Foundation for Jewish Culture Officially Established; Board Meets

The official establishment of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture was announced here today in connection with the first meeting of its board of trustees here. The meeting adopted by-laws to govern the activities of the Foundation and took other administrative action to complete the organization.

The Foundation is undertaking its mandate to bring enrichment to the field of Jewish culture, help achieve the most effective service on the part of the existing Jewish cultural agencies, and interpret the unmet needs in this field to the community at large. Interim officers elected by the board are: Julian Freeman of Indianapolis, chairman; Edwin Rosenberg of New York, treasurer; Dr. Judah J. Shapiro, secretary. Permanent officers will be chosen at the next board meeting in September. The operating budget of the Foundation is being provided by special three-year grants from the large Jewish federations and welfare funds.

Simultaneously it was announced that the Council of Jewish Cultural Agencies, representing the major institutions in the field of Jewish culture in the United States and Canada, and serving as a planning arm of the Foundation, held its second meeting and completed its organization. The Council elected the following officers: chairman, Edwin Wolf II, who is president of the Federation of Jewish Agencies of Greater Philadelphia; vice-chairman, Dr. Salo W. Baron, Professor of Jewish History, Literature and Institutions at Columbia University; secretary, Dr. Shapiro.

The Council will establish committees to examine needs and bring, recommendations on the fields of: 1. Research; 2. Scholarship; 3. Publications; 4. Archives and libraries. These findings will be reflected in a consolidated report on the cultural field as a whole, which communities have been seeking.