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Jewish War Veterans Chief Calls for Federal Action Against Black Panthers

August 22, 1969
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National Commander Charles Feuereisen of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA called today for U.S. Justice Department action against the Black Panther Negro extremist group as the veterans organization opened its 74th annual national convention.

Mr. Feuereisen said the government should act against the Black Panthers on grounds of conspiracy to commit sedition through armed insurrection. He said “The issue of Black Panther violence should be judged without reference to the racism and anti-Semitism generated by the Panthers. The issue is whether our democracy can tolerate goons with guns who carry on interstate plots to seize power by force and violence.”

A resolution submitted to the convention called for strong action to meet anti-Semitism emerging from “misdirected Negro militancy”. The resolution cited “substantial evidence that Jewish residents and Jewish businessmen are often innocent victims of misdirected Negro militancy in the turbulent ghettos”. It said this was “a stark reminder to the American Jewish community that it cannot ignore anti-Semitism as a distinct threat to the security of individual Jews.”

Alluding to a newly formed Jewish militant “self-defense” organization in New York City, the resolution said the JWV rejected “the phantasy of karate and close-order drill as a positive and realistic defense of our co-religionists”.

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