Howard M. Squadron, a New York City lawyer and long active in Jewish communal affairs, was elected president of the American Jewish Congress at its national biennial convention here. He succeeds Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg who had served three two-year terms. Squadron, 52, is the first president of the organization in 45 years who is not a rabbi. He was elected by a vote of 230-98 votes. The 98 votes were received by Rabbi David Polish of Chicago, the only other candidate.
Squadron declared that the AJCongress “is taking the position that the United States should not be twisting arms or acting as an arbitrator, but rather should perform the role of a mediator, restoring communications and bringing together all the parties for discussions.” He also said that the Carter Administration “is obsessed with the energy problem and is making a mistake by adopting on the Middle East the view of Saudi Arabia.”
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.
