A statement expressing guarded approval of the civil rights bill adopted by Congress just before it adjourned last week-end, was issued today by the American Jewish Congress, Jewish Labor Committee and the Jewish War Veterans of the United States–all affiliated with the National Community Relations Advisory Council. Other groups affiliated with the NCRAC concurred.
The statement observed that the significance of the civil rights enactment will depend on the sincerity with which it is administered. It called on President Eisenhower to make appointments under the law that will make it a “turning point in the struggle toward equality for all Americans.” It pledged “whole hearted cooperation in every effort to realize the purposes of the legislation” and expressed the hope that a new era had been inaugurated, in which the nation would move forward toward realization of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the Supreme Court.
“This bill,” the statement of the Jewish organizations said, “can mean much or little depending upon the people President Eisenhower appoints to carry out its provisions, and the sincerity with which they devote themselves to the discharge of their responsibilities. If the President appoints an Assistant Attorney General and six Commissioners genuinely devoted to the advancement of civil rights, the bill can become an important turning point in the struggle toward equality for all Americans.”
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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.
