Heads of B’nai B’rith, Ajcongress Assail Jewish Endorsements of Candidates for U.S. Presidency

The president of B’nai B’rith deplored here today political campaigns that “imprudently and condescendingly” approach the American Jewish community as a “one issue” group of voters. A “singular emphasis” on Israel, “which some supporters of each of the candidates seem to have mistakenly adopted,” ignores the diversity of issues to which the vast majority of Jewish voters react,” David M. Blumberg of Knoxville, told a mid-year meeting of the B’nai B’rith board of governors. The president of the American Jewish Congress issued a similar criticism in New York.

The B’nai B’rith board adopted a resolution viewing “with disfavor” the formation of “Jewish committees” on behalf of any candidate. The resolution said that “we would remind candidates of all parties that Jews do not vote as a bloc or in response to any single issue. Jews are concerned with all the factors that enter into the nation’s well-being–the justice and wisdom of our diplomacy, the strength and progress of our economy, the unity of its people achieved through wise leadership and just social legislation.” The resolution also reaffirmed a traditional policy of B’nai B’rith that it “can be partisan on issues, never on candidates.”

The statement of reaffirmation of non-partisanship is to be circulated to the organization’s 4000 mens, womens and youth groups in the country, Blumberg said “to make clear that persons prominent it B’nai B’rith properly exercising a right of citizenship to become publicly identified with either the Nixon or McGovern campaign are acting in an individual capacity, without involving the organization in any way.” Dr. William Wexler, past president of the B’nai B’rith, was one of three national Jewish personalities who took part in a press conference in New York on Aug. 3, pledging support for the re-election of President Nixon and announcing formation of a national Jewish committee for Nixon’s re-election. Blumberg did not mention Dr. Wexler in his statement. Dr. Wexler emphasized at the press conference that he was speaking for Nixon’s re-election as an individual.

Blumberg acknowledged that continued United States support for Israel was “properly and whole-heartedly” a matter of concern to American Jews. “But it is also a fact,” he said, “that the generally good working relationships between our country and Israel can reflect a strong bipartisanship that has been evident in the Congress and practiced, by and large, by every administration since Israel’s statehood.”

Blumberg added that “in that context, any political campaign that makes Israel the sole issue to attract Jewish voters is demeaning to its candidate and to the Jewish community–and poor politics, to boot. He declared that B’nai B’rith nonpartisanship does not exclude its being a forum for candidates and their spokesmen to discuss and debate issues. He said “we encourage that.” He cited the 1968 presidential campaign when candidates Nixon and Hubert Humphrey each addressed a B’nai B’rith convention here.