An announcement that seven leading New York City commercial banks had affirmed a policy of employing executive trainees, and promoting executives without bias, was lauded today by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith. An ADL study had shown that only 3-1/2 percent of 844 top officials of the banks were Jews in a city with a 25 percent Jewish population.
The announcement was made by New York State Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz. The ADL study had been filed with the Attorney General’s office after the findings were made public during a 1961 hearing of a special subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor. The study found that only 30 of the 844 officials were Jewish.
Benjamin R. Epstein, ADL national director, said the outcome of the talks between the banks and the Attorney General was evidence of “a genuine desire” by banks to hire and promote qualified persons of all backgrounds. He expressed the hope that the affirmation would be “implemented by vigorous and effective action.”
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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.
