Montreal Jewry Moves to Establish Permanent Body to Fight Antisemitism.

The nucleus of a permanent body to represent Montreal Jewry, and eventually Canadian Jewry, as the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Congress represent American Jewry, and as the Jewish Board of Deputies represents British Jewry, came into being here to-day as the result of a representative meeting held last night attended by delegates of over 20 Jewish communal organisations and by many Jewish communal leaders.

The meeting was called by the B’nai Brith Anti-Defamation League to form an organisation to combat the antisemitic agitation which has lately taken on a serious and aggressive form in the province of Quebec. A committee of nine, headed by Rabbi H. Abramovitch was appointed to prepare a constitution and a programme of activities. In his opening speech Rabbi Abramovitch urged the need of Montreal Jewry cultivating closer relations and friendship with the French Canadians, something which, he said, had been neglected in the past. This will be one of the chief aims of the new organisation, he explained.

Mr. Lyon Cohen, the veteran communal leader, spoke of the legislative committee created in 1908 by the Baron de Hirsch Institute, which had successfully fought anti-Jewish bias. This committee ceased functioning when the antisemitic movement disappeared, Mr. Cohen said. He stressed the importance of creating a new committee in view of the renewed growth of antisemitism in the province.

Mr. Joseph Cohen, member of the Provincial Legislature; Mr. Edgar Berliner, son of the famous inventor, the late Emile Berliner; Rabbi Charles Bender; Alderman Joseph Schubert, and Mr. Horace Cohen, Chairman of the B’nai B’rith, who presided, were the other speakers at the meeting.