N.c.r.a.c. Parley Endorses Principles of Maciver Recommendations

A series of measures designed to implement phases of the MacIver Report on Jewish community relations work in the United States was adopted here last night by the ninth plenary session of the National Community Relations Advisory Council after a sharp two-day debate.

The program, submitted to the session by the N.C.R.A.C.’s Special Committee on Evaluative Studies, provided for reorganization of community relations work by its six constituent national agencies through establishment of machinery for long-range planning to secure development of an integrated program, division of responsibilities among the organizations and a new financing plan for the work.

The conference endorsed Prof. MacIver’s recommendations for re-assessment of community relations work as to its needs, directions and methods and voted for establishment of a special N.C.R.A.C. committee, including outside experts, to assume this responsibility.

DEFERS SPECIFIC ACTION ON DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

On the stormy question of division of responsibility for different aspects of the work, on which the debate had been sharpest, the conference voted that the evaluative committee should make “specific recommendations” on this to the executive committee of the N.C.R.A.C. by May 1. If the executive does not agree on these recommendations unanimously, then final decision will rest with the N.C.R.A.C. plenary by a majority vote. In this case, the plenary session would be held by June 15.

The conference voted that “with respect to the report of the Special Committee on Evaluative Studies on the logical and practical division of labor, or such of the committee’s recommendations as shall have been completed by the time of the next plenum, no action shall be taken by the executive committee except to refer the report of the Special Committee on Evaluative Studies to the plenum. The right of action of the plenum as well as the right of action and dissent by any member agency as they heretofore existed shall remain inviolate.”

The MacIver report recommendations on division of responsibility would have the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith relinquish their activities in the veterans field to the Jewish War Veterans, their labor activities to the Jewish Labor Committee, and interfaith work to the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. The report also proposed allocation of specific functions in the civil rights field and other measures aimed at eliminating overlapping and duplication of which the report complained.

N.C.R.A.C. STRENGTHENED; MAJORITY VOTE PRINCIPLE ADOPTED

Measures to strengthen the N.C.R.A.C. as “crucial for any better organization and more effective conduct of Jewish community relations work” were also adopted by the conference. It adopted a proposal that its decisions and policies shall be established by a majority vote except with respect to the evaluative committee’s report on the logical and practical division of labor. It added that “necessarily, the autonomy of the member agencies will be fully respected and maintained.”

Current procedures regarding public statements will be maintained, according to the plenary vote. Where agencies act on the basis of their dissent, the N.C.R.A.C. administration is empowered to inform the Jewish community of dissents or deviations from majority decisions, giving dissenting agencies the opportunity to place their positions before the community.

N.C.R.A.C. COMMITTEE TO PREPARE NEW FINANCING PLAN

The conference set up a committee to prepare a new financing plan, as recommended by the evaluative committee, for submission to the next plenary session of the N.C.R.A.C. and to the 1952 General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds.

On this issue, the evaluative committee had declared: “We believe that equitable procedures with regard to applications for funds and the review of applications should be devised. The new procedure must relate financing to the joint planning of program, so that the total funds available for national community relations activities will be distributed on the basis of the entire program of activity. The N.C.R.A.C. should continuously inform the welfare funds of the progress in the co-operative process.

“In accordance with the above policy recommendations, a joint committee of the N.C.R.A.C. and of the Large City Budgeting Conference should consider the detailed problems of financing and should develop a specific plan which it will present for adoption to the next plenum of the N.C.R.A.C., to the Large City Budgeting Conference and to the General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds in 1952. The question of the financing of the N.C.R.A.C. should also be referred to that committee.”