Discrimination Against Jews in Employment Increasing, Fepc Chairman Discloses

The last few months have seen an increase in complaints by Jews that they were refused employment in war industries because of their religion, it was disclosed here today by Malcolm Ross, chairman of the President’s Fair Employment Practice Committee.

Mr. Ross told a press conference that statistics of the committee covering the period from July 1 to Nov. 27 of this year show a progressively larger number of complaints by Jews each month. Pointing out that the FEPC can not only on specific complaints, Mr. Ross said that 107 cases involving Jews were presented to his committee in the above period, of which about 54 percent were settled satisfactorily. He disclosed that approximately six percent of all the cases handled by the FEPC are complaints of refusal to employ persons of the Jewish faith.

The FEPC chairman emphasized that a great many cases of anti-Semitism come to the committee about which it can do nothing because of its limited jurisdiction. The FEPC is restricted to handling cases of refusal to employ or upgrade because of race, religion or creed. Anti-Jewish manifestations within plants by foreman or other supervisory officials or distribution of anti-Semitic literature can only be referred to interested Jewish groups.

Both Mr. Ross and Edward Lawson, director of the New York regional office, which covers all the New England states and New York, praised the cooperation they have secured from Jewish organizations engaged in fighting discrimination. Mr. Lawson said that in New York a council on fair employment practices has been formed by Jewish Negro and other groups and is cooperating with the FEPC. He pointed out that the various bodies have found that the problems facing them were similar and that the fight against discrimination was strengthened by united action.