A budget approximating a half million dollars was voted yesterday at the Executive Board meeting of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations held at the Hotel Astor, to carry on the work of Reform Judaism in America. This budget includes the maintenance of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati and the carrying on of a large program of work for the spread of religious education among the Jews of this country. This program includes the disseminating of knowledge and information on Jews and Judaism to the Jews of the land, through its Department of Synagogue and School Extension, and the maintenance of a Jewish educational body which prepares curricula and text-books for religious schools, publishes tracts on Jewish matters which are distributed among Jews and non-Jews, and in New York City conducts seven religious schools for Jewish children, giving them religious instruction and a Jewish education.
The original budget presented to the Board by Ludwig Vogelstein, chairman, called for appropriations for approximately $600,000. Following the presentation of the budget, David A. Brown, chairman of the Board of Finance declared that it would probably be necessary to curtail the budget by at least $100,000, because of the inadequate support given to the Union by the Jews in some parts of America. In some states, he pointed out, the Union is receiving generous help, but in others, the Jews are not carrying their share of the financial burden.
Mr. Brown announced that an intensive effort will be made, however, through his Board of Finance to rally the Jews behind this organization. Mr. Brown was hopeful for the future, and announced that the time was not distant when the Union will be spending a budget totalling $1,000,000.
Among those who were present at the meeting were: Marcus Aaron, Pittsburgh; Ben Altheimer, New York City; David A. Brown, Detroit; Gustave A. Efroymson, Indianapolis; Dr. Lee K. Frankel, New York City; Herbert C. Oettinger, Cincinnati; Maurice D. Rosenberg, Washington; Louis Shlesinger, Newark; Meier Steinbrink, Brooklyn; Roger W. Straus, New York City; Arthur Hays Sulzberger, New York City; Ludwig Vogelstein, New York City, and A. Leo Weil, Pittsburg.
The cernerstone of the new synagogue for Congregation Beth-Am. West Philadelphia, was laid yesterday. The edifice is being constructed at a cost of $150.000.
Joseph D. Lanard conducted the cernerstone ceremonies. Among the speakers were Judge William M. Lewis, Congressman Benjamin M. Golder, Rabbis B. L. Levinthal. A. A. Neuman, and Samuel Friedman; Abraham Wernick and Jacob Ginsburg. David Rader is president of the Congregation: Dr. James E. Goldfield, vice-president: Michael Rosenbaum, treasurer, and Mitchell N. Cohen, secretary.
A special committee of the Senate, which is investigating the use of the money in the Pennsylvania primaries, will extend its inquiry to include expenditures made in behalf of the Ku Klux Klan, according to a report from Washington.
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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.
