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Jewish Veterans Adopt Program to Combat Un-american Activities

September 6, 1938
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The Jewish War Veterans of the United States closed its three-day 43rd annual convention at the Hotel Book-Cadillac today after electing Isador Worth, of Camden, N.J., as national commander and adopting a ten-point program to combat un-American activities. Mr. Worth was elected on the second ballot in a spirited contest. Harry Schaffer, retiring commander, was named executive secretary.

The Americanism program urges deportation of aliens engaged in political propaganda on behalf of foreign governments and revocation of the citizenship of naturalized citizens found engaged in such activities. State and federal legislation prohibiting the wearing of uniforms of foreign governments is urged.

After pledging to promote the work of the Intergovernmental Refugee Committee, the convention heard a proposal for a concrete step to this end by sponsoring the settlement of 200 German Jewish war veterans and their families.

The plan was proposed by Mr. Schaffer, who urged that each of the 200 posts of the J.W.V. aid one family. A resolution adopted yesterday thanked President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull for their assistance to refugees. Governor Frank Murphy, in an address, strongly endorsed the refugee-aid plan. “I believe America ought to be proud to give asylum to the persecuted of every land,” he said. “This is real Americanism.”

The convention also adopted resolutions lauding the stand of Secretary of Interior Harold Ickes in refusing to permit helium sale to Germany, endorsed the stand of other veterans’ organizations for an adequate and complete military, naval and air force and authorized appointment of committees for a monument to Jewish heroes of all American wars at the Arlington National Cemetery and monuments in Chicago to Haym Salomon, George Washington and Robert Morris.

The height of the convention banquet was an attack by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver of Cleveland on Father Charles E. Coughlin’s “feats on the theologico-political flying trapeze” and the printing by “the ghostly gentlemen of Royal Oak” of “that notorious forgery,” The “Protocols of the Eders of Zion” which were quoted in Father Coughlin’s paper, Social Justice.

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