The General Jewish Council was urged to coordinate Jewish civic-protective work in the United States by reserving to itself the activities “it can best administer and apportioning the remainder among its four constituent organizations,” in a resolution adopted by the West Central States Regional Conference of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds.
Stating that organization of the General Jewish Council “has been eminently justified” by its activities and commending it for its accomplishments, the Conference pointed to the “widespread conviction that duplication of work in this field has not been sufficiently eliminated and that wastefulness and inefficiency result from this situation.”
The Conference proposed that, after greater coordination has been achieved, local welfare funds should allocate amounts to the four agencies in the General Jewish Council in accordance with “a definite and equitable formula to be determined by the Council.” The Council was urged to recommend such a formula for welfare funds in 1940.
In another resolution, the delegates, who represented Jewish federations, welfare funds and community councils in ten states, approved the coordinated fund raising and allocation of money for overseas and refugee needs through a United Jewish Appeal as conducive to “economy, efficiency and equitable distribution of funds.” Nathan M. Stein of Milwaukee was elected president of the Region with William Holzman of Omaha and Amos Deinard of Minneapolis, vice-presidents.
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