The American Jewish Committee in a unanimous resolution on recent outbursts of violence against homes, schools and places of worship sharply warned that “lawlessness unstemmed can spread violence throughout the nation.”
The Committee stressed that “speed is of the essence” in urging “the appropriate agencies of the government to press forward their investigations.” Efforts by government law enforcement agencies and voluntary groups “must be pursued unflinchingly until the instigators and perpetrators are apprehended, the threat to internal security removed and confidence in law and order restored.”
At the same time, the Committee noting that President Eisenhower “spoke for all citizens of conscience,” gave the “highest commendation” to the President for the “swift and unequivocal condemnation of the most recent outrages in Atlanta and Peoria and all those that had preceded them.”
Earlier, Irving M. Engel, president of the American Jewish Committee, reported that religious bigotry is declining sharply in propaganda which shows up during political election campaigns. The American public, he said, is showing a “strong distaste” for religious bigotry.
The Committee stated in a resolution on foreign affairs that 1,000 persons seeking to build a new life for themselves and their children elsewhere “have been detained in Tangiers for more than a year under miserable and tragic conditions. The resolution expressed profound disappointment at the policies of the Government of Morocco which continue “to forbid freedom of movement to its citizens” and strongly urged the Moroccan Government “to mitigate existing policies regarding emigration.”
In a resolution on the Middle East, the Committee urged the United States to adopt a three-point program which would support our government’s efforts to achieve a permanent solution to the problems of the Middle East. They are:
1. Extend assurances of security to all countries of the Middle East; 2. Initiate discussions within or outside the United Nations for the solution of the Arab refugee problem which “unfortunately has consistently been exploited for political purposes”; 3. Provide Increased economic help to all Middle Eastern nations whether or not they are part of the regional economic development institution under the United Nations recently proposed by President Eisenhower.
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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.
