Probes Under Way Into NY's Negro-Jewish Tensions

NEW YORK (JTA) — Tensions
between New York's Jewish and
Negro communities continued to
escalate over the weekend with
new charges of anti-Semitism,
countercharges of anti-Negro bias,
and a series of investigations be-
gun or announced on various
levels.
Mayor John V. Lindsay ordered
an immediate police report on the
Friday night mugging of a 64-
year-old Brooklyn rabbi—a former
president of the New York Board
of Rabbis—who was robbed and
beaten by two Negro youths as
he arrived for services at Shaare
Zedek synagogue in the Bedford-
Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

RABBI MAX SCHENK

Rabbi Max Schenk, who has
been rabbi of Shaare Zedek since
1949, suffered a broken arm and
other injuries. In a statement
from his bed at Swedish Hospital,
he said of his attack, "I don't be-
lieve there was anything racial
about the assault. I think they
were two young punks who were
looking for someone to rob and
just picked on me when they saw
me enter the temple alone."
Mayor Lindsay was reportedly
very much disturbed when he
got word of the mugging. He
phoned Rabbi Schenk at the
hospital. Rabbi Schenk said,
"The mayor told me bow deep-
ly distressed he was and then
assured me that all efforts would
be made to apprehend my as-
sailants." Rabbi. Schenk said he
thanked the mayor for the call
and told him be expected to
leave the hospital in a few days.
There were new expressions of
virulent anti-Semitism by Negroes
on WBAI-FM, the listener-sup-
ported radio station already under
investigation by the Federal Com-
munications Commission (FCC)
for broadcasting an anti-Semitic
poem last Dec. 26.
And in one segment of the Jew-
ish community, a threat was voic-
ed to organize Jewish vigilante
brigades to combat what was al-
leged to be a Negro crime wave
against Jews.
The newest conflict erupted at
Junior High School 22 in the
Bronx, whose student body is 50
per cent Negro and 40 per cent
Puerto Rican. Its Jewish princi-
pal, Edward L. Solomon, charged
a black community group support-
ed by poverty-agency funds with ;
anti-Semitic harassment. His
charges were under investigation
by the Human Rights Commission
and the Human Resources Ad-
ministration.
Jerome A. Greene, an official of
the group, the Morrisania Com-
munity Corporation, has demand-
ed a state and city investigation
of charges that Solomon discrim-
inated against a Negro job appli-
cant. Solomon said that intruders
disrupted c 1 a s s e s, threatened
teachers and circulated anti-Semi-
tic literature in the neighborhood
in what he charged was "a well-
organized and well-financed plan
to harass white Jewish educators

22—Friday, January- 31, 1969

• .. happening all over the city." munities" and to the "exhaustive
Greene claimed that Solomon 1 efforts" of peoples of all races and
had turned down a Negro ap- creeds "to ameliorate racial ten-
plicant for a position as educa- sions and improve human rela-
tional assistant on grounds that tions."
he needed bilingual aid but
Frank A. Millspaugh Jr., WBAI
subsequently hired a Jew who station manager, who initially
rejected a complaint from the
was not bilingual.
City Council President Francis UFT and its president, Albert
X. Smith meanwhile urged May- Shanker, over the Campbell pre-
or Lindsay to call an urgent sentation, announced subsequently
conference of key white and Ne- that WBAI was starting two pro-
gro leaders "on ways to allay ten- grams to demonstrate "its good
sion." Smith addressed himself faith."
One will be a revival of the
specifically to expressions of anti-
Semitism by Negro teachers and station's "Jewish Documentary"
warned those "who teach anti- series "to insure that matters
affecting the Jewish community
Semitic material in our schools
will ave immediate respo nse
should not do so with impunity."
Smith's view was shared by from recognized leadership with-
Judge Bernard Botein, retired jus- in that community" and the
tice of the appelate division, who I other will be a discussion pro-
headed Mayor Lindsay's special , gram about issues affecting
WBAI programing.
committee on racial and religious
prejudice in the city. The com-
The ADL report was based on
mittee published last week a report a special study undertaken be-
which indicated anti-white senti- , cause the anti-Jewish manifesta-
ment by Negroes and anti-Negro tions were of a violent and imme-
reaction by whites. In a statement diate nature, ADL Chairman Dore
Friday, Judge Botein charged Schary said. The survey indicted
that "continued silence" by white both black extremists and city of-
Christians and Negro leaders was ficials who "do not recognize or
abetting the anti-Semitic attacks know how to handle even that anti-
by black extremists.
Semitism which is open."
The New York City Board of
The report charged that anti-
Education rebuffed last week a re- Semitic material had been pro-
quest from Mayor Lindsay that duced in at least one instance 'by
charges be brought against two a publicly-f u n d e d anti-poverty
Negro public school teachers ac- unit." The ADL warned that there
cused of blatantly anti-Semitic was "a clear and present danger
comments.
that children in ghetto schools had
The 12-member board rejected a been infected by the anti-Semitic
resolution to that effect by a 5-4 preachings of black extremists
vote but then approved a proposal who, in some cases are teachers"
calling on School Superintendent; to whom the pupils "increasingly
Bernard Donovan and all school look for leadership."
district superintendents to take I
The report also hit at Thomas
"appropriate action a g ainst Hoving, director of the city's
teachers and supervisors "who Metropolitan Museum of Art, with
advocate or stimulate racial or regard to a catalogue for the
religious hatred."
museum's current exhibit of life
The board also approved a reso- in Harlem. The introduction was
lution setting up a special com- considered blatantly anti-Semitic.
Arnold Forster, ADL general
mittee "to examine existing pro-
cedures and criteria governing the counsel, who conducted the ADL
conduct of teachers and super- investigation, said that open un-
visors who either inside or outside abashed anti-Semitism existed in
the schools advocate or stimulate New York City "in an amount and
racial or religious hatred." The intensity unlike anything New
committee was instructed to rec- York City has seen in recent de-
ommend procedures "for effec- cades." He accused President
John Doar of the board of educa-
tively controlling such practices.
The board action came shortly tion, Vice President Milton Gala-
after the Anti-Defamation Lea- mison and former president Lloyd
gue of Bnai Brith issued a re- Garrison of "passivity in the face
port charging that "raw, un- of outrageous bigotry." He also as-
disguised" anti-Semitism had sailed the City Commission on
Human Rights for the view that
reached a crisis level in New
York City public schools, "per- its functions excluded dealing with
such
activities.
petrated largely by black ex-
Doar replied to the ADL charge
tremists."
The ADL declared that the with the comment that the First
growth of anti-Semitism had been Amendment, guaranteeing the
"aided by the failure of city and right of free speech, was the basis
state public officials to condemn it for the board's actions.
After the mayor's rebuff by the
swiftly and strongly enough, and
to remove from positions of auth- board of education, he told a press
ority those who have utilized" such conference that the board should
adopt a strong code of ethics
bigotry.
Mayor Lindsay had proposed which would expresly forbid racist
that charges be brought against "behavior, sentiments or 'attitudes"
Leslie Campbell, who read the by anyone on the school system
anti-Semitic poem on WBAI, and staff, adding that "it should be
Albert Vann, president of the formally spelled out that anti-
militant Afro-American Teachers white, anti-black and anti-Semitic
Association, who had accused May- attitudes will not be tolerated by
or Lindsay of trying to "appease the board." He also told the board
the powerful Jewish financiers of it should act "very rapidly" in
the city" in ordering an investiga- taking "appropriate steps" against
tion of the Campbell case. The the two Negro teachers.
The American Jewish Congress
two Negroes teach at Junior High
School 271 in the Ocean Hill asked the board of education to
Brownsville experimental school set up an emergency telephone
district in Brooklyn, a focal point number which could be used by
in the 1968 strike by members of parents, teachers and pupils to re-
the largely Jewish United Federa- port incidents of racial and religi-
ous bigotry in the schools. The pro-
tion of Teachers.
Speaking at a meeting at the posal was made in a letter to Wal-
Bayside (Queens) Jewish Center, ter Straley, chairman of the new
Mayor Lindsay said he did not board of education committee on
think that a teacher "who speaks racial and religious bigotry.
In Albany, Gov. Nelson A.
in such style has any place teach-
Rockefeller ordered the State Hu-
ing in New York City."
State Education Commissioner man Rights Commission to inten-
James E. Allen, Jr., said in a state- sify its probe into anti-Semitism.
ment in Albany, that Campbell's The commission will conduct hear-
act of reading publicly "and com- ings on recent attacks on syna-
menting favorably on an offensive gogues and will formulate plans
verse allegedly written by a stu- to reduce tensions over which the
dent has done a grave disservice governor is said to be "very con-
to both the Jewish and Negro corn- cerned."
The FCC inquiry into the WBAI
THE.. pupil AVON NEWS reading was held up to include

a new complaint against the sta- and more hostility to be directed
tion. The complaint was made by Negroes against our synagogues
in a telegram from the Work- and our people."
men's Circle, a Jewish fraternal
He added the claim that Negro
labor organization, demanding crime in the streets was directed
suspension of WBAI's license against the Jews.
In Far Rockaway, once a Jewish
pending a hearing.
The telegram, from Israel Bres- seaside resort, now a mixed Jew-
low, president, and Benjamin ish-Negro neighborhood in which
Gebiner executive secretary, the Orthodox element prevails, an
charged that WBAI was "the ghost inquiry was under way by the New
of Joseph Goebbels' Nazi radio net- York State Division of Human
work." They referred to a Julius Rights into a fire that destroyed a
Lester show last week which was synagogue last Jan. 3.
The' fire department found no
devoted to reaction to the reading
of the anti-Semitic poem on the evidence of arson, but Jewish wit-
same program last month by nesses took an opposite view and
charged the city administration
Campbell.
Lester, a Negro activist, agreed and the police and fire depart-
with three Negro panel members ments with "irresponsibility."
There has been a rash of sus-
that the poem was a valid expres-
picious fires in Jewish synago-
sion of the prevailing sentiment
gues and Hebrew schools in The
among black students.
Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and
One of the latter, Tyrone Woods,
Manhattan. A number of juven-
who described himself as a New
ile suspects have been arrested,
York University student and resi-
dent of the Bedford-Stuyvesant all of them white and, at least
in two cases, Jewish. One 10-
district of Brooklyn, alleged that
"What Hitler did to six million year-old Jewish boy admitted
Jews is nothing compared to what having set a series of fires In
the Manhattan Beach Jewish
has been done to black people."
He added, "As far as I'm con- Center earlier this month.
cerned, more power to Hitler. He
Police announced the arrest of a
didn't make enough lampshades 17-year-old girl and a 14-year-old
out of them. He didn't make boy, both white, in connection with
enough belts out of them." Lester a fire that destroyed the Cong.
commented moments later that Torei Zonov synagogue in the
WBAI was not responsible for the Bronx.
opinions expressed on its pro-
The suspects were picked up by
grams.
members of a special squad set up
In Brooklyn, an Orthodox rabbi, by Mayor Lindsay to investigate
Jacob Hecht, vice president of the the fires in houses of worship. The
"National Committee for the Fur- girl was identified as Mary Reed of
therance of Jewish Education," The Bronx. The boy's imme was
warned that if Jews in troubled not given because of his age. Police
areas cannot get protection from said the pair entered the synagogue
government agencies, they would Iwith the intention of robbing the
organize Jewish brigades to serve poor box. They were said to have
as "an auxiliary police force" pat- used matches for light and some
rolling the streets.
were said to have dropped and
Rabbi Hecht alleged that "in the started the fire.
name of racial understanding, we
The girl has been charged with
Jews have become too lenient and arson, burglary, larceny, malicious
too lax and are thus perpetuating mischief and desecration of a house
a situation that is causing more of worship.

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