(Jewish Daily Bulletin)
The Union of American Hebrew Congregations concluded its four days’ session yesterday.
A decision to form a committee for research on the perpetuation of Judaism was the result of the symposium on this subject which was the feature of the thirtieth biennial convention of the Union.
Charles Shohl of Cincinnati was re-elected Honorary President and Ludwig Vogelstein of New York, Chairman of the Executive Board. The Vice-Presidents chosen were Jacob W. Mack of Cincinnati, Marcus Rauh of Pittsburgh, Maurice G. Rosenberg of Washington and Julius Rosenwold of Chicago; Treasurer, N. Henry Brekman of Cincinnati; Secretary, Rabbi George Zepin of Cincinnati, and Assistant Secretary, Jacob D. Schwarz of Cincinnati. An Executive Board was also chosen composed of fifty-three outstanding members of the Union, including Adolph S. Ochs, Rabbi Louis Wolsey, Dr. Lee K. Frankel, Roger W. Straus, who is President of the National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods, and Mrs. J. Walter Freiberg, president of the Federation of Temple Sisterhoods.
The policy of the Union as formulated in the message of Ludwig Vogelstein, chairman of the Executive Committee, was endorsed in a resolution proposed by Herman Weil, calling for the acceptance of the chairman’s message. This resolution was unanimously adopted.
A resolution endorsing the relief work carried on through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the United Jewish Campaign caused considerable comment among the delegates. The resolution endorsing the relief work of the Joint Distribution Committee included a passage commending “the colonization work in Palestine and in Russia.”
The inclusion of reference to Palestine was commented on by some of the “old guard” as a marked Palestine tendency, while many of the delegates who are affiliated Zionists stated that “this is only the beginning.”
Some comment was caused by the resolution on the death of Achad Ha’am, the late Hebrew essayist and father of spiritual Zionism. This resolution was presented by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver and supported by Dr. David Philipson. Max J. Kohler, well known New York attorney and son of the late Dr. Kaufman Kohler, objected to the resolution.
The debate on the resolution urging arbitration of the differences between the United States government and Mexico, which was expected, did not materialize, in view of the announcement made in official quarters that the arbitration course would be agreed upon by the United States government. The original resolution, however, was adopted with some modifications made by Mr. Goldman.
Another resolution adopted by the convention was to the effect that steps be taken by the Union to commemorate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Bill of Rights, begining an era of religious freedom in the history of mankind.
A resolution greeting Louis Marshall on the occasion of his seventieth birthday was unanimously carried.
A special resolution adopted by the convention called for steps to be taken together with other organizations to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Moses Mendelsohn which falls on September 6, 1929.
Resolutions were also passed to commemorate the memories of the late Oscar Straus, Israel Zangwill and Dr. Israel Abrams.
A determined stand for peace and against militarism was taken by the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, which held its convention simultaneously with the Union. A series of resolutions adopted at its closing meeting urged the compulsory arbitration of international disputes, the abolition of poison gas in warfare, the abolition of compulsory military training in land grant colleges, American adherence to the World Court and American cooperation in world disarmament.
The Sisterhoods’ resolutions were prepared by a standing committee on peace and adopted unanimously. Especially strong was their pronouncement on military training, which stated:
“Such training stresses war psychology in the minds of our youth. The War Department is thus given unprecedented influence in our civil and educational institutions. Such a training runs counter to the movement to substitute law for war. The Sisterhoods’ recommendation is that the compulsory feature of military training be eliminated in all land grant colleges.”
Regarding arbitration, the Sisterhoods’ resolution said:
“The establishment of the principle of compulsory arbitration of all international disputes is an essential step in the outlawry of war.”
The delegates reaffirmed previous expressions of faith in the Permanent Court of International Justice as “an agency for peace,” and urged President Coolidge not to abandon his efforts to obtain American adherence to it.
Another resolution called attention to the work of the League of Nations Preparatory Commission on Disarmament, expressing the hope that the United States would continue to cooperate with the commission in its work.
The National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods reelected Mrs. J. Walter Freiberg of Cincinnati as its President, and chose the following officers: First Vice President, Mrs. Jacob Wertheim of New York; Second Vice President, Mrs. Maurice Steinfeld of St. Louis; Third Vice President, Mrs. Charles Cohn of Nashville; Fourth Vice President, Mrs. Henry Nathan of Buffalo; Recording Secretary, Miss Helen Strauss of Cincinnati; Treasurer, Mrs. Joseph Herman of Boston.
Roger W. Straus of New York was reelected President of the National
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