Jewish National Chest for Home and Abroad Planned at Meeting of Jewish Leaders in New York

Leaders from All Paris of Country Meet at Justice Irving Lehman’s Home to Consider Measure; Committee of Four Appointed to Name Larger Group to Present Plan of Chest; Chest to Be Central Organization to Collect and Distribute Funds and to Control Scores of Agencies, Including Funds for Palestinian Organizations; Educational Institutions to Be Included in Chest; Louis Marshall Urges Three-Fold Chest for Foreign Organizations, for Educational and Cultural Organizations in the United States and for Philanthropic Agencies

A decision of far reaching importance to the Jewish communities throughout the United States, which will affect many Jewish philanthropic and social organizations, was reached yesterday at a meeting of Jewish communal leaders fom various sections of the country held at the home of Justice Irving Lehman, president of the Jewish Welfare Board.

Initial steps for the creation of a national Jewish community chest for the support of philanthropic and educational institutions in this country and abroad, which now make independent nation-wide appeals, were taken at the meeting held yesterday.

According to an announcement issued today by the National Conference of Jewish Social Service, a committee of four, consisting of Justice Lehman, James H. Becker and Jacob M. Loeb of Chicago and William J. Shroder, of Cincinnati, has been authorized to name a larger group which will present a plan for the proposed chest, following a study in which the committee is to have the cooperation of the Bureau of Jewish Social Research. The proposed central organization will collect and distribute funds throughout the United States for the composite requirements of the National groups and will act as a clearing house for information and for the control of scores of national agencies. Among its purposes will be the allocation of funds to Palestinian organizations making annual appeals in this country.

A memorandum submitted at the meeting showed that there are forty Palestinian agencies beyond the control of the United Palestine Appeal collecting funds in this country. The larger philanthropic organizations coming under the management of the proposes chest have an annual budget of $1,700,000 and the educational institutions affected raise an additional $500,000.

Among the philanthropic agencies named were the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the National Desertion Bureau, the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society, of Denver; the National Jewish Hospital, of Denver; the Leon N. Levi Memorial Hospital in Hot Springs, the National Farm School and the Jewish Consumptive Relief Association of Los Angeles. Louis Marshall, who participated in the discussion of the proposal, expressed the belief that a three-fold chest be created, one branch for foreign organizations making appeals in the United States; another for educational and cultural national organizations, established and operating in this country; and a third to concern itself with purely charitable or philanthropic agencies organized and operating in the United States.

Additional institutions suggested for consideration by the study commission for the proposed united money-raising effort were the American Jewish Committee, the Hebrew Union College, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Rabbinical College of America, the Jewish Chautauqua Society, the Jewish Publication Society, the Jewish Welfare Board; the Training School for Jewish Social Work, and the Bureau of Jewish Social Research.

Attending the conference at Justice Lehman’s home were Judge Julian W. Mack, Solomon Lowenstein, executive director of the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies of New York; I. W. Frank, of Pittsburgh; David M. Heyman of New York; Maurice J. Karpf, director of the Training School for Jewish Social Work; Harry L. Glucksman, executive director of the Jewish Welfare Board; Ben Altheimer, of New York, Abraham Herman, president of the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society; Louis Marshall, Henry Lasker of Springfield, Mass; S.B. Xenneborn of Baltimore, Victor Rosewater, of Philadelphia; Judge Horrace Stern of Philadelphia, Judge Eli Frank of Baltimore, Judge Otto A. Rosalsky of New York.

Also participating in the conference were A. J. Sunstein of Pittsburgh; Samuel C. Lamport, of New York; David M. Bressler, of New York; S. Rottenberg, of New York; Samuel Hessberg, of Cohoes, N. Y.; Harry A. Wolf, of Omaha, Neb.; Samuel Bettelheim of New York; Moses F. Aufsesser, of Albany: James H. Becker, of Chicago; E. M. Chase of Manchester, N. H.; Samuel A. Goldsmith, executive director of the Bureau of Jewish Social Research; Dr. Cyrus Adler, of Philadelphia; Dr. Milton J. Rosenau, of Boston and Dr. Lee K. Frankel, of New York.

Solomon Lowenstein presided at the conference and in his opening remarks outlined the situation, referring to the study on the subject, made in 1921 by the Bureau of Jewish Social Research at the request of the National Conference of Jewish Social Service. Representatives of the smaller cities pointed out that their communities were flooded with constant appeals from outside sources and while the larger cities could cope with the situation, it was most difficult for the smaller cities to meet the problem without the cooperation of a central body.

Samuel A. Goldsmith, in a statement after the meeting, said that the committee appointed would make its report regarding the new chest at a special meeting just before the next annual session of the American Jewish Committee. Consideration of the new chest plan is prompted in great measure by the success of the local Federation movement employed by Jewish communal agencies in New York and many other cities. The Jewish Federation idea was adopted by the Community Chest movement during the war and has been in use by interdenominational groups since that time.

The Boston Avukah, a branch of the Intercollegiate Zionist Federation of America, tendered a reception to Dr. Chaim Weizmann on Sunday.

Joseph S. Shubow, president of the Boston Avukah, presented Dr. Weizmann to the student body.

Dr. Weizmann said that students were pioneers in the Zionist movement. Judge Julian W. Mack, Max Rhoade, National president of the Avukah, Elihu D. Stone, President of the New England Zionist Region and Alex J. Whynman. Chairman of the Boston Executive, addressed the gathering. About 500 students of the local universities attended the gathering.