Federation Assembly Urges Jewish Unity, Re-elects All Officers, Board Members

Continuation of the efforts of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds to achieve a unified program for the protection of the civic rights and social status of American Jewry was voted today at the 10th annual General Assembly of the Council at the Hotel Statler here.

The resolution followed hours of discussion in which Sidney Hollander of Baltimore, president of the Council, reviewed the negotiations conducted during the past year between the Council’s committee on Civic Protective Organizations and the four major defense agencies in the United States. Mr. Hollander expressed the belief that the Council’s objectives – a centralized and integrated defense agency for all civic protective work in this country – was possible of attainment. The Council’s committee, he related, had met individually and collectively with representatives of the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith and the Jewish Labor Committee, looking toward the consummation of a unified program as desired by American Jewish communities. At the present time, he said three of the four agencies have indicated their approval of the Council committee’s formula for a unified program, while the other has certain reservation which, it is hoped, will be resolved in future negotiations.

Speakers at the Civic Protective meeting included Max Simon of Cleveland, Edgar J. Kaufmann of Pittsburgh, George Z. Medalie, representing the American Jewish Committee, Carl Sherman, American Jewish Congress, Henry Monsky, president of the B’nai B’rith and Charles Sherman of the Jewish Labor Committee. William J. Shroder, of Cincinnati, chairman of the Council’s board, presided.

Earlier, the Council’s Board of Directors went on record as favoring the entry of Jewish federations and welfare funds into local war chests, but reaffirmed its previously adopted viewpoint “that the final decision should be made by the local Jewish communities with due regard to safeguarding the interests of beneficiary agencies and consonant with the findings and recommendations of the memorandum on Jewish fund-raising activities and their relation to community war appeals, which was issued jointly by the Community Chests and Councils, Inc., and the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds,.”

At the afternoon session, Jacob Blaustein of Baltimore submitted the report of the Council’s Budget Research Committee, and Samuel A. Goldsmith of Chicago reported for the Committee on Local Community Organizations.

The Council’s 1943 budget and financial schedule was reviewed by Ira Younker of New York, treasurer of the body. All Council officers were re-elected including the Board members. Five vacancies on the Board were filled by the election of Mr. Medalie, Mr. Kaufmann, Max Livingston of New Haven, Mr. Goldsmith and Stanley C. Myers of Miami.

At the opening meeting last night, Mr. Hollander called for unity in Jewish leadership. James Marshall of New York declared that “the problem of Jewish communities, now as always, is to bear in mind those moral ends which are our Jewish heritage.