Henry Morgenthau, Jr., general chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, last night called on American Jewish philanthropy to postpone for one year some of the proposed communal expansion programs in order to give more assistance to the immigrants in Israel, 90,000 of whom still live in tents. He spoke before 2,000 members of the Federation of Jewish Women’s Organizations at the group’s 30th annual convention, prior to his leaving tomorrow for Israel.
Mr. Morgenthau specifically requested that communities in which the United Jewish Appeal is making a drive allocate to the U.J.A. three-quarters of all amounts raised, rather than one-fourth as suggested by some communities. He also stated that the manner in which American Jews have responded to the call from Israel has raised them in the eyes of their fellow Americans and has helped them rise somewhat from the social “ghetto” in which the majority of the Jews still live in this country. If American Jews fail Israel now, he cautioned, they may slip back to the position they held two years ago.
Ralph E. Samuels, president of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, pleaded for “home front” support. He added that American bounty is sufficient to take care of both its American and foreign responsibilities.
The 2,000 delegates also adopted resolutions urging the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Genooide and calling on Congress to adopt the Celler DP Bill, which would extend the present DP Act by another year and would admit more than 100,000 additional DP immigrants.
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.
