THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, August 15, 1975 19
-----
IMITATIONS
by HATTIE
SCHWARTZ
NEW YEAR'S CARDS
NJCRAC Rejects Jewish Defense League Membership
(Copyright 1975, JTA, Inc.)
The Plenary Session, as I
believe you know, is a dele-
gated body comprising rep-
resentatives of all our con-
stituent national
organizations and of our
constituent community
agencies.
The action of the Plenary
Session was taken on the
unanimous recommenda-
tion of our membership
committee, reached after
full review of your applica-
tion.
(Editor's note: The plen-
ary session of the National
Jewish Community Rela-
tions Advisory Council, at
its meeting in New York in
June, rejected the applica-
tion of the Jewish Defense
League for membership
and endorsed a report by
the membership commit-
tee of the reasons for its
recommendation. What
follows is the letter writ-
ten to the JDL by Albert
D. Chernin, NJCRAC ex-
ecutive vice-chairman,
and the response by Rabbi
Meir Kahane, interna-
tional chairman of the
JDL.
The Plenary Session
unanimously endorsed the
following report by the
membership committee of
the reasons for its recom-
mendation:
Dear Mr. Singer:
It is my duty to inform
you that on June 29, 1975,
the Plenary Session of the
National Jewish Commu-
nity Relations Advisory
Council unanimously re-
jected the application of the
Jewish Defense League for
membership.
• NJCRAC and its member
agencies have long been
committed to strengthening
the American democratic
process. Our commitment to
the democratic process is
reflected in the NJCRAC
process which is based on
voluntary cooperation by
our national and local mem-
ber agencies who represent
a wide range of the ideologi-
cal spectrum found within
the Jewish com-munity.
Even when there are differ-
ences, our member agencies
participate in the NJCRAC
* * *
June 30, 1975
Mr. Gene Singer
Jewish Defense League
1133 Broadway, Suite 1026
New York, N.Y. 10010
on the basis of mutual re-
spect and a shared accept-
ance of the common cause.
The right to dissent is fully
recognized.
• The NJCRAC and its
member agencies support
militancy as a legitimate
way to achieve change. In
regard to Israel and Soviet
Jewry, as well as other com-
munity relations issues, we
have urged activist mea-
sures in carrying out our
program. We believe that
the American democratic
system provides the means
for effectively expressing
our views and bringing
about change. In this con-
text resort to violence is
harmful to our cause and
morally unacceptable.
• The Jewish Defense
League does not accept this
basic approach. First it has
had a history of encourag-
ing and indeed undertaking
acts of violence. Second,
JDL has denied the right of
dissent of those who differ
from its position by using
intimidation, including vio-
lence, in attempts to impose
its will on those with whom
it disagrees, both within
and outside of the Jewish
The History of the Jewish Agency
Aiding the Growth, Development of Israel
The Jewish Agency, an in- the Jewish population in Pa-
ternational, nongovernment lestine."
body, centered in Jerusa-
The article went on to rec-
lem, is the executive and ognize the Zionist Organiza-
representative of the World tion as such an agency" so
Zionist Organization, whose long as its organization and
aims are to assist and en- constitution are in the opin-
courage Jews throughout ion of the mandatory appro-
the world to help in the de- priate."
velopment and settlement of
Indeed the two were cot-
Israel.
erminous from the time
According to the Encyclo- that the mandate was rati-
paedia Judaica, the term fied by the League Council
"Jewish Agency" first ap- in July 1922 until the en-
peared in Article Four of larged Jewish Agency
the League of Nations Man- came into being in August
date for Palestine, which
1929. From that date until
stipulated that "an appro- the establishment of the
priate Jewish agency shall state of Israel, this body
be recognized as a public played the principal role in
body for the purpose of ad- the relations between the
vising and cooperating with national home and world
the administration of Pales- Jewry on the one hand and
tine in such economic, so- the mandatory and other
cial, and other matters as powers on the other.
may affect the establish-
In May 1948 the Jewish
ment of the Jewish National Agency relinquished many
Home and the interests of of its functions to the newly
Former JTA Correspondent
A Hit With President Ford
Former Jewish Tele-
graphic Agency correspond-
ent Milton Friedman has be-
come one of President
Gerald Ford's major speech-
writers, and made news last
week when Ford delivered a
harsher-than-expected ad-
dress at the 35-nation sum-
mit conference in Helsinki.
Ford overruled Secretary
of State Henry Kissinger,
who would have preferred a
milder speech. The Presi-
dent and Friedman collabo-
rated, and Ford told the as-
Isembled leaders that they
must ensure that the Hel-
sinki agreements were not
MILTON FRIEDMAN
just empty words.
Kissinger was reportedly communist foreign minis-
amused, puzzled and ulti- ters paid compliments to
mately pleased when several Ford's "restrained" speech.
created government of Is-
rael, but continued to be
responsible for immigra-
tion, land settlement, youth
work, and other activities
financed by voluntary Jew-
ish contributions from
abroad.
On July 26, 1954 a formal
covenant was signed be-
tween the Israel govern-
ment and the World Zionist
Organization-Jewish
Agency, recognizing the lat-
ter as the representative of
world Jewry in relation to
functions carried out
through the following de-
partments: immigration,
absorption, agricultural set-
tlement, youth aliya, eco-
nomic, organization, infor-
mation, external relations,
youth and He-Halutz, edu-
cation and culture in the
Diaspora, and later Torah
education and culture in
Diaspora.
In 1960 an American body
was created to supervise dis-
bursement in Israel of funds
raised by the United Jewish
Appeal, in compliance with
U.S. government regula-
tions on tax-deductible gifts
to charitable organizations.
The new body was named
the Jewish Agency for Is-
rael, Inc. (changed to United
Israel Appeal, Inc. in 1966).
Its board of directors
was composed in equal
parts of organized Zion-
ists, non-Zionists, and per-
sons drawn from both
camps who were active in
fund raising. The Jerusa-
lem executive of the
Agency was appointed by
this body as its official
agent for implementing
the programs for which
American funds were allo-
cated. To monitor these
expenditures, it main-
tained an office in Israel.
community. We regard it as
intolerable that any Jewish
organization should resort
to force to compel the Jew-
ish community to accept its
views and only its views.
Very truly yours,
Albert D. Chernin
Executive Vice Chairman
*
* *
July 15, 1975
Mr. Albert D. Chernin
Executive Vice Chairman
NJCRAC
55 West 42nd St.,
New York, N.Y. 10036
Dear Mr. Chernin,
Your letter of June 30th
rejecting the application of
the Jewish Defense League
for membership in National
Jewish Community Rela-
tions Advisory Council has
been received, and we are
shocked — if not surprised
— and totally unwilling to
accept this as the final
word.
Your group, with a long
and sorry record of non-ac-
tion, is a public, not a pri-
vate, body, and has no right
to reject any organization
that plays a prominent role
in the American Jewish
community. The lack of de-
mocracy in the American
Jewish Establishment is
legendary, but we are pre-
pared to put an end to that
state of affairs.
Your rejection of JDL was
not because of the false and
hypocritical reason given in
your letter, but rather be-
cause every group within
your organization is deathly
afraid of the impact of JDL
upon the American Jewish
community.
We intend to pursue this
matter in the courts as
well as the press and
through demonstrations.
Your claim to reject any
group that would "resort to
force 'to compel the Jewish
community to accept its
views" rings hollow as there
sit in your organization
groups that turned over
names of Jews to the FBI
and informed on them in so
many other ways.
With Love of Israel,
Jewish Defense League
Rabbi Meir Kahane
International Chairman
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