Page Two

THE ..1- EWISH NEWS

Friday, November 7, 1947

IRO Budget Cut; Members Civil Rights Board Urges Anti-Bias Law
Won't Raise Contributions With Teeth to Assure Equal Treatment

GENEVA, (JTA) A majority
of the member governments of
the preparatory commission for
the International Refugee Organi-
zation have refused to increase
their contributions to the organi-
zation and, as a result, the secre-
tariat will have to slash . its
original budget, it was revealed
here following a closed meeting
of the commission.
The secretariat . has been in-
structed to draw up a budget for
a maximum of $115,645,000, which
is all the commission can expect
to obtain if all the governments
signatory to the IRO charter
ratify their signatures and pay
their contributions promptly.
The trend to throw a greater
share of the burden of caring for
the refugees on the voluntary re-
lief agencies was attacked by
Joel H. Fisher, Joint Distribution

—

Committee observer at the meet-
ing. Fisher pointed out to various
representatives that their govern-
ments were not living up to obli-
gations which they assumed when
they signed the IRO charter.
Later, Fisher said the JDC was
disturbed at the trend to transfer
inter-governmental obligations to
the relief agencies.
He pointed out that the IRO
proposes cutting the daily food
ration for refugees in Austria to
1,550 calories, leaving to the
voluntary groups the problem of
making up the daily 2,015 calor-
ies which is a. bare subsistence
ration. "Under these circum-
stances, unless the United Jewish
Appeal is able to raise more
funds, terrible suffering will
ensue among the Jewish DPs who
are spending the third winter in
camps," Fisher concluded.

Purely Commentary

•

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Weaknesses of Town Hall Debates

Moshe Shertok and Max Lerner rendered great service to the
Zionist cause with their addresses at the Town Hall Meeting of the
Air last week. They were firm, frank, emphatic.
Unfortunately, they fought against great odds—especially the
difficulties that invariably arise with the time element. Jamal el
Husseini, the Mufti's cousin, and Kermit Roosevelt, Teddy's grand-
son who apparently failed to learn from his great ancestor the way
of fair play, resorted to old shibboleth in their opposition to Jewish
rights in Palestine. A little more time would have enabled our
spokesmen 'to answer all the arguments. Even the attempt to create
the impression of the existence of a "Jewish vote," of attempts by
the Jews of New York to dominate the entire metropolis and Shy-
lockism were only partially answered.
A major attack—contained in the charge of "dual allegiance"—
was met only in limited fashion, again due to the chief weakness in
Town Hall meetings—the time limitation.
Lord Byron gave his life in the battle for Greek freedom. Irish
Americans received the acclaim of all their fellow-citizens in their
battle for Ireland's independence. The United States government
has consistently fought for the freedom of oppressed peoples and a
most noteworthy event in our history was the severance of diplo-
matic relations with Russia by action of President William Howard
Taft in 1911. Jews feel sufficient kinship with millions of oppressed
Jews everywhere to be justified in battling against their continued
enslavement.
What do the intolerant want? Would they have us countersign
the decrees dooming the handful of survivors in Europe to destruc-
tion after having fought for life and liberty through the trying
years of Hitler domination? Can't they understand that the entire
world might have been enslaved if that handful had not fought for
justice? Isn't a home in the Land of Israel small enough compen-
sation for their sufferings?
A few days ago, President Truman paid great tribute to the
Straus Family on the . occasion of the dedication of the Oscar Straus
Memorial in Washington-. One , of the brothers to whom he referred
as members of a "magnificent family" was the late Nathan Straus,
a great American Zionist who received encouragement for his hu-
manitarianism and support of Jewish aspirations in Palestine from
Presidents and many of the greatest Americans. His son, another
distinguished public servant, Nathan Straus Jr., continues to render
service to the Zionist cause. They are good Zionists because they
are great Americans. .Those who begrudge them the right to be
libertarians must possess a mean streak somewhere. We are begin-
ning to doubt whether Kermit has learned anything from the heri-
tage he should have received from Theodore.

Mrs. Dugdale's View of "Double Loyalties"

Several years ago, Mrs. Edgar Dugdale, niece of the late Lord
Balfour, author of the Balfour Declaration, wrote an article on
"Double Loyalties" in the Zionist Review of London. Mrs. Dugdale,
who has visited Palestine numerous times and who is one of the
leading exponents of Zionism among the Christians in England,
stated:
"I am quite sure that the survival of the Jewish nation
depends now upon their power of explaining themselves, their
aspirations, their true character, to the world. The instinct for
this necessity was indeed one of the motive forces that underlay
political Zionism in its early beginnings. Jewish work IN Pales-
tine has already provided the means of demonstration. Jewish
work FOR Palestine, in the countries of the Dispersion, has done
something to open the Gentile mind to understanding of the
Jewish problem—I would even say it had done much, if it were
not that so much remains to do, and that the time in which to
do it so short. For this reason, if for no other, it is sad to
observe any Anglo-Jews treating their loyalty to Britain as if it
were a bar to the primary loyalty which every nation owes to
its own past. 'The re-making of a civilized world is going to
be a gigantic task, and every people must bring to it of its best.
The Jews have contributions to make to it, out of all proportion
to their numbers. Scattered, oppressed, through two thousand
years, they have never ceased to pour out their great moral
and intellectual gifts. But the time has come when they should
once more do so primarily as Jews."
We are deeply appreCiative of Mrs. Dugdale's sympathies.
Nevertheless, we disagree with her concluding statement that Jews
should work for the emancipation of their people "primarily as
Jews." Zionism is primarily a human cause. That is why we have
enlisted the support of so many eminent Christians who believe
as we do—that the world can not survive half free and half slave.
That is why we strive for the wholehearted support of the move-
ment for Eretz Israel's redemption from our own and other govern-
ments. Either peoples are freed and provided with homes and
security, or the world will remain a place divided between the
haves and the have-nots.
Mrs. Dugdale made a much better point in the article we refer
to when she spoke of the United Kingdom as a "most fortunate
island," in which "several nationalities own a common loyalty to
Britain, but the loyalty of the Scot and the Welshman is rooted
in his feeling for Scotland or Wales, and this does not stunt or
diminish his larger patriotism, but on the contrary enriches it, and
enables him to put into the pool the contribution which only he can
make, his inherited pride in the traditions and standards of his
own race."
We accept the latter viewpoint as the logical one in its applica-
tion to the entire universe which, we hope, will become a "most
fortunate globe." This is our answer to the suspicious and therefore
destructive minds which seek to create issues revolving around
"dual allegiance." There just ain't such a thing insofar as the
humanitarianism of Zionism and similar libertarian movements

are concerned. - - —

Panel Says 70% of War Job Restrictions Concerned Jews '. colleges have
high academic
Northern Colleges' Admission Practices Hit
standards," the report says, "but
graduates from them with ex-
in Report to President Truman

WASHINGTON, (JTA) — The
President's Committee on Civil
Rights, which was appointed last
December to investigate the
status of civil rights in the US
and recommend more adequate
means of guaranteeing them,
called for federal and state legis-
lation to bar religious and racial
discrimination in employment.
education and housing and urged
the enactment of measures curb-
ing the dissemination through
the mails of defamatory liter-
ature.
President Truman, in a state-
ment to the press, said he was
going to study the report "with
great care. I created this com-
mittee with a feeling of urgency,"
the President said. "No sooner
were we finished with the war
than racial and religious intoler-
ance began to threaten the very
things we had just fought for."
He expressed the hope that the
committee report would become
"an American charter of human
freedom in our time."
The Recommendations
Among the recommendations
contained in the 178-page report
were the following:
1. The establishment of a per-
manent Fair Employment Prac-
tices Commission, empowered to
use both education and force in
attempting to abolish discrimin-
ation in employment. The pro-
posed commission would have the
power to receive complaints, hold
hearings, issue cease and desist
orders and to seek court aid in
enforcing its decision, the report
states, but the force provisions
of the law would not become
effective until one year after the
enactment of the law. State FEPC
laws are also needed to cover
other than interstate commerce,
the committee points out.
2. Creation of a Fair Educa-
tional Practices Commission that
would seek to combat discrimina-
tion in schools. A majority of the
committee also recommended
that the granting of federal funds
to public and private institutions
be "conditioned" upon the re-
moval of discriminatory prac-
tices.
-
Law Against Rental Bars .
3. Passage of state laws out-
lawing restrictive real estate
covenants.
4. Modification of the naturali-
zation laws to permit the grant-
ing of citizenship without regard
to race, color, or national origin
of applicants.
A controversial issue-before the
committee was the recommenda-
tion that group libel laws be
enacted to outlaw the transmis-
sion of defamatory literature
through the mails. Witnesses who
opposed such a law argued that
it would, in effect, be an attempt
to censor the press. The com-
mittee recommended the "enact-
ment of federal and state laws
requiring all groups which at-

Bevin Defends
Deliveries of
Arms to Arabs

LONDON (JTA)—Foreign Sec-
retary Ernest Bevin. told Com-
mons that the British govern-
ment will not cancel its contracts
to deliver arms to Arab states.
He told a questioner that the
equipment was being supplied
for bonafide defense purposes and
that precautions were being taken
to prevent any of the weapons
froth' being smuggled into Pales-
tine.
Christopher Mayhew, Under-
secretary for Foreign Affairs,
told Commons that there was
nothing inconsistent about the
government employing A r a b
Legionnaires, owing allegiance
to King Abdullah of Transjordan,
in, Palestine, because the Arab
troops "are perfectly loyal to
the policy of this government."

tempt to influence public opinion,
to disclose the pertinent facts
about themselves through regis-
tration procedures."
Postal laws should be amend-
ed by Congress to require those
who use the first-class mail for
large scale mailings to file dis-
closure statements as those
using second-class mail are now
required to do, and to require
that no mail be carried by the
Post Office "which does not
bear the name and address of
the sender," the report states.
At a press conference fol-
lowing their visit with the
President, Committee Chair-
man Charles Wilson told re-
porters that they had had no
discussions with Attorney Gen-
eral Tom Clark regarding
recommendations which the
Committee made for strength-
ening Department of Justice
machinery for the protection of
civil rights or with Congres-
sional leaders regarding their
proposal that a joint Senate-
House Committee on Civil
-Rights be established.
While pointing out that the
chief victim of civil rights abuses
in America is the Negro, the
committee reports discrimination
against Jews in the fields of em-
playment, education and housing.
Complaints lodged with the
wartime Fair Employment Prac-
tices Commission showed that 70
per cent of the complaints based
on • discrimination because of
creed concerned Jews, the report
states, adding that FEPC juris-
diction "did not extend to finan-
cial institutions and the profes-
sions, w her e discrimination
against Jews is especially • preva-
lent:"
Situation in Universities
Discrimination in the operation
of many private schools and col-
leges is particularly bad in the
North with respect to Jewish
students; but the second inade-
quacy, it points out, "is the re-
ligious and racial discrimination
that exists in the operation of
some educational institutions,
both with respect to the admis-
sion of students and the treat-
ment of them after admission.
The situation is especially bad
in New York City where the stu-
dents of the city colleges are
predominantly Jewish. "These

cellent records have been re-
peatedly denied admission to
private and non-sectarian pro-
fessional schools."

Report Widely Acclaimed
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Leaders
of the American 'Jewish Com-
mittee and of the American Jew-
ish Congress hailed the recom-
mendations of the committee and
urged immediate action on them.
Judge Joseph Proskauer said
that the American Jewish Com-
mittee welcomes the recommen-
dations "as a major contribution
to the strengthening of American
unity and the preservation of
democratic rights."
Dr. Stephen S. Wise urged on
behalf of the American Jewish
Congress that President Truman
keep the Committee on Civil
Rights in existence in order to
obtain the adoption of its recom-
mendations.
Philip Murray, president of the
CIO, cited the report as a "most
significant" document.
The Anti-Defamation League of
Bnai Brith called upon President
Truman and the Democratic and
Republican parties to put into
positive action the recommenda-
tions of the report of the Presi-
dent's Committee on Civil Rights.

Reform Groups Dedicate
November to Work on
House of Living Judaism

Dr. Abraham J: Feldman, Hart-
ford, Conn., president of the Cen-
tral Conference of American Rab-
bis, has signed a proclamation de-
dicating Novem-
ber to the House
of Living Juda-
ism—the victory
project of the
National Federa-
tion of Temple
Sisterhoods. Its
program is dedi-
cated to serving.
Jewish and hu-
m a nitarian
Dr. Feldman causes.
The House of Living Judaism
will provide permanent, admin-
istrative headquarters for the
Union of American Hebrew Con-
gregations, the Federation of Re-
form Synagogues and the foun-
tainhead of progressive Jewish
religious forces.

Between You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright, 1947, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

UN Moods

The "sixty-four dollar question" at the United Nations is still:
"Will the' Palestine partition plan receive the necessary two-thirds
vote at the General Assembly?" . . . The Assembly will not ballot
before the middle of November . . . The partition adherents do not
have the necessary 38 votes lined up as yet . . . Lining up these
votes will depend upon the effort made by the U. S. delegation .. .
A leading member of the American delegation is convinced that the
two-thirds vote will be secured without difficulty when the time
for voting arrives . . . Meanwhile, considerable bargaining will go
on behind the scenes between the U. S. and Britain, with the U. S.
attempting to convince Britain to keep its troops in Palestine during
the transition period . .. Austr'alian Foreign Minister Evatt, chair-
man of the Ad Hoc Committee on Palestine, is determined that the
partition plan be voted on by his committee no later than Nov. 10....
He wants to forward its report to the Assembly by Nov. 13, when
he intends to leave for London . . . He has been invited to the
wedding of Princess Elizabeth, and would not forego attendance,
United Nations or not.
a

The Un American Front

-

The House Committee on Un-American Activities, which has
harassed the producers of "Crossfire," the first American film com-
batting anti-Semitism, would do a real service to the country by
looking into the un-American activities of various anti-Semitic
groups . . . Why doesn't the Committee investigate the more than
30 anti-Semitic publications which appear in 19 states? . . . Six of
them are published in Illinois, and a close inspection by the House
Committee would easily reveal who is financing them . . . Colorado,
California and Minnesota have three each . . . The District of
Columbia—seat of the House Committee—has two anti-Semitic
sheets, and so do the states of Nebraska, New York and Washington.
. . . One anti-Semitic publication appears in each of the following
states: Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico,
Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania . . . Here is a job of probing for
the legislators in Washington who are sincerely interested in fighting
un-Americanism in this country . . . The Department of Interior
has been taken to task by Congressman Sabath of Chicago for
permitting Gerald L. K. smith to hold a meeting at the Sylvan
Theater on the Washington Monument grounds . . . Sabath requested
that, in the future, means be found to deny the use of facilities in
the National Capital Park system to such exhortations of hatred by
individuals or organizations ... In his complaint to the Department
of Interior, Rep. Sabath described Smith as a professed anti-Semite
and pro-Fascist . . . Secretary of Interior Julius A. Krug, in ac-
knowledging Sabath's letter, emphasized that he shares "completely"
the Congressman's views "as to the character and purposes of
Mr. Smith." ,

