“jewish Tribune” Supports Federation of Federations Idea

The suggestion made in the “Jewish Daily Bulletin” by Mr. Morris E. Gossett, that American Jewish leaders consider steps to create a Federation of Federations which would be the Kewish fund-raising agency in the United States, thus eliminating the various campaigns and drives, is supported editorially by the “Jewish Tribune.”

Commenting in this week’s issue on the proposal, the “Tribune” says:

“The suggestion made by Morris E. Gossett of New York City in a letter to Felix M. Warburg that steps should be taken now to form a federation of federations for the purpose of gathering funds for a systematic program of constructive effort in Poland, Russia and Palestine, deserves serious study. Mr. Gossett points out that, if, as Mr. Warburg suggested. American Jewry is to work out a ten-year program of work in these countries, ‘there should be an end to the many national campaigns involving tremendous expenditures for money-raising and for the maintenance of machines and publicity apparatus.’ He proposes that each local federation add to its budget a proportion of the amount needed for the overseas program and conduct a single annual campaign to raise the necessary sum.

“The plan has many obvious advantages, and there should be little difficulty in carrying it out. But there are difficulties. One of the greatest is that federations exist in only some sixty cities, whereas there are Jews in upward of 2,000 cities, towns and villages of the country. To reach the Jewish population outside of the federation-cities will require some sort of regional or district organizations. But this is a practical problem which the many practical and experienced organizers among our social service bodies can be expected to solve. The general thought is a good one, and we fail to see how, without some such plan, the effective large-scale work required abroad, and which American Jewry is only too willing to do, can be undertaken.”