Two Prominent Resort Hotels in U.S. Abandon Non-admission of Jews

The problem of racial discrimination in American resorts, as well as some in Bermuda and elsewhere, has been “largely liquidated” in the last two to three years, the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith declared here today.

The latest capitulations on that issue, Harold Braverman, director of the ADL’s national discrimination department, said today, have come from two prominent resort hotels, the Camelback Inn at Phoenix, Ariz., and the Homestead, at Hot Springs, Va, In addition, he said, a large, national chain of resort hotels has reversed its racial discrimination policy, and a prominent resort in Bermuda has also changed its previous policy of barring Jews.

A letter from Jack Stewart, managing director of the Camelback Inn, stated: “It is true that several years ago we had a restricted policy at Camelback Inn. Personally, I never favored it, but it was requested by those who were guests here. We have some Jewish bookings this season. If they are pleasant people, they can return. So it is with Gentiles, too.”

Some years ago Camelback’s closed door policy was the cause of a national controversy after the American Association of United States District Attorneys had canceled reservations to hold its convention at the resort in consideration of some Jewish members of the organization. A report to ADL headquarters here from Stanley S. Jacobs, regional ADL director at Phoenix, declared that the Camelback Inn has been adhering, this season, to the new policy of accepting bookings on the basis of whether the guests are “pleasant people,” regardless of their religion.