The main purposes of the General Jewish Council, which is composed of the American Jewish Committee, the B’nai B’rith, and the Jewish Labor Committee, were outlined here to a gathering of representatives of the Jewish and Anglo-Jewish press by Mr. I. M. Minkoff, newly appointed executive secretary of the Council and former executive director of the Jewish Labor Committee. Edgar J. Kaufmann, chairman of the Council, presided.
Describing the general plan, Mr. Minkoff stressed the fact that the three organizations which comprise the Council are not giving up their individual ideals or activities. They realize, however, that they have so much in common in their practical work of protecting Jewish interests, that it is necessary and possible to coordinate and to harmonize their efforts. This is one of the main purposes of the Council.
The fight against anti-Semitism and the protection of Jewish rights in America will form the principal part of the Council’s work, Mr. Minkoff said. The three Jewish organizations, and also others, which have not joined the Council as yet, devote themselves to combating all manifestations of anti-Semitism, by education and propaganda for American democratic principles. A special Coordinating Committee of the Council is already at work, specifically charged with the practical realization of this program.
Another important aspect of the General Jewish Council’s program is the coordination of the services extended by its constituent agencies in the field of civilian morale and civilian defense.
Another branch of the Council’s activity will be the full implementation of its Public Relations Committee.
The Council will also coordinate the work of the different Jewish organizations along lines of study of Jewish problems in preparation for the coming peace conference. The Council will attempt to harmonize the work of each organization in this field so that the accumulated effort will serve as a background prior to the actual formulation of Jewish demands.
Mr. Minkoff also stated that the Synagogue Council of America, an organization which includes all Jewish religious bodies in America, has decided to join the General Jewish Council and that this decision is waiting only for the sanction of the Council’s constituent agencies.
Of the American Jewish Committee the following were present: Carl J. Austrian, vice president; Harold E. Guinsburg, member of the Executive Committee; Morris D. Waldman, General Secretary; Sidney Wallach; Associate Secretary. From the B’nai B’rith: Philip Haberman, Louis Fabricant, and Maurice Bisgyer, Executive Secretary. From the Jewish Labor Committee. Adolph Held, Chairman; Dr. S. Silverberg, Treasurer, and J. Pat, Executive Secretary.
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.
