(Jewish Daily Bulletin)
Eight hundred and ninety delegates representing 483 lodges of the Independent Order B’rith Abraham were present at the fortieth annual convention of the Order which opened here Sunday morning.
Mayor Knapp greeted the convention and presented the key of the city. Greetings were offered by Judge Foster Peabody and State Reservation Commissioner Jones who emphasized the large contribution of Jews to the Saratoga Springs as the American Carlsbad.
Dr. S. Margoshes, editor of “The Day,” Judge Jacob Pankin, Congressman Nathan Perlman, addressed the opening session.
Dr. Margoshes urged the order to enter now into energetic cooperation with all Jewish Cultural and Educational agencies for better Jewish education for the young generation.
Judge Jacob Pankin. speaking in behalf of the American Ort, spoke of the condition of Jews in Eastern Europe. Judge Pankin criticized the recent steps to insure better Jewish education which he termed “as undesirable separatism.”
Congressman Perlman stated a relief bill in substitution of the Perlman Wadswerth bill will be passed by Congress before it adjoums. Congressman Perlman appealed for a closer cooperation between the large Jewish fraternal orders.
Congressman Christopher D. Sullivan, Judge Max Levine and Magistrate Louis Brodsky were speakers at the afternoon session.
The resolution passed by the last convention whereby candidates having served in office for two years are not permitted to run for reelection to the same office was ruled by the convention to go into effect at the present session.
Speculation is going on at the convention on the question of who will be elected Grand Master of the Order, the present Grand Master, Adolph Stern. having determined not to accept nomination for reelection.
In his report submitted to the conference. Grand Master Stern reviewed the activities of the Order with regard to the immigration question the United Jewish Campaign, the American Jewish Congress. Palestine. the Ort and the branching our of the Order to the creation of I.O.B.A. centers.
Reminding the members that the Order is celebrating its fortieth anniversary the Grand Master declared:
“Forty years ago, a handful of men arriving in a new country. seeking freedom and opportunity. struggling with handships and difficulties in strange surroundings conceived a moble idea of bringing into life an organization that shall in the spirit of fraternity embrace and welcome every Jew. without regard to the country of his nativity his occupation in life or his social station and which in time, would become a mighty instrument of loyalty and service to the Jewish people. Thus, they laid the foundation for the Independent Order Brith Abraham. They have built well, those noble Jewish pioneers! In the four decades that have elapsed, their fondest hopes have been transforming into living realities. The seeds which they have planted, were laid in fertile soil and have brought forth fruits worthy of their aims.
“Forty years is ordinarily considered to be a long life for an organization. The conscientious interest of our membership, the admittedly important part which we play in all activities, is proof of the striking vitality of our Order and an indication of the strength which it possesses. Tens of thousands of members, scattered in every part of the country, who are united and bound together within our Order, by invisible ties of brotherhood, and loyalty, are a potent force in the life of our people. It rested with us to make that power felt for good. It was in our hands to see that the gigantic reservoir of human energy should not go to waste.
“Happily for our Order, it has steadily followed the clearly marked path of duty. It has pursued a course of wisdom in adjusting itself to the needs of the time, in widening its appeal to all classes of Jewry, to the native younger Jewish men and women as well as those who came from abroad, and in offering of its services and its resources unselfishly and unstintingly. to every movement and cause which stood to better the fate of our brethren.
“Standing today on the threshold of the last decade of a half century of life, conscious of our potential strength, it is fitting that our Fortieth Anniversary shall be marked by a suitable public celebration so that we may dedicate ourselves anew to the attainment of the ideals which inspired the founding of our Order. Let us, in the spirit of harmony and good-will. consolldate our forces and augment our ranks with the growing Jewish generation. Let us, with an increase of enthusiasm and devotion. continue our participation and exert our influence in all the fields of Jewish endeavor. Let us make of our Order a bulwark of serength, a common meeting ground for all. Men and women parents and children should unite in the enobling task of loyalty and service,” he declared.
Introducing a resolution on the question of Jewish education. Mr. Stern stated:
“During the past years we have been observing with great interest the development of the moverment for Jewish education in this country. American Jewry is showing signs of awakening to the importance of this great problem. Communal agencies, working for Jewish education, have been organized in many of the leading cities of the nation. One of the foremost of such agencies is the Jewish Education Association of New York City, which, in a short time has increased the number of pupils in the Jewish religious schools in New York by fifteen thousand and moreover, has succeeded in focusing the attention of the greatest Jewish community in the world to this grave problem.
“The seriousness of the problem may be seen from the fact that in spite of the progress that has been made in the past few years. only one out of every six Jewish children is receiving any Jewish instruction whatsoever. The importance that ample provision be made for encouraging Jewish learning is self-evident.
“It becomes imperative, threfore, for us, the largest Jewish fraternity in this country, to give due thought to the future of our children.
“I recommend that the following resolution be passed: ‘Whereas our duty as American citizens as well as Jews requires that we give our children a thorough Jewish and moral training.
” ‘Therefore be it resolved that the Independent Order Brith Abraham give its hearty cooperation to all the agencies which aim to provide our boys and girls with a Jewish religious training. and that the members individually as well as our lodges as groups, should make adequate provision for such education in their respective localities.'”
The budget for the year 1926-1927, proposed by the Grand Master, amounts to $83,350. This sum would include $25,000 for members relief, $13,000 for charitable institutions.
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.
