Jewish Congress Hears Report on N.c.r.a.c. Plan

A report on the reactions of local Jewish communities to the N.C.R.A.C. plan for coordination in American Jewish community relations activities was presented here last night at a joint meeting of the national executive and administrative committees of the American Jewish Congress. The report was made by Bernard Trager, vice-chairman of the National Community Relations Advisory Council.

The plan, which was based on recommendations elaborated by Professor Robert Maclver as the result of a study of Jewish Community Relations agencies, represents “a major step toward achieving what Jewish communities for so many years have been demanding, an orderly, organized procedure for carrying on Jewish community relations work effectively and efficiently, ” Mr. Trager reported. He criticized the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith for withdrawing from the National Community Relations Advisory Council.

Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of the American Jewish Congress declared that the withdrawal of the two agencies represents a challenge to “the basic assumption on which the N.C.R.A.C. rests, namely, the moral obligation of every organization which affects the entire community to coordinate its activities with similar groups, to submit its programs and policies to common discussion, and the moral obligation to be guided by the majority opinion.”

Pointing out that modern community relations “does not deal merely with propaganda against anti-Semitism, ” but ” embraces a vast range of problems which intimately affect Jewish status and welfare,” Dr. Goldstein stated that “the entire community has a vital and legitimate concern with the activities of the community relations organizations.”