Emphasizing that “the spirit of toleration is of the very essence of true Americanism,” President Truman, in a message to the Institute on Judaism and Race Relations held here today at the Jewish Institute of Religion, expressed the hope that “the deliberations of the Institute will be fruitful of wise (##)sels and constructive action to promote better relations among all races in the world.”
Speaking for the Commission on Justice and Peace of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which sponsored the conference, Rabbi Ferdinand M. Isserman of St. Louis outlined the purpose of the Institute, which will be in session for two days and will conclude with a declaration of principles on race relations. He said that the Jews, “whose fellows have been the victims of racial myths and false racial teachings,” Know from bitter experience the ugly menace of racial hatreds, and how easily they can be expleited. “We feel it our primary duty to alert the world against this poison, and to point the way for decent fellow human beings,” he stressed.
In preparation for the declaration, the Institute will hold six round table discussions today and tomorrow with a number of scientists, teachers, rabbis and laymen participating. The discussions will deal with the teachings of Judaism and race relations, with science and race, the law and improvement of race relations, and with the removing of racial frictions in the modern world.
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