A plan how to remedy the present financial situation of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations was unanimously adopted by the convention. The resolution as offered by the Ways and Means Committee was unanimously adopted. The resolution read :
“Reports submitted by various Committees indicate that a serious crisis exists in the financial affairs of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
“During the year just passed only one-half the funds necessary to conduct even a limited program were received from the Union’s membership. This resulted in the necessity of using up surplus funds, a very bad practice, as well as going into bank and borrowing to pay current expenses.
“The alarming state of affairs is a serious indictment on not only the Congregation Membership but on Reform American Jewry as a whole.
“It is obvious that in order to avoid a break down of the present work and progress of the Union, immediate intensive effort must be put forth to reawaken the interest of every member Congregation, its Rabbis and presidents and Trustees, to the vital financial requirements of the Union and to that end we beg leave to recommend the following plan :
“That the month of March 1927, be designated by the Board of Finance to make intimate personal contacts thru Union Board members, zone chairmen or their representatives, with every member congregation, its president and rabbi.
“That the Central Conference of American Rabbis request the pulpits of their members to cooperate whole-heartedly with the efforts of the zone chairman to obtain full quotas from all congregations.
“That all delegates to this Council pledge themselves to urge their Congregations to promptly pay their quota by making known to their constituents the enlarged work the Union is doing and the necessity of liberal financial support to carry on.
“That the presidents of congrepations who meet here on Wednesday be pledged to do their sacred duty by promptly paying their congregation’s quota into the treasury of the Union and
“That the Brotherhoods emphasize through their membership to their respective congregations the Union’s immediate financial requirements.”
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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.
