Anti-jewish Bias Showing ‘substantial Decline in Florida Hotels

The resort hotels of Florida, once among the nation’s most biased, have shown a “healthy and substantial decline” in the practice of religious discrimination, the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith reported today. A survey of some 500 hotels conducted by the ADI. in Florida in 1953 showed that about 55 percent excluded or did not welcome Jewish patronage. A new study in 1960 established that of 853 hotels and motels found, 100–about 12 percent –discriminated against Jews.

The ADL study of 853 hotels and motels on which it “secured sufficient information for an evaluation of guest acceptance policies covered 30 Florida communities. Of them, 20 had one or more hotels which discriminated against Jews. In ten communities all the hotels surveyed gave equal treatment to the Jewish applicant,”

“This improvement was unquestionably the result of vigorous educational work in Florida with community leaders, convention groups and hotel owners themselves, the ADL noted. It said that “the strikingly improved picture” was the result of an improved situation in specific communities. The League emphasized that “the most dramatic change has taken place in Miami Beach. In 1953, 20 percent of the hotels examined in this community barred Jews. In 1957, and now again in 1960, ADL found that about two percent of the surveyed hotels discriminated. More precisely, of 155 hotels examined in Miami Beach in 1960, four were found to discriminate against Jews. “

The League’s survey presented the following picture in other Florida communities:

Palm Beach: In 1957 one of six hotels examined barred Jews. In 1960, the policies of 38 hotels were tested, showing that five discriminated against Jewish guests, Daytona Beach–In 1957, one of seven hotels surveyed was found to be discriminatory; in 1960, two of 87 appeared to be biased; Hollywood–In 1957, two of 12, or 16 percent. discriminated; 1960, three of 37, or eight percent, prejudiced. Pompano Beach–In 1957, three of six hotels surveyed barred Jews; 1960, eight of 36 practiced anti-Jewish discrimination.

Fort Lauderdale–In 1953 and 1957, the percentage of discriminatory hotels was about 60 percent; in 1960, 30 percent of the hotels examined showed prejudice against Jews. Delray Beach–For some years was touched by local real estate brokers as being “the only city on the East Coast (of Florida) fully restricted to Gentiles. In 1953, the League found that all hotels surveyed in Delray Beach were closed to Jews, in 1957, it found that three out of four hotels examined barred Jews; in 1960, it found that of ten hotels examined, six accepted Jewish guests.

St. Petersburg–Significant changes shown since 1947. In 1953, 25 percent of the hotels surveyed discriminated against Jews; in 1957 and 1960, about 20 percent continued the practice, “But substantial comfort, ” the League said, “can be derived from the recognition that in 1960, 42 out of 51 hotels in St. Petersburg accept Jewish guests whereas in 1947, only 13 years ago, virtually every hotel in the community barred Jewish guests.” Sarasota–In. 1953, 50 percent barred Jews; in 1960, one of 44 found to be discriminatory.