Fear that references to “international Jewry” as quoted in the Manchester Guardian today in connection with the proposed Jewish economic conference to further the boycott of German products under the chairmanship of Lord Melchett, may offer substantiation to Nazi arguments against the Jews, is the cause of a renewed outburst of resentment here that prompted the Board of Deputies of British Jews to issue an immediate denial that anything in the nature of an international Jewish body existed.
The Guardian, in referring to the forthcoming conference, under the heading “Jewry’s Reply to Hitlerism,” says “International Jewry is meeting in mid-July in London for discussion of a boycott.” As soon as the article appeared, it is learned, an urgent meeting of the Joint Foreign Committee was convoked for this afternoon when a letter was prepared to be sent to the newspaper in reply to the article.
Neither the Joint Foreign Committee nor the Board of Deputies was consulted regarding the conference, the letter states. “In view of the article’s reference to international Jewry and the inference that may be drawn that there is some organization of all the Jewries in the world responsible for united political action, we desire to make clear that such an organization does not exist nor, as far as the Joint Foreign Committee is concerned, is such an organization contemplated.”
The letter was signed by Neville Laski and Leonard Montefiore.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.