Messrs. McCarran, Walter Handed Detroit Setback'

Truman Commission Hears Appeals
or Revision of Immi tgration Law

.

spoke on the technical and le-
By FRANK SIMONS
gal aspects of the legislation,
On the basis of history, econ- pointed out the conflicts be-
omics; sociology and philosophy tWeen the act's aims and
the 1VicCarran-Walter, Immigra- terms. He indicated that the
tion Act is one of the greatest law gives first priority, under
errors ever made by a United the quota system, to persons
possessed of talents valuable
States Congress.
This was the summation of to the United States. In many
opinions of people from all walks cases, the needs of our country
of life, representing over a score might be greater than the
of various interest groups, as quotas allowed that country,
they testified last Tuesday be- while similar skills might not
fore President Truman's Com- be available from other quota
mission on Immigration and areas, he indicated.
Rabbi Adler recalled his ex-
Naturalization.
Only one group, out of a total Periences as a chaplain during
of nearly 50 to address the Corn- the war in the Southwest. Pacific,
mission, saw any merit in the and declared that the "McCar-
recent passage of the controver- ran Act outrages my sensibilities
sial immigration bill, passed over as an American and a Jew."
`I remember vividly," he said,
President Truman's veto.
This group was the Veterans "the names of some of the par-
of Foreign Wars, which was ents to whom it was my sad
represented by its American- ! duty to report the death of their
ization officer, and doubtless sons. Not a few of them bore
spoke for only a small portion names that showed their point
of origin was in countries from
of the organization.
The next speaker, former which, for all practical purposes,
Mayor, Eugene Van Antwerp, de- all immigration is now barred
livering a staternent for the by this law."
combined Amvets. Jewish War Rabbi Adler Warned, "An
Veterans and Catholic Veterans, America that shuts its eyes,
issued a tirade against the bill, closes its heart and bolts its
which "is opposed to anything , gates to the homeless of the
for which veterans have , fought 'world has not only - lost its hu-
through the years." Emaness, but it has weakened its
The Jewish community was 1 democracy."
represented primarily by Boris I In a statement issued jointly
M. Joffe, executive director sf : by Harold Silver, executive di-
the Jewish Community Council, rector, Mrs. Julian H. Krolik,
who spoke for the Michigan vice-president; and Nathan L.
Committee on Immigration; I Milstein, chairman, case corn-
Rabbi Morris Adler, who spoke mittee, the Resettlement Service
for the Council; David I. Rosin, I stated:
local immigration attorney, and" As an agency dedicated to
Harold Silver, who delivered the serving immigrants and helping
appeal of Resettlement Service, them to become good Americans,
an agency of the Jewish Social we are profoundly disturbed by
Service Bureau. I the harsh, unreasonable restric,
Joffe criticized the McCarran'i tons and deportation hazards
Act for dividing. Americans into timpos.ed by the McCarran-Wal -
"first and second class citizens,"-; ter Act on resident aliens and
a point which was reiterated naturalized citizens.
many times during the day long I " ... the Act, in our opinion,
testimonies. "Where would the will instill fear into our foreign
United States have been today," I born population, subject them to
Joffe asked, "if we had a Mc- unnecessary police surveillance
Carron Act which would not and threaten them with invest:-
have permitted entry to persons gations, arrests, deportations
like Professors Fermi and Ein- i and separations from their f am-
stein, instrumental in the devel-
The immigration Committee
I
opment of atomic energy?"

Attorney David Rosin, who heard reports from Prof. Haw-

ley, a sociology professor at

In a community like ours, whose
standards have been high and whose
share in causes for the public good has
been unstinting, it should be possible to
discuss public issues and to review com-
munal needs calmly. Frank—and free—
discussion must redound to the public
good. Unfortunately much-needed calm-
ness often is transformed into storms
and people frequently are intolerant of
differing viewpoints. Too many approve
only of the things that are to their lik-
ing and fly off the handle, suspecting
the worst of those who choose to dis-
agree with them.
These introductory words should have
been unnecessary in the present com-
ment on a vital issue that faces our
community. Yet it must be said, in view
of the passions that have previously
stirred the emotions of our communal
leaders. Some of the experiences at-
tendant to public discussions of corn-
munity matters have been marked by
bitterness and by personal animus. Per-
haps we can avoid it in the issue which
we are to deal with at this time—an
issue which undoubtedly will be debated
by two seriously divided camps—that of
capital funds and the need for a vast
construction program in the erection of
new buildings through the generosity
of Detroit Jewry. We are treating this
as a local issue, but it is, in reality, a
matter that is approaching national pro-
portions in the seriousness with which
many other communities view. it.
* *

When Capital Funds Assume
Challenging Position

a

Under normal conditions, "capital
needs" and "capital funds" are taken
for granted. When neighborhoods are
abandoned and new ones are populated,
it is accepted as a natural need for the
organized community to start erecting

The Commission, which was the bill, can make only one re-

Immigration Group's Witnesses
Blast McCarran Bill Wide Open

the home of
Nathan Shecter,
division chair-
' man, 4020 Stur-
tevant..
This group
has, for a num-
Shecter ber of years, act
ed as vanguard to the campaign,
and has an unbroken record of
annual increases.
Despite the absence of one of
its most devoted workers, Jack
Malamud, who is presently in
Israel, Shecter is confident that
with the assistance of Charles
Solovich, Walter Rabinowitz and
Aaron Berg the campaign will be
concluded successfully in the
alloted time, with an increase
over last year's figures.
Speaker of the evening will be
Sidney Shevitz, president of the
JeWish Community Council.

Purely Commentary

Dispassiorlate Discussion of
Public Issues

I

the University of Michigan, a ' appointed to find out the views I port—either complete withdraw-
report from Dr. Alfred Kelly, of the people in the wake of bit- al or revision of the McCarran-
i ter controversy over passage of Walter Bill.
associate professor of history ;
at Wayne University, from
economists, lawyers, .people
from every imaginable foreign
group.
NEW YORK, (JTA)—A total the future of previously unused
Catholics, Jews, Protestants, of 51 witnesses were heard by • quotas; preservation of the right
Senator Blair Moody, Frank X. the . President's Commission on of fair hearings and judicial re-
Martel, president of the Detroit Immigration and Naturalization view in immigration cases; and
and Wayne County Federation during the two days it held pub- elimination of distinction be-
of Labor (AFL), Rev. G. Paul lie hearings. Only two favored tween the rights and duties of
Musselman and Rt. Rev. Rich- retention of the McCarran Act. naturalized and native citizens.
Rep. Jacob K. Javits of New
ard S. Emrich, of the Episcopal while 40 called for changes in
Diocese, all voiced their disap- the national origins quota poli- York called for repeal of the
cy and the act itself.
McCarran Act, which was
proval of the law.
Sen. Herbert H. Lehman passed over President Tru-
The reaction in Detroit was
, typical of the views which the urged that the discriminatory man's veto last June. He urged
Commission heard elsewhere—in national origins quota system enactment of legislation to
New York, Boston, Cleveland- which is the basis of United permit the unused portion of
! and which they will hear again States immigration law be one foreign nation's quota to
. when they travel to Minneapolis, "swiftly expunged from our be applied to oversubscribed
St. Louis, San Francisco, Los laws" and replaced with a sub- quotas of other countries, and
Angeles, Atlanta and Washing- stitute system geared to Ameri- legislation to admit 100,000 im-
ca's needs and its capacity to migrants a year for the next
. ton, D. C.
five years above current quo-
absorb new immigrants.
tas.
Testifying in behalf of the
In an editorial comment on
Furniture Group Opens Anti-Defamation League of
the commission's hearings, the
Bnai
Brith
and
the
American
'53 Histadrut Drive
Jewish Committee, Lester Gut- New York Times urged Congres-
submitted a four-point sional action "to remedy the
The furniture_ division of the terman
calling for a visa re- outrageous wrongs that, already
Histadrut Campaign will launch program
view board to revise the de- existing in the old law, were
its portion of the 1952-53 cam- portation laws and to elimin- perpetuated and intensified in
- Npaign at 8:30 ate all disabilities suffered by the McCarran Act."
At its next stop—Boston—the
p.m., Wednesday naturalized citizens because
commission heard from Rep.
;with a gathering they are not native born.
of workers and
The national origins quota sys- John F. Kenney who termed the
contributors at tern was assailed as "racist" and McCarran-Walter Bill "un-

"incredibly out of joint with our
time and with the hopes and
beliefs of the vast bulk of the
American people, by Rabbi Si-
mon G. Kramer, president of the
Synagogue Council of America,
speaking for the Council and the
National Community Relations
Advisory Council. His statement
also urged a visa review board.
Edward Corsi, New York State
Industrial Commissioner and
chairman of the state DP com-
mission suggested that a new
immigration law should embody
the following principles: Total
immigration based on U.S. man-
power -needs and U.S. capacity
to absorb new immigrantS; the
major criterion for immigration
and naturalization should be fit-
ness of the individual for citi-
zenship, without regard to race,
color, religion or national orig-
in; pooling of quotas and use in

Capital Funds and Israel; An Issue
and a Challenge try Emphasize First
Needs First in Communal Planning

additional centers and schools. When,
in a community like ours, the planning
program reaches into the millions, there
is need for a second thought before vast
obligations are undertaken. And in a
time like the present, when Jewish com-
munities in free lands are expected to
share in the great task of completing
the building of the state of Israel, it is
natural that the question should be
posed: "will the obligation of - erecting
expensive buildings prove harmful to
the United Jewish Appeal, whose income
already has been reduced and whose po-
sition is not secure in centers where
local expenses have doubled, trebled and
quadrupled?"
The declining UJA income, matched
by the struggling figures included in
the capital funds proposals, arouse con-
cern over the future of fund-raising
and the share in it of the major philan-
thropic fund for Israel. There is no doubt_
about the need for Jewish schools in
newly-populated Jewish areas, for Jew-
ish centers in such areas, for increased
facilities for the Home for Aged, for
improved camping facilities. Social serv-
ice agencies are in need of office build-
ings and the hospital must complete its
imposing structure and build an out-
patient department. To accomplish these
things it will be necessary to raise more
than $5,000,000 in five years, and those
members of the community who ques-
tion the wisdom of such action at this
time should not be judged as arrogant
for their viewpoint.
The cause that stands in danger to
suffer in the event of the launching of
an expansive construction program is
Israel. Therefore the major point in-
volving Israel must be reviewed frank-
ly. Israel owes a great debt to the
United States. Uncle Sam's godfather-
hood of the young state and his role
as the Guardian Angel over Israel
have been fabulous. They comple-
mented the generosity of American

Jewry. But it has been under s - tood
that our government's devotion to the
infant democracy was inspired by this
very generosity of the Jews of this
country. if our people were less gen-
erous, the Congress of the United
States would have reason to say: "if
the Jews do not will it, why should
we, their Christian fellow-citizens?"
By the same token, since this great
land has rendered such important
services to Israel, the kinsmen of the
Israelis must render their first love to
the young state—in recognition of our
country's generosity—until Israel be-
comes self-supporting. We hope that
that time is not far off.
But diversion of interest will inevi-
tably interfere with this mutual re-
sponsibility, and therefore we must be
cautious not to jump into_ obligations in
advance of the hour when they scan be
-fulfilled without hindrance and without
damage to a duty yet to be completed.
*
*

The Need for Modest Planning

Our contention is that the capital
needs program is a necessary one. Our
plea is for time. And we urge modesty
in planning. We believe that first things
come first, and we adhere to the view
that in Jewish ranks the first duty is
to the school. Yet, in an over-all capi-
tal needs program of more than $5,000,-
000, the school requirements are listed
at Slightly more than $130,000 in three
rapidly expanding areas. Even in this
sphere we urge Viodesty in fulfilling the
need of housing new classes. Where there
are synagogues—and most areas pos-
sess them—schools should share their
facilities before launching on new build-
ing programs, and structures should be
planned only in areas where there are
no such facilities. At the risk of reproach
we remind our fellow workers in the
cause of Jewish education of the follow-
ing facts:
.
vir

A,

'A •••

American and discriminatory."
He said the McCarran quota sys-
tern "is not based on the merits
of the applicant for entry but on
his nationality."
Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
also condemned the act as did
Rabbi Judah Nadich, speaking
for the Boston Jewish Communi-
ty. A message from the Rev.
Richard J. Cushing, Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Boston,
denouncing the law as "un-
Christian and un-American."
In Trenton, N. J., Sen. H.
Alexander Smith, New Jersey
Republican, told a meeting of
New Jersey Zionist leaders that
he had voted to uphold Presi-
dent Truman's veto because of
the discriminatory features of
the legislation.

2—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, October 10, 1952

By Philip
Stomovitz

' We have seen, in the 34 years of our
communal efforts jointly with the peo-
ple who have built schools here. the
disappearance of the Division Street
Talmud Torah, the Kirby Center, the
Philadelphia-Byron School, the Oak-
land Talmud Torah, the Tuxedo-Hol-
mur School, and several other branch-
es. Some of the buildings were im-
posing. When they were erected it was
impossible to anticipate the future.
NOw we should try to apply past ex-
periences as lessons for future action.
Because we have seen these things
happen in our lifetime, we advocate
modesty. Better to have modest buildings
with great accomplishments within their
walls than monstrous structures that
are destined only for decay and for the
vanity of being showplaces.
Perhaps we will be forgiven for saying
that this could and should be applied
even to Home for Aged, even to hospi-
tals. Perhaps we will be forgiven for
stating openly what is now being said
privately, that an imposing hospital is
too great a burden on our community—
especially if it should, as it may, drain
our resources to the tune of $1,000,000 a
year once it begins to function.
Capital funds are not crimes because
capital needs are real and must be ful-
filled—but in due time—and all in rec-
ognition of the truth that first things
come first. First come the schools, and
they must never be burdens. All other
needs must be fulfilled. But none is to
be achieved* at the expense of Israel,
whose success involves our honor as Jews
and as Americans. We plead with our
leaders not to permit this to become an
issue that would split our ranks; not to
permit it to become a burden on a good
and a generous community; not to dis-
illusion many good people for whom
there can be no greater hurt than harm
to Israel.

