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 MI 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 • GENUINE JELL-O GELATIN DESSERTS AND JELL-O PUDDINGS and PIE FILLINGS Manufactured by General Foods Corporation are KOSHER and PARVE.. and are now supervised JELI•0 "Good Deal Markowitz" is what- they call me. Yes, I give the best .. B U I C K DEALS IN TOWN! available to the Council or any other agency of Federation. "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." kiti;x46 regularly by RABBI SAMUEL BASKIN and RABBI SIMON WINOGRAD May he used in Meat or Dairy Recipes. 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