Charging Its Activities Bring Confusion, Jewish Congress Calls on Roumanian Jewish Committee to Disc

The American Jewish Congress has through its president, Bernard S. Deutsch, called upon the Roumanian Jewish Committee, headed by Saul S. Myers and Solomon Sufrin, to abandon its activities, since it feels that the Roumanian Jewish Committee has only been organized in opposition to the United Roumanian Jews of America and can only bring confusion and harm to the efforts to aid Roumanian Jewry in this country. This action by the Congress was revealed yesterday to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

COMMITTEE TO ADJUST DIFFERENCES

Before calling upon the Roumanian Jewish Committee to disband, the American Jewish Congress had through correspondence with the former sought to adjust the dispute which has arisen between the two groups. The Roumanian Jewish Committee, however, had declined to appear and discuss the situation with the special committee which the Congress had appointed for the purpose.

In his first letter to Mr. Myers, head of the Roumanian Jewish Committee, Mr. Deutsch, on behalf of the Congress, wrote:

“Through the publication of a letter, written by Leo Wolfson, president of the United Roumanian Jews of America, the attention of our Administrative Committee has been called to the serious dispute which has arisen between the above organization and a number of former members of the same, including yourself, who are opposing the polices of the United Roumanian Jews of America.

SOUGHT TO REMOVE DIFFERENCES

“In order to prevent a continuance of this controversy, which it was felt could only bring injury to the cause of Roumanian Jewry, it was decided that we offer our good offices in an effort to clarify the situation and to bring about cessation of this controversy. We therefore appointed a special committee to hear statements from both sides of the dispute and to give its judgment on the merits of the issues involved. Our committee consists of the Hon. Carl Sherman, Israel N. Thurman, Nathan D. Perlman and Louis Lande. On hearing from you a meeting will be arranged to suit the convenience of all concerned.”

In answer to this Mr. Myers wrote:

“We all appreciate the splendid thought which prompted you as president of the American Jewish Congress to write us.

SAY NO DISPUTE

“We have carefully considered your communication. There is no dispute, serious or otherwise, with the United Roumanian Jews of America. We are not opposed to its polices nor those of its president. In fact, we are not paying the slightest attention to any of those policies. We believe that the president of that organization is so radical, so unrestrained in his addresses and so violent in his other attitudes towards those who do not share his views that, irrespective of whom he addresses, he shows that he is unmindful of the very rule which common decency and respect for our fellow-men demands. Because of that, we cannot ever think of associating with him or the organization which he represents.”

EFFORTS OF ACCREDITED GROUP THWARTED

In reply to this, Mr. Deutsch wrote:

“I should think that common decency and respect for your fellow-men would demand that you justify at least in some small measure, the astounding performances of a handful of men forming themselves into a so-called Roumanian Jewish Committee and proceeding not only to arrogate unto themselves the status of a central and representative Roumanian-Jewish organization, but actually to thwart and discredit the efforts of a long established and duly accredited group, and to create such confusion and calamitous misunderstanding on the part of the Roumanian authorities as to ensure an unhappy consequence. So vital and precious is the cause of unity and harmony in Jewish endeavor that only the most compelling cause could justify such action. In the case of yourself and your associates, viewing your previous connection of high trust with the United Roumanian Jews of America and your subsequent action as disclosed in Mr. Wolfson’s letter without denial on your part, there is a presumption of disloyalty that I should think you woud want at any cost to overcome!

WOLFSON DEVOTED TO JEWISH CAUSE

“You must pardon my speaking with such frankness. You must pardon, too, my unwillingness to take any notice whatever of your assault upon the manner and character of Mr. Wolfson, whose unfailing courtesy and whose every act in his many years of splendid devotion to the Jewish cause hardly square with the accusations in which you unfortunately see fit to indulge. Fair dealing with our unhappy brethren in Roumania, downright honesty and loyalty, and justice to your own good repute demand that you wash your hands of all this and that you insist with me upon an immediate abandonment of an adventure that can add nothing but ill and mischief to our already too numerous and intolerable problems.”