Announcement of the dissolution of the United Jewish Appeal has drawn a strong protest from Morris Simon, Washington attorney and for the past five years head of the UJA drive in the capital. Spreaking as “one of the many workers who every years have to face the practical task of raising funds,” Simon urged that efforts to continue the UJA be reopened with new negotiators.
He pointed out that in Washington the joint appeal for funds had resulted in a total contribution of as much as seven times the average annual proceeds previous to the establishment of the UJA. In letters addressed to Chairman Abba Hillel Silver of the United Palestine Appeal; President William Rosenwald of the National Refugee Service and Chairman Paul Baerwald of the Joint Distribution Committee, Simon said:
“I am distressed to learn…that negatiations for a United Jewish Appeal have failed and that separate campaigns are to be had by the three constituent organizations. It is my studied opinion that separate campaigns will result in a lessening of contributions to each of the activities.
“Without any intention to be critical, I suggest that if our present leaders cannot compose their differences, possibly an entirely new group, not heretofore parties to the extended negotiations, should be appointed for the purpose of reviewing this matter. Definitely every effort should be made to continue a UJA, through which great advances have been made in fund-raising in the past few years, over the plan of independent campaigns theretofore prevailing.”
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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.
