Jewish Organizations Disavow Responsibility for Utterances of Brown

The allegations made by David A. Brown that no specific misery exists among Polish Jewry are termed “not unusual for one possessing Mr. Brown’s characteristics” in an editorial which appears in the current issue of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.

Mr. Brown’s allegations concerning the situation of Polish Jewry and his charges that the Jewish press and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in America misrepresented the situation, continue to arouse comment.

The Executive Committee of the Federation of Polish Jews yesterday announced that it has unanimously resolved to take such additional appropriate action against Mr. Brown as the circumstances require.

At the same time, the Federation through its Executive Director, Z. Tygel, issued a statement charging that the “American Hebrew” is attempting to becloud the issue.

The Federation also made public replies it has received to its communication asking action against Mr. Brown for his utterances, from Joseph C. Hyman, Secretary of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Morris D. Waldman, Secretary of the American Jewish Committee.

Both replies disavow any responsibility for the utterances of Mr. Brown on the ground that his membership in these organizations does not give him authority to speak in their behalf.

Mr. Hyman declared:

“I acknowledge receipt of your communication of October 5th with reference to an interview of Mr. David A. Brown with the Polish Telegraphic Agency.

“We have received no report or communication from Mr. Brown directly, and we have no information concerning any statements that he is said to have issued. We need hardly add that Mr. Brown has not anywhere stated that he is studying conditions abroad in behalf of the Joint Distribution Committee or that he speaks for this organization. As apparently Mr. Brown is speaking as an individual, under the circumstances we do not feel that the Joint Distribution Committee should officially enter into the situation.

“We have from time to time, especially within the last year, issued the official reports of our European Director and of our colleagues abroad, which point to the acute conditions of need of the Jewish population in Poland and in other Eastern European countries, and from which you may have seen that these reports of ours fully coincide with the situation such as you describe. We shall continue to make clear to the Jewish community of this country how sorely our brethren in Eastern and Central Europe need our sympathetic aid, our encouragement and our cooperation at this time.”

Mr. Waldman wrote:

“I had your letter of October 5 referring to the interview given to the Polish Telegraphic Agency by Mr. David A. Brown, to which you take objection. We note your statement that “These utterings of Mr. Brown are as misrepresentative of your (our) Committee as they are of us (you)….” and you suggest that we take “such action forthwith as this situation…. requires.”

“May I call your attention to the fact that the Committee cannot be held responsible for the utterances of its members unless they have authority to speak as representatives of the Committee? Mr. Brown did not speak with such authority nor did he claim that he was doing so; most probably he spoke as the publisher of a weekly periodical in New York City.

“The authoritative views of our Committee on the Polish situation are those given in the official publications of the Committee.

“In this connection may I remind you that during the sessions of the Institute of Politics at Williamtown, Mass., last summer, Mr. Max J. Kohler, who is also a member of the Committee and of its Executive Committee, represented the situation of the Polish Jews in a manner which undoubtedly agrees with the point of view of your Federation? He too did this in his personal capacity and not as a representative of our Committee.”

The “Jewish Exponent” in its editorial said:

“The Federation of Polish Jews was entirely within its rights when it protested against the utterances of Mr. David A. Brown, while on a short visit in Warsaw, though there is evidently nothing the American Jewish Committee or the Joint Distribution Committee can do in this matter.”

It proceeds to quote a quotation from the annual review of the year by Harry Schneiderman, editor of the American Jewish Year Book and assistant Secretary of the American Jewish Committee in which the acute misery is described. It comments:

“It is evident that Mr. Brown did not realize this; and not having realized it, had come to the conclusion that it did not exist. This is not unusual for one possessing Mr. Brown’s characteristics. Had Mr. Brown been a little more cautious, had he applied a little forethought, he would have perceived that a statement such as he made to the Polish Telegraphic Agency, might do harm. As the matter stands, he has done a grave injustice to Polish Jewry.”

The Jewish Daily Bulletin is in receipt of a communication from Louis Rittenberg, managing editor of the American Hebrew in which he says that the statements attributed to Mr. Brown in the Polish Telegraphic Agency interview are at variance with the articles which he has been writing in the American Hebrew.