Los Angeles Community Relations Committee Lauds Maciver’s Report

A statement of policy recommending “continuing consideration of the Maclver report, which is replete with a searching analysis of the causes of existing anti-Jewish feeling and valuable suggestions for an overall program,” was adopted here today by the Los Angeles Community Relations Committee.

The statement was accompanied by a resolution lauding Prof. Robert M. Maclver for the “significant contribution” he made through his survey of the activities of the American Jewish groups engaged in combatting anti-Semitism. It approved “in principle” Prof. Maclver’s recommendation that the National Community Relations Advisory Council in New York–the central co-ordinating body of all Jewish groups fighting anti-Semitism in this country–set up a standing committee for overall strategy in the field of community relations.

Local evaluation of Prof. Maclver’s report by a subcommittee of the Community Relations Committee established that ” Maclven’s recommendations for eliminating costly duplications were remarkably alike to those made by the subcommittee itself last year when it studied the inter-relationships of agencies in Los Angeles alone. These recommendations were approved last fall and put into practice. Some of them were praised by Maclver in his report and other communities were urged to follow the pattern developed.

WANTS N.C.R.A.C. TO PREVENT DUPLICATIONS AND CONFLICTS

The statement of policy adopted today says that “the National Community Relations Advisory Council in fact as well as in theory should serve as co-ordinating agency to prevent duplications and conflicts and to evaluate programs and policies.” It recommends that “membership in the N.C.R.A.C. be conditioned upon agreement by each agency that it will abide by the majority decision of the N.C.R.A.C. in matters of program and policy.”

With respect to financing, the policy statement recommends that the N.C.R.A.C. be financed directly by the local communities. Heretofore the largest part of the N.C.R.A.C. budget was provided by the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Labor Committee and the Jewish War Veterans.

Prof. Maclver’s recommendations for national allocation of funds was not approved. The subcommittee was directed to give further consideration to his other recommendations for financing of national agencies.