New Formula for Increased Overseas Aid
Budget Planners Endorse Increased Help for Israel,
Refugees; Anticipate $5,000,000 Allied Drive in 1964
Mounting overseas refugee problems, increas-
ing needs to provide for tens of thousands of new
settlers in Israel and the challenges that emerge
from the needs to be fulfilled by the United Jewish
Appeal, combined to transform the annual budget-
ing conference of the Jewish Welfare Federation,
held last Sunday at the Jewish Center, into a
virtual demonstration for the mobilization of every
available means to assure larger allocations from
Allied Jewish Campaign incomes towards the
rescue activities.
Echoing the admonitions that were heard a
week ago at the national UJA conference in New
York, where world and American Jewish leaders
maintained that the Jews of this country were not
meeting their obligations to the needy in many
lands and to the resettlement needs in Israel,
local leaders were concerned that there has been
a drop in gifts here for aid to refugees and their
migration to Israel.
There were numerous appeals for unstinted
and increased contributions towards the advance-
ment of educational and cultural movements lo-
cally and nationally, but all local interests were
overshadowed by the unanimous endorsements
of the appeals for the major American Jewish
relief movement—the United Jewish Appeal.
An entire morning's discussions, preceded
by reports from major division budgeting chair-
men, resulted in the adoption of a formula for
allocations from income from the 1964 Allied
Jewish Campaign, providing for the following:
If as much is raised in 1964 as in 1962, distri-
bution will be in the same proportion. This would
obviate greatly-needed increases for local and na-
tional causes.
Hyman Safran, who presented the formula
as chairman of the budgeting conference steering
committee, pointed out that the functioning bud-
geting division would have to decide who would
be hurt the least under such an unfortunate even-
tuality of failure to secure added sums in the next
campaign. The same policy of fund allocations
would be followed if the sum of $4,800,000 is to
be raised in the 1964 campaign.
The campaign's objective, however, would be
to raise at least $5,000,000. Then, the formula
provides, 90 per cent of all increases above the
$4,800,000 figure would go to the UJA for refugees
assistance and Israel and the other 10 per cent
would be allocated to local causes.
In all events, budgeting rights will not be
taken away from functioning committees, it was
emphasized.
Max M. Fisher, as president of the Jewish
Welfare Federation, presided • at the budgeting
conference, and Safran presided at the session
of the steering committee which followed the con-
ference deliberations. The decisions of the steer-
ing committee are expected to be approved and put
into operation by the Federation's executive com-
mittee as a policy to be followed in allocating
campaign income in 1964.
Fisher and Safran made the major appeals
Continued on Page 32
THE JEWISH NEWS
ROIT
Weekly Review
Of=T
A
NA I I-I I G
of Jewish
NI
Events
Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper, Incorporating The Jewish Chronicle
Vol. XLIV—No.
17
17100 W.
7 Mile Rd., Detroit 35
December 20, 1963
Blame 'Arab Blackmail'
for Omission of Rabbi's
Scene from Johnson Film
Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News
NEW YORK — The United States Information Agency was disclosed Tuesday to
have ordered deletion of a scene on a rabbi from a film on President Johnson scheduled
to be shown throughout the world. The deletion was ordered because of possible Arab
objections.
The 30-minute film, based mainly on newsreels made by Hearst Metrotone News, is
entitled "Let Us Continue." The documentary film is designed to explain President
Johnson's pOsition on several crucial issues. To show the harmonious relationships of
different religions in the United States, a shot originally was included showing Roman
Catholic, Protestant and Jewish clergymen.
The deletion was denounced by Rabbi Leon I. Feuer, president of the Central
Conference of American Rabbis, who said the action was "a disgrace to the United
States." He added that "in an attempt to placade the Arab nations whose loyalty to the
United States is doubtful, the U.S. Information Agency has n9t only offended the Jews
of this country but has violated the trust that all Americans have in their government
by letting the pressure of foreign governments influence American democratic ideals."
He termed the deletion a "new and abhorent concession to Arab blackmail.
A formal denial by the United States Information Agency of the report that it had
ordered deletion of a Jewish scene from the documentary failed Wednesday to mollify
a growing group of critics.
The original report said that the film "Let Us Continue," produced gratis by
television writers Rod Sterling and William Froug, was ordered by USIA for showing
throughout the world to explain President Johnson's position on several vital issues and
that a scene showing a rabbi had been omitted to avoid offense to Arab audiences in the
Middle East.
Donald M. Wilson, deputy USIA director, said "there was no censorship exerted by
USIA nor is it true that one of three religious scenes was dropped." He said that a
tentative approach calling for a "panoramic" opener to show the geography, institutions
and people of the United States included "possible scenes of church services." This was
dropped, he said, for a different approach.
The explanation drew a comment from Rep. Emanuel Celler (D., N.Y.) that is was
"weasel worded and will not wash." Sen. Kenneth B. Keating (R., N.Y.), said he had
checked into the report and learned that the agency had "certain general policies with
regard to scenes which they feel would offend the viewing audiences in different
countries."
After Wilson's statement, a USIA spokesman said that "a discussion of distribution
problems in the Middle East might have been brought up as a secondary issue," but he,
too, insisted that agency policy did not include censorship of any kind. He also said that
USIA had produced both documentary films and television programs which showed
Jewish individuals and groups and that these films had been widely shown in the Middle
(Continued on Page 3)
1964 Pre-Campaign Budget Formula
1963 Experience
TOTAL
Campaign and Collections
Reserve for Shrinkage
AVAILABLE FOR ALLOCATION
L Overseis and Israel
1964 Recommendations
In Event of
5% Increase
$4,800,000
Anticipating In Event of
Higher Income 5% Decrease
$5,000,000
$4,400,000
$4,568,026
310,000
251,241
4,006,785
4,226,000
4,415,000
3,848,000
2,092,150
2,210,000
2,380,000
2,013,500
(52.3%)
2. Local—Operating
1,434,085
1,513,000
1,527,000
1,377,500
(35.8% -)
3. Local—Capital
250,800
262,000
265,000
238,000
(6.2%)
4: National Agencies
229,750
241,000
243,000
219,000
(5.7% )
These tabulations illustrate the new formula adopted by the steering committee of the
Jewish Welfare Federation, which acted in behalf of the budget conference held Sunday. The
steering committee under the chairmanship of Hyman Safran included Max M. Fisher, Louis
LaMed, Alan E. Schwartz, Samuel S. Greenberg, Louis Tabashnik, Charles II. Gershenson, Samuel
J. Greenberg, Stanley J. Winkelman, Mai M. Shaye, Mrs. Philip R. Marcuse, Mrs. I. Jerome Hauser,
Isidore Sobeloff, Dr. Norman Drachier, William Avrunin, David Safran, George M. Stutz, Sidney
M. Shevitz, Jack 0, Lefton, Philip Slomovitz, Arthur Howard, Mandell L. Berman, Jacob A. Citrin,
Philip Stollman, Isaac Litwak and George M. Zeltzer.
Myer Feldman (right) accepted President Lyndon B.
Johnson's invitation to remain at the White House as his
Deputy Special Counsel to advise him on Jewish and
Israeli matters.
Detailed report by our Washington Correspondent,
Milton Friedman, on Page 5