Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy said here tonight that the American struggle against Communism cannot be won “Just by confronting the enemy” but depended on accelerated efforts “to banish religious prejudice, racial discrimination and any intolerance” which denies Americans their constitutional rights.
Mr. Kennedy spoke in accepting the American Jewish Congress 1962 Stephen S. Wise Award for advancing human freedom. Dr. Joachim Prinz, president of the AJC, presented the award to Attorney General Kennedy. Another Stephen Wise Award, for exemplifying individual achievement, was presented to Frederick W. Richmond, president of the Urban League of Greater New York.
Mr. Kennedy praised the work of the American Jewish Congress in its programs aimed at promoting “full equality in a free society for all Americans.” He said American troops are stationed abroad “for the same reason the Maccabees stood their ground against Antiochus for human dignity and freedom.”
Shad Polier, chairman of the national governing council of the American Jewish Congress, presiding, said the AJC sought “in the spirit of our founder and long-time leader, Stephen S. Wise, to seek justice with honor for the Jewish people everywhere, and to enlist in the battle for Justice to all men.”
Mr. Kennedy was presented for the award by Dr. Alfred J. Marrow, former chairman of the New York City Commission on Intergroup Relations. Mr. Richmond was presented for his award by Frank Abrams, a national vice-president of the Congress.
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.
