Confidence in the good will of the new government in Roumania, headed by the leader of the National Peasant Party, Juliu Maniu, toward the Jewish population in Roumania, was expressed in a resolution adopted at the annual convention of the United Roumanian Jews of American which met all day Sunday at Pythian Temple, New York.
Welcoming the change in Roumania as one which will have a beneficial effect upon the welfare of the Jewish population which suffered a reign of injustice and terror for the past fifty years, the Roumanian Jews of America went on record as urging their brethren in their native country to cease all party and geographic division in order that they be enabled to face the new situation as a united body.
The convention addressed a plea to the leaders of the Jewish community in Roumania to call a national conference of the Jews of Transylvania, Bukowina, Bessarabia, Banat and the Old Kingdom to formulate a program of action. Such a convention would be in a position to state the needs of the Jewish population and to submit these demands to the Maniu government, which has given assurances that it will meet them.
Similarly, the convention decided to endeavor to bring about unity between the American Jews of Transylvanian, Bukowinian, Bessarabian and Banat origin, so that they may cooperate with the United Roumanian Jews in furtherance of the interests of Jews in Roumania.
A special committee under the name Foreign Relations Committee was chosen for the purpose of eliminating what was declared to be confusion which obtained until recently with regard to Roumanian matters. It was pointed out that utterances by various spokesmen in behalf of the Roumanian Jews in the United States were conducive of much evil. The purpose of the new committee will be, it was stated, to formulate a policy for the organization. The committee will consist of the following five members: Leo Wolfson, A. Hirsh, Solomon Suffrin, and Bennett E. Siegelstein, president, and Herman Speier, secretary, ex-officio. Abraham Hirsh of Philadelphia was the sponsor of the plan.
The administration was re-elected, including Bennett E. Spiegelstein, president, Herman Speier, secretary, Haim Haimovitz, treasurer, Leo Wolfson, chairman of the executive committee. Solomon Suffrin was chosen chairman of the advisory committee. The vice-presidents elected are A. Hirsh, Leo Fischer, Samuel Kanter, Maurice Florea and Paul R. Silberman.
One hundred and eighty-seven delegates, representing 16 cities, attended the session. Mr. Siegelstein, the president, submitted an exhaustive report of the activities of the organization. A silver loving cup was presented to the Union by William Nelson Cromwell, president of the Society of the Friends of Roumania.
A gift of $1,000 from Saul E. Myers was announced. Among the resolutions adopted at the closing session were the following: The conference pledged itself to cooperate with the Ort. It stated its confidence in the Marshall-Weizmann Agreement. The action of the Greek Orthodox Church in calling upon its priests to abstain from anti-Semitic propaganda was commended. The Kellogg Peace Pact was endorsed.
Speakers at the various sessions over which Mr. Siegelstein presided were Herman Speier, Solomon Suffrin, A. Hirsh, Dr. Henry Moskowitz, representing the Ort, Carl Sherman of the American Jewish Congress, William Nelson Cromwell, president of the Society of the Friends of Roumania, and Z. Tygel, director of the Federation of Polish Jews of America.
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