An appeal to President Kennedy to “throw the full weight of his prestige and moral leadership” in support of proposed Congressional legislation liberalizing the immigration laws was voiced here last night by Rabbi Maurice N. Eisendrath, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. The Reform leader made his plea in delivering the principle address at the convention of the New Jersey Reform Congregations.
Rabbi Eisendrath declared that the present immigration laws were “based on the reprehensible national origins quota system, which declares that some people are better, on racial grounds, than others.” The United States policy on immigration, he said, constitutes “the most racist law in American history.” He urged the President to support a congressional proposal backed by Senator Philip Hart, Michigan Democrat, and endorsed by a group of Senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties, eliminating the national origins quota.
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.
