Brown and Bressler Describe U.j.c. Collections

The methods of collection which have resulted in the payment of $5,400,000 by subscribers out of the $6,400,000 pledged were described by David M. Bressler, Acting Chairman of the United Jewish Campaign of Greater New York before the Emergency Relief Conference of the New York State United Jewish Campaign held Sunday at the Hotel Ten Eyck, Albany.

In addition to the large number of cash donations, there were 40,000 subscribers of $5 and upward. Of these 34,500 have already paid in full, and out of the remaining 5,500 subscribers, many have already paid in a substantial part of their pledges. The large response from the New York City subscribers, Mr. Bressler attributed to the methods of keeping every subscriber informed of the situation abroad, as well as the follow-up methods employed by the collecting organization. Mr. Bressler also cited cases of delinquency, where legal action was about to be taken. But no case has ever actually been brought to court, since the delinquents have invariably settled on receipt of legal summons.

In his address, National Chairman David A. Brown dwelt mainly on the human side of the campaign activities, and of the raising of funds for the saving of lives. “The value of things,” Mr. Brown told his audience, “does not depend on the bigness or smallness, but on the moral satisfaction it brings to the people who are interested in these things.” Taking an example from every day life, Mr. Brown pictured the actual influence of an atmosphere of charity in the bringing up of the new generation. He told of the great spiritual uplift among the Jews of this country since the inception of the war relief work, and emphasized that not only have American Jews with the $75,000,000 so far collected for relief and reconstruction raised a very high standard for all other peoples, but they have created for themselves new standards of giving, which have already been manifested in all the local activities of the Jewish communities.

Painting the situation today in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, Mr. Brown said, “We cannot go back on the promises we have made. Every dollar that has been pledged, has been counted on in the work over there, and every dollar must be collected. It is not only for the work overseas that the collection of every dollar is imperative, but for the future of our social undertakings within our own communities. In addition to the pledging history, a paying history must be created by every community.”