Brith Abraham Convention Urges Repeal of Immigation Act

The three day 66th annual convention of British Abraham, one of the oldest national Jewish fraternal organizations, opened here today with more than 700 delegates from 310 lodges in attendance. The delegates adopted a number of resolutions dealing with the national, international and Jewish communal scene.

The delegates urged repeal of the McCarran Walter Immigration Act and took note of President Eisenhower’s request for the admission of 240,000 refugee immigrations over and above the quota during the next two years. In another resolution, the convention urged Mr. Eisenhower and Congress to press for immediate United States ratification of the genocide convention, and reaffirmed the organization’s decision to press for full civil rights in the U.S.

The convention hailed the State of Israel, asserting that it "lit a shining light of democracy to dispel the darkness of the Middle East. It criticized the American Council for Judaism, insisting that "Jews can be loyal citizens and at the same time give the fullest moral and economic support to the State of Israel."

In other resolutions, the delegates opposed Communism, pledged support of the celebration of 300 years of Jewish settlement in America, supported Jewish education and work among Jewish youth, agreed to participate in the campaign for the Albert Einatein College of Medicine and affiliated with the American Jewish Congress.

In a message, Sen. Herbert Lehman of New York Warned against the encroachment on civil liberties by investigating committees, stated that the campaign against the genocide convention was "base on distortions and misrepresentations" and scored the McCarran immigration legislation. Speaking of Israel, Sen. Lehman said that there are forces in the U.S. which are prepared to sacrifice Israel and enter into competition with the Soviet Union for the favor of the Arab states.