Kaufmann Named Chairman As General Council for Jewish Rights Starts Work

The General Council for Jewish Rights, representing American Jewry’s “big four” organizations, held its first plenary meeting yesterday at the Hotel St. Regis, electing Edgar J. Kaufmann as chairman and initiating action to aid the Jews of Czechoslovakia and Italy.

The 20 delegates representing the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith and Jewish Labor Committee named a special committee representing each of the organizations to “coordinate and expand the activities already undertaken in the interests of the Jewish communities of Czechoslovakia and Italy,” according to an announcement issued after the all-day session, which was in camera. Published reports that the Council had approached the State Department seeking aid for the Jews in Czechoslovakia were authoritatively denied. It was explained that some of the constituent organizations had taken certain action individually regarding the plight of the Jews in Czechoslovakia, but that the Council had as yet made no step, Its special committee not even having met as yet.

A second committee was named by the Council “to study the Jewish situation, examine the methods hitherto employed, and, on the basis of these studies, to recommend a program to be carried out by it.” This committee, to be known as the Policy and program committee, consists of two representatives of each of the organizations under the chairmanship of Arthur S. Meyer.

Organizing itself permanently, the Council elected five officers. Besides Mr. Kaufmann, the Pittsburgh department store executive who initiated the movement for formation of the Council, the officers are Henry Monsky of B’nai B’rith and B.C. Vladeck of the Jewish Labor Committee, vice-chairman; Carl Sherman of the American Jewish Congress, secretary, and Carl Austrian of the American Jewish Committee, treasurer.