A special Smolar Award was presented to the Jewish Daily Forward last night in recognition of its 80 years of continuous service to the American Jewish community. The award, for excellence in Jewish journalism, is named after Boris Smolar, editor-in-chief emeritus of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
The presentation was made in the course of the meetings of the Board of Directors and committee of the Council of Jewish Federations (CJF) at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. CJF president Jerold C. Hoffberger spoke in laudatory terms of the venerable Yiddish daily. The award was presented by Saul Viener, chairman of the Smolar Award Committee, and was accepted by Forward editor Simon Weber on behalf of the editorial department, administration department and the Forward Association, which publishes the newspaper.
Also representing the Forward at the awards ceremony were William Stem, vice president of the Forward Association and executive director of the Workmen’s Circle, Israel Breslow, immediate past president of the Forward Association and a board member, and I. Shmulewitz, a journalist representing the Forward’s editorial department.
In his brief remarks, Weber observed that he did not face the predicament of projecting modesty that confronts the recipient of a personal award. “I can say with all honesty that in this case the recipient fully deserves the honor,” he said.
Among the major items the CJF discussed at their meetings which began Thursday and ended today was planning the 1979 community campaigns built around the theme ” Jewish Renewal–At Home and Abroad.” Discussions have been held in many communities during the summer months on plans for the general campaign as well as for the special “Project Renewal” program of neighborhood revitalization and rehabiliation in Israel. The CJF Board heard reports on these sessions, as well as on further national planning being undertaken by the United Jewish Appeal and CJF.
The meetings also took up a progress report of the CJF Review Committee, a two-year study dealing with the future of Jewish life in North America, the greatly enlarged role of community Federations as central forces in molding the Jewish future, and the CJF’s function as the collective instrument of the Federations.
Chaired by former CJF president Raymond Epstein of Chicago, the Committee is composed of 47 leaders of Federations in North America. Over 1000 Federation leaders in 139 cities have been interviewed by the CJF Review Committee, which has also sought the views of leaders of national Jewish organizations relating to current Jewish needs, services, purposes and opportunities. The findings and recommendations will be brought to community Federations for consideration and action.
Other areas which received special attention during the meetings included Federation personnel needs in the next decade; national and local action on Soviet-Jewish resettlement; housing for the aging; the study of Federation-Hillel relations, and progress in Federation Outreach efforts. In addition, a number of sessions were held to finalize plans for the 1978 CJF General Assembly scheduled for San Francisco, Nov.8-12.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
