“Polite social discrimination” is responsible for inter group tensions which lead to serious acts of violence in nearby Newton, a 40-page report of the Human Relations Committee of Newton declares.
The Committee came into being after a Jewish boy, Steven Berger, of Newton, was beaten by a gang of young hoodlums because he was Jewish. In its first report the committee finds that there is an “increase in inter- group tension” in the Massachusetts town.
The report points out that the action of the youth who discriminate springs from the attitudes of the adult members of their families. In describing the resultant situation, the report states: “Jewish children have been accosted by groups of older boys with results ranging from name-calling to severe physical abuse. There is evidence of discrimination in real estate matters, children’s dancing classes, in membership on local ‘neighborhood’ clubs, in women’s clubs, etc.”
The report charges that “many ‘nice’ homes appear to foster attitudes of discrimination that provide a source of tacit approval for similar attitudes on the part of children.”
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.
