The Lake Placid Club will relinquish all claims upon the property on which the state of New York is to erect a bod-sled run for the 1932 winter Olympic games, according to an announcement made on Thursday by Dr. Godfrey Dewey, chairman of the winter games committee and vice-president of the Lake Placid Club. Should the state fail to maintain the run after the completion of the Olympic games, the property will be turned over to the Lake Placid community, said Dr. Dewey.
This is regarded as a victory for the National Council of the Jewish Tribune, which had objected to improvements being made with state funds upon the property of the Lake Placid Club, which discriminates against Jews in membership admissions. Mark Eisner, attorney for the Council, earlier in the week had issued a challenge to the Lake Placid Club to lease its property, upon which the state of New York is to build a bod-sled run, to the state, or convey it in fee simple to the town of North Elba. From Dr. Dewey’s latest statement it appears that the Lake Placid Club is now willing to do this.
“Our sole desire in this situation,” said Mr. Eisner, “is to prevent the enrichment of a notorious anti-Semitic institution through the application of state funds derived in part through the taxation of our Jewish citizens.”
The protest against the use of state funds to improve Lake Placid Club property was first made by the National Council of the Jewish Tribune a fortnight ago to Governor Roosevelt. On August 2 last the state Olympic Games Commission awarded a contract for a bod-sled run to be built on the property of the Lake Placid Club at a cost of $60,000. The protest to Governor Roosevelt was embodied in a letter written by David N. Mosessohn, editor of the Jewish Tribune and chairman of its National Council.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
