Early and vigorous action on civil rights legislation was urged here today by Sidney Hollander, vice-president of the National Community Relations Advisory Council, acting as spokesman for six major national Jewish organizations and 30 local community councils in various parts of the country.
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Civil Rights, Mr. Hollander asked that two bills–presented by Sen. Everett Dirkson and by Sen. Hubert Humphrey–be sent to the floor of the Senate at the earliest date and kept on the floor “until a vote will have been taken.” He insisted that “it is high time that the Senate have an opportunity, long denied it by the filibuster, to vote on the vital purposes enbodied in these bills.”
Mr. Hollander said the Jewish organizations favored the creation of a federal civil rights commission and the payment of grants to the states to set up similar bodies–provided in the Dirkson Bill–but criticized the fair employment practices provisions of that measure for lacking enforcement features which the NCRAC groups favor. He urged amendment of the Dirksen Bill to conform with the Ives-Humphrey Bill which has the support of all the Jewish organizations.
The major Jewish groups for which the NCRAC official spoke are: American Jewish Congress; Jewish War Veterans: Jewish Labor Committee; Union of American Hebrew Congregations; Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and United Synagogue of America.
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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.
