A request by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith that police departments discontinue publicizing the religious faith of criminal fugitives in “Wanted” circulars is meeting with the wholehearted cooperation of the nation’s police chiefs, Benjamin R. Epstein, A.D.L. national director, reported here.
Within three weeks after the League had circularized some 2,500 police chiefs, here and abroad, more than 500 replies were received. Without a single exception, they agreed that use of the description “Jewish” or “Christian” to identify a fugitive’s nationality or physical characteristics was not only of little value in police work but poor policy as well. The League had approached the police chiefs after it had received many complaints about the use of such phrases as “Jewish appearance” and “looks Jewish” in “wanted” notices posted in public places.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.