Charges of Bias Against Jewish Poor in Anti-poverty Programs Termed Accurate

New York City poverty agency officials have described as accurate charges made in June that Jewish youngsters from poor families seeking to register for youth group activities in New York City anti-poverty projects were harassed, physically assaulted and told they did not belong in the programs which benefit mostly Black and Puerto Ricans, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was told today. The charges were made on June 25 by S. Elly Rosen, testifying for the New York Association of Jewish Community, Anti-Poverty and Municipal Employes. He also told a hearing in New York City held by a House subcommittee on poverty and manpower that poor New York Jews were “systematically denied participation” in city poverty programs except in the Brooklyn Crown Heights section and that the city’s poverty programs were fomenting ethnic conflict between Blacks and Jews. The confirmation of the Rosen charges came at a meeting yesterday in the office of Rep. James Scheuer, New York Democrat, the JTA was told by Austin Sullivan, a member of the staff of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Sullivan said that officials of the New York City Human Resources Administration informed the Office of Economic Opportunity and the General Accounting Office officials that Rosen’s testimony was “fundamentally correct.” He added that the feeling during the meeting was that the Jewish anti-poverty representative “may have gotten hold of something.” He said the HRA had reported it had examined Rosen’s charges that the Jewish poor of New York City were not being served by the OEO programs. The House Committee adopted today an amendment to its legislation renewing the OEO for another fiscal year urging that its director provide assurances that all segments of the poor share in its programs. The amendment was proposed by Scheuer, who said some ethnic minorities, particularly Jews, and mainly elderly Jewish poor, were discriminated against by OEO personnel in the New York City area. The OEO legislation is scheduled for a vote in the House on Sept. 8.