As the beginning of its campaign to create a supporting membership body for a program in defense of the rights of Jews, in which the American Jewish Congress is engaged, the Congress is launching a local membership drive. The campaign was announced today by Professor Horace M. Kallen and Abraham I. Spiro, co-chairmen of the membership endeavor.
The work of enlisting membership is part of the preparation for national democratic elections which will be held in this country on April 28, 1935. The New York campaign will be followed by similar campaigns throughout the country.
Responsibility for leadership of the New York campaign has been vested in a committee which includes, in addition to the cochairmen, Jacob Leichtman, Professor Jerome Michael, Dr. Samuel Margoshes, Nathan D. Perlman, Louis Segal and Joseph Tenenbaum.
DISCRIMINATION HERE
In appealing for support of the Jewish community, Dr. Kallen and Mr. Spiro point out that the problems of Jewish life in this country are such as involve the future of every Jew.
“It is a matter of record that discrimination is being practiced against the Jew in the economic, cultural, social and political life of the country,” their statement declares.
“It is a matter of record that a numerus clausus against the admission of Jews to certain colleges and universities is being practiced.
“It is a matter of record that many non-Jewish employes refuse to employ Jews and that Jews are completely excluded from employment in certain industries.
“Obviously, every Jew has a direct stake in the solution of these and other problems. He has the alternative of leaving the solution of these problems to a small group of leaders, separated from the viewpoint of the masses by class and ideological differences, or to exercise, through enrolling in the American Jewish Congress, his right to have a voice in deciding his own problems as a Jew in the economic, intellectual, cultural society and in political fields.
“We appeal to every Jew who cares about the conservation of Jewish values and who is a loyal American to support the American Jewish Congress and its program by enrolling as a member.”
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.
