Federation Warns of 'Threat to Our Jewish
•
Community in Actions of Community Council
Creation of 'Political Bloc,'
Sponsorship of Amendment Is
Deplored in Leaders' Message
- In the first public appeal in
Jewish Welfare Federation his-
tory regarding a "threat to our
Jewish community," Federation
leaders this week are urging
Federation members to attend
the organization's 26th annual
meeting to vote against an
"anti- Federation movement,"
and especially an amendment
submitted by the Jewish Com-
munity Council. The annual
Meeting will be held at 8:15 p.m.,
Tuesday, in the Brown Memorial
Chapel of Temple Beth El.
Signers of the open letter
.include Federation leaders
Samuel H. Rubiner, president;
-Irving W. Blumberg, vice-
_ president; Abe Kasle, vice-
U-I Executive Celebrates
40th Year in Film Industry
Nathan J. Blumberg, son of
s. Jewish immigrant family, who
was born at Racine, Wis., this
year celebrates his 40th anni-
versary in show business. Today,
a top executive
at Universal-In-
ternational,
Blumberg
helped r e s t ore
the studio after
its near collapse
in the post-de-
pression days of
1938.
Blumberg
Blumberg
hawked n e w s-
papers as a youngster, and then,
at only 12, was prop boy in a
Milwaukee theater. Then came
success, with a gradual climb
from assistant property man-
ager, to exhibitor, to top Holly-
wood executive. In 1929 he was
appointed general manager of
the RKO theatrical e m p i r e.
Then came the Universal Studio
job in 1938 which he has helped
to build ever since.
THE JEWISH NEWS
-
Friday, February 29, 1952
DE LUXE
MILAN41‘NCIIIVSB.OTDEVROIT.
MILK
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CHIGAN BONDED WINERY NG
president; Theodore Levin,
vice-president;, Henry Wine-
man, treasurer; Julian H. Kro-
ilk, chairman, executive com-
mittee: William Friedman,
past president, Abraham Srere,
past president, and Mrs. Jo-
seph P. Ehrlich, founding
president of the Women's Di-
vision.
The action taken by the
Council in connection with the
Federation annual meeting is
described as doing "irreparable
damage to our community, and
it threatens to do more, dis-
regarding the long years of
devoted work and generosity in
building one of the finest local
Federations in America."
Specifically, the statement
points to the move to support a
group of candidates nominated
by petition for the Federation
board of governors and stresses
that nomination by petition is a
right provided by the Federation
by-laWs but "creation of a bloc
by a beneficiary agent is a dis
tortion and abuse of this righ t.
The selection of candidates be
cause of their political position
regarding the Community Coun-
cil's quest for special status has
dangerouS implications. It dis-
regards the basic question of a
candidate's devotion to the wel-
fare of the community."
That this is not a "theoretical
danger", the statement says, is
shown by the nomination of one
candidate whose most recent
pledge to the. Allied Jewish Cam-
paign was 1947, until one month
before the election, when he
finally paid the 1947 pledge and
made a 1951 pledge to qualify
as a member of Fedora Lion and
as an eligible candidate for the
board.
The statement emphasizes
that the amendment would
"create grave dangers for the
welfare of our community"—
in that one interpretation of
the amendment would require
3 the Federation to give the
Council "whatever funds it
requests at the expense of all
the other local services, the
national agencies and Israel
needs" included in the annual
Allied Jewish Campaign and
also that the "present sound
budgeting procedure of Feder-
ation would be destroyed by
the amendment" which, the
statement says, is an attempt
to win special treatment for
the Council and discrimination
against other agencies.
That this amendment is a
"political maneuver to capture
special status" and not, as its
supporters have represented
it, an attempt to overcome un-
due and arbitrary restrictions
by Federation on the Council,
is shown, the statement says,
by the facts that the Council
receives an annual budget
$15,000 larger than that of any
Jewish community relations
agency in any comparable city
in America; the Council staff
is larger by at least four em-
ployees than any Jewish com-
munity relations agency in any
comparable city; and the
Council has five representa-
tives on the Federation Board.
The full text of the statement
r eads as follows:
"We deeply regret the action being
to ken by the Jewish Community Council
in connection with the Federation Annual
M eeting, Tuesday evening, March 4, at
8: 15 o'clock, at the Brown Memorial
C hapel, Temple Beth El.
"This action has already done irrepar-
ab le .damage to our community and
th reatens to do more, disregarding the
10 ng years of devoted work and gener-
Os ity in building one of the finest local
F ederations in America. It reflects a
la ck of responsibility toward the causes
an d the people who look to us for help.
"The Council has inspired and organ-
iz ed an anti-Federation political move-
m ent to support a group of candidates
no minated by petition for the Federation
B ()aid and to propose an amendment to
th e Federation by-laws.
"Nomination of candidates by petition
is a right provided by the Federation by-
la ws. In our opinion the creation of a
bl oc by, a beneficiary agency is a distor-
do n and abuse of this right. The sehic-
do n of candidates because of their politi-
ca 1 position regarding the Community
Co uncil's quest for special status has
cla ngerous implications. It disregards the
ba. sic questions of candidate's devotion
tthe'Alielfare:ei the eoeunanityde
"This is not a theoretical danger. It is
illustrated by the fact that one candidate
on the Council-supported slate made no
pledge to the Allied Jewish Campaign in
1948. 1949 and 1950. On Feb. 8, 1952, less
than a month before the annual meet-
ing, when he will stand for election
to the Federation Board, he paid his 1947
pledge and made a 1951 pledge qualify-
ing him as a member of Federation.
"But an even more serious threat to
our community is embodied in the pro-
posed amendment to the Federation by-
laws. We urge you to come to the Annual
Meeting, to vote against the proposed
amendment and to do all you can to
prevent its adoption.
"We have studied it carefully and we
are convinced that its passage would
create grave dangers for the welfare of
our community.
"1. It is presented in such general
language that it can be interpreted in a
way which would require the Federation
to give the Council whatever funds it
requests at the expense of all the other
local services. the national agencies and
Israel needs.
"2. Under the amendment the Council
could use the funds to suit the whims of
any group which might be at its head.
It would have no responsibility to the
contributors directly or indirectly.
"3. The presidents -
other officers
of other local Federation agencies strong-
ly oppose the amendment as a political
maneuver to win special treatment for
the Council and on which would discrimi-
nate against their agencies. They point
out that the present sound budgeting pro-
cedure of Federation would be destroyed
by the amendment.
"Supporters of the amendment have
sought to create the impression that the
Jewish Community Council is unduly and
arbitrarily restricted, "dictated to" by
Federation. The -facts do not bear this
out.
1. The Council was started in 1936
with a budget of $3,000. Its 1951-52 budget
of $77,985 is larger by $15,000 than that
of any Jewish community relations
agency in any comparable city in Ameri-
ca.
"2. The Council staff of four profes-
sionals and seven clerical employees is
larger by at least four employees than
any Jewish community relations agency
in any comparable city.
"3. The Council is well represented on
the Federation Board by an official rep-
resentative as well as four of its six
officers.
"4. The Council had four hearings on
its 1951-52 budget before the Federation
.Community Relations Division and two
hearings before the Federation executive
committee.
"5. The members of the Community
Relations Division agreed unanimously on
the 1951-52 budget recommendation.
Three members of the Council Executive
Committee serving on the Division were
present and joined in the vote.
"In the 26 years of Federation's ex-
istence it has developed useful machinery
to clear up honest differences and modify
decisions. This machinery is and will be
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"We ask you to recognize the pro-
posed amendment as a political ma-
neuver to capture special status, and
we urge you to come to the Annual
Meeting and defeat it.
"We are sorry for the necessity of
writing you this letter. This is the first
time in Federation history that we have
been impelled to appeal to you by a
threat to our Jewish community. We
hope you will understand and act accord-
ingly."
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