Dr. John Slawson, executive vice-president of the American Jewish Committee, who is retiring from his post, which he has held for 24 years, will be honored by national leaders in many fields at the American Jewish Committee’s annual dinner May 18 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel here, it was announced today. The event will highlight the 61st annual meeting of the organization which will be attended by several hundred community leaders from all parts of the country. No successor to Dr. Slawson has as yet been announced by the AJCommittee.
The main addresses at the dinner will be given by Morris B. Abram, president of the American Jewish Committee, and by Dr. Slawson, responding to the tributes. Judge Joseph M. Proskauer and Jacob Blaustein, former presidents who are now honorary presidents, also will speak at the dinner paying tribute to Dr. Slawson, while Irving Engel, a third former president, will make a presentation to the retiring executive. Zachariah Shuster. the Committee’s European director, will make a staff tribute to Dr. Slawson.
Dr. Slawson, whose talents as social scientist, communal worker, and foreign affairs analyst have been vital for a quarter-century as director of the Committee’s diverse human relations program, holds a doctorate degree from Columbia University, an honorary degree from the Hebrew Union College, is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a former president of the National Conference of Jewish Social Welfare.
Dr. Slawson was one of the leading forces in the conception and development of AJC’s Institute of Human Relations. “Dedicated to man’s understanding of his fellow man,” the Institute is both the Committee’s national headquarters and a center of research and education in the field of intergroup relations. Dr. Slawson also inaugurated the unique program for the training of German educators in the U.S. in the methods of American civic education.
Dr. Slawson has written authoritative works on inter-group relations, interracial problems, juvenile delinquency, child welfare, mental hygiene and Jewish communal affairs. His book, “The Delinquent Boy,” was an outstanding contribution to the field. More recently, he wrote “The Unequal Treatment of Equals,” describing discrimination in the executive suites of big business. He has taught at the University of Michigan, the College of the City of New York, and Columbia University.
In recognition of his pioneer efforts in advancing the science of human relations, he was elected a member of the UNESCO executive committee. Former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy also recognized Dr. Slawson’s contributions when he appointed him to the President’s Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime. Dr. Slawson also is a consultant to the White House Conference on Children and Youth.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
