The American Council for Judaism today called upon the United States Government “to impose such limits upon Zionist activities as would prevent the involuntary identification of all Jews, or their institutions, with Zionism’s nationalism.”
The request was made in one of a series of resolutions adopted at the Council’s 16th annual convention here. Pointing out that “anti-Zionist Jews in the United States” have been petitioning the U.S. Government to this effect since it became a legal party to the Balfour Declaration in 1924, the resolution stated:
“We believe the United States Government is obligated to correct this situation, both by virtue of the Constitutional right of any individual American of Jewish faith, whose status has been involuntarily changed by virtue of Zionism’s designed confusion of Judaism and ‘Jewish’ nationalism, as well as by the specific obligation to implements and safeguard the Balfour Declaration. This Declaration undertakes to protect ‘the rights-and political status of Jews in any other country’ outside Palestine.”
In another resolution, the Council called on the leaders of both major political parties to pledge abstention in the elections from appeals to religious differences. “The Council, seeking to advance the integration of Americans of Jewish faith into American life, deplores the appeals to a mythical Jewish bloc vote which creates cleavages in the electorate,” the resolution stated.
The convention also adopted a resolution urging the United Jewish Appeal to separate from the Jewish Agency for Israel. “Jews must have a philanthropy completely controlled by Americans to engage in legitimate, charitable enterprises–in Israel and elsewhere. American control of such a philanthropy includes the administration of the actual disbursement of allocated funds to ultimate beneficiaries,” the resolution stated.
Earlier, during the convention, Lessing J. Rosenwald, chairman of the Council’s board of directors, reported that “some important, long-overdue” changes have been made recently in the United Jewish Appeal.” But, he added, these changes are “relatively superficial.” He told the delegates that “Subsidies to the political parties in Israel will end in 1961. Some propaganda and cultural activities in the United States will be transferred to the American Zionist Council.”
“A new control mechanism has been created,” he said. “A board of 21 persons has been named to run the Jewish Agency for Israel, Inc. It will have full authority and responsibility for all UJA funds going to Israel.” However, the Council leader, claimed that “the Jewish Agency in Israel still indirectly controls the New York board.”
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.
