More than forty orthodox congregations went on record favoring participation in the newly organized Federation of Orthodox Jewish Congregations in Detroit, which was inspired by Rabbi A. M. Ashinsky of Congregation Emanuel, who is considered the dean of Detroit Orthodox Rabbis.
The purpose of the Federation, as outlined by Rabbi Ashinsky and adopted by the spokesmen for Orthodox Jewry in Detroit, is three-fold:
1. It aims at checking the flood of fake appeals for Yeshivas overseas, in Europe as well as in Palestine. It was explained by Rabbi Ashinsky that institutions of worth which are in need of funds are suffering because money which could be collected for them instead is gathered by fake solicitors for fake institutions.
2. The Federation is to act as a central supervising body for the observance of Kashruth, to guarantee that Kashruth regulations, and the state law for Kashruth, are not violated by unscrupulous schochtim and merchants.
3. The Federation will strive to centralize city-wide Jewish activities toward making for greater efficiency and to eliminate waste.
The Federation will function through a council to which each congregation will be entitled to three delegates. There will also be a rabbinical council, composed of the Orthodox rabbis of Detroit, which will render decisions on religious matters affecting the Federation’s work.
Temporary officers of the Federation are: J. Levin, president; Isaac Rosenthal and Sam Cohen, secretaries.
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.
