plagiarized from his play “Personality,” and who won a verdict last June, with damages of $109,606, lost the suit when the Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court. The June decision held that Mr. Bolton was guilty of “unconscious plagiarism.”
Mr. Dymow’s action included as defendants, besides Mr. Bolton, F. Ray Comstock and Morris Gest. His complaint said that his play had been written prior to April 26, 1920. “Polly Preferred” opened on Jan. 11, 1923. The amount of damages was ascertained some time after the decision was given.
In reversing this finding the Circuit Court directed that the complaint be dismissed.
At a special session of the Port Chester Hebrew Independent Lodge of Port Chester, N. Y., it was unanimously voted to contribute a sum to the fund being raised to equip the Port Chester Public Library.
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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.