THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, November 18, 1968 — 40
UJA to Ask U. S. Jewry for $72,000,000
in 1961; Sobeloff Analyzes Campaigning at
CJFWF Assembly; View Agency Changes
.
Isidore Sobeloff, executive
vice • president of the Detroit
Jewish Welfare Federation,
played an important role in the
discussion of fund-raising tech-
niques and in the evaluation of
overseas and local needs, at the
General Assembly of the Coun-
cil of Jewish Federations and
Welfare Funds.
Another major address was
delivered by Rabbi Herbert A.
Friedman, executive vice chair-
man of the United Jewish Ap-
peal, who informed the dele-
gates that for the 1961 UJA
American Jewry will be asked
"tO• . approve and raise- the first
formal nationwide UJA goal
since 1952." He explained:
lo*-Jews. We have come to feel
that this is not a detached, ob-
jective interest on our part, but
a . subjective concern, a feeling
that our identification with our
brothers is a family matter, that
when they suffer indignities it is
we too, who are hurt and that
when we help them we help
ourselves."
"This request will be made
of 1,500 American 'Jewish
leaders who are expected to
attend the 23rd annual UJA
national conference in New
York, Dec. 9-11, to consider
objectives and plans for the
1961 UJA drive. In the last
several conferences, UJA, in-
stead of setting a goal, sub-
mitted to the communities a
statement showing - the total
needs of its agencies, urging
each community to raise the
maximum towards this sum.
A . figure in the neighborhood
of $72,000,000, representing
the combined minimum
budgetary commitments for
1961 of the UJA's constitu-
ents and beneficiaries, includ-
ing United Israel Appeal,
Joint Distribution Committee
and New York Association for
New Americans, will be put
to the delegates at the UJA
national conference as the
Sobeloff urged the dele-
gates to reappraise their ap-
proach to fund raising. "In
many of our annual cam-
paigns we go forth with tech-
niques that are • clothed in
tradition, blunted by rote and
almost sanctified by fetish,"
he said. "Rather than relying
on hard and fast rules, we
should put our faith in change
_ of pace, in flexibility, in dis-
cretion and in individUalized
and specialized approaches in
soliciting gifts."
The modifications made in
campaigning—hi card-calling, in
publishing names of contrib-
utors and in other areas, of ac-
tivities—were analyzed by Sobe-
loff who declared that "the test
for successful campaigning is
not only how many give but
how much." He emphasized the
need for replacing leaders who
fall asidg and he drew upon his
experiences to advise the hun-
dreds of delegates on the basic
needs for developing continuing
communities "with maturity and
generosity, ever forward as a de-
veloping Jewish life may re-
quire."
realistic goal."
Sobeloff, whose address at-
tracted wide attention, declared,
in his review of campaign ex-
periences, that "we no longer
are philanthropists helping the
dependent and underprivileged,
but that at long last we are par-
ticipating in a great self-help
movement. Our schools, our
hospitals, our centers, our
homes for the aged, our entire
network of services in our home
communities are being main-
tained for ourselves and our
families. Our national services
are being maintained for our
own sons in the armed forces,
for our common culture, for our
own status as citizens in a land
of equal opportunity. On the
world scene we - are engaged in
a struggle to remove the handi-
caps of economic disability, op-
pression and homelessness,
which are imposed on our fel-
Rabbi Friedman stated in
his address that the antici-
pated $72,000,000 will be 15
per cent more than the $3,-
, 000,000 UJA expects to raise
in 1960. He said the new goal
will be based on the recom-
mendations of qualified Amer-
ican groups and the newly-
organized 21-man board of the
Jewish Agency.
.
The reorganization of Jewish
philanthropic aid to Israel and
the process that was followed in
forming the new 21-man board
for the Jewish Agency was out-
lined in an address at the As-
sembly session on Nov. 10. Max
M. Fisher, president of the De-
troit Jewish Welfare Federation
and treasurer of the reorgan-
ized Jewish Agency, Inc., was
chairman of that session. It was
the only session held at the
Sheraton-Cadillac.
Other Michigan leaders parti-
cipated in conference sessions.
Dr. William Haber addressed
the luncheon meeting on Nov.
10. Judge Theodore Levin was
Detroit Educational System
Described by Albert Elazar
Detroit educators participated
actively in the educational dis-
cussions conducted during the
sessions of the General Assem-
bly of the Council of Jewish
Federations and Welfare Funds,
at Hotel Statler-Hilton.
Isaac Toubin, executive di-
rector of the American Associa-
tion for Jewish Education, Dr.
Judah Pilch, Judge Louis E.
Levinthal and .a number of other
prominent leaders _ addressed
special sessions on education.
A luncheon meeting held Sun-
day and presided over by Frank
Marshall of Chicago was ad-
dressed by Albert Elazar, super-
intendent of the Detroit United
Hebrew . Schools, who outlined
the development of the Detroit
communal school system.
"As a community school
system, the United Hebrew
Schools developed a_ complete
educational ladder to serve
the needs of the child, the
adolescent, the college stu-
dent and the • adult," Elazar
stated. -
He described the cooperation
that has developed here be-
Care for Aged, Israel Aid,
Civil Rights, Immigrgration
LawthangeUrgedbyCJFWF
chairman of the nominating
committee. Judge Levin, Fisher
and Sobeloff remain members
of the CJFWF board of direc-
tors. .
Rabbis Richard Hertz and
Leon Fram gave the invocations
at two of the Assembly sessions.
At the luncheon meeting
last Friday, Israel's Ambas-
sador Avraham Harman re-
affirmed the "sacred right" of
people to emigrate, and stated
that "to determine 'freely
where they want to live is
cardinal to human freedom.
"We assume that there is go-
ing to be a continuing flow into
Israel in the next decade of
Jews who need Israel and who
want to come there," he said.
He estimated the number at be-
tween 40,000 and 50,000 a year.
Added to this, he said, would be
a natural increase of about
30,000 a year. He declared that
Israel:was facing two problems
in 1960: problem of completing,
the -absorption of 1,000,000 im-
migrants and to prepare for the
needs of those who would arrive
in the 1960s.
At the Thursday night ses-
sion, Dewey D. Stone, of Brock-
ton, Mass., chairman of the Jew-
ish Agency for Israel, Inc., re-
ported that "for the first time in
the 22 - year history of the
Unit e d J _ ewish ApPeat an
American organization includ-
ing leaders in the Jewish fund
raising field throughout the na-
tion, has been charged with sole
responsibility for the line-by-
line allocation of all UJA funds
raised for the resettlement and
rehabilitation work of the Jew-
ish Agency. in Israel. The task
of the reorganized Jewish Agency
will involve a year-round effort
of studying, evaluating and inter-
preting the on-going activities of
the Agency in Israel."
In .a series of resolutions
adopted by the 29th General As-
sembly of the Council of Jewish
Federations and Welfare Funds,
held last week end, the dele-
gates welcomed the reorganiz-
ation as an important develop-
ment toward achieving the most
effective use of the support pro-
vided by our Jewish community
and urged in a resolution that
the "further development of the
structure of the Jewish Agency
for Israel, Inc., provide broader
representation on its'-governing
board for the communities
which furnish the support."
In another resolution the
Jewish communal leaders were
gratified to learn that the newly
established National Founda-
tion for Jewish Culture and its
associated Council of Jewish
Cultural Agencies had been as-
sured of operating funds for the
next three years.
"The inherent right of
every individual, regardless
of race, religion, color, na-
tional origin ' or ancestry to
live, to work and to be judged
in accordance with his indi-
vidual merit" was reaffirmed
in a resolution on civil rights.
The resolution recorded the
gratification of the delegates
"that the platforms and the
presidential candidates of both
political parties expressed sup-
port of 'these objectives and
pledged to use the full powers
and resources of the Federal
Government to secure their at-
tainment."
The delegates praised U. S.
economic aid in the Middle East
and urged "the continuation and
extension" of this program by
the incoming administration
In another resolution the
delegates urged specific legis-
lation to carry out the pledges
of both major parties to re-
vise the nation's immigration
and nationality laws.
Observing the cooperation
which is extended in local com-
munity relations programs by
the representatives of all na-
tiona . agencies, the delegates
questioned why equally effec-
tive relationships could not be
extended to the national field.
It was reported that during the
past year, individual communi-
ties increasingly have raised
further questions about the fail-
ure Of the American Jewish
Committee and the Anti-Defama-
tion League of Bnai Britt' . to
participate in any regular pro-
cess of cooperation with the
other national community rela-
tions agencies. "With an in-
creasing sense of urgency,' the
delegates called upon the
CJFWF Special Committee to
redouble its efforts to achieve
"effective cooperation among
all of the Jewish community re-
lations agencies."
The delegates called upon
'communities to make provision
for year-round study and action
on local, state, and federal pub-
lic welfare measures, so that
their voluntary agencies may
more fully assist in the enact-
ment of sound legislation, and
for effective financing and ad-
ministration of public services.
In addition to re-electing Irv-
ing Kane as president, the Coun-
cil elected the following: I. S.
Loewenberg, Chicago, Louis
Stern, Newark, Lewis H. Wein-
stein, Boston, Edward Barkoff,
Montreal, Mrs. Elmer ; Moyer,
Dayton, Edwin Rosenberg, New
York, Sol Satinsky, Philadelphia,
and Robert E. Sinton, San Fran-
cisco, vice presidents; Carlos L.
Israels, New York, treasurer,
and Louis J. Fox, Baltimore, sec-
retary.
A memorial service was held
in honor of the former presi-
dent, Herbert R. Abeles, of New-
ark, who passed away less than
two weeks before the Assembly.
CJFWF President's 'Quest for a Purpose'
Challenges Jewry to Strengthen Heritage
The 700 delegates from 'all
parts of the United States and
Canada who represented hun-
dreds of _communities at the
General Assembly of the Coun-
cil of Jewish Federations and
Welfare Funds, held here last
week end, and the hundreds of
Detroiters who attended the ses-
sions, were inspired by a stir-
ring address delivered by Irving
Kane, Cleveland attorney and
communal leader, who issued a
challenge to restate the basic
American ideals "in the light of
today's untidy and - indiscreet
world and to invigorate it," and
who declared:
"For us,, as Jews, there is
enough in our sacred writ-
ings, in our Torah, to give us
purpose—if we will but live
by it."
tween the schools and the syna-
gogues, the assurances of a cur-
riculum that serves all schools,
the progress made by the Mid-
Kane, who was re - elected
rasha and the Hebrew High
School and the staff's profes- president of the Council of Fed-
erations at the closing session
sionalization.
"The United Hebrew on Sunday, addressed the con-
Schools pioneered a relation- vention banquet, at the Statler-
ship with the synagogues in Hilton Hotel, Saturday night.
this community which has led The topic of his address, "Quest
to the development of a joint for a,P.urpose," emphasized that
Hebrew School-synagogue "there is no such thing as a
safe, comfortable ,position for a
partnership," he explained. .
"Because the United Hebrew thinking Jew, for any thinking
Schools is a community-wide person."
Emphasizing that 'American
system, it must and has been
able to develop a flexible pro- Jewry now is overwhelmingly
gram of accommodating itself to native-born, Kane declared that
the peculiarities of community there is. need 'to come to grips
development," he added. "As with the "changing mood" in
the communal school system, Jewry and that "we shall have
the United Hebrew Schools has to become, accustomed ' to deal-
followed the policy of being the ing with the inquiring mind
first agency into a neighborhood and with a community which in-
sists upon facts .and upon full
_and the last to leave."
Elazar also- described the de- disclosure — with a community
velopment of the bus system for that must be taken into the full
transporting students, the estab- confidence of those who ask for
lishment of a library for use by funds or it will have no con-
all schools and other progres- fidence in them."
"I believe that at least in
sive steps for the • development
of Detroit's educational system, America, Jews will ultimately
critics."
IRVING KANE
survive as a religious com-
munity, or not at all," Kane
said. "Judaism as a religion
has always been a social
force . . .
Indicating that Jews are not
niggardly in their giving, and
that American Jews contributed
two billion dollars for philan-
thropic purposes since World
War II, Kane pointed to Jewry's
"having recognized increasingly
the importance of Jewish educa-
tion and Jewish cultural' devel-
opment, giving greater support
than ever before to our reli-
gious institutions—while at the
same time we have deepened
America's passion f o r human
freedom and personal dignity
and have achieved a higher de-
gree of integration into Ameri-
can life and society."
Referring to new develop-
ments in American Jewish com-
munities, Kane said that. the
Council of Federations "will not
be timid in expressing its views,
its creative discontent, for we
do it as friends, as interested
partners, with the same deep
concern for Israel's needs—and
not as unfriendly, carping
He spoke of the "changing,
character" of our communi-
ties and pointed out that "we
are raising a generation that'
knew not Hitler . . . to whom
even the struggle for the
establishment of the Jewish
State represents a vague,
childhood memory." He added
that while Israel can and will
deepen our lives, our com-
munal purpose, Jewry cannot
live culturally and spiritually
as a parasite on a body 6,000
miles away," and while
American Jewry looks both to
Israel and to European Jew-
ry, "we can live meaningful
Jewish lives, drawing our in-
spiration from both sources."
In his discussion of proposals
for the establishment of a new
over-all central democratic Jew-
ish organization to embrace all
elements in Jewish life and to
act for them, Kane said "there
can be no compulsion in Jewish
life; there is no group that
seeks it, there is' no force that
can exert it. As a Council we
have always stood for cooper-
ative union, not for coercive
unity."
Appearing frankly skeptical
atJut the possibilities for the
establishment of a new over-all
body akin to the unsuccessful
American Jewish Assembly,
which collapsed because the
American Jewish Committee
would not support and join it,
Kane said:
"The history of these efforts
is a long and inglorious one. We
cannot afford any more failures
in organizing American Jewry.
It may well be that if there is
validity to the idea of a new
central Jewish organization, it
is an idea whose time has not
yet come."
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