A. J. C. Hits Eisenhower Administration for Surrender to Isolationism

The American Jewish Congress was on record today as criticizing the Eisenhower Administration for “capitulating to isolationist sentiments” by failing to champion human rights and withholding ratification of the United Nations treaty on outlawing the crime of genocide. Resolutions on these subjects were adopted by the National Administrative Committee of the AJC here at the conclusion of a series of meetings this week-end.

Deploring America’s policy of refusing to take firm action regarding the proposed United Nations covenants on Human Rights, one of the resolutions called upon President Eisenhower “to free United States policy from the shackles of isolationism, and to resume our championing of Human Rights in international forums.

The Congress voiced “keen disappointment” over the Eisenhower Administrations policy which, the resolution said, “in recent years capitulated to isolationist sentiments” by informing the United Nations that the United States would no longer sign any treaty on Human Rights, “

Another resolution criticized the U.S. Senate for allowing ratification of the U. N. Genocide Convention to “languish” in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The United States did sign the convention, but has never formally ratified it.

A report on the situation of the Jews in Eastern Europe was given to the Congress unit by Dr. Maurice L. Perlzweig, on behalf of the World Jewish Congress. Like organized Hungarian Jewry, which recently affiliated itself with the WJC, there is “reason to believe” that other Jewish communities in the Soviet orbit might, “in the measurable future,” rejoin the World Congress, Dr. Perlzweig declared. However, he expected from this trend the Jews of the USSR.

Another speaker at the final meeting of the committee was Clark Eichelberger, executive director of the American Association for the United Nations.