Jewish Federation Leaders Urge Coordination of All Major Drives

Welfare fund philanthropic campaigns and the Israel Government bond drive must be coordinated on national and local levels to safeguard the interests of local Jewish communities and Israel, Irving W. Rabb of Boston, chairman of the New England Bonds for Israel Committee, declared here at the 18th annual conference of the New England Region of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds.

Mr. Rabb told 100 leaders representing 27 Jewish communities in the Region that his experience in Boston and other New England cities had demonstrated the desirability of having each local community work out a coordinated plan for all its major drives, thus affording each the opportunity to gain the best results. “Any conflict between philanthropy and bonds, whether active or passive, will be costly, and will undermine the strength of the community in achieving its total goals,” he warned. “And if ever there was a need for unity and combined strength, the communities need it now,” he emphasized.

Mr. Rabb’s statement followed an address by Julian Freeman, of Indianapolis, president of the C.J.F.W.F., which outlined the world-wide responsibilities faced by American Jewry in 1952 and stressed the need for the development of cooperative procedures as the best means of assuring the maximum success of Israel’s Four Point Program.

Growing out of these addresses and general discussion, the delegates voted a resolution reaffirming “fullest community support” for the Four-Point Program and urging each community to determine organization, timing and other procedures, “in the light of its own circumstances,” for the most effective coordination.

The resolution also declared that “we recognize that the assurance of a continuing flow of free dollars is the particular responsibility of our central Jewish community organizations in the program. At the same time we reaffirm the total community’s responsibility for the maximum success of every phase of the program and the overriding importance of coordination of these efforts to achieve the maximum benefit for the causes which we are serving.” It also expressed “pride and gratitude” for the assistance furnished by the United States Government to Israel, as a “sister democracy.”

Another resolution urged the National Community Relations Advisory Council and its member agencies to “implement as speedily as possible the unanimous agreement” reached at the 1951 Atlantic City Plenary Session of the N.C.R.A.C. “The Jewish communities have a vital stake in the important field of community relations and in the programs of the agencies which are active in this field, “the resolution declared. “We urge that our communities continue to discuss and take action through their boards on developments in this field, to help in formulating national action reflecting the interest and desires of communities to carry forward the most effective programming and financing in the field of community relations.”

Other resolutions urged renewed efforts by welfare funds to make the “maximum amount of cash immediately available to the United Jewish Appeal through collections, loans or other channels,” and lauded “the devoted interest and competent leadership” of Mr. Kopkind during his two-year term of office. Bernard H. Trager, of Bridgeport, was elected regional president for 1952.