Boycott Council Urges Conference on Advisability of Sending Food to Jews in Poland

In answer to a charge by the Agudas Israel of America that consultation and arbitration was refused by the Joint Boycott Council, Dr. Joseph Tenenbaum, Chairman, made public today a letter received from the British authorities, which said in part that “the Agudas were fully informed of the attitude of the British Government long before the present controversy reached its peak,” and also that “Conferences and negotiations have been tried and failed through the uncompromising attitude adopted by Agudas.”

“After three weeks of continuous picketing,” Dr. Tenenbaum stated, “the Agudas Israel of America still continues in the sorry role of being the only organization breaking the British blockade and Jewish solidarity.”

“If it be necessary to start a large-scale project to feed the Jewish population in Poland, Dr. Tenenbaum suggested, the large Jewish organizations in this country should take up the matter with the proper authorities. In no case should it be left in the hands of such groups as the Agudas Israel, acting in a haphazard, irresponsible, and unsupervised way.”

“Specifically,” Dr. Tenenbaum said, “we propose that the four leading Jewish organizations, including the Joint Distribution Committee, should consult together on the advisability of such measures, and if agreed, should send a delegation to Washington to negotiate with the State Department and with the British authorities as well as the Red Cross, so that a more lawful method may be found to feed the unfortunate victims of Nazi terrorism, under the surveillance of Red Cross authorities. No single organization has the right to arrogate to itself the authority to act on its own in a matter as grave and dangerous as this. Under no circumstances will the Joint Boycott Council permit single organizations to subsidize the Hitler regime under the guise of helping the Jewish organization, whether through ignorance or lack of conscience.”