The three day biennial convention of the Jewish Labor Committee closed here today with the adoption of a series of resolutions demanding equality of opportunity, expressing solidarity with Israel, calling for the immediate ratification by the U. S. Senate of the international convention against genocide, and urging the Soviet Union to launch a nationwide educational program against anti-Semitism, to counteract the anti-Semitic propaganda that has been rampant in the USSR since last June’s Arab-Israel war. The convention, attended by 500 delegates reelected Adolph Held as its president and Emanuel Muravchik as executive director.
In another resolution, the JLC emphasized that Jews have always identified with Negroes in their aspirations for equality and justice. It noted that Negroes in general have shown less inclination to anti-Jewish prejudice than whites in the same economic bracket. But it declared that the JLC will continue to combat prejudice wherever it appears, “especially when ironically it comes from those Negroes who are seeking the support of others in the fight against anti-Negro prejudice.”
An unexpected highlight of the convention was the surprise appearance of President Johnson at the dinner Thursday night, of the National Trade Union Council for Human Rights, honoring AFL-CIO president George Meany. President Johnson told the gathering that “the same kind of issues are at stake” In the Vietnam war as in the Middle East conflict. He urged continuing efforts to attain a Middle East peace that would enable the peoples of the region to “live together in dignity and mutual respect.”
Mrs. Golda Meir, former foreign minister of Israel, now secretary of the Mapai Party, said at the same dinner that ‘there never has been a dark hour for Israel when the American labor movement and especially its president, George Meany, did not have an understanding of our problems.” She said she wanted to take the opportunity “to say that your government and your President understand our position, and we thank God that they do.”
The convention made public a special report based on confidential and official sources, of a new wave of anti-Semitism gripping Eastern Europe, It is manifested in Poland, the report said, by the discharge of Jews from jobs in government and industry, the removal of Communist Party officials who show sympathy for Israel, and termination of Jewish-Polish relief organizations.
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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.
