Federal Council of Churches Urges All Christians to Fight Anti-semitism in America

All Christians were urged today to “vigorously oppose” policies and practices of racial discrimination everywhere, including the armed services and industry, in the annual race relations message issued by the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ.

The message cited anti-Semitism, race riots and mistreatment of Negroes as evidence of the necessity for prompt action against bigotry and racial propaganda. Churches and church groups affiliated with the Federal Council are urged to use the message in educational activities between now and February 13, which has been designated as “Race Relations Sunday.”

The National Conference of Christians and Jews today disclosed that 3,000 communities throughout the United States have established committees to work on a program of education in better group relations and inter-faith understanding. Inter-faith education is also being carried on in the armed forces, the Conference reveals in the annual report of its activities.

“Wartime anti-Semitism has been evident in various parts of the country,” the report said. “While more cautious, than at times in the past, more circumspect, nevertheless anti-Jewish prejudice has been exhibited in new and wider circles.” It added that despite all of the anti-Semitic elements, “the native good sense of the American people manifested itself. By and large, they knew that it was the Axis that sought to thrive on the dislocations of a peaceful people turned warriors; that sought to inflame local irritations and to infuriate group against group, race against race, religion against religion. The American people recognized and, on the whole, resisted the Nazi schemes to transfer the struggle from the military battlefield on which their defeat was inevitable to the domestic front where they believed they might still prevail.”