New York U.J.A. Starts Drive Against Independent Fund-raising for Israel and Europe

A call for effective action to eliminate the multiplicity of independent fund-raising campaigns for Israel and Europe in the United States was issued today by the executive committee of the United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York in a resolution expressing “deep concern” over the growing number of such campaigns.

The resolution “deplores the confusion these campaigns cause in the community and their diversion of funds and manpower from the United Jewish Appeal, whose agencies bear the major responsibility for meeting the needs of Jews of Europe and Israel.” It calls upon members of the American Jewish community “to recognize the adverse effect” that such independent campaigns have upon the United Jewish Appeal.

“We call upon those agencies which have traditional spheres of service on behalf of the Jews in Israel and in Europe to restrict their activities to the period of the year when the United Jewish Appeal is not campaigning and to limit their financial goals, in keeping with their traditional programs,” the resolution says. “We call upon the leaders of the government of Israel, the Jewish Agency for Palestine, the American section of the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the several American Zionist organizations represented therein, and all other groups concerned with the welfare of Israel and of our people overseas, to take effective action for the elimination of the multiplicity of drives so that the United Jewish Appeal may have the unified support of the community to uphold the efforts of the United Palestine Appeal and the Joint Distribution Committee for achievement of this purpose.

“The executive committee of the United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York pledges itself to take definite steps for the solution of this problem and calls upon the leadership of all trade and community groups, congregations and organizations to strengthen our hand by adopting resolutions in keeping with the sentiments expressed here. All members of these groups are urged to participate in the solution of the problem by withholding their personal support from such diversionary campaigns as are held or conducted in violation of this resolution.”