Boston Jews to Share in Tercentary As Race Despite Objections of Committee

The Irish and the Jews of Boston will participate as racial groups in Boston’s tercentenary celebration this Summer despite the objections of the racial group committee headed by Mrs. William Lowell Putnam, sister of President Lowell of Harvard University, that the Jews are not a race and that the Irish should be included among the Anglo-Saxons. Mayor James M. Curley fully supported the claims of the Jews and the Irish, maintaining that he would recognize every element of the citizenship in the tercentenary program, because it was only fair to permit all racial groups to give expression to the character of the contribution which they have made to the intellectual and material development of the nation.

As long as he is mayor, Mr. Curley declared, and so long as he has any control over the celebration plans, “no racial group desiring participation will be excluded. I positively will not accept the decision of any committee that the Jews are neither flesh nor fish and that the Irish will not be allowed as a group to have any part in the celebration. This cannot be.”

Considerable discussion developed in the Mayor’s office concerning whether the Jews are or are not a race, representatives of the Greeks, Syrians and Armenians, together with Mrs. Putnam maintaining the negative, while Jewish leaders supported by Mayor Curley argued in the affirmative. Mrs. Putnam asked the Mayor to abolish the city racial centenary committee and she would continue the state racial group.

Mayor Curley ordered the recognition of the groups, especially in August, which has been set aside for racial group participation. The Jewish committee, headed by Alexander Brin, is going ahead with its activities.