The Golden Jubilee of the Yiddish press in America, founded with the beginning of the big stream of Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe which started fifty years ago, was celebrated last night at a banquet given at the Astor Hotel here under the auspices of the Peretz Organisation of Yiddish Writers and Journalists.
About 400 people, prominent in Jewish social and intellectual life in America, attended. Dr. Abraham Rongy, the well-known gynecologist, presided, and the speakers included Dr. A. Coralnik, the President of the Peretz Organisation, Mr. Peter Wiernik, editor-in-chief of the “Jewish Morning Journal”, Dr. Margoshes, editor of the Yiddish daily the “Day”, Mr. B. Vladek, the Manager of the Yiddish daily the “Day”, Mr. B. Vladek, the Manager of the Yiddish daily “Forward”, Professor Morris Raphael Cohen, the famous philosopher, and Mrs. Irvin, representing the American Authors’ League.
The purpose of the banquet, Mr. Vladek, the Treasurer of the Organising Committee, said, is to create a fund to aid unemployed, and aged members of the Jewish writing profession. It is, I believe, a very laudable enterprise, he said, and one that merits wide support from all groups regardless of what their theoretic or practical differences may be.
A number of contributions to the fund were received at the banquet, among them two sums of 500 dollars from the Manischewitz Matzoth Company, and from Mr. Israel Matz, the proprietor of “Ex-Lax”, who in 1925 created the Israel Matz 100,000 dollar Foundation Fund for the Relief of Aged Hebrew Writers.
Dr. Rongy said that a publication will be issued in connection with the celebration which will record Jewish accomplishment during the last fifty years in America, and will help to crystalise Jewish values, as they corelate to American life. The publication, he said, will show that Jewish life is gradually becoming integrated into American life, but at the same time that it is maintaining its identity as the life of a people whose aspirations are to lead a normal life un-harrassed and unhampered by prejudice. Every Jew interested in the dignity of the life of the Jewish people in this country must give his wholehearted support to the Jubilee celebration of Jewish literary effort in this country, Dr. Rongy urged.
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.
