Pleas for unity and tolerance were voiced today by several prominent Jewish and non-Jewish leaders in addresses at the symposium on “Inalienable Rights – Inescapable Duties,” which opened the Williamstown Institute of Human Relations, being held here under the auspices of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
“The United States is a nation of minorities,” declared James N. Rosenberg, member of the executive committee of the American Jewish Committee. “Everyone of us are members of minorities,” he continued, “think that over. Are you of German, Italian or Danish blood? Are you a Catholic, a Baptist, a Jew; a laborer or a lawyer; a publicist, post, politician or publisher? Whatever you are, you, too, belong to a minority group.”
Harold K. Guinsburg, president of Viking Press, in his address to the symposium stated that” “Great states have crumbled in recent history because they failed sufficiently to promote the general welfare and to recognize that ‘inalienable rights’ are not static but constantly face the need for revision and further forward steps.” Mr. Guinzburg uttered a plea that, “Nations and men recognize the realities of the day in their formulation of present day legislation and policies.”
Roger W. Straus, co-chairmen of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, declared that: “The first and foremost duty of a citizen in a democracy is to eliminate intolerance. The second duty is for the citizen to exercise his right to freedom of worship. The right of religious liberty he said, involves the duty of refraining from intolerance.
Other speakers at the symposium were Dorothy Day, editor of the Catholic Worker; David Hinshaw, Standard Oil executive, representing the Quakers; Dr. Frank Kingdom, publicist; and President Mildred MoAfee of Wellesley College.
The Institute opened with an address by District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey of New York in which he said that: “The defeat of Nazi Germany is a prerequisite to any discussion of the world of tomorrow.
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