The 800 delegates to the Emergency National Conference of the United Jewish Appeal, which concluded here last night, left for their homes today determined to develop an intensified campaign for the U.J.A. in the communities which they represent. The High Holiday season, which starts within a fortnight, will be utilized to emphasize the responsibility of American Jews to solve the dollar crisis of the U.J.A.
William Rosenwald, national chairman of the U.J.A., who presided at the concluding session, emphasized that the lack of cash is seriously crippling the relief and resettlement programs supported by the United Jewish Appeal. Mr. Rosenwald warned American Jewish communities that inadequate funds in 1949 “may jeopardize our magnificent accomplishments of the past ten years.”
He stated that the present critical crisis facing the United Jewish Appeal agencies–the United Palestine Appeal, the Joint Distribution Committee and the United Service for New Americans–could not be minimized and urged American Jewish communities to give their responsibilities to the United Jewish Appeal foremost position in their welfare programs.
“With funds made available through the United Jewish Appeal, we have helped to build the state of Israel, we have moved hundreds of thousands of displaced Jews from the DP camps of Europe to Israel, the United States and elsewhere, and we have helped keep alive additional hundreds of thousands of Jewish survivors in other parts of the world,” he said. “Our task is still far from complete, however,” he warned, stressing that “not until we have created a new life for each and every survivor of the Nazi massacre can we regard our historic task as being complete.”
Among the principal speakers during the discussion of the responsibilities of American Jewry were: Joseph Meyerhoff of Baltimore; Samuel Daroff of Philadelphia; Joseph Cherner of Washington; Hyman Brand of Kansas City; Louis Berry of Detroit; Henry Rocker of Cleveland; Samuel Rothberg of Peoria; and Kara Shapiro of Cleveland.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
