“substantial Increase” in Membership of American Jewish Congress Reported at Parley

There has been a “substantial increase” in the membership of the American Jewish Congress throughout the United States during the past year, Dr. David Petegorsky, executive director of the A.J.C. reported at the quarterly meeting of the organization yesterday. More than 200 delegates attended the session, at which it was decided that the bi-annual convention of the Congress should be held in New York in the middle of November.

Rabbi Irving Miller, president, reported to the delegates that he had taken sharp issue with the State Department for “whitewashing” Nazi gains in German State elections. Rabbi Morton M. Berman, chairman of the national administrative committee of the A.J.C., defended the stand of the Central Conference of American Rabbis against teaching religion in the public schools and the released-time program for religious instruction. This stand was criticized last week by Rev. John S. Middleton, secretary to Francis Cardinal Spellman.