An urgent appeal to American Jews to pay the balance of their pledges to the local Jewish federations and welfare funds for 1960 and previous years was issued today by Louis P. Smith, national chairman of the special cash collection drive, just launched by the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds.
Mr. Smith, who is president of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and who has long been active in local and overseas Jewish welfare efforts, said in his appeal:
“There are millions of dollars on the books of our federations and welfare funds past due for 1960 and previous years. The pressure for these funds have mounted severely in the past few months, as immigration to Israel has increased beyond all expectation and beyond all budgetary provisions, and as national and local unmet needs have mounted here at home. These pressing human needs can be met only by cash payments–now.”
Outlining a program of productive, immediate action, Mr. Smith asked each Council community to appoint a cash collection committee to handle this special effort; to attempt, by personal and individual appeals, to reach contributors with the largest amounts outstanding; and to undertake a planned, comprehensive campaign to bring in speedily substantially more cash than that community obtained during the same period last year.
“Hunger and need and danger do not wait,” Mr. Smith said. “In the next few weeks we can and will do a tremendous service in translating the premise of our still outstanding pledges into the realities of great humanitarian service.” Mr. Smith is expected to announce his regional chairmen for the drive within the next few days.
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.
