Council of Jewish Federations Postpones Vote on Advisory Budgeting Project to 1946

With the lifting of ODT travel restrictions, the 265 Jewish federations, welfare funds and community councils, members of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds will decide on the establishment of a national advisory budgeting service at the 1946 General Assembly of the Council instead of through a mail referendum, it was announced today by William J. Shreder, chairman of the board and Jacob Blaustein, chairman of the Budget Research Committee.

By previous agreement the subject of advisory budgeting, in the event that the board favored the proposal, was to be decided by a General Assembly of the Council. In June 1945, the board voted in favor of the proposal by an overwhelming majority. At that time war restrictions on conferences and travel made it impossible to plan an assembly and the board agreed on a mail referendum as a substitute procedure. With the end of the war and the partial lifting of ODT restriction it is likely that an assembly can be held early in 1946. The executive committee of the council has therefore decided to postpone the mail referendum for the present since it appears probable that the previously agreed upon method of assembly action will be possible early in 1946.

In reporting to the board meeting, Mr. Blaustein stated that the proposed service to be fully effective should have the cooperation of both the local Jewish welfare funds and the national and overseas agencies they support. It is believed that such cooperation would benefit national and overseas agencies as well as local welfare funds, and it is hoped that the few agencies which have not yet been won over, will be persuaded once they recognize the real sentiments of the local communities, Mr. Blaustein declared. He added that the proposal will be presented objectively and he expressed the hope that the few opponents would not prejudge the issue but would permit their local adherents to decide the question on the basis of the needs of their communities.

“After the member agencies of the Council have an opportunity to consider the proposal in relation to the interest of the organized local community, there will be ample time to discuss with the national and overseas agencies the questions that may arise in the working out of a mutually beneficial procedure on advisory budgeting,” Mr. Blaustein pointed out.