American Jewry Mourns Today for 2,000,000 Jews Massacred by Nazis in Europe

Jews throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America will join with the Jews in other democratic lands tomorrow in a universal Day of Mourning for millions of Jewish Victims of Nazi brutality. About 500,000 Jewish workers in factories in the Metropolitan area of New York will stop work for ten minutes at 10 A.M. tomorrow, while Jewish firms will be closed for one hour between 4 and 5 P.M.

Hundreds of synagogues in every section of the country will hold special prayers and memorial services. Participating in these services will be representatives of the Orthodox, Reform and Conservative rabbinates. A memorial service will be broadcast at 4,30 tomorrow afternoon over the facilities of the Blue Network. This service, which will be under the auspices of leading American Jewish organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith, Synagogue Council of America, Union of Orthodox Rabbis and others, was arranged after these groups received news that almost 2,000,000 Jews have been killed by the Nazis in Europe and that the remaining five million are threatened with death by December 31, 1942.

Jewish trade union leaders at a joint conference with the Jewish Labor Committee adopted a declaration protesting against the wholesale slaughter by the Nazis of civilian populations in the occupied countries, especially the Jews. During the ten-minute work stoppage shop chairmen will read this resolution to the assembled workers.

“We appeal to our great President Roosevelt and through him to the United Nations to issue a solemn warning to Hitler and the Nazi government, to all those who are in power in Germany and to the generals whose armies torture and murder the peoples of Europe, that on the day of reckoning they will be called to responsibility for every drop of blood shed in vain, for every murdered Jew, Serb, Pole or Frenchman,” the resolution says. An oath stressing that “no sacrifice is too dear in the sacred struggle of the United Nations against the Nazi, Fascist and Japanese armies,” will be taken by the workers after the reading of the resolution.

The Zionist Labor Party at a special meeting today decided to follow up the general Day of Mourning with plans for street demonstrations and a march to Washington by Jewish delegations from various cities which would present to President Roosevelt a memorandum asking him to take effective steps to save the Jews in Europe from extermination.