54 Friday, December. 24, 1976. Ins A Forgotten Federation Centennial BY JACOB R. MARCUS . THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Director, American Jewish Archives The Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds was founded in 1932. That makes it 44 years old. Actually it is the out-growth of many agencies that preceded it. The oldest attempt to create a national Jewish federation of welfare societies goes back to 1876. Although the line of descent is broken, in a way the Council of Jewish Federations is 100 years old. What actually hap- pened? In the fall of 1876 the United Hebrew Relief Association of St. Louis issued a call for a national organization of the Jewish charities. This is documented by a refer- ence in the American Jewish Archives. No doubt the Jews were in- fluenced by the non- Jewish charities which were then fashioning union was the National their first all American Conference of Jewish association, the National Charities. It was estab- Conference of Charities lished in 1899 and is still and Correction. in existence, though its The 1876 Jewish na- name has been changed tional society did not come more than once. into being; too few re- It prospered in a day sponded. Why organize at when there were some all? It was a period of panic remarkable Jewish social and depression; thousands workers. One was a of people were on the road chemist named Lee K. begging or looking for Frankel who in 1908 was work. Something had to be appointed general man- done to cope with the prob- ager of the United He- lem of dependent Jews, brew Charities of New some of whom were im- York. postors. There was more success in 1885 when the As- sociated frebrew Charities of the United States actually came into being. It met in assembly but soon faded away be- cause the local . Jewish philanthropic societies feared they would lose their autonomy. They were a touchy lot. The first permanent Jewish national charity munities plan their social welfare future. Today there are about 200 federations serving some 800 communities. It is one of the most effi- cient, important, and in- fluential national Jewish associations. Thou Nast Made Progress Me Hunger on Terrorism My God, thou hast made me hunger, and naked forsaken me, and set me in the dark most of night, and taught me thy power and height. Though thou burn me in fire I shall but continue to love thee and to joy in thee, as Job said, "Though He cut me down, to Him I shall aspire." —Bahya ibn Pakuda Land Purchase Between 1880 and 1935, from the Turks and the British, all the State domain JACOB BILLIKOPF that the Jews could buy Its success can be amounted to 106,033 dun- measured by the fact that ams. To satisfy the needs of the gross national prod- a settlement internationally uct of American Jewish covenanted, they had to buy communities now is about over two million dunams of $2 billion; the oldest ex- private land, in many cases tant budget of a Jewish from absentee owners. The community on this conti- vendors ordinarily only sold nent goes back to 1721, to part of their holdings or New York City. Its were provided with as good, JACOB MARCUS budget that year was if not better, holdings in Kaufmann Kohler, pres- about £132! replacement. ident of Hebrew Union College, tried to dissuade him from becoming a pro- fessional social worker; he said it was a job only for unsuccessful rabbis. How- NEW YORK (JTA) — ever, Frankel was so suc- Explaining his state- cessful that the Metropoli- Rabbi Bernard Cherrick, ment, Cherrick said the vice president of the He- tan Life Insurance Co. or- cutbacks at the universi- ganized a health depart- brew University of Jerus- ties meant that many ment for its policy holders alem, expressel concern young faculty members and ultimately made him a that the "retrenchment" would lose their jobs. He by all of Israel's universi- said many persons who vice-president. To show what could be ties is causing some of the wanted t6 stay in Israel done, he went into a best young intellectuals would leave because there Canadian town and re- in Israel to leave the were no places for them on duced the infant country. He said if the money university faculties. He mortality rate from 300 used by the government urged AFHU members to per 1,000 to 79 per 1,000. provide the needed funds. Another social worker and the Jewish Agency to Venezky, who was one get a "few Americans" to of distinction was Jacob of the four founders of the make aliya went to the Israel Bond Organization Billikopf whose extant universities it could ,"be and a founder and first papers are now in the used to keep the best American Jewish Arc- brains in Israel." chairman of the National hives in Cincinnati. Bil- Cabinet of the United Cherrick spoke Nov. 28 likopf was the first man to to some 300 persons at a Jewish Appeal, was pre- secure a gift of about $1 dinner of the American sented the award by Dr. million for a Jewish Friends of Hebrew Uni- Max Kampelman, presi- cause: The donor was versity at the Essex dent AFHU. Samuel Julius Rosenwald. House Hotel, at which the Rothberg, of Peoria, When Billikopf asked organization presented chairman of Hebrew Uni- Rosenwald for a written its highest honor, versity's board of gover- note announcing that he Award, to Julian Scopus nors, was chairman of the Ven- would give this huge sum ezky, a Peoria, Ill., la- dinner. Rosenwald said: "Don't wyer, who is chairman of you believe me?" To the board of directors of The one who replies be- which Billikopf answered: AFHU and deputy fore he understands the "Yes, Mr. Rosenwald, I believe you, but they chairman of Hebrew Uni- question, looks foolish and versity's board of gover- disgraced. won't believe me." nors. —Proverbs 18. The Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, a national agency, was established in 1932 just as Hitler was about to come to power in Germany How beautiful upon the mountains and when this country was Art the feet of the messenger of good tidings, in the throes of the de- That announceth. peace, the harbinger of good tidings, pression threatening American Jewry's basic That announceth salvation; Jewish communal institu- That saith unto Zion: tions. "Thy God reigneth!" Hark, thy watchmen! They lift up the voice, It was a union of a Together do they sing; number of agencies and a they shall see, eye to eye, consolidation of their For The Lord returning to Zion. several tasks. Since its inception it has carried on Break forth into joy, sing together, the national field work of Ye waste places of Jerusalem; the Jewish charity work- For the Lord hath comforted His people, ers: conducted surveys, He hath redeemed Jerusalem. amassed research data, The Lord hath made bare His holy arm supplied information In the eyes of all the nations; about agencies at home And all the ends of the earth shall see and abroad seeking The salvation of our Goa. —Isaiah (Chapter 52, verses 7 10) funds, and helped corn- Hebrew U. Official Seeks Jewish Education Funds THE JEWISH NEWS as a gift this Scriptural Lore on Peace To: The Jewish News 17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite 865 Southfield, Mich. 48075 Please send a year's gift subscription to: NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE FOR: state occasion FROM 0 S10 enclosed ZIP - Editorial in NY Times Dec. 11, 1976 Any progress toward effective international action against any aspect of terrorism, however it be called, deserves com- mendation. The unusual coming together of West- ern nations, the Third World and the Soviet bloc behind a United Nations proposal for an interna- tional treaty against the taking of hostages is a cause for celebration. The adoption by con- sensus in the General sembly's legal commit of the resolution a vanced by West Germany and 37 other nations as- sures passage by the As- sembly itself. In order to achieve this rare UN unanimity, the sponsors agreed to delete a provision specifying that the treaty should re- quire the prohibition and condemnation of the tak- ing of hostages and the prosecution, punishment and extradition, where necessary, of the perpet- rators. In return, Libya drop- ped its demand that the treaty apply only to "inno- cent" hostages — a provi- sion the United States and others believed would be used to exclude Jews and white South Africans from protection. Even with the soften- ing of the instructions to the 35-nation commission that will be established to draft the treaty, the un- animous resolution rep- resented a step forward, buttressing the opinion expressed Dec. 10 by Sec- retary General Kurt Wal- dheim that there is now "much more readiness" for United Nations action against terrorism. If this will to cooperate endures, the commission may be ready to submit a draft treaty to the 32d General Assembly next year. Most of the credit for - bypassing obstacles raised particularly by the Arab states to block pre- vious United Nations in- itiatives against ter- rorism belongs to the West German govern- ment that was admitted to the UN only three years ago. Bonn diplomats worked assiduously to persuade the Arabs that the care- fully drafted resolution against the taking of hos- tages was not motivated partisanship in Mideast quarrel. They aL. lobbied effectively for the essential support of the Soviet Union and all the developing nations. The hard work will re- ally begin when the com- mission assembles next summer. But the unusual unity displayed at Turtle Bay Dec. 10 augurs well for what would be the first UN-sponsored, glob- ally applicable measure against terrorism, a malady from which not one of the 146 UN mem- bers is immune.