Criticism of the “rank and file” movement in social work — the movement of social workers as distinct from executives — was made and answered today at the thirty-seventh annual meeting of National Conference of Jewish Social Service in the Chelsea Hotel.
After four days of deliberation on the problems of Jews from the social aspect and broad social questions the conference will close on Wednesday. A discussion was scheduled tonight on Jewish youth in America.
A paper by Dr. Maurice Taylor of Pittsburgh read at this morning’s session said that opinion of executives on certain trade union tactics by employes of social service agencies varied from outright endorsement to utter condemnation.
Some executives, he said, feel collective bargaining inapplicable to social work because it operates on a non-profit basis and its employe problems differ from industry in general. Some executives even charge employe groups with revolutionary intentions, he declared.
Miss Mollie Pearl of Brooklyn, former chairman of one of the “rank and file” organizations discussed the criticism in the afternoon when the Association of Practitioners in Jewish Social agencies — an associate section of the conference — presented a paper on “Labor’s approach to the Jewish Problem in America and Their Implication for the Practitioner,” at its own session.
The practitioners declared themselves “an integral part of the labor movement in America.” They endorsed the Franzier-Lundeen social insurance bill, a Farmer-Labor Party based on trade unions and other groups, and the American Youth Act.
Virulent anti-Semitism is facing America, the delegates were warned yesterday at the opening session of the conference. Dr. Maurice Karpf of New York, Dr. Lee J. Levinger of Columbus, O., Dr. Alfons Goldschmidt of New York, and Sidney Wallach of New York discussed the subject.
Dr. Levinger and Dr. Goldschmidt advocated a union of Jewish forces with other progressive elements, particularly those of national minorities, in an effort to stem anti-Semitism by fighting reaction in general.
Dr. Karpf placed reliance upon education of children all over the world — teaching them to love rather than to hate. He added that “there is no single solution possible, since the causes are many, social as well as economic, racial, political and religious.”
Mrs. Sydney G. Borg of New York said laymen have aided social work by advocating legislative measures and by helping to innovate psychological and psychiatric practices in the treatment of problems of maladjustment.
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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.
