Elections Bring Increase in Number of Jews in Congress

The number of Jews in Congress has increased as a result of yesterday’s elections, a Jewish Telegraphic Agency survey revealed today. There will be 12 Jewish members in the new House instead of the 11 who served in the present Congress.

An analysis of the election results established that all Jewish members of the House of Representatives–with the exception of Rep. A.A. Ribicoff, of Connecticut–retained their seats while two additional Jews were elected to the House. Rep. Ribicoff was defeated when he sought a Senate seat.

The new Congressmen are Samuel Friedal, of Maryland, and Lester Holtzman, of New York, both Democrats. Those who retained their seats include Rep. Jacob K. Javits, the lone Jewish Republican, Arthur G. Klein, Emanuel Celler, Abraham Multer, Sidney A. Fine, Louis B. Heller, and Isidore Dollinger, all of New York; Adolph J. Sabath and Sidney R. Yates, both of Chicago; and Earl Chudoff, of Philadelphia.

Sen. Lehman is serving an unexpired term and was not up for re-election at this time. He retains his seat as the only Jew in the Senate. Senator Thomas Benton, leading foe of the McCarran immigration bill, was badly defeated in Connecticut. Rep. Francis Waiter, co-sponsor of the immigration bill, was re-elected in Pennsylvania.

While a number of controversial extremists representing both major parties were elected, the voters of West Virginia defeated ex-Senator Chapman Revercomb and ex-Senator Rush Holt. Revercomb sought to return to the Senate while Holt ran for the position of Governor. Both are listed in reports of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation League on anti-Semitism.