J.D.C. and U.p.a. Will Not Conduct Independent Campaigns in Jewish Welfare Fund Cities

The Joint Distribution Committee, the United Palestine Appeal and the National Refugee Service have given pledges not to conduct independent fund-raising campaigns in welfare fund communities, it was revealed here today by the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds. An announcement issued by the Council emphasizes that “welfare fund communities will conduct one joint campaign and their contributors will be asked to make one overall gift for national and overseas causes despite the failure of the J.D.C., U.P.A., and N.R.S. to reconstitute the United Jewish Appeal for 1945.”

A letter sent by the Council to its member agencies notifies them of the pledge given by the former participants in the United Jewish Appeal. “They will confine their efforts in such cities to securing general community understanding and will seek maximum allotments for their programs from welfare funds,” the letter reads. “Your welfare fund, therefore, will be called upon to allocate specific amounts to these three agencies with the same procedure that you have been accustomed to use for all other beneficiaries.” The communication is signed by Sidney Hollander, president and William J. Shroder, chairman of the Council’s board of directors.

Stressing the role of the welfare fund in making it possible for all Jews in the community to accept their full responsibility for these who are in need of assistance, the letter urged that this goal be kept constantly in mind. “Competition, conflicting approaches and pressures which may be applied by advocates of one agency or another, may be a disturbing influence, but the great majority of Jews in each community are much more concerned with the totality of Jewish needs and with the values of unified effort, than with partisanship for any single agency,” the letter pointed out.

“Our welfare funds and federations,” the letter continues “have provided a common meeting ground for all groups in the community; the one agency through which each of us can accept his full responsibility as a Jew for those who are in such desperate need of our help. We believe that all social agencies, local, national and international are the instruments for carrying out our will with our money. We have done many things together, despite fundamental differences in philosophies and objectives. Whatever we can do together we should do together. One of the most obvious and most necessary things to be done cooperatively is to collect and allocate funds for social needs moods here and overseas. Our Council, through its staff services and the cooperation of federation leaders and executives, plans to give maximum assistance to the communities in meeting this situation and in developing successful campaigns.

“We are confident that our community organizations will meet the present test, just as they did in other years when there was no UJA. Believing in and working for unity of action wherever possible, we will move forward. It is expected that the local budget committees will act on the basis of full information and sound principles, and that the Jewish communities of America will unitedly mobilize all of their resources to reach higher goals and give greater aid this year than ever before. And from that great achievement our Jewish communities, too, will emerge stronger and healthier.”